Book 2), Lip Service (Lone Star Sisters

I've been a faithful fan of Susan Mallery since her first novel, Tender Loving Care. After reading the previous book in this series, I was really anxious to read this particular novel. As soon as I could download it, I began reading this novel via Kindle. I must say that I was pretty disappointed. While all the previous novels in the Fool's Gold series focused almost exclusively on the relationship of the main characters to each other and to the town, this novel seemed to display a disjointed mesh of multiple stories, almost as if the author did not want to spend enough time to develop the novel's characters or was bored writing about her chosen cast of characters. Rather than focusing on one couple, the book jumped around between three different couples, not giving any of the couples the character development one would expect from a Susan Mallery novel. Bottom line: this just isn't one of Ms. Mallery's best novels. I hope the series (if it continues as this book alluded) returns to its original formula. If not, I'll probably avoid other entries in this series.

I am shocked at the high ratings this book has received. I'm guessing it's because they like the author. This was the most boring book I have read in years. It was highly predictable and lacked passion. I read All Summer Long before this book so I was familiar with the characters. There is only so much mother daughter drama I can take. What's up with the estranged child/parent theme in her books lately. I was very dissapointed with this book. It was as if it was written for the 12 or 13 year old range. Actually if it was a movie it would probably be rated G. Please avoid this book.

While the first two books in this summer's Fools Gold trilogy were heartwarming and a little heartbreaking at times, Nevada Hendrix story in Only His is pure comedic gold. It brings out the laughs to go along with the love and the usual cast of Fools Gold characters who also make their appearances. Long time Fools Gold fans will be happy to learn more about mysterious bartender Jo and see her shot at happily ever after, but the true crux of the story lies with Nevada Hendrix and Tucker Janack, a wonderfully matched pair. Their relationship has a unique history and a charming present that will keep readers turning pages until the end to find out just how they get their own HEA.

Let me start by saying I am a huge Susan Mallery Fan. In Bed with the Devil is one of my all time favorite books. That being said...I had to force myself to finish reading this book. Skye is the most annoying, whiny, cry baby character I have ever read. She had no redeeming qualities. I kept thinking she was going to have to get better...but she didn't. Even the end felt...just wrong. She suddenly is over it? Please! Susan Mallery wrote very well, that's not my beef. I just really disliked Skye. Even now, I can find not one quality she had that I can compliment and if I met this woman I would not feel sorry for her. All of her priorities were screwed up and she couldn't understand how she kept getting fooled over and over again. (Of course her being an idiot helped.) If you haven't picked this one up yet...wait until the next one. Don't bother reading it b/c you really won't be missing anything. Except the headache that is Skye.

I've read all of the Fool's Gold series and enjoyed them all. I was so looking forward to this book. What a disappointment! Susan doesn't build up the passion like her previous books. She also didn't build on the characters like I thought she should have. It seemed like a book written fast without the time put in to make it a wonderful book.

Again shame on you the store. When you change the publish date it doesn't show that I purchased this book over a year ago. Shame on me for not investigating further and shame on me for believing you. I won't do that again therefore one star for the store and the publisher, but four stars for the book to be fair to the author (even though she should be informed so she can take this up with her publisher and the store)

Okay. I've enjoyed the Fool's Gold books to this point. Dakota and Montana Hendrix's books were just okay, but I enjoy keeping up with the town, so I read them anyway. But "Only His" was just terrible. I'm no hater, but I do not want a lesbian seduction scene in the middle of my hetero romance novel. Seriously! The addition of the side character Cat was just gross, even before I understood what Ms. Mallery meant by "exploring her feminine side". Don't get me started on the stupidity of the sculpture, either. Tucker, the lead romantic "hero" in this book was just dumb. I realize that romance novels need a problem in the middle. I know it must be something that the cast of characters must work out, but this one was vapid. I've done my time with vapid romance novels, I'm looking for something more sophisticated now. There was very little about Tucker that appealed to me, he certainly is not my idea of a romantic hero. Nevada wasn't really a disappointment, just a poorly thought out character. I suppose Ms. Mallery thought that with three novels the character of the three sisters would be well established, so she should not have to do it all again in one novel. Actually, I thought the character of all three sisters was a bit lacking, but I didn't dislike the other books as much as I disliked this one. I would rather have read much more detail about Jo or Heidi or Annabelle. I've liked Jo all along,though. Susan Mallery is off my auto buy list, and she is probably off my read list all together. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and others loved the book. I've told you what I didn't like, so I'd say, buy at your own risk. You know what really burns me? Even though the other two books were just ok, I looked forward to this book. I made a point to buy it on the day it was released. Yep, she's off my buy list.

I liked this book, but I didn't love it! I am writing this review because I'm tired of reading all the "honest" reviews of people who received the book for free in exchange for a review. I read these reviews that touted this was a powerful love story and the best Fool's Gold book ever. It really gave me high expectations for this book and so the failure to deliver is even more disappointing. I was looking forward to Evie and Dante's story having met them in earlier books. However, their struggles and journey to find happiness with their families and one another is secondary to the Christmas season in Fool's Gold and the crazy preparations being made for its arrival. Is it a heartwarming story? Yes. I almost wish this book had just been about all the past characters interacting at Christmas rather than trying to throw a love story in at the same time because the love story suffered as a result. The love scenes were even G-rated compared to other FG books. The ending was also too similar to Summer Nights - a fact which is even pointed out in the book. Overall, if you love the FG series, then read this to keep up. Otherwise, if you want a similar great FG love story, then read Summer Nights or All Summer Long. This book has similar storylines to both.

I'm not going to go into the plot behind the 4th installment in the Fool's Gold series, as others here have done a wonderful job. However, I WILL tell you why I loved this book. It's simply FANTASTIC! Dakota and Finn are heading in different directions in their lives. Dakota is wanting to settle down, while Finn is wanting to finally get out and live his life after years of raising his brothers. Sound familiar? I'm sure we've all met the gal wanting a family, while the boy is wanting to live free. However, Susan manages to give new life to this story. We feel for each of their plights and understand why they feel the way they do. But we still want them together!! Susan doesn't rush the ending or suddenly just "make everything okay". We follow their journey to the end, while immensely enjoying the dialogue. Oh, the snarkiness between the brothers, the love and teasing with the sisters and mom, and oh boy, the Dakota and Finn are just funny to read. I laughed, I cried, and I didn't want it to end!! Luckily, there are two more books coming SOON with the other two sisters (Only His and Only Yours). I can't wait to see what happens with them! Buy this book. You'll be VERY glad you did!!

Overseeing a romance reality competition in Fool's Gold, CA poses big problems for Dakota Hendrix, but having two of the most eligible bachelors yanked off the contest by an angry elder brother--a very sexy elder brother--poses an even bigger problem. Especially when she finds herself drawn to the hunky Alaskan.

All the beautiful psychologist wants to do is the job for which she's paid--not screen eligible bachelors. But everyone in the town, from the mayor on down, convinces her she needs to give back to the community, so instead of designing math workshops, she herding hopeful contestants anxious to win the monetary prize.

Finn Anderssen storms into Fool's Gold in search of his younger twin brothers Sasha and Stephen who've abandoned their college studies one semester short of graduation to enter the competition. Finn is determined to drag his brothers back to South Salmon where he is partner in an air cargo transport business and knock some sense into them. Dakota warns him that tactic could end badly and convinces him to allow the twins to stay in the competition. Against his better judgment, he acquiesces, and agrees to pilot the contestants to various venues where they'll be filming. This gives him a chance to oversee their actions. Finn has cared for his brothers ever since their parents were killed on a flying mission, and he takes his duty seriously--to the point of smothering the young men with concern for their education and careers.

When the contestants are paired, Sasha's girl is a lovely young woman with a keen desire to be a television or film star--the same goal as Sasha's. Stephen, however, finds himself paired with Aurelia, a plain accountant nine years his senior. Aurelia has been goaded by her mother to try out for the competition, and even though she's reluctant, she longs for a chance to get out from under the thumb of her domineering mother and be able to buy a house. Stephen's goal has been simply to get away from his over-protective brother Finn.

While staying in town, Finn becomes attracted to Dakota. A dinner invitation to her house results in a night of superb sex for both of them. Finn has been too busy looking after his brothers for eight years to allow himself any relationships and Dakota feels men either aren't interested in her or the right man she could be interested in hasn't come along. Until Finn. The fact that he's only there temporarily allow her to have a no commitments relationship. She doesn't count on falling in love.

I loved this story. The premise was cute, but after I got to know the characters, I found myself rooting for each of them with no thought to the outcome of the competition. I loved the interaction between Dakota, her mother and her sisters as much as I did the town, which in itself was a character. (Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all live in such a caring place?)

The developing relationship between Aurelia and Stephen was particularly touching and negated Finn's obtuseness about the role he should play in his brother's lives. Although he was a good and caring man, he went completely overboard in his role as guardian of two young men who were twenty-one. His learning to accept that his goals were not their goals was a touching thing to see and I cheered his character growth on this point and impatiently waited to see if he could get past his personal stumbling block to a satisfying relationship with Dakota.

This book grabbed me within the first three chapters and hung on right to the end. Pick up a copy for yourself and see if you don't agree that it's a satisfying and rewarding read.

Originally posted at The Long and Short of It Romance Reviews

Completely Smitten (*****5.0 stars) _A little too cute, but funny, funny, FUNNY.
Hers for the Weekend (**** 3.5 stars) _Engaging, but predictable BFF to lovers storyline.
NOTE: Both are stand along reads. Both contain graphic sexual content.

COMPLETELY SMITTEN (2003) follows runaway preacher’s daughter, Haley Foster, and US Marshall, Kevin Harmon. As the story opens, Haley runs from her life dominated by her loving father’s ministry. Her act of rebellion leads to a low-class bar where she is rescued from thugs by reluctant hero, Kevin. Kevin leaves her when he is called in for a prison riot and the next day Haley learns that Kevin is in the hospital with a head injury and gunshot wound. These injuries prevents him from flying or driving. Feeling she owes him, Hailey volunteers to drive Kevin through several states, to his parent’s home. This begins a life-changing journey as each re-evaluates who they are, what makes them happy, and what they want out of life.

OVERALL, well written, intense yet comical storyline, sassy dialogue, smart characters, strong family theme, and a funny and engaging romance. HOWEVER, be warned this overly cute story is mostly dialogue, but it is soo funny, it doesn’t detract from the storyline. A great read.

HERS FOR THE WEEKEND (2004). Follow best-friend and co-workers at an architectural firm, Piper Jamieson and Joshua Weber. As the story opens, Piper has misled her nagging family and is expected to bring her significant other to the annual family reunion. Needless to say, she solves the problem by asking BFF, Josh, to pretend to be a couple for the weekend. Of course, spending time together lets both of them see each other in a whole new light.

OVERALL, well written, strong characters, strong family theme, and a sweet, friendship romance. HOWEVER, the setup is predictable, the deception seems a little extreme, and the story just drags in places, all of which detract a little from the storyline. A good read.

You may also enjoy the complex characters and storytelling of N. Bruhns, A. Stuart, and E. Palfrey. For sweet, funny, heart touching romances, try Susan Fox, Cara Colter, and Nikki Logan.

Silly me, I thought this was a brand new book when I downloaded it. It's not. I went to look into it when I added it to my Christmas reading list and realized it actually occurred before Just One Kiss. Either way the premise sounded awesome and I read it anyway. I figured I started the series with book ten, why not continue to read out of order?

Evie returned home after an accident forced her out of professional dance. While trying to get through the holidays, she takes over the winter dance recital and has to teach a bunch of girls all the steps. Enter Dante, lawyer and sexy-hot guy. He's fascinated by Evie but doesn't want anything serious. Luckily she agrees to his no-strings relationship. As they fall deeper and deeper into bed, and love, Evie discovers her negative past with her family can be turned around AND maybe Fool's Gold is her future.

First of all, let's discuss the awesomeness that is Evie. I love her name so much and that doesn't mean anything in the scheme of things. I just loved seeing the name in print so I kept reading just so I could get to know the character. I really enjoyed catching Evie after her physical recovery but while she was still a bit lost. She lost her dream of dancing professionally because of her accident but she was in the process of finding something awesome to replace it. She was trying, unintentionally, to fix her relationship with her family and she was. It was great to see.

On the note of her family, I was actually a bit irritated. I understood she needed to let go and try to make her family relationships more positive. The issue I had was how it all seemed to fall to her. She had an emotionally isolated childhood and suddenly she was supposed to let go of thirty years of pain because her mother was sorry? She was supposed to put it aside so she could have a relationship now? Yeah it was nice and yeah she had the power to make her relationship better but no one really made up for it. Her brothers were clueless but, and I'm sorry here, painting some set doesn't make up for it. She had to put everything aside for her relationship to improve and she never really got anything made up to her. Early on she mentioned never getting a home-made stocking while her brothers got one and I expected that to come up later (it didn't). It just disappointed me.

Now, on a happier note, Dante was sexy-goodness. I understood his unwillingness to settle down after the loss of his mother but at the same time it was like, get a clue dude. He was hot and sexy and the sex rocked. I loved how he was basically Evie's boyfriend while pretending to be a casual lover. He was awesome for advice and he really wanted Evie to be happy. He was a great hero, while not the best.

This was not the best Fool's Gold book I've read but I really liked Evie spending time with the other ladies in town. I always love small-town sisterhood even when I find it slightly unrealistic. It was a great holiday read and I recommend picking it up, either through e-book or from the library. It's totally worth a read if you like the series.

3 Stars
Published by Harlequin
September 25, 2012
320 Pages
Provided by--NetGalley (For the paperback re-release)

It's been awhile since I've read a Fool's Gold book and I love this series so when I wasn't feeling well and wanted an easy, funny and heartwarming read I decided I needed to revisit Fool's Gold. I had Only Mine sitting on my shelf but haven't read it yet so it was just what I needed.

I knew Dakota since I've read a lot of the books later in the series so I already knew I loved her. Her sense of humor and especially her interactions with her mother had me laughing out loud. She was so level headed which was a nice foil to Finn's rather emotional character. It was actually nice to see the heroine being the voice of reason and the hero being the high strung character.

I didn't recall Finn very well so it was like meeting him for the first time and like I mentioned it was interesting to see him being such an emotional character. When we first meet him I really wanted to tell him to take a chill pill. Being a parent myself I can feel some of his frustration but at the same time it seemed so obvious he was pushing his brothers away. Still he did win me over as I watched him with baby Hannah because how can you not love a man who is good with kids?

Still, while I liked Finn Dakota was who made me fall in love with this story. My heart broke for her when we find out her chances of having a baby were slim to none. I was rooting for a miracle for her the entire book and while things go exactly as planned I still loved how it ended. This was definitely the perfect pick me up, feel good read.

A Fool's Gold Christmas by Susan Mallery is a heartfelt read. Charming, sweet, and entertaining. Susan Mallery has talent. Creating new worlds that excite, as well as leaving me to fall in love with the protagonists. A woman comes to a small-town to help a dance instructor. She came back because she injured her leg and can't dance. While trying to run a dance recital from scratch with little knowledge, Evie feels terrified of failing. Then, add to her distress of her crush being next door to her. Chemistry sparks between the two. Cozy, fun, and warm. But like everything else, there's always a bumpy road. No destination easy. Dante thought he knew what he wanted. Fate shows him something his heart desires and he runs scared. Where that will leave them, is the mystery. I think Evie is too easy on Dante. He should have worked a bit harder. However, I reealized that this read was a Christmas tale and as always there is a miracle. Once more, I enjoyed reading a book written by Susan Mallery.

I bought this copy from my local bookstore.

I know that I'm in the minority here but I didn't like this book nor the theme that Susan Mallery has had with this series of mothers who are awful to their daughters and then it's the daughter's responsibility to forgive and forget. The romance itself between the main characters was fine but the story line between Evie and her mother and brothers was terrible. They neglected her as a child and ignored her as an adult then, when she needs some assistance due to an injury, they swoop in and take control of her life while she is literally still medicated and in traction. This is supposed to overwhelm her and she must instantly forgive them. Of course this being a romance genre novel she does this in short order but that part of the story really ruined the book as far as I'm concerned. Ditto for All Summer Long and Falling For Gracie. Where did all of these nightmare mothers seeking forgiveness before they die come from!

I thought this was a sweet book. It's the story of Evie Stryker and Dante Jefferson. I liked both characters and thought they had good chemistry. They were supportive of each other and the way they worked through their problems together was believable.

I enjoyed getting to know the resident's of Fool's Gold. The townspeople were introduced and had an influence on the story but were not overwhelming like they are in some books I've read about small towns and their inhabitants. Everyone introduced had a purpose to be interacting with Dante and Evie; they weren't just mentioned as background color.

I especially liked Evie preparing for "The Dance of the Winter King" and her interactions with the children in her dance classes.

The one issue I had with this book that kept me from giving it a higher rating was the story involving Evie's relationship with her mother. Evie was somewhat neglected as a child because she had a different father from her brothers and was treated differently than her brothers because of this. Dante gave Evie some good advice, and while I don't think she should have clung to her feelings of bitterness and hurt, I wish the relationship with her mother had been dealt with in a more meaningful way.

Overall, this was a fun, quick read with likable characters. I look forward to visiting Fool's Gold again.

4.5 stars

I know Lip Service is the second book in the series, and I did read the other three already, but I still loved this story. Yes, I knew what would happen in the long run, but Skye and Mitch were a lot of fun to read.

Skye is the daughter who has always done what her father has wanted her to do. She was dating Mitch years ago, they were going to get married, but Skye's father told her to marry someone else so she did. She broke up with Mitch and hasn't seen him since. She loved him, she truly did, but her father...well her father is not a good person. He does what he wants and doesn't care about anyone else even his daughters. So do what he says or he will get nasty, so she does what he says. She always worried about what he would do if she didn't.

Mitch doesn't really know why Skye broke their engagement. Yes, her father wanted her to marry someone else, but he thought they were in love. He doesn't understand how she could do something like that, and now here he is back at home and everything has changed. He doesn't have part of his one leg, his family ranch is not the same as it used to be, there are just so many changes and he doesn't deal with them well.

Through it all there is still that tension between the two of them. The both obviously still love the other, but can they make it work this time? Or will Skye's father sabotage their happily ever after again? It was a fun read. I loved the two of them together. I loved that Mitch was so cranky and had to learn to accept that not everything can stay the same. He cannot get his leg back, he cannot go back in time, he has to move forward. Skye's daughter was also amazing as she is just so cute! I really enjoyed this story. Really I loved this whole series. Great reads all of them.

This review was originally posted to Jen in Bookland

The Good: I fell behind in this series and spent far too much time away from this cozy little town I love. What a wonderful time to come back to it, with a Christmas themed story. Evie was a natural choice for the female lead, having introduced her, a little, in a previous novel. Dante was a little more surprising as the male lead, but they worked together perfectly. Evie and Dante's fears were both understandable, if not completely relatable. The Christmas setting made the entire story a lot more festive and upbeat than their romance would have been alone. Beyond their relationship, it was absolutely wonderful to see Evie interacting with her family, building those relationships for the first time, as well as seeing both Evie and Dante become real, included members of the community.

