Touched by Gold is one of those books that has some interesting ideas and elements but fails to come together as a harmonious whole. I picked it up because the heroine is an archaeologist, and I thought it might be something like one of my favorite guilty pleasure movies, The Mummy with Brendan Fraser. I did like some of the buried treasure elements, but I found the plot contrived and the heroine very difficult to like at first.

Elysia (Ellie) Carlisle is the daughter of an earl, and like her noble father she loves archaeology. She grew up accompanying him to digs at exotic locales, and she would like to continue that life on her own. But her father is getting older and wants to see her married and settled, so he has made her promise that her current dig near Mexico city will be her last. But she is on the brink of an exciting discovery. She has found an Aztec medallion that may help her find a lost treasure. Just as she is about to set off to find it, she discovers her vile fiancé melting down priceless artifacts into gold bars so he can repay his gaming debts. He ties her up and heads out to find the treasure on his own.

When Ellie gets free she goes off to New Mexico to find the treasure. Right when she gets to Albuquerque she sees a gambler who has another Aztec medallion. He is Matt Deveraux, and he too is looking for the treasure, mostly to fulfill a promise to a dying friend. Ellie tries to buy Matt’s medallion, but he won’t sell. She tries to win it off him in a poker game, but Matt is a professional gambler, and he doesn’t lose. She finally resorts to theft, but even that drastic measure is a failure. She gives up in despair and leaves Albuquerque by herself – then is enraged to find Matt following her.

After much arguing, which frankly takes most of the book, the two become partners of sorts, although Ellie resolves not to tell Matt precisely what they are looking for until the last possible moment. But Matt has enemies who want him dead, and Ellie’s slimy ex-fiancé is still looking for the treasure and will stop at nothing. Ellie and Matt will need to fight the “bad guys,” and Ellie will need to get over her distrust.

I found this book hard to get into, but it’s not without good qualities. The treasure hunting part is fun, so long as you are willing to suspend your disbelief – the treasure, after all, has been sitting around for three hundred years and most of the crucial markers and maps remain undisturbed. And Matt is an admirable hero. Once Ellie decides to trust him, they make a cute couple.

The problem is that it takes Ellie forever to trust Matt. Okay, so her last relationship was a big, huge failure. But she keeps assuming Matt is after her for the treasure or her inheritance, even though Matt has a healthy bank account and pays for nearly everything. Matt kept rescuing her and proving himself to her again and again, and I’d think, “Now she’ll trust him!” But she didn’t. Personally, I think a man who escapes from certain death by fire ants and rushes to rescue you first thing – through intense pain and delirium – has proven himself. But Ellie has higher standards than I do, I’m afraid. By the way, if you are a little squeamish (or a lot squeamish) and don’t particularly wish to watch the hero being tortured with fire ants, better read something else.

And the fire ant scenario leads to my biggest problem with the book – illogical plotting. A lot of it is the James Bond stuff parodied so well by Mike Meyers in Austin Powers. At least twice the villains could kill Matt, and there is absolutely no reason why they wouldn’t, because they are mean and horrible and Matt stands in their way of getting the treasure. But instead they choose to leave him in situations from which he can escape (bitten by fire ants to hell and back, but alive, by golly) and come back to haunt them. Matt is no better. Twice he decides to not kill a man who is trying to kill him. The first time is somewhat believable, because has to rescue Ellie. But the second time is during a gun fight. Five men are shooting at Matt and Ellie, and he creates an incredible diversion so that he can get the upper hand. Then, instead of shooting the first villain he comes across, he hits him on the head with his gun. This is not some nice guy who is in the wrong place at the wrong time; this is a man who is shooting at him. The only possible reason for Matt not to kill him is so he can pop up a couple more times in the book and try to kill Matt again – which is exactly what he does. Duh.

The archaeology plot is fun, but unless that is your absolute favorite plot in the world this book is perhaps best avoided. The fun parts don’t make up for the poor plotting, and the likable hero is a little too worthy for the distrustful heroine.