Thank you, Netgalley, Nana Malone, for receiving an advanced copy of Gold Coast Dilemma.
About the author
Nana Malone is a Wall Street Journal and USA TODAY bestselling author. She is a Ghanaian woman. Her female main characters are women of African descent.
Ofousa Addo plays the main female character. Ofousa is a dedicated publishing professional. Addo is excellent at her job and enthusiastic about it. At a publishing event, she later encounters a stranger, Cole. They share an enthusiastic kiss. They feel a spark., But Addo does not want a relationship with him. They do not have the same culture. She knows her family will never accept a man like him.
Years later, she is in a relationship with a man her family loves and accepts. She believes he is not the man for her. Addo will not break off their engagement even though she has anxiety about marrying him.
She has no choice but to admit the relationship is over. When she catches him being unfaithful. The incident makes her end it. The betrayal has destroyed her. She has been coping with her anxiety since the incident.
She is also dealing with her mother. Ms. Addo is trying to find another potential spouse. Furthermore, she encountered a captivating stranger from a different racial and cultural background. Ofousa is a Ghanaian, and Cole is not.
At a publishing event, she later encounters a stranger, Cole. Ofousa now collaborates with him, which makes the situation even more difficult. Cole wants to support Ofosua in her transition to this new position. This position is as easy as it seems. He wants to protect her and motivate her.
Analysis
The prologue shows Ofosua’s transformation throughout the book, so read it. Plus, you will get an understanding of her and Cole.
The opening scene starts with Ofosua talking about getting married. She seems hesitant to go through with it. Adou is just going through tradition. Tradition and class are critical to the groom's and the bride’s families.
Malone did make an intensive introduction about Ofosua’s connection to her soon-to-be husband’s family. They were remarkably close because the relationship between Adou’s mom and the groom’s mom was friendly.
His only concern was his family's legacy and how others saw him. He was a jerk who did not respect Ofosua.
This book was a slow burn, like I expected, since she was reluctant to break tradition as far as race. She did want a loving, caring relationship where a person allowed her to be herself. Cole was the perfect person to provide that. I knew that the love scenes did not take place until much later in the book.
I wish the author had allowed them to remain friends longer before being intimate. Writing it that way would have allowed the characters to be sensual.
The love scenes are not too toe-curling. Ofosua and Cole flirted. They were a scene where he would take her food, and how she flirted back. I wanted more tension and descriptions in those moments. Their relationship was private; they did not want people to know, and it lacked passion.
Personal insights
A fun, romantic book was what I wanted to read. I get tired of reading books about an insecure lady who falls in love with a jerk. This book is not like that. The male love interest is not like most men in other romance books.
I love how Cole was a gentleman from the start. Cole helps Ofosua get through her time at the publishing company. She is the only person of color (African) in the entire firm. She faces microaggressions from the head of the company and her coworkers.
She is kind and firm to her mother even though she says offensive things to her.
She even laughs at his jokes and tries to make him feel better when he is down. Her banter with him is what I love most about this book. Addo learns to laugh at herself with the help of Cole. Those funny moments are the best part of this book.
I can understand how she feels because rejection is heartbreaking. Those few lines show how Ofousa behaved the way she did. She was also afraid of what her family would think.
Conclusion
Cole and Ofousa have a delightful relationship that is not chaotic, like some of the other books I have read. I like the book for those reasons.
I give the book 3 1/2 stars for not being a sad love story. It was sweet and informative about the microaggressions that minorities face. It was an easy read for those who do not like graphic love scenes. This book is PG-13 because it has sex scenes. I recommend this book and look forward to reading others written by the author.