The Bad: I disliked the turn towards the end of the novel before the inevitable happily-ever-after. Mallery has a nasty little habit of making her male leads act in an unnecessarily cruel manner out of fear of commitment before realizing there is no fighting true love. It happens really often. I find it hard to believe that all these men use this same juvenile tactic and that they are always forgiven for it in the end. To the point where the other townswomen who've gone through it in their own relationships will get together with the hurt woman and laugh about their own miserable experiences. Once, sure. Twice, okay maybe. An entire town full of women who take back purposely hurtful men like it's some sort of right of passage, um, no.

A Fool’s Gold Christmas is another heartwarming romance from Susan Mallery.

Fool’s Gold is a fictional small town in Northern California. With a small town setting you have a sense of community and close friendships. This closeness is a big change for “city slickers” Evie Stryker and Dante Jefferson. Both are new to Fool’s Gold and are in shock with the small town community and are also not excited with the upcoming holidays. In a way Evie and Dante are a modern day Grinch but not as extreme to be considered as a Scrooge. Both have had a heartbreaking past so this is why they don’t enjoy the holidays. Having this in common helps to form a friendship that builds to something more. But there is a major problem with their attraction – Evie is the sister of Dante’s friend and business partner. Another problem they face is they are both afraid to get hurt again so they avoid allowing themselves to care for people. This includes caring for family and friends, not only romantic relationships. But this book is called A Fool’s Gold Christmas so because of the Christmas setting you know this story will have a magical and happy ending. Even though this book was predictable I still enjoyed it.

Susan Mallery has a great way of developing realistic and likeable characters. Evie and Dante have had a heartbreaking past but it was good to see their characters grow. They both deal with their heartache but also have some fun scenes. So this book had the right amount of drama that kept me entertained.

A Fool’s Gold Christmas is book number 9.5 in the Fool’s Gold series. I haven’t read all the books in the series but I was able to follow along with the story. The author does a great job of giving quick recaps of previous books so it was a nice reminder. But there were so many characters I think new readers would be overwhelmed. So I think it would be better to limit the number of characters that are mentioned in a story. Now that I’ve read this I do want to go back to the last book I read from this series.

A Fool’s Gold Christmas is a sweet romance and is perfect for the holiday season!

Wedding bells are ringing in Fool's Gold, but not for Nevada Hendrix. Her triplet sisters are engaged, and even her mother has a more active love life than she does. Determined to make a fresh start, she applies for her dream job, only to discover that her new boss is her first love. Maybe she could overlook the fact that they've seen each other naked, but she'll never forget the way he broke her heart. Tucker Janack agrees to Nevada's "business only" ground rules. After all, love is a trap that the construction millionaire has avoided his whole life. But when great business partners turn out to be so much more, every rule gets broken. Will either of them be willing to try again...or will their past get in the way?

This book not only is about Nevada and Tucker. Its also about Nevada's mother Denise and her story with Max. I've also wondered about Jo (the woman who owns her own bar in town) and when I would be reading more about her story. Its in this book as well. These people were mainly dealing with things about their past, kind of interesting that it was a main theme with them.
In the past Tucker was burnt by a love for a woman who wasn't Nevada. Only time showed him that it was more obsession on his part. Still, it made it clear to Tucker that love was destructive and for chumps. Now, he wanted no part of it. His friendship and working relationship with Nevada seems to be getting in the way of that idea and he's running scared. So, is Nevada but in a different way she just doesn't want to give Tucker another chance to break her heart. Each of the other couples have their own stories to tell and add to the book.
And don't forget about the Wedding of the Year in Fool's Gold. That is so happening.
The only negative vibe I had about the story was the ex-girlfriend of Tucker's. Cat who nobody seemed to be able to say "no" to? She was really over the top. And when she visited Fool's Gold? All I can say is that I liked some parts of the story better than others. That one not so much.

I was really in the mood to read a romance novel, so I went to the book store and picked one up that sounded interesting. I had heard of Susan Mallery before as a romance novelist, but haven't read any of her work.

This was a pretty good book. I love stories about couples that knew each other/date previously, lost touch for whatever reason, and then get back together. I just find it so sweet and makes me think that if you're meant to be with someone, somehow it will happen. Yes, I understand it's just fiction, but it still gives me a little hope for all those people out there!

Skye has an interesting lifestyle; she's very wealthy and lives at home with her dad, sister and young daughter after her husband died. Despite being very wealthy and not needing to work, she starts a non-profit foundation for feeding hungry children. She leads a very different lifestyle from what her father wants for her. And to sum it up, he's a jerk. He just wants to bully his kids and everyone he knows into doing what he wants. While this is all going on, there's a little something else with a long-lost family member, but I can't divulge to much without spoilers!

On the other hand, Mitch is an injured Navy veteran who has a big chip on his shoulder and he doesn't care who he hurts when he comes home, especially Skye. But he soon realizes that there's more to life than being angry all the time. It's really interesting to watch him and Skye interact with each other. We watch as they both let go of anger and learn to trust each other and while it's sometimes heartbreaking, it's fun to watch!

Pagesofcomfort.blogspot.com

Skye Titan's wealthy father thinks he can still dictate his daughter's choice in men. Now widowed and a single mother, Skye isn't the yes-girl she once was. Especially since the love of her life is back in Texas after eight long years. He won't like the answers to the questions he's asking. About why she left him at the altar. And about her eight-year-old daughter. Former Navy SEAL Mitch Cassidy comes home to find nearly everything different. His wounds from battle have changed the way people treat him. His cattle ranch is suddenly organic. But time hasn't touched his desire for Skye--or the sting of her betrayal. Forget lip service. He's asking that luscious mouth of hers to reveal the truth. But will Mitch be able to put the past aside to help Skye get out from under her father's thumb...and help himself recover from a broken heart?

This story I found was okay, there was a lot of angst, feelings of betrayal and lost time. An emotional ride. It was good to hear their story after having read some in the other books. Is it my favorite of the series? No, I don't think so, but it was pretty good. Why do I say that? It was pretty good when the author showed the "rage" that Mitch was going through. Rage at Skye for having no backbone, for dumping him to do her father's bidding, for being with another man instead of him. Rage at the loss of his mobility, adjusting to a new way of walking. Rage at how his ranch had changed almost beyond his recognition while he was gone. Yep, a whole lot of rage. And Skye I kept waiting for her to grow her backbone too. And it does happen, you have to read the book to see the how and why of it. Skye's daughter was a nice addition to the story too. She added some spice and vulnerability.

Reviewed by Aubrey
Book provided by NetGalley for review
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book

It has only been in recent years that I have started to read and enjoy Christmas themed books. I really liked the main characters of A Fool’s Gold Christmas. Both were very jaded about life in general and hated Christmas for their own reasons. Their mutual hatred for Christmas brought them closer but could it change their views? Will they start to enjoy Christmas or hate it more???

Evie did not have the best childhood. She had 3 brothers and a mother that virtually ignored her because of the consequences of her birth. It was not her fault and she always found reasons to stay away and avoid her family. She had very good reason to be the way she was. Dante’s reason for avoiding relationships with women and settling down were different but still brought on the same heartache and need to run from love and affection.

Evie comes to Fool’s Gold to heal from an accident and does expect to stay once she is healed. However, Fool’s Gold has another idea for her. Everyone that comes to the town tends to get sucked in by the people and their generosity. She does not see things changing between her and her family and she certainly does not see herself falling in love with a man that has stated he does not do the long haul.

Dante is a gorgeous man that gets Evie and is just the man that can penetrate her walls. But he is scared of the feelings that come up when they are together. The power of love can heal both of them but are they willing to take the risk???

A definite must read for fans of the Fool’s Gold series but also those that enjoy Christmas themed books with a very sweet HEA.

“She no longer wanted to live her life on the outside—watching everyone else be a part of something larger than themselves.”—Evie’s thoughts

All Evie wants to do is heal from the leg injury that pretty much ensures that she’ll never professionally dance again. Instead, she’s dragged back home by her estranged family who wants to make things up to her and left in charge of sixty dance students and their Christmas production that is a BIG DEAL to the town. At least she has her new friend and non-boyfriend Dante helping her out. And he has to stay non-boyfriend since he doesn’t do commitment, and she doesn’t trust her heart to anyone anymore. But with Christmas around the corner, miracles are possible…

“Is this place even real?”—Evie

This is such a sweet and clean (low heat and immediate fade to black) romance, and I absolutely loved it! The connection between our two leads is obvious, and you can’t help but root for them as they do a slippery slide into relationship-land without really noticing it. Until it happens. And then hello panic!

Evie is such an incredible sweetheart, and I absolutely loved her and couldn’t understand how anyone—especially her family—could not love her! She had to do a lot of growing on her own, and she faced so much disappointment and heartbreak that I wanted to give her a big giant hug! Despite the hits she keeps on getting in life, she’s still a good and generous person, willing to help others even at the cost of her sanity! While trying to keep one foot out the door, Evie is slowly becoming one of the town folk without even realizing it. For someone who learned she couldn’t count on anyone, having a town behind you back is more than a little welcome!

Dante is also a fantastic and swoon-worthy hero for being the perfect non-boyfriend boyfriend! He’s such a great guy, even though he learned the dangers of love early on. I wouldn’t call him an alpha guy—more of a playboy with a heart of gold? And a lovestruck guy who doesn’t know what hits him when it comes to Evie.

I liked the secondary characters, but they weren’t any that really shined for me. Many of the couples were from previous books in the series, so I bet that anyone familiar with the early books would love revisiting those old friends. I wasn’t a fan of her family as much as I probably would have been had I read the earlier books since I loved Evie and was upset when I realized that she had felt like an outsider growing up. While I could understand where her family was coming from, I didn’t like it since Evie was just an innocent child and didn’t deserve any of the blame and regret thrown her way.

I loved the book and was so glad that after being left on the outside for her whole life, Evie could finally find a place that she belonged. I didn’t want to put the book down since I was so engrossed in her story as she managed dealing with her family, Dante, the Christmas production, and the town. This is a sweetly entertaining read that’s definitely going on my favorites shelf! This is a 5 out of 5 for me!

(Originally posted on my blog; I received a NetGalley copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)

Dakota Hendrix was told by her doctor that she'd most likely never have children, and with no man on the horizon, she applied to adopt. Now as a favor for the mayor, she's acting as liaison between the city and the reality show that's filming in town. Since Fool's Gold has been identified as a town with a man shortage, this is a dating-type. Identical twins Sasha and Stephen dropped out of their last semester of college in Alaska in order to be on the show. Now, their older brother, Finn, who has raised them for the last 8 years, has arrived to take them back to school by any means necessary. Finn and Dakota become friends right away, and soon become lovers. Their first time was so spur-of-the-moment that he forgot to wear a condom. Dakota assures him it's not a problem because she's clean and sterile. Much faster than she expected, she finds herself the adoptive parent of a beautiful 6-month-old girl. Finn adores the baby, but since he wants nothing to do with any more commitment or responsibility, they both know that their relationship is going nowhere.

Then, whoops, Dakota discovers she's pregnant with Finn's baby. He thinks she lied about being sterile and trapped him. With the reality show being canceled for poor ratings and his brothers settled, Finn takes off for Alaska.

Finn can't stop thinking about Dakota and vice versa. Just when he decides to head back to California and beg her forgiveness, she shows up to beg him to reconsider.

Evie Stryker's accidental injury has put paid to her ballet dancing career and her well-meaning family have whisked her away for A FOOL'S GOLD CHRISTMAS in the Sierra Nevadas, while she recovers. Here she's teaching kids to dance, and a festival performance has been landed on her with the elopement of the usual teacher. The businessman in the next-door office comes to complain about the noise. How is he supposed to make calls to Shanghai?

Dante Jefferson, regretting that he upset the dance teacher, later asks her to share a casual meal... as her half-brother's business partner, he can't even consider dating her, but they can and do become friendly. Evie isn't enjoying the holiday air around town; her early Christmases weren't much to speak of. However, the one benefit of not being on stage anymore is that she can eat and drink what she likes, instead of counting every calorie. Rafe, Evie's half-brother who lives on a nearby ranch hosts a family Thanksgiving meal. Evie's not on speaking terms with her mother, who always seemed to resent her. I got the impression that Evie had been bottling up her feelings of rejection and finally got the chance to express them. Dante dislikes long-term commitment, but he has an athletic, graceful woman in a leotard to think about....

Fool's Gold is like one big family by now and it's good to read about people making connections, helping out just because help is needed. The festive air around town, the decorations and tree put in place after Thanksgiving, a pet adoption day. People in this town do so much volunteering, for so many events, that I don't know how they get work done or housekeeping.

This is a book about personal changes, with no dramatic events, so it makes quiet reading and can be a little too sweet at times, but it's a modern romance with adult scenes. Dancers should lap it up.

A friend recommended Susan Mallory so I picked this one up at the library. I will NOT be acting on any more of her recommendations. Everyone has their own particular type/style/writer that they enjoy. This writer and this book is not for me. First of all, I was bored. The writing style is not what I enjoy. I prefer well-rounded characters and witty dialogue. I want a little humor thrown into the mix. I found none of that here. Nevada Hendrix (triplet sisters named Montana and Dakota....hmm) should be an interesting character. She works in construction, supervising mostly male crews. I love a heroine who is smart and can take care of herself. But, somehow, Nevada just doesn't seem to come across that way. Then the so-called hero. Tucker her one-time crush (and one night stand) doesn't fit the hero mold. He spent his early years mooning and slobbering after an industrial artist named Cat. Ick. Side characters Jo and Will are way more appealing than Nevada and Tucker. And the stupid names really bugged me. A cheese maker named Heidi (yeah, HEIDI) who raises goats and is constantly referred to as Goat Girl. Funny? Not. But the worst for me was Denise, the widowed mother of the triplets and three sons. *********SPOILER ALERT************** Nevada walks into the family kitchen and finds Denise and her boyfriend having sex on the kitchen table. This is on page 154. On page 186 this is still being discussed and it seems as if half the town knows about it. I suppose it was meant to be amusing. To me it was not. Especially as the mother seems to think it was no big thing. What? She couldn't lock the door or , Heaven forbid, walk to the bedroom? Just one more character that I didn't like in this mostly-unlikable character book.********END SPOILER********

For those who are interested: I don't remember any foul language but there is sexual content

Same story, same plot, different names is the only thing different. I've read 11 books and 3 short stories in this series. They are all exactly the same. Best looking man ever, and so rich it is unbelievable, most beautiful woman ever have electricity zapping them on the first touch.
These men just walk up and kiss these women! Like that is going to really happen! And it happens in every single story.
I hope the author comes up with some new material, I would like to see what happens with these people in this weird little town

I know that I'm in the minority here but I didn't like this book nor the theme that Susan Mallery has had with this series of mothers who are awful to their daughters and then it's the daughter's responsibility to forgive and forget. The romance itself between the main characters was fine but the story line between Evie and her mother and brothers was terrible. They neglected her as a child and ignored her as an adult then, when she needs some assistance due to an injury, they swoop in and take control of her life while she is literally still medicated and in traction. This is supposed to overwhelm her and she must instantly forgive them. Of course this being a romance genre novel she does this in short order but that part of the story really ruined the book as far as I'm concerned. Ditto for All Summer Long and Falling For Gracie. Where did all of these nightmare mothers seeking forgiveness before they die come from!

I thought this was a sweet book. It's the story of Evie Stryker and Dante Jefferson. I liked both characters and thought they had good chemistry. They were supportive of each other and the way they worked through their problems together was believable.

I enjoyed getting to know the resident's of Fool's Gold. The townspeople were introduced and had an influence on the story but were not overwhelming like they are in some books I've read about small towns and their inhabitants. Everyone introduced had a purpose to be interacting with Dante and Evie; they weren't just mentioned as background color.

I especially liked Evie preparing for "The Dance of the Winter King" and her interactions with the children in her dance classes.

The one issue I had with this book that kept me from giving it a higher rating was the story involving Evie's relationship with her mother. Evie was somewhat neglected as a child because she had a different father from her brothers and was treated differently than her brothers because of this. Dante gave Evie some good advice, and while I don't think she should have clung to her feelings of bitterness and hurt, I wish the relationship with her mother had been dealt with in a more meaningful way.

Overall, this was a fun, quick read with likable characters. I look forward to visiting Fool's Gold again.

4.5 stars

I know Lip Service is the second book in the series, and I did read the other three already, but I still loved this story. Yes, I knew what would happen in the long run, but Skye and Mitch were a lot of fun to read.

Skye is the daughter who has always done what her father has wanted her to do. She was dating Mitch years ago, they were going to get married, but Skye's father told her to marry someone else so she did. She broke up with Mitch and hasn't seen him since. She loved him, she truly did, but her father...well her father is not a good person. He does what he wants and doesn't care about anyone else even his daughters. So do what he says or he will get nasty, so she does what he says. She always worried about what he would do if she didn't.

Mitch doesn't really know why Skye broke their engagement. Yes, her father wanted her to marry someone else, but he thought they were in love. He doesn't understand how she could do something like that, and now here he is back at home and everything has changed. He doesn't have part of his one leg, his family ranch is not the same as it used to be, there are just so many changes and he doesn't deal with them well.

Through it all there is still that tension between the two of them. The both obviously still love the other, but can they make it work this time? Or will Skye's father sabotage their happily ever after again? It was a fun read. I loved the two of them together. I loved that Mitch was so cranky and had to learn to accept that not everything can stay the same. He cannot get his leg back, he cannot go back in time, he has to move forward. Skye's daughter was also amazing as she is just so cute! I really enjoyed this story. Really I loved this whole series. Great reads all of them.

This review was originally posted to Jen in Bookland

The Good: I fell behind in this series and spent far too much time away from this cozy little town I love. What a wonderful time to come back to it, with a Christmas themed story. Evie was a natural choice for the female lead, having introduced her, a little, in a previous novel. Dante was a little more surprising as the male lead, but they worked together perfectly. Evie and Dante's fears were both understandable, if not completely relatable. The Christmas setting made the entire story a lot more festive and upbeat than their romance would have been alone. Beyond their relationship, it was absolutely wonderful to see Evie interacting with her family, building those relationships for the first time, as well as seeing both Evie and Dante become real, included members of the community.

The Bad: I disliked the turn towards the end of the novel before the inevitable happily-ever-after. Mallery has a nasty little habit of making her male leads act in an unnecessarily cruel manner out of fear of commitment before realizing there is no fighting true love. It happens really often. I find it hard to believe that all these men use this same juvenile tactic and that they are always forgiven for it in the end. To the point where the other townswomen who've gone through it in their own relationships will get together with the hurt woman and laugh about their own miserable experiences. Once, sure. Twice, okay maybe. An entire town full of women who take back purposely hurtful men like it's some sort of right of passage, um, no.

A Fool’s Gold Christmas is another heartwarming romance from Susan Mallery.

Fool’s Gold is a fictional small town in Northern California. With a small town setting you have a sense of community and close friendships. This closeness is a big change for “city slickers” Evie Stryker and Dante Jefferson. Both are new to Fool’s Gold and are in shock with the small town community and are also not excited with the upcoming holidays. In a way Evie and Dante are a modern day Grinch but not as extreme to be considered as a Scrooge. Both have had a heartbreaking past so this is why they don’t enjoy the holidays. Having this in common helps to form a friendship that builds to something more. But there is a major problem with their attraction – Evie is the sister of Dante’s friend and business partner. Another problem they face is they are both afraid to get hurt again so they avoid allowing themselves to care for people. This includes caring for family and friends, not only romantic relationships. But this book is called A Fool’s Gold Christmas so because of the Christmas setting you know this story will have a magical and happy ending. Even though this book was predictable I still enjoyed it.

Susan Mallery has a great way of developing realistic and likeable characters. Evie and Dante have had a heartbreaking past but it was good to see their characters grow. They both deal with their heartache but also have some fun scenes. So this book had the right amount of drama that kept me entertained.

A Fool’s Gold Christmas is book number 9.5 in the Fool’s Gold series. I haven’t read all the books in the series but I was able to follow along with the story. The author does a great job of giving quick recaps of previous books so it was a nice reminder. But there were so many characters I think new readers would be overwhelmed. So I think it would be better to limit the number of characters that are mentioned in a story. Now that I’ve read this I do want to go back to the last book I read from this series.

A Fool’s Gold Christmas is a sweet romance and is perfect for the holiday season!

Wedding bells are ringing in Fool's Gold, but not for Nevada Hendrix. Her triplet sisters are engaged, and even her mother has a more active love life than she does. Determined to make a fresh start, she applies for her dream job, only to discover that her new boss is her first love. Maybe she could overlook the fact that they've seen each other naked, but she'll never forget the way he broke her heart. Tucker Janack agrees to Nevada's "business only" ground rules. After all, love is a trap that the construction millionaire has avoided his whole life. But when great business partners turn out to be so much more, every rule gets broken. Will either of them be willing to try again...or will their past get in the way?

This book not only is about Nevada and Tucker. Its also about Nevada's mother Denise and her story with Max. I've also wondered about Jo (the woman who owns her own bar in town) and when I would be reading more about her story. Its in this book as well. These people were mainly dealing with things about their past, kind of interesting that it was a main theme with them.
In the past Tucker was burnt by a love for a woman who wasn't Nevada. Only time showed him that it was more obsession on his part. Still, it made it clear to Tucker that love was destructive and for chumps. Now, he wanted no part of it. His friendship and working relationship with Nevada seems to be getting in the way of that idea and he's running scared. So, is Nevada but in a different way she just doesn't want to give Tucker another chance to break her heart. Each of the other couples have their own stories to tell and add to the book.
And don't forget about the Wedding of the Year in Fool's Gold. That is so happening.
The only negative vibe I had about the story was the ex-girlfriend of Tucker's. Cat who nobody seemed to be able to say "no" to? She was really over the top. And when she visited Fool's Gold? All I can say is that I liked some parts of the story better than others. That one not so much.

I was really in the mood to read a romance novel, so I went to the book store and picked one up that sounded interesting. I had heard of Susan Mallery before as a romance novelist, but haven't read any of her work.

This was a pretty good book. I love stories about couples that knew each other/date previously, lost touch for whatever reason, and then get back together. I just find it so sweet and makes me think that if you're meant to be with someone, somehow it will happen. Yes, I understand it's just fiction, but it still gives me a little hope for all those people out there!

Skye has an interesting lifestyle; she's very wealthy and lives at home with her dad, sister and young daughter after her husband died. Despite being very wealthy and not needing to work, she starts a non-profit foundation for feeding hungry children. She leads a very different lifestyle from what her father wants for her. And to sum it up, he's a jerk. He just wants to bully his kids and everyone he knows into doing what he wants. While this is all going on, there's a little something else with a long-lost family member, but I can't divulge to much without spoilers!

On the other hand, Mitch is an injured Navy veteran who has a big chip on his shoulder and he doesn't care who he hurts when he comes home, especially Skye. But he soon realizes that there's more to life than being angry all the time. It's really interesting to watch him and Skye interact with each other. We watch as they both let go of anger and learn to trust each other and while it's sometimes heartbreaking, it's fun to watch!

Pagesofcomfort.blogspot.com

Skye Titan's wealthy father thinks he can still dictate his daughter's choice in men. Now widowed and a single mother, Skye isn't the yes-girl she once was. Especially since the love of her life is back in Texas after eight long years. He won't like the answers to the questions he's asking. About why she left him at the altar. And about her eight-year-old daughter. Former Navy SEAL Mitch Cassidy comes home to find nearly everything different. His wounds from battle have changed the way people treat him. His cattle ranch is suddenly organic. But time hasn't touched his desire for Skye--or the sting of her betrayal. Forget lip service. He's asking that luscious mouth of hers to reveal the truth. But will Mitch be able to put the past aside to help Skye get out from under her father's thumb...and help himself recover from a broken heart?

This story I found was okay, there was a lot of angst, feelings of betrayal and lost time. An emotional ride. It was good to hear their story after having read some in the other books. Is it my favorite of the series? No, I don't think so, but it was pretty good. Why do I say that? It was pretty good when the author showed the "rage" that Mitch was going through. Rage at Skye for having no backbone, for dumping him to do her father's bidding, for being with another man instead of him. Rage at the loss of his mobility, adjusting to a new way of walking. Rage at how his ranch had changed almost beyond his recognition while he was gone. Yep, a whole lot of rage. And Skye I kept waiting for her to grow her backbone too. And it does happen, you have to read the book to see the how and why of it. Skye's daughter was a nice addition to the story too. She added some spice and vulnerability.

Reviewed by Aubrey
Book provided by NetGalley for review
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book

It has only been in recent years that I have started to read and enjoy Christmas themed books. I really liked the main characters of A Fool’s Gold Christmas. Both were very jaded about life in general and hated Christmas for their own reasons. Their mutual hatred for Christmas brought them closer but could it change their views? Will they start to enjoy Christmas or hate it more???

Evie did not have the best childhood. She had 3 brothers and a mother that virtually ignored her because of the consequences of her birth. It was not her fault and she always found reasons to stay away and avoid her family. She had very good reason to be the way she was. Dante’s reason for avoiding relationships with women and settling down were different but still brought on the same heartache and need to run from love and affection.

Evie comes to Fool’s Gold to heal from an accident and does expect to stay once she is healed. However, Fool’s Gold has another idea for her. Everyone that comes to the town tends to get sucked in by the people and their generosity. She does not see things changing between her and her family and she certainly does not see herself falling in love with a man that has stated he does not do the long haul.

Dante is a gorgeous man that gets Evie and is just the man that can penetrate her walls. But he is scared of the feelings that come up when they are together. The power of love can heal both of them but are they willing to take the risk???

A definite must read for fans of the Fool’s Gold series but also those that enjoy Christmas themed books with a very sweet HEA.

“She no longer wanted to live her life on the outside—watching everyone else be a part of something larger than themselves.”—Evie’s thoughts

All Evie wants to do is heal from the leg injury that pretty much ensures that she’ll never professionally dance again. Instead, she’s dragged back home by her estranged family who wants to make things up to her and left in charge of sixty dance students and their Christmas production that is a BIG DEAL to the town. At least she has her new friend and non-boyfriend Dante helping her out. And he has to stay non-boyfriend since he doesn’t do commitment, and she doesn’t trust her heart to anyone anymore. But with Christmas around the corner, miracles are possible…

“Is this place even real?”—Evie

This is such a sweet and clean (low heat and immediate fade to black) romance, and I absolutely loved it! The connection between our two leads is obvious, and you can’t help but root for them as they do a slippery slide into relationship-land without really noticing it. Until it happens. And then hello panic!

Evie is such an incredible sweetheart, and I absolutely loved her and couldn’t understand how anyone—especially her family—could not love her! She had to do a lot of growing on her own, and she faced so much disappointment and heartbreak that I wanted to give her a big giant hug! Despite the hits she keeps on getting in life, she’s still a good and generous person, willing to help others even at the cost of her sanity! While trying to keep one foot out the door, Evie is slowly becoming one of the town folk without even realizing it. For someone who learned she couldn’t count on anyone, having a town behind you back is more than a little welcome!

Dante is also a fantastic and swoon-worthy hero for being the perfect non-boyfriend boyfriend! He’s such a great guy, even though he learned the dangers of love early on. I wouldn’t call him an alpha guy—more of a playboy with a heart of gold? And a lovestruck guy who doesn’t know what hits him when it comes to Evie.

I liked the secondary characters, but they weren’t any that really shined for me. Many of the couples were from previous books in the series, so I bet that anyone familiar with the early books would love revisiting those old friends. I wasn’t a fan of her family as much as I probably would have been had I read the earlier books since I loved Evie and was upset when I realized that she had felt like an outsider growing up. While I could understand where her family was coming from, I didn’t like it since Evie was just an innocent child and didn’t deserve any of the blame and regret thrown her way.

I loved the book and was so glad that after being left on the outside for her whole life, Evie could finally find a place that she belonged. I didn’t want to put the book down since I was so engrossed in her story as she managed dealing with her family, Dante, the Christmas production, and the town. This is a sweetly entertaining read that’s definitely going on my favorites shelf! This is a 5 out of 5 for me!

(Originally posted on my blog; I received a NetGalley copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)

Dakota Hendrix was told by her doctor that she'd most likely never have children, and with no man on the horizon, she applied to adopt. Now as a favor for the mayor, she's acting as liaison between the city and the reality show that's filming in town. Since Fool's Gold has been identified as a town with a man shortage, this is a dating-type. Identical twins Sasha and Stephen dropped out of their last semester of college in Alaska in order to be on the show. Now, their older brother, Finn, who has raised them for the last 8 years, has arrived to take them back to school by any means necessary. Finn and Dakota become friends right away, and soon become lovers. Their first time was so spur-of-the-moment that he forgot to wear a condom. Dakota assures him it's not a problem because she's clean and sterile. Much faster than she expected, she finds herself the adoptive parent of a beautiful 6-month-old girl. Finn adores the baby, but since he wants nothing to do with any more commitment or responsibility, they both know that their relationship is going nowhere.

Then, whoops, Dakota discovers she's pregnant with Finn's baby. He thinks she lied about being sterile and trapped him. With the reality show being canceled for poor ratings and his brothers settled, Finn takes off for Alaska.

Finn can't stop thinking about Dakota and vice versa. Just when he decides to head back to California and beg her forgiveness, she shows up to beg him to reconsider.

Evie Stryker's accidental injury has put paid to her ballet dancing career and her well-meaning family have whisked her away for A FOOL'S GOLD CHRISTMAS in the Sierra Nevadas, while she recovers. Here she's teaching kids to dance, and a festival performance has been landed on her with the elopement of the usual teacher. The businessman in the next-door office comes to complain about the noise. How is he supposed to make calls to Shanghai?

Dante Jefferson, regretting that he upset the dance teacher, later asks her to share a casual meal... as her half-brother's business partner, he can't even consider dating her, but they can and do become friendly. Evie isn't enjoying the holiday air around town; her early Christmases weren't much to speak of. However, the one benefit of not being on stage anymore is that she can eat and drink what she likes, instead of counting every calorie. Rafe, Evie's half-brother who lives on a nearby ranch hosts a family Thanksgiving meal. Evie's not on speaking terms with her mother, who always seemed to resent her. I got the impression that Evie had been bottling up her feelings of rejection and finally got the chance to express them. Dante dislikes long-term commitment, but he has an athletic, graceful woman in a leotard to think about....

Fool's Gold is like one big family by now and it's good to read about people making connections, helping out just because help is needed. The festive air around town, the decorations and tree put in place after Thanksgiving, a pet adoption day. People in this town do so much volunteering, for so many events, that I don't know how they get work done or housekeeping.

This is a book about personal changes, with no dramatic events, so it makes quiet reading and can be a little too sweet at times, but it's a modern romance with adult scenes. Dancers should lap it up.

A friend recommended Susan Mallory so I picked this one up at the library. I will NOT be acting on any more of her recommendations. Everyone has their own particular type/style/writer that they enjoy. This writer and this book is not for me. First of all, I was bored. The writing style is not what I enjoy. I prefer well-rounded characters and witty dialogue. I want a little humor thrown into the mix. I found none of that here. Nevada Hendrix (triplet sisters named Montana and Dakota....hmm) should be an interesting character. She works in construction, supervising mostly male crews. I love a heroine who is smart and can take care of herself. But, somehow, Nevada just doesn't seem to come across that way. Then the so-called hero. Tucker her one-time crush (and one night stand) doesn't fit the hero mold. He spent his early years mooning and slobbering after an industrial artist named Cat. Ick. Side characters Jo and Will are way more appealing than Nevada and Tucker. And the stupid names really bugged me. A cheese maker named Heidi (yeah, HEIDI) who raises goats and is constantly referred to as Goat Girl. Funny? Not. But the worst for me was Denise, the widowed mother of the triplets and three sons. *********SPOILER ALERT************** Nevada walks into the family kitchen and finds Denise and her boyfriend having sex on the kitchen table. This is on page 154. On page 186 this is still being discussed and it seems as if half the town knows about it. I suppose it was meant to be amusing. To me it was not. Especially as the mother seems to think it was no big thing. What? She couldn't lock the door or , Heaven forbid, walk to the bedroom? Just one more character that I didn't like in this mostly-unlikable character book.********END SPOILER********

For those who are interested: I don't remember any foul language but there is sexual content

Same story, same plot, different names is the only thing different. I've read 11 books and 3 short stories in this series. They are all exactly the same. Best looking man ever, and so rich it is unbelievable, most beautiful woman ever have electricity zapping them on the first touch.
These men just walk up and kiss these women! Like that is going to really happen! And it happens in every single story.
I hope the author comes up with some new material, I would like to see what happens with these people in this weird little town

In A Fool's Gold Christmas, Susan Mallery completes the Stryker siblings saga. The tantalizing glimpses of Evangeline "Evie" Stryker in the previous books reveal the strained relationship she shares with her siblings and her mom. Can Evie find it in her heart to forgive the mistakes of the past?

I have been looking forward to Evie's story ever since her character was introduced in the previous Fool's Gold novels starring her brothers Rafe, Shane and Clay. My heart positively ached for her when I read about her dysfunctional and neglectful childhood and her current estrangement with her family. I was eager to see if there was any possible way to mend the horrible rift between Evie, her brothers and her mother, May. Much to my delight, not only does Evie resolve her issues with her family, but she finds love with Rafe's business partner, Dante Jefferson.

Conceived during a one night stand, Evie Stryker is a half-sister to Rafe, Shane and Clay. May and her three sons shared a close relationship and Evie was forever on the outside looking in while growing up. Leaving home at age seventeen, Evie has had little contact over the years with her brothers or mother. That is until she breaks her leg and her family moves her back to Fool's Gold. Biding her time until she can leave, Evie maintains a uneasy truce with her siblings and the women in their lives. With good reason, she avoids May as much as possible. But in true Fool's Gold fashion, the town slowly works its way into her heart, and she finds that leaving it and her family behind may not be possible after all.

Dante Jefferson is as wounded as Evie. A love `em and leave `em kind of guy, Dante protects his heart at all costs. He is always upfront that there is a shelf life to his relationships and he is careful to maintain an emotional distance. With neither one of them looking forward to the upcoming Christmas holiday, Dante and Evie embark on a casual, no strings attached affair.

Evie and Dante share so much in common that they really are perfect for each other. Neither gives their trust easily, both cannot wait to leave Fool's Gold behind and Christmas is a holiday they would much rather avoid than celebrate. Throw in an incredible sexual attraction and it is little wonder they decide to indulge in some hot between the sheets action. A genuine friendship emerges as they spend their free time together helping out in various activities around Fool's Gold. Dante is incredibly supportive of Evie, and he gives her some pretty good advice about dealing with her mother. Of course neither plans on falling in love and it shakes up both their lives when they discover their hearts have become in involved.

In Summer Days, May Stryker was quite whimsical but she gradually becomes more grounded during the following three novels. In All Summer Long, the cracks in her status as perfect mother become readily apparent as she reveals the mistakes she made with Evie. How someone could be such a wonderful, caring mom to her three sons yet be so neglectful of her daughter is absolutely astonishing. In A Fool's Gold Christmas, she is ready to make amends for her mistakes and she is genuinely remorseful for how she treated Evie over the years. Evie and May have a long-awaited discussion about their past and both women are at last able to see things from each others' perspectives.

The town and citizens of Fool's Gold figure prominently in A Fool's Gold Christmas. The sense of community is always obvious and I love how they always pull together to help one another when needed. Fans will love catching up with their favorite characters and once again, Ms. Mallery tempts us with glimpses of the characters in upcoming novels. I am especially intrigued with Gideon Boylan and I think it is incredibly cruel I have to wait until next year to read his story ;) !

Once again, Susan Mallery brings her readers a captivating story of forgiveness that is quite heartwarming and touching. Witty banter, lovable characters and a charming town make A Fool's Gold Christmas a must read for anyone who loves a good story that is full of heart.

I highly recommend this latest installment in the Fool's Gold series.

I received a complimentary copy for review.

The ballet was Evangeline Stryker's life until an injury forces her to return to Fool's Gold, the California Gold Rush town where she grew up but never belonged. Evie, the half sister of the Stryker brothers, was the product of a one-night liaison after their father died, and her mother has never been able to show her daughter the affection she has shown her sons. Only a serious injury and rehab forces Evie to return to the place of her unhappiness. The fact that it's nearing Christmas doesn't help. Nor does bumping into jaded lawyer Dante Jefferson, her brother's business partner. Dante's reputation as a bad boy, love 'em-and-leave 'em type is exactly the kind of man she knows to avoid.

Dante doesn't want to be holed up in a backwater town like Fool's Gold; he's a big city type. But Rafe, his business partner, has decided to relocate in the town. So now Dante has to confront the noise of clumping feet from the dance studio above his office--a racket so bothersome he can't hear himself think. He trots upstairs to do something about it and runs into his partner's sister, the gorgeous dance teacher who sends his testosterone into overdrive. Evie is home town, settling down, marriage and everything Dante has tried to avoid, believing that love is a dangerous affliction not for him.

I loved the interaction between Mallery's characters. Watching them shed the emotional baggage they each carry was like peeling an onion to discover what's underneath. Evie has to learn to forgive her estranged mother, and Dante has to learn that love is not an evil. He almost doesn't learn, and this was the one downer in this otherwise charming story.

This novel was giggle inducing from the first sentence. Mallery returns to Fool’s Gold with her readers in a wildly original and completely comical tale that melds the intricate quirks of Fool’s Gold with the heartache of a difficult relationship. I loved the intricate way that she brings her tale to life. Not only does she paint the scenery for her readers, she envelops them in the fantastic plot that she created.

I love how the close knit feel of this town shines through in many parts of this novel. Mallery goes beyond the stereotypical small town feel to create a truly heartfelt extended family of individuals who invited me into their lives. At the same time, the main characters definitely shone. Dakota’s personal feelings vie with her job for centre stage as she gets to know Finn on so many levels. I loved both of their strengths, and the fact that they also allowed their weaknesses to shine through.

Once again Mallery has created the perfect romance that wasn’t too easy. I read this in a single morning over a few cups of coffee and wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.

3.5 stars

This is the first book in the Fool's Gold series I've read and I read it simply because I wanted Christmas novels to read in December. This book gets 5 stars from me for Christmas spirit. There was so much Christmas spirit it was amazing. The town of Fool's Gold is seriously the most Christmas-spirit-filled place I've ever seen. There's tree lightings and gatherings and a children's dance performance that's attended by thousands of people.

Which is how the main character, Evie, figures into the story. She's a former professional dancer who, after getting injured was dragged back to Fool's Gold by her estranged mother and brothers to recuperate. She ends up dating a job at the local dance studio and is thrust into the position of handling the whole children's Christmas dance which is an incredibly elaborate production. Unfortunately Evie, who had a pretty terrible childhood, doesn't have warm and fuzzy feelings towards Christmas and she really resents being in this town she doesn't want to be surrounded by all this Christmas spirit.

The story is also told from the perspective of Dante, Evie's brother's business partner and the downstairs neighbor or Evie's dance studio. Evie and Dante meet when he comes upstairs to complain about the clog dancers. They realize that they're also house next door neighbors and that they both resent the holiday season (Dante also had a complicated childhood) and they form a friendship and eventually something more.

I feel the need to break this book down into certain parts. As I said above I give the whole Christmas aspect of this story 5 stars. It was truly the most Christmas-y book I've ever read. The Evie POV, which dominated the story, I would give 4 stars, maybe 4.25 stars. I really enjoyed Evie's story, from the backstory of her truly terrible childhood, to her working at the dance school, to her rebuilding her relationship with her family. I thought it was so well done and really compelling.

Unfortunately I can't say the same for the Dante POV or storyline. At the beginning of the story the POVs are pretty equally divided, but the more the story goes on the more the scale tips in Evie's favor and I started to wonder why Dante's POV was even there. Not to mention that I had some issues with Dante's storyline. I didn't think it was nearly as well-developed as Evie's, I was left with a lot of questions about his background and how he got to where it was. Not to mention there were some things in his past that left me shaking my head in disbelief.

Bottom Line: Even though I had issues I would still recommend this one as a great story to read around Christmastime. The Christmas spirit alive and well here and Evie's story was really enjoyable.

I liked, but was very frustrated with, Skye. She was a wet blanket around her father and he took full advantage of that. He ordered he around and treated her like the 'help' rather than his daughter. Jed Titan was a pig. Early in her life, shakshe had given up her true love at daddy's request/ insistence, and he's at it again. She needed to grow a spine quicker than she did. Thank God for her sisters, Dana, and Mitch. Mitch was dealing with a lot and at times I wanted to smack him, but overall he was reacting quite like one would expect. I liked how Joss pushed him. I loved Fidera and Arturo! Little Erin was precious! She could bring that grown SEAL to his knees! Wonderful book 2 of this series.

These are great stories, but expect to get a little teary eyed. Dante and Eve are characters with a lot going on in their lives. The pat has taught them not to love as you only get hurt. However, both end up in more relationships than they know how to deal with. This story is about growing emotionally. There are some steamy scenes and the wonderful town of Fool's Gold, but this is a totally character driven story. If you like your Christmas stories with emotion, some cute kids and other characters, dancing, as well as unexpected animals, then this is the story for you. Try it and see.

3.5 stars
This is my second Fool's Gold book and while not as good as Three Little Words it was still enjoyable. Yes, I know I am really them out of order but I loved Three Little Words so much I borrowed whichever Fool's Gold book my library had.

I really liked Nevada and the fact that she is able to hold her own in what is typically a male dominated industry and yet hold on to her femininity. She wasn't one of those characters who felt like she had to act like a man in order to do the job which I really liked. She also has her moments that cracked me up. I don't think I will ever forget the scene where she walks in on her mother doing the deed on the kitchen table. Talk about traumatizing. :)

Tucker wasn't a hero that grabbed me as much as some of my other favorite romantic heroes which is why I didn't rate this one quite as high. Yes he was sexy but the fact that he made a fool of himself over Cat and then developed this bitterness towards all love seemed like such a cop out.

What I did love about this book though were all of the supporting characters. I cannot wait to read more about Charlie, Heidi (I need to find out what the deal is with those feral cows!) and Annabelle. The entire book is filled with such an interesting cast of characters that it will have you dying to read the rest of the series.

Ya know, I may have reached my Fool's Gold saturation level.
I enjoyed this in that I finished it. I really liked Evie and Dante, but then I really liked all the Fool's Gold H/h.

But it seemed like I have read this story with these people in this town too many times.

There was a mother-daughter estrangement (been there, done that in Fool's Gold); there was a lot of elephant talk (been there, done that in Fool's Gold); there was "I don't want to love you because I have loved and lost before" (been there, done that in Fool's Gold); there was a fib to extricate from a situation of their own making (been there, done that in Fool's Gold); and then there was a very public proclamation of love for all eternity that Ms. Mallery even acknowledged in the narrative had been there, done that.

But the writing is crisp, the characters are lovely/loveable, and everything is controlled by the ever-omnipotent Mayor Marsha, who will now wear jeans apparently. In the next book if we can have her found in full dominatrix gear, we can do our own Fifty Shades of Gold.

I have said I won't read any more of these before; but I, of course, have been sucked in on the abundant sequel bait, waiting for Gideon's story which I feel will also be Patience's story. We shall see.
There are worse towns to hang out in, I guess. There is definitely tranquility in them thar hills.

Fool's Gold is a small town with a unique problem - there's a man shortage. Now you might think they'd be overjoyed to have a reality show come to town and publicize this, but think about it. Would you want your home turned into a ratings ploy? Dakota Hendrix is the town's representative on the production crew, trying to manage the experience in a way that benefits the town. That's where she meets Finn Andersson. Like her, he's not thrilled with the reality show - his brothers have signed up despite his wishes. He wants them back in college and back on the life track he's picked for them.

This is a romance, a genre I love. The overall story arc is predictable - girl meets boy, conflict arises, conflict is overcome, they live happily ever after. But Susan Mallery is adept both with the characters and with the conflicts that arise. She adds some twists that surprised me (happily so). And Fool's Gold is a charming setting, full of women who care about each other...and the men who love them. It's perfect summer reading! I was drawn in from page 1, laughed several times along the way, and stayed up later than I should have because I just had to find out what happened next!

I heartily recommend Only Mine. After you indulge yourself, you'll want the next books in the series. Only Yours will be out in late August and Only His hits the shelves at the end of September. While you wait, go back and read the first three books Chasing Perfect, Almost Perfect, and Finding Perfect. You won't regret it!

Dancer Evie Stryker's professional cheerleading career ends with a broken leg. Now she is back at home in Fool's Gold, California, a place she fled as a teen. Her mom and three brothers welcome her back in the family fold as if there were no estrangement. As she heals, Evie works at the local dance studio which is hosting the annual holiday production of The Dance of the Winter King. However, Miss Monica, the geriatric owner of the dance studio, sells the place and runs off with her boyfriend. Everyone turns to Evie to run the gala. She reluctantly agrees but plans to leave Fool's Gold as soon as she can.

Attorney Dante Jefferson has adjusted somewhat to living in this Sierra Mountains town, but has headaches from the elephantine stomping of little people's feet in the studio above the law office he and his partner Evie's brother Rafe (see Summer Days) use. Dante pleads with Evie for relief but she looks at him like he is a lunatic; as the show must go on; not even the producer of the pageant for at least five centuries running away will stop the performance of The Dance of the Winter King. As the lawyer and the dance instructor fall in love, both have strong reasons to avoid any relationship, but this is A Fool's Gold Christmas.

The final Stryker siblings' Fool's Gold romance (see All Summer Long and Summer Nights) is a fine holiday family affair. The too precocious preadolescent dancers steal the show from the adults in this engaging tale of redemption and self-forgiveness.

Harriet Klausner

Another in talented Susan Gallery's Fool's Gold series, Only Mine is set during a romance reality competition which poses big problems for reluctant volunteer Dakota Hendrix. Not the least is having two of the most eligible bachelors yanked off the contest by an angry elder brother--a very sexy elder brother--who Dakota finds herself drawn to.

All the beautiful psychologist wants to do is the job for which she's paid--not screen eligible bachelors. Or have her hormones play tag with a hunky Alaskan. But everyone in the town, from the mayor on down, convinces her she needs to give back to the community, so instead of designing math workshops, she's herding hopeful contestants anxious to win the monetary prize.

Finn Anderssen storms into Fool's Gold in search of his younger twin brothers Sasha and Stephen who've abandoned their college studies one semester short of graduation to enter the competition. Finn is determined to drag his brothers back to South Salmon where he is partner in an air cargo transport business and knock some sense into them. Dakota warns him that tactic could end badly and convinces him to allow the twins to stay in the competition. Against his better judgment, he acquiesces, and agrees to pilot the contestants to various venues where they'll be filming. This gives him a chance to oversee their actions. Finn has cared for his brothers ever since their parents were killed on a flying mission, and he takes his duty seriously--to the point of smothering the young men with concern for their education and careers.

When the contestants are paired, Sasha's girl is a lovely young woman with a keen desire to be a television or film star--the same goal as Sasha's. Stephen, however, finds himself paired with Aurelia, a plain accountant nine years his senior. Aurelia has been goaded by her mother to try out for the competition, and even though she's reluctant, she longs for a chance to get out from under the thumb of the domineering and whining woman and be able to buy a house of her own. Stephen's goal has been simply to get away from his over-protective brother Finn.

Dakota, born and raised in Fool's Gold, is one of six siblings and a triplet. She understands the bond of family and of knowing your siblings as well as yourself so it's no surprise that sisters Montana and Nevada see things about her before she reveals them. She longs for the usual things: a husband and children. However, that's not going to happen. For one thing, she has a medical condition that makes getting pregnant virtually impossible. After months of feeling depressed, she becomes proactive and pursues adoption.

While staying in town, Finn becomes attracted to Dakota. A dinner invitation to her house results in a night of superb sex for both of them. Finn has been too busy looking after his brothers for eight years to allow himself any relationships and Dakota feels men either aren't interested in her or the right man she could be interested in hasn't come along. Until Finn. The fact that he's only there temporarily allow her to have a no commitments relationship. She doesn't count on falling in love.

I loved this story. The premise was cute, but after I got to know the characters, I found myself rooting for each of them with no thought to the outcome of the competition. I loved the interaction between Dakota, her mother and her sisters as much as I did the town, which in itself was a character. (Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all live in such a caring place?)

The developing relationship between Aurelia and Stephen was particularly touching and negated Finn's obtuseness about the role he should play in his brother's lives. Although he was a good and caring man, he went completely overboard in his role as guardian of two young men who were twenty-one. His learning to accept that his goals were not their goals was a touching thing to see and I cheered his character growth on this point and impatiently waited to see if he could get past his personal stumbling block to a satisfying relationship with Dakota.

This book grabbed me within the first three chapters and hung on right to the end. Pick up a copy for yourself and see if you don't agree that it's a satisfying and rewarding read.

*This is one of Susan Mallery's greatest additions to the Fool's Gold series. If you are new to this series, Fool's Gold is a small town where everyone treats you like family. With each book we get to revisit characters we fell in love with from previous stories and catch up on what is new in their life. Don't let that stop you if your new to this series. Each book is an individual stand alone story that leaves you wanting more and you will enjoy reading past books to find other characters stories of "Happy ever after".

*In "A Fool's Gold Christmas" we get to learn more about two big city people who are stuck in a small town they don't quite understand. Evie has spent her whole life feeling left out when it came to her mother and three brothers. Now they had brought her home, kicking and screaming, to recuperate from an injury and try to mend things between them. Dante is a big city lawyer with problems of his own. And now his business partner, Evie's brother, has moved the business to Fool's Gold were he feels like a fish out of water. Now it's almost Christmas and everyone in town is so...so...JOLLY! Will their hearts open to feelings they never thought they would feel, or will their past keep them forever alone?

*This is a wonderful story that gets you in the mood for Christmas miracles. It's a story that will pull your heart strings and make you laugh at the same time. And besides, who can resist a dancing elephant?

Evie Stryker has a complicated relationship with her family. Years ago, Evie's mother May became a widow to a man who was her one great love. Shortly thereafter, she was intimate with a stranger and became pregnant with Evie. May was a widow and an adult and there was nothing shady about what May did but in her mind she was betraying her late husband. Consequently, she never had, or acted like she had normal maternal feelings toward her daughter. Evie always felt like she was an outsider within her own family. She felt like her mother favored her older brothers, and her brothers didn't know how to act with her. When she was old enough, Evie moved out and lived on her own. Up until recently she was working as a cheerleader for a big name team. She had an accident while working and seeing it happen on television, her family came down to get her and bring her back to their small town of Fool's Gold to care for her and repair the family relationships. Evie ends up living & working next to her brother's partner and family friend Dante Jefferson. They begin hanging out and develop a kinship. They are both have painful pasts, and are a little overwhelmed at times by the cozy small town atmosphere and holiday enthusiasm. Reading the previous book in this series, I was unsure if I would like Evie. I should have known better. The author has created a series with textured stories and complex, interesting characters. Evie still has a lot of hurt from the past but throughout the book she grows as a person and heals emotionally. It was great to watch her interact with her dancing students and the cat she adopts. You don't read as much about Dante's inner life, but you get little bits here and there that help you understand why he is the way he is. Before reading this story, I was hoping that at some point she would have a heart-to-heart with Charlie or her ballerina mom, since they could both relate to Evie in different ways. I was happy that those conversations did happen. Overall, great story once again, nice romance, and great characters. I look forward to reading more books in this series and other books by this author.

NUMBER OF HEARTS: 4
REVIEW:
Dante has been forced to move to the little town of Fool’s Gold because his business partner has decided that this is where he needs to be. That doesn’t mean he is happy about it or about the dance studio that is clogging away above his head. But Dante is planning on putting a stop to the noise once and for all. That is until he sees who the dance teachers is.

Evie is back in Fool’s Gold. Not because she wants to, but because her family dragged her back. But now that she is back she is going to make the best of her time. As long as she can steer clear of her mother & brothers. Steering clear of her brothers business partner is not going to be as easy.

Dante & Evie are both dealing with so much pain from the past. Pain that is making them blind to everything that they could to each other. But can the christmas season bring these two together or will they be left hurting even more?

Another good story from Susan Mallery. I really enjoy every trip that I take to Fool’s Gold and can’t wait to see what Susan has in store next for the people of Fool’s Gold.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley & Harlequin HQN in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review. Review will be posted at [...]

Okay let me say right off, this is a cute series. They are sweet romances about a quaint small town with a mostly female population. The characters are well written and mostly likeable and I root for them to get their HEA. But I can't quite love the books.

First, this is only the fourth (book and couple) in the series and so far we've had three unplanned pregnancies, three implanted embryos, two abandoned children, one orphan, and a foreign adoption. And I might have missed a kid in there somewhere. I like kids, but I don't believe a happy ending requires one. It would be nice to see a couple in Fool's Gold fall in love and just be a couple without having to jump right in and be a family. And while I liked the leads in Only Mine, Dakota and Finn (although Finn was often less mature than the younger brothers he was in town to protect), my favorite romance of series so far has been the sweet, child-free, romantic subplot in this book between Stephen and Aurelia. They should have been leads!

Second, there's the repetition of phrases. I wish I'd highlighted the words "change everything" in each book, just to visualize how often it's appeared. I get it already--these are life changing events! And in this book, we also have "he might surprise you." It would be one thing if it was repeated by different people in different situations, but each time it was said by one of Dakota's sisters or her mother when they were all together. Of course he's going to come through, it's a romance! I don't need it spelled out.

So it was okay, and I'll read the next one because I have to know what happens next in Fool's Gold. I'll be rolling my eyes when a kid appears to bring the leads together, and I'll wince when something comes along to "change everything", and I'll like it. But I probably won't love it.

A Fool's Gold Christmas is another in the ever expanding list of good reads by Susan Mallery! Fool's Gold just keeps growing on you and with the introduction of new sub-characters in each book...the population will continue to increase! I can't wait!

Evie and Dante have both had crushing sorrow in their lives and have decided that to keep themselves 'safe', they won't become emotionally involved with anyone. Coming to Fool's Gold was not a real choice for either of them. Evie, being brought 'home' by her family after an accident and Dante following his job. Dante having his office on the ground floor of the office building that also houses the second floor dance school that Evie manages gets them introduced and together they decide to get each other through the Christmas holidays, but just for fun. No emotions allowed.

The rest of the book follows the tried and true ups and downs that are famous in Fool's Gold...holidays/activities/festivals/community involvement...women getting together to drink the man of the hour away...pregnancies...pets...and wonderfully quirky people. I enjoy how Ms. Mallery blends our old friends in with the new people we are coming to love.

After agonizing for weeks, Evie puts on a great show for Fool's Gold and Dante realizes he's an idiot and professes his love to Evie in front of the town.

The only criticism I have is that we've come to love May, Evie's mother, in prior books. She's weird and wonderful...saving odd pets...falling in love and remarrying...helping out wherever she can...then her daughter shows up and she's a basket case? I know some family dynamics might be like that...and I'm glad they've reconnected...but I just found that a little hard to believe.

All in all...a great read! Fun, light, and just what you need for a cozy afternoon. I know everyone is waiting for Ford's story...but...I'm really interested in Gideon!

In the first three books of Susan Mallery's Fools Gold series (Chasing Perfect, Finding Perfect and Almost Perfect), one learned that the small town of Fools Gold, California had a shortage of men. That was until a young woman wrote her thesis about the town and then all sorts of men and the media started showing up.

The first three books revealed a lot about Denise Hendrix, the triplets mother, the girls themselves and their brother. They were such a close family, one any reader would wish for their own. Every one's dream to be apart of a family like this, sharing in their joy, wanting to be there to help with any pain any of them would suffer. They were simply a loving and caring family who lived in a small town where everyone helped each other. Reading each of their stories has been a heartwarming experience for me and one hard to describe at times, because in each of these stand alone books, I have read some of the pages over and over, the stories are that amazing and comforting.

The next three books in the series are Only Mine, Only Yours and Only His will be about the Hendrix triplets. Many of the wonderful characters who appeared in the first books will also be a part of Only Mine, like Marsha the mayor, the triplet's mom Denise, Raoul, an ex-Dallas Cowboy quarterback and more. This particular book begins with Dakota Hendrix being on loan to the film company who is in Fools Gold to shoot a reality dating show. Dakota was single, not really looking for that someone special because she has a lot on her plate. Her regular job working with Raoul, plus the fact that over the past year she's had some health issues, she wanted a baby and was not willing to wait for for a mansd to come into her life. You know the old saying it will "happen when you least expect it?" Enter handsome Finn Andersson, an Alaska pilot who had barged into Fools Gold to convince his brother's to return home to Alaska to complete their college education. Demanding they return to Alaska and give up the idea of staring in True Love or Fool's Gold.

When Finn's parents died in an airline crash, it was Finn who took over and raised both of his twin brother's. On top of that, he also ran an air cargo business. He gave up most of his freedom and he was furious because his brother's had left college a semester early to star in a reality dating show. Their first encounters with their brother were very intense, and with her profession and a sympathetic ear, Finn and Dakota forged a friendship and began a sensual and emotional a journey which ended up in one "hot" romance. However, Finn made it very clear to Dakota that he would return home to Alaska once he got his brother's sorted.

Ms. Mallery always delivers a message to her readers. In this case it's about love, family, trust, acceptance, and friendship. She also gave her readers a "miracle". As Dakota's mother pointed out to her when she revealed her secret concerning her health issue which would mean she could never conceive a child, There was always a chance she could meet someone and adopt. However, she wasn't willing to wait, she wanted a child now. That's exactly what happened for this charming young woman, a little girl came into her life because she was next in line on the adoption list to receive an infant.

Finn and the entire town stood behind her every step of the way. A phrase Dakota's mother said stuck in my mind while reading Finn's and Dakota's story, "Loving someone and being loved was a gift". And I only hoped if they both relaxed and got to know each other, would that happen? So many wonderful Fools Gold residents, reminding me of the first books in the series.

Finn and Dakota spent a lot of time together. He wanted to be close to his stubborn twin brothers because they refused to go back to college and Alaska. One brother, Sasha wanted to become an actor and that was why they had both dropped out of school, to star in the reality show. The other twin, Stephen had dreams of his own, to become an engineer. Both boys and the ladies they were starring with drove Finn crazy. And let us not forget the two women dating the twins on the show. They also have a story; one who wants fame and one who wants to be free of her mother, who only desires her love and respect. As for Finn, he just couldn't sit around waiting for "stuff" to happen, so like Dakota, he worked part time for the film company, "ferrying" around passengers and sightseers using the Fools Gold Airport and renting a plane.

They spent time together due to the reality show but they also had dinners at her home talking about their respective small towns and their family. They actually liked each other, felt the sexual pull, became close and took their relationship to the next level. The adoption went through, Dakota's little girl arrived in Fools Gold.
Finn and the entire town gathered and all pitched in to help. From her own immediate family, to the Mayor, the entire town, it was so very heartwarming to read. Especially Finn's help from feeding the little one, to changing her, and taking Dakota to LAX to pick up her new daughter, basically supporting Dakota.

However, always there was the fact lurking in the back of my mind, after the series filming, would Finn stay in Fools Gold or go back to Alaska? Because as he pointed out to Dakota and his Alaska partner, once the boys were settled it was "now his time", he had earned his freedom. It didn't include Dakota nor her daughter. So when the bombshell was dropped that on the first night they made love, a "miracle" child had been conceived, what would he do........stay or leave?

Only Mine at this very moment is my favorite book in the Fools Gold series. The family dynamics of the Hendrix family and their extended family (the town folks) were incredible to read. Add to the mix, a secret and the guilt Finn was carrying around. There was also the fact that Finn was getting too close to Dakota and baby Hannah. So many emotions for this man who had given so much of himself for his brother's. But now it was time for him to step away and "trust" that they would be OK and make good and sound decisions.

But the most important lesson for me was reading how the entire town came together, not just for Dakota and her daughter, they came together for each other as well. Every town should be like Fools Gold, don't you think? Because as this author states, "Fools Gold is the Land of Happy Endings" and Dakota and Finn, plus a few others also got that........their happy ending! Happy endings? After watching the end of the Bachelorette last night ........one bachelor had his heart broken and I thought would this happen to Dakota because she was so loving and caring? In his own way, Finn was also honorable and he certainly cared for his brother's and Dakota. But he didn't seem happy as her mother pointed out to him. Would Dakota be OK if Finn walked away especially now that she had revealed to Finn and her family, her "little miracle. Most definitely she would survive because she had her family and a town full of caring residents.

In Only Mine, so much was shared. It focused on the power of love and friendship. Reading this marvelous book by one of my favorite authors, Susan Mallery, warmed my heart yet left me feeling some sadness because now I have to wait for Montana's and Nevada's stories which will be released in September and October.

Review: A Fool's Gold Christmas by Susan Mallery
Reissue Publication Date: November 1, 2013
Reviewed by: Reading In Pajamas/ Dawn
Rated: 4.5 Stars
Blog Link: [...]

REVIEW:

A wonderful love story. A Fool's Gold Christmas had me hooked from the first page. Dante and Evie's story had every element I look for in a great romance. I love how Susan Mallery can write a story and make you feel like you are right there in it.

Dante was captivated by Evie from the moment he saw her and Evie was hanging on by a thread. She was also Dante's best friend and business partner's little sister. Which meant she was off limits. Their attraction smoldered. They both agreed they were not into relationships, but a strictly sexual relationship was okay. Evie had to focus on the production of the annual Christmas dance. Dante had to focus on not falling hard for Evie. At least Evie was successful.

I love the small town feel of Fool's Gold. Perfect to get you in the mood for the holidays!

*Review copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

BUY LINKS:
Kindle $6.15 [...] | the store Paperback $7.19 [...] | B&N (Paperback $7.99/ Nook $6.49) [...] | Kobo $6.59 [...]

You can get the older kindle version for cheaper.
Publication Date: October 1, 2012 - Kindle $4.28 [...]

✦FOOL'S GOLD SERIES BY SUSAN MALLERY ~ READING ORDER✦
✦1: Chasing Perfect (May 2010) [...]
✦2: Almost Perfect (July 2010) [...]
✦Novella: Sister of the Bride (August 2010) [...]
✦3: Finding Perfect (September 2010) [...]
✦4: Only Mine (August 2011) [...]
✦5: Only Yours (September 2011) [...]
✦6: Only His (October 2011) [...]
✦Novella: Only Us (November 2011) [...]
✦Novella: Almost Summer (May 2012) [...]
✦7: Summer Days (June 2012) [...]
✦8: Summer Nights (July 2012) [...]
✦9: All Summer Long (August 2012) [...]
✦9.5: A Fool's Gold Christmas (October 2012) [...]
✦Novella: Halfway There (May 2013) [...]
✦10: Just One Kiss (June 2013) [...]
✦11: Two of a Kind (July 2013) [...]
✦12: Three Little Words (August 2013) [...]
✦Susan Mallery's Fool's Gold Cookbook (September 2013) [...]
✦12.5: Christmas on 4th Street (October 2013) [...]

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My rating: 4 of 5 ⭐️

Evie Stryker did not particularly look forward to Christmas. Having been hauled to Fool's Gold by her brothers and mother after a life changing injury, the dancer has no warm and cozy family memories of the season. Or any season for that matter. Born as youngest and a less than welcome surprise to a widowed mother with three young sons, Evie grew up mostly under her own steam and with a lot of resentment. Difficult to overcome, when your family was determined to bridge the chasm that had grown over the years. But here she is, in Fool's Gold, teaching kids to dance instead of dancing, and wondering how to make it through those dreaded holidays.

Having been asked to keep an eye out for his best friend's sister who also happened to be his neighbour, Dante Jefferson was pleased to have an excuse to stick close to the delectable Evie. Already having made her acquaintance since his law offices are below her dance studio, he is also painfully aware that he will have to keep his normally active libido in careful check around her. Not one for relationships or emotional entanglements, he is well aware that his reputation would be enough to have Evie's brothers hunt him down if he so much as looked at her crooked. Not that he never sneaked a peek, given the chance....

Developing a friendly cameradery based on a mutual antipathy for the Christmas season, Evie and Dante find themselves spending a lot of time together. And Fool's Gold wouldn't be Fool's Gold, if they weren't roped into a myriad of volunteer charitable holiday events leading up to the big day. Inevitably some of the reigning Christmas spirit is able to seep into their bloodstream, and slowly that big day is not so much looming, as it is promising in their future.

Of course, despite all the rampant goodwill, temptation has won out over common sense, and what started as a mutual attraction has burst into a happily blazing fire. Dante and Evie are very clear however that their 'fling' is just that......a fun fling. Except, once the spirit takes you, there really is no stopping it and before long, what was supposed to remain surface simple, has become deeply complicated. Or has it??

****

Another delightful Fool's Gold novel by master story-teller Susan Mallery!

As with all her novels, it is possible to read each one as a standalone, however, having read at least some of her other books in the series only enhances the overall atmosphere of the story.

Ms. Mallery paints exactly the type of Christmas preparations one would imagine for a quirky small town where everyone seems to be connected through family, work or friends somehow. Thick with holiday anticipation, both anticipatory and anxious, the sometimes conflicting experiences of the cast of characters comes across loud and clear as backdrop for this fun-filled love story.

The main characters of Evie and Dante are so much fun to get to know. Both come with nicks and dents, but have been strong enough to develop into wonderful, good and capable people who each just need a little nudge to completely let go of the past and their fears, and free-fall their way into happiness.

Not just a love story in the boy-meets-girl sense, but also a love story a lifetime in the making, between a girl that got lost in the cracks and her family attempting to reach her.

✨A warm, funny and compelling story of love discovered.✨

** ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Harlequin HQN in return for an honest review.**

Fools Gold Christmas is Dante and Evie story about two city folks forced into a small town by circumstances beyond their control. They find a kindred spirit in each other over how each is different from family members. Evie Stryker is the sister of the Stryker boys and she has her hands full with a group of lively young ladies learning to dance. ON top of that she has to put on a Christmas special which she knows nothing about. Dante Jeffereson works for Evie's brother and he is not liking the small town that had captured the heart of the Stryker boys. He is fit to be tied when the little dancers give him headaches as they dance over his head in his new office. He is going to take this up with the teacher so he can get work done and when he walks up the stairs he has no idea that the pint size teacher will capture his heart and take his breath away. She is way off limits as a Stryker sibling but sparks make each of these lost souls come together. Christmas in Fools Gold has a magical aura about it and it pulls the Stryker family closer ~~ but Dante and Evie have magic all their own. Will it be a magical Christmas for the Styker family? Read this beautiful story and share your feelings of love and happiness as you go into the land of happy endings.

A light, entertaining read that brought familiar comfort but nothing unpredictable in the romance department.

I admit that I have never read this series although I've bought all the installments. There were always other books that kept pushing them down my 'To-Be Read' shelf. But as a fan of Susan Mallery's work, I went ahead and decided to read this one.

The blurb does a good job of summarizing the storyline and some character traits, so I will just say that as main characters go these two had great potential. I enjoyed their banter from the very first time they confronted each other and their chemistry was very good. But what surprised me was that their romance seemed so predictable. She couldn't stand him, he's sees her as his friend's sister and both can't resist each other and end up together. Been there, read that.

As expected, the writing was amazing. Susan Mallery always manages to bring her characters to life and this is one of the things I love most about her books. I liked that Evie grew as a person and let go of her resentment. However, I feel that I didn't get the chance to connect with Dante better because the story centered so much on Evie and her struggles. Like I mentioned before, the dialog between the two was very entertaining, but it wasn't enough for me to get to know Dante. I liked him fine. In fact, I liked him more than I did Evie because he seemed more real to me.

To me, this felt like a book about Evie and not about a romance between Evie and Dante. This could be due to the fact that the book takes place during Christmas season and the author wanted to focus on the forgiveness and growth Evie does. I don't know. But having said that, I would like to say that I've considered the fact that I haven't read the previous books as a reason for my disappointment. Maybe that's it or maybe it is not. I will be reading those installments as soon as I have the time and if that is the case, well color me a fool!

Witty and sweet, another fun visit to Fool's Gold. Evie was what she considered an outcast of the Stryker family. She felt she never fit in. Getting hurt and being bamboozled home, she was forced to face her unhappy past. Her brothers and mother trying to make amends for their wrongs. She begins working as a dance teacher above the office of lawyer Dante Jefferson. Dante also works closely with one of Evie's brothers. Their witty banter and sweet story was so fun to read.

This story is about family, forgiveness, and two jaded people who always have their guard up falling in love. I'm looking forward to visiting Fool's Gold again, I love how Susan Mallery brings former characters together over and over.

Review written for [...]

There is no place I would rather spend Christmas than Fool's Gold. With the beautiful backdrop of the California mountains Christmas comes alive in the latest of the Fool's Gold series from Susan Mallery. Fool's Gold is the type of town we all wish we belong to with people willing to help and a place where a newcomer can feel at home. But when Evie is brought to the town by her family after breaking her leg she feels more like an outsider than part of the family. The only place she feels at home in on the dance floor so when asked to teacher the children the winter dance she agrees even as she plans her escape from the town after the holidays.

Dante has also been brought to Fool's Gold against his will by his business partner Rafe (Summer Days #7). With the past that Dante has the best thing he can do with the ladies is love `em and leave `em and he has gotten good at just that. But when Evie and her troupe dance into Dante's life will he recognize a good thing and will either of them be willing to overcome the past to believe in love and learn that Fool's Gold really can be home? Both are unaware that the lure of Fool's Gold is not only in the spirit of the season but the spirit and heart of the town.

I could not put this book down. This is the 10th in the series and I have loved everyone of them but there is just something extra special about Fool's Gold at Christmas time. I wanted to walk the streets, see the decorations of the town and watch the performance on Christmas Eve. I wanted to drink peppermint martinis at Evie's house with the girls and wanted to walk up to Dante and hug him after smacking him upside the head. Mallery has a way of transporting you to the town of Fool's Gold and as a reader you can feel the love she has for her (unfortunately) imagined town which makes the reader love it to. Pick up "A Fool's Gold Christmas", make a cup of hot chocolate, snuggle up on the couch and I promise you in a few hours when you finally set the book down you will be ready to start decorating your house for the holidays.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I have to say hands down this is one of my favorite series of books. I love this little town of Fools Gold. In each book the mystery of the mayor just add to it and this book is not different. I love how each time you catch up with characters from past books and each time it only adds to the story. In this one Evie is brought to Fools Gold and she is not happy about it. Why she does everything to fight it in heart and in her soul, she throws herself into dancing which she has always enjoyed. She doesn't want to deal with the issues of her family and with Christmas right on her she starts to realize she may not have a choose.

She finds friendship in Dante who is also fighting his own demons. Dante is also fighting dealing with the town of Fools Gold and decides his only ally is Evie and they become 2 against everyone else. I love everything about these 2 I love how they are friends and there helping each other "out". I had a hard time putting this book down I wanted to find out how it end with these two since for the few books before they each had a small part in them I was so happy to finally hear there stories. This is a story you can not go wrong with it fun, quick and really good love story to get lost in.

I find that I often read (or listen to) Ms. Mallery's books in one day. She has such a way with characters, making them real and loveable that makes it impossible to put the books down.

Only Mine actually has two romances happening at once. Both of the main female characters are exceptionally real. As a matter of fact, I identified closely with both of them.

First there is Dakota. Dakota is going through a painful time in her life. She has been diagnosed with both endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). She has been told by the doctor it would be impossible for her to get pregnant. I myself have both endometriosis and PCOS and have been given the same odds of getting pregnant. Unlike Dakota, I really will never get pregnant, as most women with both diseases won't. However I loved how things turned out for Dakota in the end, because I read romances for the "happy ever afters". I think they give hope, and that is never bad.

Then there is Aurelia (excuse my spelling if this is wrong, I listened to it on audio book). Poor browbeaten Aurelia. Her mother is just awful. I know many who would read this and think "Oh, that is so far fetched, no mother is really like that. Or, no one would really stick around and take that kind of crap from a mother." I am here to tell you that Susan Mallery hit it out of the park with this one. It makes me wonder if she ever hung around my mom! Don't get me wrong, I love my mother with all my heart and miss her every day of my life, but Aurelia's mother was nearly a dead ringer! As a matter of fact I gasped out loud when she said to Aurelia "I am your mother, I'm supposed to be the most important thing in your life" (again excuse if this is paraphrased, I don't have the words to look back at to get the quote exact.) If I had a nickel for every time that exact phrase came out of my mother's mouth.... well I wouldn't have to rely on the library to get 90% of my books! You know what I'm saying! :)

So, there you have it. Why do I love "Only Mine" and every book I've ever read by Susan Mallery? Her uncanny ability to create real characters normal people can identify with.

I liked Nevada. She's intelligent, driven, compassionate and one of the Hendrix family triplets. She applies for her dream job only to run into an ex-crush, she now realizes she never got over. There are a lot of decisions and emotions Nevada is dealing with as she starts an important job and deals with her two sisters getting married. She also has to work with her first love.

Tucker was hard to like. He's a loner who has shut himself off from love after a bad romance with a temperamental artist. He doesn't want to settle down. Nevada and him have chemistry and a past but he doesn't want to deal with emotions.

Jo reluctantly and cautiously allows Will to enter her life.

Cat is a successful artist who is a self-centered egotist. I didn't like her which was the point. She's a user and a taker and then walks on. Her feminist side is too much for Fool's Gold and Nevada.

Overall a well written story. I enjoyed reading Nevada's HEA story!

3 and 1/2 stars.

Why I Read this Book: I am really enjoying the Fool's Gold series. If it were an actual town, I'd move there! Only Mine is Dakota's story, the first story of the Hendrix triplets.

What I Liked: I love the overall gist of Dakota and Finn's story. Even though there were a few rough patches for these characters to get through, the ending totally made me swoon.

I liked Finn's character. Yeah, there was some angst and overprotectiveness going on but he's a responsible guy whose dedication stays true until he gets a job done. His parents died when his twin brothers were young so Finn pretty much ended up raising them. Finn just didn't know how to let go and because of this, he hasn't been able to live his own life.

I like that Finn didn't just automatically take Dakota's "news" with full acceptance. He got mad about the situation, justifiable so, and questioned her motives. This made the story more realistic and believable.

What I Didn't Like: My biggest problem with the book was that the main story line involving Dakota was too predictable. When I was 31% into Only Mine, I pretty much knew that 3 things were going to happen by the end of the book - and I was right on all 3 accounts.

The game show element wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be so it turned out not to be too much of a focal point for me when I was reading Only Mine. Speaking of the game show, while I enjoyed reading the parts about game show contestants Stephen and Aurelia for the most part, I felt like their I Love You's came too soon. It felt too rushed for these characters.

One of my biggest book pet peeves happened in Only Mine: Dakota had unprotected sex with a man she barely knew. Let's just forget about the possibility of pregnancy for a moment here; what about STD's people?!! And the subject matter doesn't come up until Finn mentions it 2 days later. They should know better. Tsk tsk.

Overall Impression: Even though it was a bit predictable, I still enjoyed reading Only Mine. I love a good swoon-worthy romance novel and Only Mine fit the bill. I can't wait to read the rest of this series, especially about the other two Hendrix triplets.

Overall, I liked this book. The main characters were relatable, and really didn't do anything that set off my are-you-kidding meter like some of the ones in the last few books did. (Although who takes that long to decide they're going to adopt a cat from a shelter? No one in my house. The idea of adopting a new one has barely entered our heads when bam! we've got another cat.) Evie's prickliness made sense, and her journey to finding her place in the world and a better relationship with her mom was well done. The Christmas traditions of Fool's Gold were quaint and charming. I liked Dante as a hero, and looked forward each day to the time I could spend with this novel.

There were just a few little niggly bits that almost--but not quite--had me docking this one another star. First, some of the resolutions seemed to occur far too quickly, especially given the slow and steady build-up they began with. Dante's moment-of-truth revelation was all very sudden. Evie's acceptance of her brothers seemed to happen with only a bare minimum of effort on their part...I would have liked to see just a smidgen of grovelling. She totally deserved it. The brothers' reactions to finding their one and only sister in a very compromising position with Dante were tame to the extreme. I really expected a much more heated scene than we were treated to, and it felt off. The town's tendency to get uber-involved in the lives of their fellow townspeople at times borders on intrusive, and Mayor Marsha has been downsized from an actual character in book one to an almost mythical being with clairvoyant leanings. It's a bit odd.

Still, I enjoyed this book. I felt invested Evie and Dante's story, and will definitely be reading more in the series as they become available. Hopefully Ford Hendrix's story is soon--it feels like we've been hearing about him forever!

This is book 4 in Susan Mallery's Fool's Gold series. I'm new to Ms. Mallery, in fact, the Fool's Gold series is all I've read by her, but I'll pick up some of the others; she's that good.

Only Mine was not my favorite of the 4 so far. I really liked Dakota, but I didn't like Finn very much. I understand that he was unhappy about his brothers being on the reality show (how could I not understand, he beat everyone he met over the head with it). Threatening the producer, yelling at everyone when they suggest that maybe he let his adult brothers make their own decisions. Yes, they made stupid decisions, but their big brother charging in and yelling orders certainly wasn't going to change anyone's mind.

The subplots involving his brothers were great, though. I really liked Sasha and Stephen. Stephen's relationship with Auriela was so much fun to watch unfold. Except for Finn thumping around, blustering about her being a cougar and trying to take advantage of his baby brother. (Side note, I can see objecting to the age difference, but cougar? Really? What was she after, exactly? He was a 21 year-old college dropout with nothing. What exactly was Finn concerned she was going to take advantage of????)

The unprotected sex was a big, big negative for me, and was responsible for the loss of one star in the review by itself. The sex itself doesn't bother me, but to just go at it with no protection, not even discussing it until 2 days later when Finn shows up and the conversation is roughly "So, about that no protection, we're cool, right, you're on the pill, right?" "Nope, but I'm infertile, so that's ok." "Oh, good, then. Because the only possible consequence of unprotected sex is that you may get pregnant, and we can't have that."

But, as much as I didn't like Finn, I didn't like him because Mallery is so good at drawing characters. I really like Dakota's sisters and can't wait until I get to their books. Even Lani, Sasha's partner on the game show was great. Characterization is one of Susan Mallery's greatest strengths and the reason I'll find as many of her books as I can to read. Even the characters I don't like are real enough to make me not like them.

Another great Fool's Gold story. This is Nevada and Tucker's story. Nevada is one of three triplets and the only one not in a relationship. She goes for a job interview for her dream job only to come face to face with a mistake from her past. Tucker Janack is in charge of construction on the new casino and hiring the supervising staff. Tucker is not interested in love but is feeling a strong attraction to Nevada. Nevada still has something of a crush on Tucker but refuses to allow him to hurt her again. This is a great story that answers some questions in relation to other characters.

My Review:
Susan Mallery consistently writes contemporary romances that I just love to read for an afternoon's escape. Her books are sweet, fun, romantic, witty, and always feature a wonderfully quirky cast of characters. The Fool's Gold series continues to delight my reader's mind. I just really love this series. There is something about continually getting to visit this sweet little town and the wonderful characters that live there, that just makes me happy.

This book is about Nevada, the last of the Hendrix triplets to find love. Her hero is Tucker, although it takes her a while to realize it. Tucker was one of Ethan's (Nevada's brother) friends and when she goes to college where Tucker lives, Ethan tells her to look Tucker up. That results in a friendship between Nevada, Tucker, and Tucker's girlfriend Cat. Tucker doesn't realize that Nevada actually has feelings for him, but Cat does, and in a twisted scheme, Cat "gifts" Nevada with Tucker. This results in the most horribly disappointing five minutes of Nevada's life. She hasn't seen him since until she walks into a job interview for her dream job ten years later. Needless to say, they have some issues that they need to work out.

Such a fun book. I love that the history between Nevada and Tucker is so embarrassingly horrifying for both of them. It makes it a really fun set-up for the book. But beyond that and before the romance truly starts to develop, I like that Tucker & Nevada develop a true friendship and comradery both at work and outside of it. They both have their faults and have both made mistakes in their history, but these are definitely two people that you can like and cheer for as a reader.

There are also some fabulous side stories in this one...the romance between Will & Jo, Nevada's mom & Max (OMG, I don't know if I have ever laughed as hard as I did when Nevada walked in on them), and even the addition of Cat and her mixed up sexuality. It was such a fun book to read. I had quite a few laugh out loud moments and I read this on a day where I was really sick and miserable, so that is saying something.

This has been such a fun series. I have loved getting to know the triplets this summer. I am so glad that we get three more installments of it next summer. Whooohooo!!!

Only Mine edited by Susan Mallery
Series: Fool's Gold (#4)
Release Date: August 1st, 2011
Publisher: Harlequin
Page Count: 379
Source: Received ARC from Little Bird Publicity for review

Her town's lack of men may make headlines, but it isn't news to Dakota Hendrix. The beautiful blonde has bigger problems to deal with, such as overseeing the romance reality competition filming in Fool's Gold. Screening eligible bachelors is a difficult enough task, but Dakota hits an unexpected snag when a sexy stranger comes to town.

Finn Anderssen will do anything to keep his twin brothers -- the perfect contestants -- off the show. Despite Dakota's better judgment, she finds herself drawn to the mysterious outsider. Like her, Finn knows about heartbreak and how a family can fall apart, so she doesn't dare to hope for anything more than a fling. After all, even in the Land of Happy Endings, finding true love is never as easy as it looks on TV.

What Stephanie Thinks: I just love small-town romances. They're everything what you could imagine a romance story to be: sweet, real-life, and swoon-worthy, but without the bodice-ripping or (let's admit it, the embarrassingly) complex storyline.

In Only Mine, Dakota, who's never been very active in the dating game due to Fool's Gold's lack of bachelors, gets stuck managing an actual dating game: a little something called reality television. Sasha and Stephen are two of the most eligible contestants; they're tall, athletic, absolutely gorgeous -- and they're twins. The audience should go crazy over them.

The only problem is their older brother, Finn, who's raised them singlehandedly since they were thirteen, as he's livid about the situation. Sasha and Stephen only have one semester left in college before they graduate, and they're leaving it all behind, for a stupid dating game. Finn needs to get them off the show, and he needs to do it now.

What he doesn't expect, is to meet Dakota, a girl unlike any other, a girl who always prefers to look on the brighter side of life. And soon, he finds himself falling in love, when he know he shouldn't.

The book is predictable, but the little moments in between are what make it so enjoyable. I really liked watching Dakota and Finn's relationship grow, from mild flirtation, to intimate friendship, to something more. Mallery's writing style isn't phenomenal or anything, but it is easy and clear. One flaw is its redundancy. All the details seem to be repeated multiple times, which I'm sure is meant to strengthen and emphasize the plot, but is actually slightly irritating. Other than that, the simple, but realistic love story she creates through two lovable, could-be-your-best-friend characters, is what makes Only Mine a fast-paced, emotional romance.

Stephanie Loves: "' ... sometimes when things are going really well, we find the one thing we're pretending we're not looking for.'"

Radical Rating: 8 hearts- Would recommend to lots of really good friends.

This is a shorter novella set in the Fool's Gold California world created by Ms. Mallery.

I have to say it didn't really feel like a novella. I felt like I really did get to know the characters and their story. This book is about Dante and Evie. We find out what drove a wedge between Evie and the rest of her family. We also find out more about Dante and how he grew up.

There is something about this series that I really enjoy. I am not a big romance book fan but this series really gets me. I like how much depth the characters have and the richness of the city that makes it almost another character in the story. I like being able to "check in" with characters from previous books and see how their families are growing and changing. I read these books as "palate cleansers" and they are the perfect light, engaging story with a happy ending that I need!

The story is about one of the Hendrix triplets, Nevada. She works for the family construction business with her brother Ethan. Tucker Janack is the son of a Property Tycoon and an old friend of Ethan Hendrix's.

Nevada's sisters are both getting married. She feels like everyone is finding someone and knows what they want in their lives. She heard that Janack Construction is building a huge Casino in her town and she wants to apply for a job.

Tucker Janack has lived a very privileged life. Lived around the world, had any women he wanted. He comes to Fool's Gold to show his dad that he can finally take care of the family business and that he should retire.

Nevada goes for her job interview hoping to see Mr. Janack but see his son Tucker instead. All she can remember is the time in college when she lost her virginity to him because, he was seeing a beautiful artist and she broke his heart.

She gets the Job as project manager and the story of how they connect again is wonderful. The crazy artist comes to Fool's Gold again to construct a structure for the town.

Susan Mallery takes us back to Fool's Gold to tell us the story of Dakota Hendrix - one of the Hendrix Triplets. Picking up not long after where "Finding Perfect" left off, "Only Mine" has us seeing Dakota at a crossroads in her life; she's on hiatus from her job, dealing with a medical crisis that has the potential to change her life forever and she is having to oversee a romance/reality show based in her beloved town of Fool's Gold. The very last thing she needs is to have to deal with an irate older brother of two of the show's contestants.

Finn Anderssen would rather be back in South Salmon, Alaska than in Fool's Gold. Unfortunately his younger brothers (twenty-one year old twins) want a chance at fame and fortune on the reality show. With no choice but to wait for them to get eliminated, Finn kills time in Fool's Gold - a task more appealing thanks to his attraction to Dakota.

The great thing about this book (as with most of Susan Mallery's books) is that her characters are likable and relatable. The plot is something that we can all understand and not far fetched. The secondary characters are becoming more well known to those of us who have been following the series and it's nice to catch up with them. Plus, there are some interesting sub-plots that make this a very entertaining read.

This is just another example of what Susan Mallery does best; she tells a great story that engages the reader and leaves you wanting more. This is a must-have for all of her fans and if you haven't checked her books out yet, now would be a great time to start.

I always like throwing in the occasional adult read in my reading mix, especially when the book looks as fun and adorable as Susan Mallery's Only Mine does. Thankfully, Only Mine turned out to be the perfect addition, as not only was it witty and romantic but realistic and lots of fun as well!

Only Mine begins just as production for the new reality show True Love or Fool's Gold turns up the heat in the small town of Fool's Gold. Everyone has a different reaction about the new show, which hopes to capitalize on the town's lack of men with a fun new dating competition. The town's mayor has rooked Dakota Hendrix, one of Fool's Gold residents, into helping monitor the production, and while she is not the happiest of campers about it, she is okay with complying with it for the time being. Finn Anderson, however, has a completely different take on it because his twin brothers have dropped out of college to take part in the show. Leaving everything for the moment in South Salmon, his small Alaskan town, he heads out to talk some sense into his brothers before it is too late. What he does not bargain for is falling for Dakota. However, what happens when events take a surprising turn or two? Will Finn and Dakota manage to survive the fall? Will Finn ever manage to talk some sense into his brothers, or will they manage to sprout their own wings and fly in the right direction? Only time and more pages can tell in this new fast-paced addition in the Fool's Gold series.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of Only Mine was the characters. Dakota was sweet and likable from the start, and what I especially liked about her character was how strong she always seemed to be even in the scariest of situations. Hotheaded and a bit intense at times, it took a little while to warm up to Finn, but once his character began to bloom, it was easy to see how strong and lovable he was as well as how far he would go to protect the ones closest to him. Together Finn and Dakota began a realistic relationship for the most part, even though it was a bit fast at times.

The plot of this was also lots of fun. This was my first time reading a book in the Fool's Gold series, and even though I was worried I would be a bit confused at first, it turns out these books mostly stands on their own. However, I will admit Only Mine has made me want to read past and future additions as soon as possible for a variety of reasons. One has to do with the charm and spunk Mallory puts into the town of Fool's Gold. I am not normally a big fan of small towns, but Fool's Gold actually was one I would not mind living in at least for a little. I also loved how Mallory included the POVs of not only Finn and Dakota but also Fin's twin brothers as well as Aurelia, another contestant on the reality show, at times, because it gave me a through look into the minds and actions of all the main front-runners in the book. I also adored the addition of Dakota's family, especially when their appearances caused a laugh or two, as well as some of the serious situations that balanced out the cute factor.

As hinted to above, Mallory's writing was great. She thoroughly developed the characters and world at hand, and even though Only Mine was a bit predictable at times, she still managed to provide a thoroughly enjoyable story!

Lively and entertaining, Only Mine managed to be a big success in my eyes, one that I highly suggest to adult romance fans who enjoy a sweet but occasionally serious story. One thing is for sure though: I'll definitely be reading more of the Fool's Gold series, especially since rumor has it the next two books divulge into the stories of Dakota's sisters, Nevada and Montana!

Grade: A-

Another great book from Susan Mallery. But then I expect nothing less from her!

We first met the Hendrix triplets in the first of the Fool's Gold books (Chasing Perfect). And the next three books in the series (#4-6) are dedicated to them. Only Mine is Dakota's story. Finn comes to town to get his twin younger brothers to come home instead of appearing in a new reality show based in Fool's Gold, Calif. When Finn and Dakota meet they mutually agree to just have fun knowing Finn will be heading back to Alaska soon. Dakota has recently found out she can not have children and is in the process of adopting and having a fling will keep her mind off her troubles. Dakota wants a family any way she can get it. Finn wants his brothers to graduate college so his responsibilities will be complete. How will two people with such different ideas for the future deal with the present?

As with all of the Fool's Gold series from Mallery this book is set in a town that everyone would love to live in. And the Hendrix family is one of the best around. I did miss catching up with Ethan (Almost Perfect) though since nothing was mentioned of him. And Pia/Raoul (Finding Perfect) were mentioned and Pia is 8 months pregnant with twins in this book. This book did focus mainly on Dakota/Finn as well as Finn's twin brothers, Stephen/Sasha. *On a personal note I really appreciated Mallery's mention of PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) because this is a little known condition that really should have more of a spotlight on it. I have suffered from this condition for decades and having a favorite author write about it made me feel like I am not alone in the world.*

You will never ever regret picking up one of Mallery's books and especially not her Fool's Gold series. She writes books that make you want to curl up on a couch or porch swing and never want to put the book down. Mallery is a delight to read and I have never found a book of hers I would rate lower than 4 Stars. Pick it up and enjoy... you will not be disappointed!

REVIEWED BY: Kimberly

Not my favorite Fool's Gold book, but the story was sweet and I was really looking forward to reading more about Evie after hearing about her in previews books. I liked how her story with Dante developed - it was sweet, funny, easy, almost natural. There was no drama there.
With that being said, I have to confess I found it a bit superficial though, with too many time passages - days only, but still. I wish we could've seen a little more of their developing relationship. I wasn't able to follow their love being born and growing, it just seemingly came to be rather suddenly.
I still love the book and the characters, but I wish the story were longer and more detailed. And I don't mean love scenes, which there aren't any in the book. I mean interaction between the characters. Also between Evie and her brothers, since I'm already at it. There were more moments of her with their wives/fiancés than with her brother and I wish I could've seen their relationship developing too.

Finn Anderson chased his younger twin brothers to Fool`s Gold. The twins, Sasha and Stephen, came to town to be on a reality dating show. Finn, who raised both boys for the last 8 years, came to drag his brother back to Alaska and to the family business. Dakota Hendrix was asked by the mayor to help with the filming of a reality television show based on their town`s man shortage. Dakota has everything she needs: a good job, big family, and wonderful friends. She's only missing two things: a man and a child. Dakota decides that she really only needs the second, and doesn't have time for the first. Finn and Dakota both have complicated lives. The last thing either of them need is to get involved, but want and need are two separate things.

I just adore the Hendrix family, especially the triplets. Dakota is smart, sexy, and knows what she wants...most of all a baby. Her inability to conceive, has left her feeling damaged. My heart broke for her. She felt powerless and broken inside. I cheered for Dakota when she took her fate in her own hands, and made the decision to adopt a child. Even though she was part of a very large family she tended to keep things to herself, but she was able to break down some of her walls and let Finn into her life.

I just want to say that Finn is topping my list of favorite Fool's Gold sexy males. I may be stubborn, but his hardheadedness comes from a good place. He spent the last several years raising his younger twin brothers, after their parents death. He gave up just about everything for them, so I give him the right to try to hold on to his brothers, even after they have become adults. Just like a parent, some times it's had to know when to let go.

I also really enjoyed the secondary romance of Finn's brother Stephen and his quiet dating show partner Aurelia. I was just as touched by their romance as I was with Dakota and Fin. Aurelia's character growth was spectacular. She started as a shy, doormat of a girl, and become a strong, sexy women. I was happy that Stephen was able to see through the frumpiness to the women Aurelia was on the inside. Their romance built slowly and sweetly. They were just adorable!

I absolutely adore Susan Mallery's Fool's Gold series. Most series fizzle out after 5 books, but Susan keeps the series and the character fresh and surprising. I find myself waiting excitedly for the next installment in the series. I love meeting Fool's Gold's newest characters, as well as catching up with old favorites. The Fool's Gold series has a great balance of wit, romance, and charm. Every time I open a new book, it's like coming home.

ONLY MINE is a quirky, touching, sexy tale of learning to let go and move on with life. Both Dakota and Finn had tragedy in their past, but were able to finally move past their losses and into each others arms. This book both broke my heart, and put it back together all in one book. This sweet book is a must read for any contemporary romance readers or Susan Mallery fans!

Only Mine is Book #4 in Susan Mallery's contemporary romance series which is set in the sunny small town of Fool's Gold in California. Don't let the fact that you haven't read the previous novels in the series scare you away, because the books can be well enjoyed as stand alone novels, and with Only Mine a smaller story arc begins: the story of the Hendrix triplets, so you'll join the party just at the beginning.

Before Only Mine I've only read Finding Perfect (Book #3) and fell in love with Fool's Gold which is an adorable and heart-warming small town. There is a man shortage, so even the jobs usually more masculine (firemen, policemen, mayor, bartender, etc.) are all held by women. Due to the demography of the town (i.e. the men shortage) Fool's Gold got some publicity and now a reality show á la Bachelorette is filming there. That is the reason how the hero ends up in Fool's Gold...

You see Sasha and Stephen, the young twin brothers of Finn (the hero) dropped out of college just a semester before graduation to appear in the TV show and Finn as responsible older brother (and sole guardian of the boys after the death of their parents 8 years ago) flies in to try to persuade them to finish their education and not waste their life on such a silly thing.

Just to get an idea of his drive and how seriously he takes the well-being of his brothers:

"To repeat a cliché, if you love something, set it free." He stared into her dark eyes. They were an interesting contrast to her wavy blond hair.
"If it comes back, it was meant to?" He managed a smile. "No, thanks. I fall into the `if it doesn't, hunt it down and shoot it' category."
"Should I warn your brothers?"
"They already know."

I was immediately under Finn's charm: he is a grumpy yet very funny man with a quick wit and dry humour. His quips uttered in all seriousness made it all the more funny:

"... I have to kill my brother. And Geoff. What the hell. If I'm going to jail for murder, what difference does the second one make? Doesn't everyone like a two-for-one sale?"

"Go, Finn. You've done all you needed to. We're ready to be on our own."
They weren't. That's what killed Finn. They were too young, too determined to screw up. If he wasn't nearby, how could he keep them safe? He would do anything to protect them.

As an older sister (I also have two younger ones like Finn), I completely get all his worries, the heavy weight of responsibility and how serious he is about putting his brothers first. It is innate to an older sibling and his determination does him credit. He has an enormous and generous heart and he is incredibly selfless, all due to having been in charge of bringing up his brothers from an early age. And Susan Mallery's portrayal of him is spot on and utterly realistic.

Dakota Hendrix is the heroine of Only Mine. She is one of the Hendrix triplets: Dakota, Montana and Nevada (I found the background story of how they ended up with these names very endearing = they were named by their brothers). She is a serious, down to earth, warm-hearted and genuine young woman. As Finn describes her:

"Let me guess. You're one of those people who calls rain `liquid sunshine.'"

Dakota is a psychologist and though I know it is particular to her trade, her constant (over)analysing of Finn and his brothers and their relationship grated on my nerves a bit, so I can't even imagine how irritating it must have been for Finn.

I would have liked to see more of the sisterly interactions, and found it weird that even though the three sisters are described as being close to each other, Dakota took half a year before confessing her big secret and sharing her sorrow with her sisters, especially since they are triplets and share that special bond.

I couldn't connect with Dakota as well as with Finn, but I enjoyed that they first started out as friends and their relationship evolved gradually, that both of them took it as a simple, uncomplicated fling while Finn was in town.

Only Mine is a romance novel featuring three couples, and though Dakota and Finn are definitely the main characters, the other couples also get enough spotlight, which I confess I enjoyed a lot and made Only Mine quite unique in this aspect. Stephen and Aurelia's blossoming relationship was sweet and completely unexpected, I would have liked them to get even more "screen time" as their interactions portrayed perfectly the slow and sweet development of a pure and genuine romance, which was moving in its innocence.

My main concern with the novel was Dakota and her children/pregnancy storyline, which I found too predictable and unrealistic. I was surprised that in Only Mine I preferred reading about the secondary heroine and romance than the main one which was a bit too predictable to my taste. (Please bare in mind that my criticism comes from having read Finding Perfect just before Only Mine, which I found utterly charming and refreshing and feel a bit disappointed that Only Mine didn't live up to my expectations elevated by Finding Perfect. I'm sure without my background I would have enjoyed it more.)

Verdict: Fool's Gold is an adorable small town where the people are friendly and are there for each other. Susan Mallery's series is a heart-warming, light, feel-good, sweet and fun contemporary romance series I'm sure all small town romance lovers will enjoy. I look forward to reading the remaining two sisters' story and thankfully I don't have to wait long as Only Yours will be released on 30 August and Only Hison 27 September 2011.

Plot: 8/10
Characters: 8/10
Ending: 6/10
Writing: 9/10
Cover: 7/10

Dakota lives in a town full to the brim with women and hardly any men to be seen. When a TV show chooses Fool's Gold as the place for a dating reality show suddenly everyone seems to be finding love, including Dakota. With his two younger brothers, Sasha & Stephen, making a run from Alaska to Fool's Gold for a once in a lifetime chance at a new reality show Finn leaves behind his business to attempt to get them back to college. What Finn never expected was discovering Dakota along his path to get his brothers back. What begins as a casual friendship quickly develops into something neither of them expected, love.

This was an incredibly enjoyable read! Susan Mallery has numerous books to her name and though I actually own a couple this was the first one I've been able to pick up so far. I'm so glad I did, because I'm certainly going to be picking up more! Only Mine was a wonderful introduction into the world that Susan creates in her Fool's Gold series because not only were the characters easy to relate to but the story was paced extremely well. With close to 400 pages, you would think this might take some time to get through, but surprisingly I breezed right through and now can't wait to read Only Yours which is the next in the series.

At it's core Only Mine is about love and discovering what truly matters in life. Dakota was a wonderful main character and I personally related extremely well to her. For much of Dakota's life she's known it may be difficult to have children and is subsequently diagnosed with a number of infertility issues including PCOS. Having been diagnosed with the same medical conditions as Dakota myself, it was almost like reading a personal history of my own medical problems which I found incredibly comforting and I believe many readers will as well. Dakota's determination to not let it stop her from living a full life surrounded by family and children was something I found endearing as well as welcoming in a leading lady.

As for the love interests throughout the story, I was obviously captured by Dakota & Finn's relationship but also really enjoyed reading how Aurielle & Stephen's relationship progressed through the TV show. Be warned, Only Mine is closer to the "romance" end of the women's fiction spectrum and some of the scenes may have some readers blushing just a bit, though none of it is over the top or not easily skimmed through. In the end I was thrilled with how each relationship worked out and that there were some "happily ever afters" in there for a few of the characters.

Susan Mallery is a delight to read! Only Mine is the fourth book in the Fool's Gold series, but you'd never guess that from the ease with which Susan tells the story. As readers follow along on Dakota's journey, you feel settled into the town and it's cozy surroundings almost immediately as if you'd always been there. Only Mine is a story of love and the importance of valuing that which matters most in life. It's also a story that deals with the topic of infertility in a way that many readers will be able to relate to almost instantly. Take a trip to Fool's Gold and discover a wonderful town rich with love & hope.

Originally reviewed and copyrighted at Chick Lit Reviews.

I love the Fool's Gold series and this book is just the frosting on the cake! Dante and Evie's love story tell me why! Besides the book makes me happy we're on our way to another holiday season and I was NOT looking forward to one. Of course I'm very happy we still have another 7+ weeks before Thankgiving LOL

Dante is a wonderful hero--an attorney we LIKE with just the right amount of caring but he is using Evie as an excuse. He's enjoying himself as much as she is with all the volunteering. Dante has a dark secret he's keeping but he does tell Evie and they talk about it.

Evie is a wonderful woman that has a few flaws like all of us. She loves her job as a dance teacher for the girls of Fool's Gold. The school puts on big play on Christmas Eve so Evie is busy with all that goes with that and Dante helps her with that too. She can talk to Dante about her family even though he knows them all and really likes hem but never gives her grief just encouragement to try to solve her problems. He makes it easy for her with her family too. We love to see them all again too.

I enjoyed watching their love grow and both learning to live their life with that love. I know Dante has a harder time excepting it though.

Ms Mallery has given us one of the best of the Fool's Gold series! Congrats to her for a hardcover book too!

Posted on Book Chelle.

I have been a fan of Susan Mallery's writing for a while now. Her writing style is contemporary and fresh, and her content is always so enjoyable to read. Her stories draw me in and I am instantly connected in an emotional way. That goes the same for the Fool's Gold series. Only Mine is a great example of why she is an amazing writer. I absolutely adore this series. This lovely town of Fool's Gold has a shortage of men, but that has never stopped the women to be strong, independent, and ready to take care of business. The series shows that women can survive without men and the town's history proves it.

In the fourth installment of the Fool's Gold series, Mallery brings us back to Fool's Gold. Life has resumed after the fire, the media chaos, and the publicity that has been surrounding the town. Reality show True Love of Fool's Gold has invaded the town. This time, Dakota Hendrix is the woman to look out for the town's interests, by request from Mayor Marsha. Enter Finn Anderson, the protective brother of show contestants, twins Stephen and Sasha. He has flown from Alaska to bring his brother's back after they left home, with only one semester left until graduation. After a compromise, Finn has decided to stay and watch from a distance, with the supervision of Dakota. Dakota and Finn get close throughout the process and they slowly share their lives, their souls, and their hearts. Will the contestants be the only ones competing for true love?

I love Dakota. She is funny, witty, and so full of life. Dakota is Ethan Hendrix' one of his younger triplet sisters. She has a great job, aside from supervising the reality show, and she lives in a town that she adores and adores her back. She has terrific sisters and a family who are as close-knit as they can get. She has a secret that she has been keeping for a couple of years now, and she just received news that has caused more pain than she can burden alone. As strong-willed as she may seem to be, she shows that side to Finn, and with that, opens her heart to him as well.

Finn is a man who I had to warm up to. I could tell who he was deep down, but of course emotion clouded his actions. He came into the role that was meant for him, and then I loved him. Having survived a tragic past and raising his brothers on his own, he has a lot to deal with at a young age. He is protective and overbearing and doesn't know when to let go. He opens up to Dakota, while they work on the show together, but he opens up more than just his family. But he won't stay for long. He is determined to bring his brothers back to Alaska, where their lives can go back to normal.

The story was great. From the main plot to the sub-plots, everything was pieced together so nicely that I lived in Fool's Gold. I could feel the sense of community and love between Dakota's family and the town itself. I could really relate to the characters, main or supporting. I also couldn't help but fall in love and sympathize with Stephen and Sasha. Well, Stephen more than Sasha. This story had many more characters, but you could not miss the development between Dakota and Finn. Dakota alone was the star of the show, and the love and the support she receives throughout the book is what had me anxiously waiting to turn the page.

Only Mine seems to be the next trilogy set in the Fool's Gold series. Mallery does it again and brings her readers something new and refreshing in this wonderful town she has created. I am definitely invested in Fool's Gold and have this new love for the next installment in the series. You will laugh, cry, and love right along Dakota, Finn, and the residents of Fool's Gold.

I suggest you pick it up and become a part of this great town.

My Review:
Fool's Gold....the little California town featured last year in the Perfect series. Now, they have been invaded by a reality television show trying to capitalize on Fool's Gold's claim to fame....way too many women, by bringing in men to pair up with those locals.

Two of those men are 21 year-old twins, Sasha & Stephen, younger brothers of Finn Anderssen. The Anderssen boy's parents died 9 years ago leaving 22 year-old Finn to raise his 12 year-old twin brothers. He left behind his wild ways to provide them with a stable home life. Now they are 21 years-old and 3 months away from graduating from college when they decide to join the reality show. Finn is livid.

Talking him from the cliff and plans of kidnapping the twins is Dakota... psychologist. She uses humor and a good dose of reality to talk him back from the ledge and he's smart enough to accept her advice and see her wisdom. These scenes are some of the best in the book. Their quick and witty repertoire is so fun to read.

I really liked Finn and Dakota together, but there are complications standing in the way of their relationship. Dakota is in the middle of trying to adopt after finding out that her chances of ever getting pregnant are about a million to one. She's one step away from full-on family/responsibility mode. Finn was forced into that mode 9 years ago at age 22 and he's ready for a bit of freedom. He gave up his youth for his brothers and as soon as he gets them graduated, he wants to relish doing some living for himself again.

It's not a new story line, but I liked the way that Susan Mallery wove it all together. The town of Fool's Gold is wonderful with its quirky characters. Dakota is one of the girls from a set of triplets. She's had a tough year, but she's resilient and found her way back to accepting what fate has thrown at her with a positive spin. I love her relationship with her sisters and mother and how they deal with each other. There is lots of good-natured ribbing happening with this group.

Finn is not quite so positive. He and the twins carry quite a bit of snark about with them, which makes their conversations very fun. I had quite a few LOL moments with their comments in this book.

This was one of those books that was simply fun to read. Good drama, fun romance, and a few surprises and laughs along the way. I am looking forward to the next two books in the series.

This story is about Dakota Hendrix a psychologist. Finn Anderssen a pilot from Alaska.

In Fool's Gold there are more woman than men. A Hollywood director heard about this and had a bright idea to have a reality show about it. She is representing the town on this project. She hates that this is taking place.

Finn comes to Fool's Gold to bring back his twin brothers. They came to sign up for the reality show. One wants to be a star and other just came to get away from there over bearing brother Finn. They only have 3 months of college left and Finn wants them to come back to finish.

When his parents died, His brothers were only 11yrs old. He took over the family business and took care of his brothers. He just wants to make sure they finish school. Then he wants to be done with responsibility and live his own life.

He meets Dakota and wants her to help him make his brothers see that this is wrong and should go back with him.

Dakota Hendrix knows what she wants from life and when life throws her a hurdle, she has no problem jumping that hurdle and continuing on with her hopes and dreams. When she meets Finn Anderson, who is in Fool's Gold to stop his twin brothers from appearing on a reality show being filmed there, she agrees on a hot, no-strings-attached relationship with the knowledge that Finn will be returning to Alaska as soon as possible. When his brothers are selected for the show, Finn sticks around to try to talk some sense into them....after all, they did leave college with only one semester left. But when Dakotas hurdles become a reality, she and Dakota both start to question what they want from their relationship.

This is another wonderful addition to Susan Mallerys continuing series in Fool's Gold which is a new venture for her. We got three books last year and three this year and I know of more planned for next year. She even has a website dedicated to the ficitonal city: [...]. But over and above this, this is a story filled with with Mallerys trademark warmth, humor and love. Did the storyline take a bit of a predictable plot turn? Yes but they way to the end was full of lots of family (seriously...could I be part of that Hendrix family?), heat and laughter. Finn has some major letting go issues as he was thrust into the parent role of his brothers when their parents died and as a result he does not want anymore responsibility...he just wants to be done when he knows for sure they are reading to be let go. His brothers, Stephen and Sasha, add a couple secondary romances and I look forward to hopefully seeing more of both as they grow in their futures. A few of the characters from the previous books pop up as well but not enough that if you have not tried a Susan Mallery book you should hesitate to try this one! I look forward to the rest of this years books, Only Yours (Hqn) and Only His (Hqn) featuring the other Hendrix triplets and many more wonderful books from Susan Mallery! 4 stars

Aren't literary heroes supposed to teach us something? Aren't they supposed to inspire us? How someone like Skye could be the main character? I was trying to find anything positive about her and couldn't. She disgusted me. She betrayed her love, slept with the man her father wanted her to marry on the third date and even got herself pregnant. At least she could use birth control, couldn't she??? Why didn't she get pregnant sleeping with Mitch? I kept hoping Erin was Mitch's daughter but alas... She kept saying that she "grew to love her husband" - that old pervert who wanted 20 years younger wife and married her knowing she was in love with someone else. Yuck! He was a good person? Really? Bad guy" line got annoying and unbelievable - both Garth and Jed were too much evil... Was the action taking place in Texas or some Muslim country where parents decide who their daughter should marry? I got totally confused at that point... I enjoy reading Susan Mallery books but this one was a total disappointment...

SPOILER BITS

Susan Mallery is my favorite contemporary romance author. Susan's writing brings this fictional town and its people to life. I found the story line of the main characters, Dakota and Finn, predictable and reminiscent of some of Susan's earlier books. The one-in-a-million chance pregnancy, Finn doesn't want kids and when Dakota tells him she's pregnant he flees, but in the end they find their happy ever after with true love. I knew as soon as Dakota thought she couldn't get pregnant that the story would unravel that way. Even though it was predictable Susan has a way of making reader's fall in love with these characters. The thing I liked most about "Only Mine" was the secondary character plot. The relationship between Finn's brother Stephen and Aurelia sucked me into the story and had me reading until 2:00 in the morning. Their story made it impossible for me to put the book down. I hope Susan includes them in future books as I would like to see how their romance evolves. I give this fourth book in the Fool's Gold series 3/5 stars. Even though I couldn't put it down and it is my favorite the predictable storyline was a drawback.

There are several stories going in this book. At first I didn't like that because it overshadowed Nevada & Tucker' s love story then I realize it made it more interesting interesting because there wasn't much going on in that. It's like watching a chick flick with all the women in the story. I love the funny lines/ dialogues,though. What I didn't care for was the triplets' mother. She seemed meddlesome when she had her son confront Tucker for breaking Nevada's heart 10 years ago!!! She also sounded crazy & emotionally immature when she wanted to get out of town just because her lover proposed & she wasn't expecting it. Impossible!! In the end , three characters in the love stories ran away when they heard the word love or commitment only to come running back. Honestly, Cat was my favorite of all the characters. She was interesting and her personality typifies that of an artist.

Once again I'm moving to Fool's Gold! The is an integral character in and of itself. The vivid description of Fool's Gold and amazing storyline of the people who reside there, never cease to amaze me.

Dakota and Finn had an easy-going, fun kind of relationship. You could tell that they truly enjoyed the other's company. With Finn's dry sense of humor, they were matched perfectly. One of Finn's strongest attributes was his love and commitment to his family, and with Dakota coming from a large close-knit family, it was key the the man for her would have that same commitment.

When I wasn't totally engrossed with watching Finn and Dakota fall in love, I was engrossed with his little brother fall in love. It was like getting two love stories for the price of one. I hope to see more of Stephen and Aurelia in future Fool's Gold novels.

Witnessing Dakota's struggles were truly heart wrenching which made her getting her happy ever after all the more sweeter.

She obeyed her tyrannical father once and married his choice of a mate instead of her beloved Mitch Cassidy who left town joining the Navy SEALs. Skye Titan regretted her decision. When her spouse died, she vowed never again as she raises their daughter. Yet her father Jed demands she marry again for business purposes TJ Boone who is more interested in her sister Izzy.

A veteran with war related injuries Mitch has come home. He still loves Skye, but has not forgotten her betrayal when she acquiesced to her dad. Jed is pressuring her again, but she holds him off hoping for a second chance with Mitch even as she worries about how he and her daughter will relate. Finally, there is another new man in her life, an angry half-brother who wants to destroy the Titan clan.

The second Titan family romance (see UNDER HER SKIN) is an engaging second chance at love romance, but first Skye must find courage to accept her failure to stand up to her father and Mitch must find his lost heart to learn to forgive. Neither seems to have that particular trait in their arsenal as Mitch remains angry while Skye struggles with disobedience especially with her beloved family in trouble. Fans will enjoy Susan Mallory's engaging character driven contemporary.

Harriet Klausner

Another great story by Susan Mallery. I love the Fool's Gold series and this one lives up to the expectations set. Though it was 2012's Christmas story, I missed it since it didn't come out in paperback until this year. I was thrilled to read it though as I missed the Stryker brothers and it was fun to learn more about the slightly mysterious and elusive sister, Evie. Fans of Mallery will not be disappointed, and if you don't yet know the Fool's Gold series, this is a nice introduction (though you really should go back to the beginning to get to know all the characters!). While some of the story lines are very similar to other books in the series, I still enjoy getting to know the characters better and think it's just different enough to enjoy. I would recommend to anyone who likes contemporary romance.

Only Mine, the fourth book in the Fool's Gold series, brings a reality dating show to the sweet little town with the embarrassing man-shortage. In this installment, we experience Dakota's story. We've seen Dakota often as Ethan's sister, Raoul's employee and friend to many of the town women, but as with these romances, we get to know her much better in her own book.

Dakota is a wonderful character - strong and willing to do whatever's necessary to get what she dreams. Dakota's always pictured a future that included children. Months back, she learned that it was highly unlikely she would ever be able to get pregnant, even with medical intervention. She feels broken, but carries on, taking steps to adopt as a single parent.

While under obvious emotional distress, she's also working with the reality show crew as a favor to Mayor Marsha. Enter Finn, an irate older brother determined to get his twin siblings off the show and back to college in Alaska where he believes they belong. Finn's a bit too convinced he's in the right when it comes to his brothers. It's sort of abrasive and annoying at times, but Dakota seems to find it amusing most of the time.

The Fool's Gold series is very child-friendly, in that most of the story lines revolve around children or end up with someone pregnant. Not only is there a man-shortage, but those women are a highly fertile bunch. This will alienate some readers, but I totally appreciate the complete realism it brings the series.

Only Mine is an excellent contemporary romance. It's funny, sweet, sometimes sexy and occasionally complicated in the best way possible. Fool's Gold remains one of my favorite series.

Another enjoyable outing to the town of Fool's Gold, California, the most perfect small town in fictional America. Although this book is part of a series about that town and it's residents, this book works fine as a stand alone story,as do all of the individual books. New readers may be a bit confused by the large supporting cast, but fans will appreciate glimpses of their old favorite characters from previous novels who show up to help the protagonists of this story. This book features the younger sister of the Stryker brothers@ Evie, who is brought to Fool's Gold after suffering a career ending broken leg. She has taken up teaching dance since she can no longer be a professional dancer. She is also estranged from her family. She becomes involved with her brother Rafe' s business partner, neither of them having any plans for commitment to the town or to each other. A fun read. Heat factor mild.

Nothing really bad, but it's the kind of book I kept putting down and not being eager to pick back up. I kept forgetting who some of the characters were. The writing just didn't grab me. Lots of little irritants: like a reality tv producer wouldn't know to get location releases before filming! And like he'd then throw in the towel and fly cast and crew all home again rather than moving the filming to public spots, or wouldn't look into location releases for other spots. Not central to the plot, but illogic (lazy writing) like that kept pulling me out of the story. I wanted to like it but it was irredeemably forgettable.

Fool's Gold Christmas by Susan Mallery
4 STARS Finally Evangeline Stryker story is here. I wanted to know more about her since we met her in Rafe's book. I wondered how this story would work out for her. It was done in a good way. Thier are a few love scenes that I skipped over. I love the town of Fool's Gold and how they come together to help each other. I need to be more active like they are in doing good. Evangeline was not close to her family they taught her that those close to you did not love you. Her mom and her three older brothers were close until last year she hardly seen or talked to her older brother Rafe. She is living now in Fool's gold because when she was tackled at a football game and broke her leg on tv her family was watching. They brought her here when she was doped up and packed her things up and brought her to the ranch to heal. Rafe paid six months ahead on her condo she is renting. Evie told him no, but Rafe did not listen to her. Since Evie broke her leg she could not be a dancer anymore or even a professional cheerleader. She is working at the dance school and finds that she likes it and doing really well. Now the manager of the dance studio at 70 eloped and left Evie to pick up and in charge of the Christmas dance review. To a story she had never heard of and had no idea what the dances were like for it. Dante has not liked Fool's Gold he was happy living in San Fransico and being partners with Rafe. When Rafe decided to move the company to Fool's Gold he protested. Now he was working in an old building with little sound proofing. Thier was a dance studio right above him and they were driving him crazy. He was hear after work trying to call overseas and fix some problems but he could not hear the call. He decided enough is enough he was going up and talk to the dance instructer and tell her he needs quiet for a couple of weeks. He would use his charm and lawyer skills to convince her. Dante barged into the dance studio to ream at the teacher and found that he could not. He had no idea that Rafe's sister was working thier. Instead of him getting to yell at her she yelled at him and told him her problems that she had to throw together a performance in 6 weeks to a story and music that she did not know. Find and Make repairs to the sets ect. Evie the next day found her neighbor in the condo next to hers is Dante and he invited her to share his take out with her. They decide to hangout together to get through the holidays in Fool's Gold because neither one of them were used to small towns. It is fun to see all the things going on in Fool's Gold and see old friends again. I was given this ebook to read in exchange for honest review from Netgalley. 9/25/2012 PUB HarlequinHQN

Reviewed for my blog acozyreaderscorner on blogspot

Only Mine is a charming, sexy and entertaining read! I love, Fool's Gold, the town Susan has created for this series. The Fool's Gold books keep getting better and better. Susan processes the ability to keep her series entertaining and original while leaving the reader both satisfied and wanting more. The idea of a reality TV show in Fool's Gold, CA was brilliant. The issue of a man shortage was comical. After all, even if men are available, what woman hasn't felt s shortage in men at one point in her life?

The characters are wonderful. I love how Mallery creates a sexy and desirable "hero" in the story. She met my expectations while throwing in a few surprises along the way. I loved the quirky yet humorous personalities of the characters. They work well together, it felt natural. The characters are realistic. I loved this aspect. It helped me to feel as if I was a part of the town rather than reading a story.

It seems easy to make everything seem perfect in a story that promises a happy ending yet Mallery focuses on keeping her books believable. While I knew the happy ending would come about, I had my moments of doubt. Only mine had its share of turmoil, complications, disappointments and real life drama that kept me glued to the pages. I wondered how the happy ending would find its way to the loveable characters and found myself cheering them on. I really enjoyed this aspect of the book. I don't like to be handed a happy ending on a silver platter in an unrealistic manner. Only Mine didn't do that. I look forward to Only Yours and Only His. I have already pre-ordered my copies. It was incredibly hard to find Only Mine in the stores since its debut. Reader's everywhere have been scoffing them up! I can understand why......

A Fool's Gold Christmas by Susan Mallery
ISBN: 9780373777020
Dante Jefferson a lawyer had rented some space at the dance studio but he needed some quiet time where he would be able to talk to his partner overseas.
Evangeline Stryker is Rafe's sister and she's at the studio. Her mother is May and she has raised 4 boys til her husband died, had a weekend fling and Evie was the result. She felt like an outsider cuz of the age difference and nobody knows who her father is.
She stumped what she is to do with 60 girls that need to be taught how to dance for the annual Christmas Eve show. The instructor has left town with her male friend and Evie has no clue what to do with the girls.
She approached her sister in law to be, Charlie the woman firefighter for some help.
Charlie tells her who to contact for all the aspects of the event, things the people in town do every year. The townsfolk help everybody out, as in turn help when needed.
Thanksgiving day was going to be a new thing for Evie who's not used to being around friends, and relatives. The girls only meet at Jo's Bar, watching the parade on TV then off to Rafe's for the big dinner.
Dante pairs up with Evie as they go around town to do the props for the CE ballet/event. They practice kissing also as they know they will be under a mistletoe this season.
Love this town and how comfortable they make everyone feel. Catching up with everybody and what's new in their life's is always fun. It's not too confusing.
Day after the holiday the townsfolk were busy redoing all the autumn scenes with ones for Christmas.
It resembled a magical wonderland, like a snow globe.
Second chances for each of them involves different things, different people. Someone they want to impress that they can be proud of...
Evie spreads herself thin by accepting to do charity work during the holiday season, she just wants to fit in...

This is the first in the series that I'd picked up. While it seemed the start of the series to me as I read, as the main character is a triplet, but there were three older brothers. It's a good series with interesting characters. Have to back and read about them.

This is the 6th book in Ms. Mallery's Fool's Gold series. This book is primarily about Nevada the third triplet. There are also a couple of side stories about Jo, who runs the bar in town, and Denise the triplets mother.

I really enjoy this series and I usually don't enjoy contemporary romance. I especially find myself getting bored with series set in the same place with the same characters. This series is totally different! The characters are more real and believable. They make mistakes and have flaws that they are working through. I find myself really looking forward to the next cycle of 3 books.

What a wonderful Christmas story and a great addition to the Fool's Gold series. It was great to reconnect with characters from many of the books that we've grown to love even if this was Evie's story. It was a nice representation of the population of Fool's Gold. There was a nice story line, lots of love and romance, laughter and of course tears. Great closure that whets our appetite for more. I look forward to the continuation of the story next summer since there's so much more story to tell! Keep up the good work Susan!

This book was included free in my Fool's Gold Christmas goody package from Susan Mallery that all the Fool's Gold Cheerleaders received.

I listened to this book on CD. The reader was difficult to get used to , as she talked in very quick, clipped tones, but after awhile I got used to it.
From what I've read of this author so far, seems like the woman is the "good guy" and the man is the "bad guy", same in this book. It's a very predictable love story, with a subplot of a few other characters doing a reality show. I skipped thru the explicit descriptions of the sex. I just don't care for that sort of thing --I think it takes away from the story.

But the book did keep me company while driving and I found the main character, Dakota, likeable. Not so for the man involved, Fin. Not sure why anyone would want to be involved with him, but I guess that makes for a good fictional story.

Overall, it's enjoyable but predictable.

I love the Fool's Gold series. The characters are so well written and you want to know what's going to happen or is happening to the residents.

I've been trying to put my foot on what was wrong with this installment and just figured it out. It wasn't a well developed plot. Perhaps it was becuase SM is getting "the Triplets" stories out in a rapid succession this year and didn't have the time to flush the plot out better. Really, this was a Harlequin Romance stretched into a stand alone full size book.

Finn and Dakota were great, but I wanted to see them date and interact more. I get that he came there for his brothers, but seriously that plot-line can only go so far. I'd have rather them add another one in like F&D trying to make a long distance relationship work for awhile or something. In addition, I felt that all the ancillary characters had as much time in the story as the main characters.

I hope this isn't a preview of the next two books because I won't run out to get them.

This was a book with lots and lots of drama! WOW - one drama on top of the others! With three sisters and a close girlfriend who is like a sister this is quite a feast of drama. It does not help the the father is the most unbelievable cold hearted jerk who would rather respect and admire his bastard son vs keeping his daughters safe. A father who is so totalitarian that he would sacrifice his daughters if they do not do what he asked of them.

Oh wait, there is also a wounded amputee who has lost for many years and found and about to loose again the love of his life. Who struggles to find himself in his new situation with the ranch in different state then what he had left before he shipped out.

Can't wait for the the next book in the series to see how the fight with "dad" plays out!

Dakota Hendrix is spinning her wheels. She's spending the next ten weeks as the advocate for Fool's Gold with the reality show that is currently being filmed I'm town. And Dakota used to like reality tv. But when the mayor insisted Dakota's boss offered Dakota's services to the town while he continued with her salary. On the upside though, Dakota's finally starting to overcome the depression she's been fighting since learning that her future won't be what she'd always hoped.

Raising children sucks! Especially when they aren't really yours and they're old enough to be legally responsible for themselves. But Finn Hendersson has had custody of his twenty-two year old twin brothers since their parents died almost ten years ago. He'd finally thought he was done - they only had a few months left until they'd graduate - but then they decided to skip out to audition for a reality show. In California.

A wonderful read about a magical holiday, not to mention a fantastic small town. Susan has a talent for writing with such description and clarity you actually believe you're in Fools Gold. The story line is rich in warmth, love and laughter. Perfect for the upcoming "stressful" holiday season. I started reading this book when it first came out and couldn't put it down. However, now that I've finished it (in two days)I can go back and read it AGAIN! Thank you, Susan for sharing such talent with us all and providing us with such an escape from our everyday issues and, sometimes, craziness. Thank you also to the store.com for allowing me to post my opinion on your site!

I highly recommend not only Susan's "A Fool's Gold Christmas", but the whole Fool's Gold series. Enjoy - you won't regret it!

Why I Read this Book: I can't help myself, I enjoy a good reliable contemporary romance novel and that's what Susan Mallery delivers with her Fool's Gold series.

What I Liked: I love romance stories where the hero and heroine have had a prior relationship that didn't exactly work out but they get a second chance at love. I also really like it when either one or both of them are adamant about not trying to rekindle that flame because I'm the kind of reader who likes tension. It doesn't have to be fierce tension or uncomfortable tension; just enough that will make one or both characters squirm a little bit. And it's even better when someone from their past, a person who was the third party in their love triangle, comes back into the picture.

As annoying as Caterina's character was, she was written so well. I could hear her accent when I read her dialogue. I could sense her eccentricity and exuberance. She was extremely arrogant yet it didn't come off in a brash way.

OMG!! - we finally get to find out about Jo's mysterious past! And it was definitely not what I had expected, at all. And she has a bit of a love interest of her own in Only His. Speaking of secondary characters and their love interests (which by the way do not take away from the main characters' story arc at all), we get more to Denise's (the triplets' mother) story arc. There was a bit of drama going on it but it quickly gets resolved.

I love how the author introduces new secondary characters in each book. The hero and heroine for each Fool's Gold novel don't completely steal the show so the reader is able to `get to know' these new characters.

One of my favorite funny quotes:

*****
"I want you to make it go away. All of it. Ms. Stoicasescu, her assistant and the vagina."
*****

What I Didn't Like: The love interest in Jo's life falls in love with her too quickly. He hasn't even known Jo that long to declare his love for her. Especially so quickly after their little `tiff'. Though I did love his approach of going after what he wants with a strong determination. He wasn't go to let Jo slip through his fingers without a fight.

Overall Impression: Only His is one of my favorite Fool's Gold novels to date (another being the first Fool's Gold novel Chasing Perfect). Only His was definitely my favorite of the triplets' books. It had exactly what I was looking for as far as a hero and heroine go and I got updates on two characters I've been anxiously waiting for. It excites me to know that the author plans to continue on with the Fool's Gold series.

Hott Synopsis:
Evie is ready to run... as soon as she gets enough money in the bank to get her out of this town. Who would have thought that a family who'd spent their lives ignoring her or treating her like a dirty secret would swoop in and take over her life when she got hurt? Who thought she wanted them to?
Now, they want to pretend that nothing happened. Just brush everything under the rug and forget about it.

Evie is SO not ready for that and luckily she has an ally - her oldest brother's business partner, the non-committing lawyer, Dante. Together maybe they can make it out of this town - and far away from her `family'!

Hott Review
AWWWW!! Going into this book I didn't care much for Evie or Dante. In the other books they were sort of portrayed as whiners and that personality quirk just grates at me. I didn't ever love them as people but I did like them much better at the end.
What I liked: I liked the shock and awe the Evie and Dante had with Fool's Gold. I know it sounds silly but there is just something about this town that makes even the reader feel like part of a community. This love and community shown in this book brought tears to my eyes several times!
What I didn't like: This book struck a personal chord with me due to the issues between Evie and her mother, so it was a bit more stressful than it would be for a typical reader.

FYI: Definitely some Adult Appropriate Steam in here!

A pleasant Christmas-oriented story about Evie Stryker, a wounded ballet dancer turned dance instructor, and commitment-phobic attorney Dante Jefferson. She fears losing her heart to him and he is convinced he can't possibly be in love. She grieves (and is helped by her new girl friends in overly-friendly Fools' Gold) while he finally gives himself a dope slap after fleeing to Aspen.

But getting there is great fun as we reacquaint ourselves with some of the key characters in Fool's Gold introduced in previous volumes.

A nice way to begin the holiday season.

My Review:
What a perfect holiday romance! I loved this book. Not only did it feature two incredible characters in Dante and Evie, but it also featured so many of my favorite things about the small town of Fool's Gold in the midst of the magic of the holiday season!

These two characters have been favorites of mine for a while. Evie, just because her story is so heartbreaking. May is the perfect mother, except when it comes to her daughter Evie and everyone agrees that Evie totally received the short end of the stick there. She got pregnant with Evie during a one-night stand when she was mourning the death of her husband. Evie has never been made to feel like a true part of this family, either by her mother or her three older brothers. Then there's Dante. We've always known him as Rafe's really sexy, sarcastic business partner and lawyer. I've loved him from the very moment he landed on the page...and now, *sigh* if he wasn't perfect for Evie, I'd be fighting her for him. Another fantastic character who has some heartbreaking history that makes his (fictional) reality so much more inspiring and wonderful. This is a guy who's pulled himself out of the muck to become so much more.

There's a lot going on in this story, but mainly it revolves about Evie and her finding her way back to her family....the Stryker's who we have fallen in love with over the last three books in this series. But it's also about Evie and Dante finding themselves at home in this little town which completely embraces the Christmas season. Neither of these characters is at home in small town life and they aren't exactly comfortable with all the trappings of the holiday season either, but Fool's Gold doesn't let anyone feel excluded. Soon, both these characters find themselves caught up in all the holiday activities and finding their own holiday spirit. It's a perfect book to read in prep of the upcoming holiday season to get you in the mood.

I received a complementary copy of this book in return for an honest review

Only His is somewhat similar to its predecessor Only Mine. I presume Mallery uses the same formula for each novel, where there are obstacles to overcome before the heroine can get her guy and where the entire town continue to band together (I'm totally heading to Fool's Gold to live). In this instance, Dakota Hendrix is our heroine, and she's much pluckier than her sisters, working on a construction site. She hasn't seen Tucker Janack for years, so when she ends up being interviewed by him for a job at Janack Constructions, she isn't entirely sure it's the job for her any more. However Tucker and Nevada decide on a business only relationship. But as they say, all the best decisions never really come to fruition...

As well as focusing on Nevada, as she's the central character, there's also a lovely smaller plotline featuring Jo, who runs the female-only bar in Fool's Gold. I loved Jo, and I really really enjoyed her storyline and I wish it had had more to it. I'd quite happily read an entire novel dedicated to Jo, as she's such an awesome character. I really loved the storylines in the book, though I still think Montana's story is the best (Only Mine, if you want to read it). I liked the banter between Nevada and Tucker, liked the friendships between the residents of Fool's Gold and I loved the sisterly bond Nevada, Montana and Dakota share. I also liked the addition of Cat, I thought she was going to screw the novel up, but she wasn't so bad.

Mallery has really tapped in to Fool's Gold. She's made it sound like such a wonderful place, somewhere you'd want to live. The way all the residents band together, the way Mayor Marsha knows EVERYTHING about EVERYONE, it's just so cosy. I mean, not only has she given a lot of the residents stories, but they all follow each other on and it's so good to catch up with previous characters even if I've not read their stories yet. Obviously the core story is that of Nevada and Tucker and it was thoroughly enjoyable. I like that Mallery doesn't waste time getting her characters together and it doesn't just happen at the end of the novel. It's so appealing and refreshing.

I loved Only His. It rounded off the Hendrix trio stories perfectly (even if I haven't read Dakota's story...). Mallery even set up a new Fool's Gold trilogy for Heidi, Annabelle and Charlie (I sooooooo hope those three will get stories, I loved them in Only His). Only His was warm, romantic, enjoyable, immensely readable and it was also funny. (Oh God, when Nevada walks in on Denise and Max...) Mallery is an excellent writer, thoroughly skilled at making us love her characters and believe in her stories and at making me want to move to California. I can't wait for what Mallery writes next and I really hope this isn't the end of Fool's Gold. Like I said, there are at least three more stories in it! At least, I tell you! Mallery's well worth reading, you won't regret it in the slightest.

I have to admit I am a Susan Mallery fan so I might be a little biased but I loved this book. I really liked how she chose to connect Evie and Dante. It was a good match right from the start and was in the end the most realistic two to get together because of their big city life styles. It is always interesting to see how Susan will incorporate the old characters into the new characters stories and she did not disappoint with this story. I am glad to see that she is always adding new characters to the stories too so that you can get an idea of who the next book will be about. I liked how she made this Christmas novel longer this year. I can't wait to see what the next book in the series holds when it comes out this summer.

As all the reviews say this is the 2nd in Lone Star Sisters series and I loved it! Mitch is a lonely, miserable hero that I fell in love with. Skye's home, Glory's Gate, is next to his, Cassidy's Ranch, and all those years ago she was his neighbor, lover and was going to be his bride but she married an older man her father picked for her instead. He has the right to be so mad at Skye for turning away from him all those years ago--she let her father be the #1 man in her life not Mitch!

Here it is almost 9 years later and he has to return home, as a Navy SEAL he has left part of his leg in Afghanistan and now he has to be a Texas rancher but he is now an "organic rancher" with certified beef and free-range chickens--he hates chickens and they don't have a place on a Texas cattle ranch! His foreman has taken care of the ranch in his absence and to make it be more profitable he has become organic certified! The chickens are very profitable and Mitch hates that!

Skye lives next door with her 8 y.o. daughter Erin now. Erin is like a granddaughter to Mitch's housekeeper and foreman, they love her and have loved Mitch for much of his life. His parents have been gone a long time and even before that they traveled and came back to the ranch as little as possible. Fidela and Arturo became his "parents" they never had children of their own so Mitch became theirs and now Erin is their's too. She is a lonely little girl with only her mother to raise her.

Skye has created a foundation to feel hungry children but has been fighting off rumors and audits due to her half-brother's unethical involvement in her business! Is she mad about it too!

This is some of the story of LIP SERVICE, now we go forward to watch the love story evolve as well as the story of half-brother Garth Duncan's revenge on the Titans.

Another wonderful story from Ms Mallery and I'm looking forward to more of the Titans

Lip service is the 2nd in a series about Texas sisters. While I'd agree with other reviewers that Skye, the main character, would not be my favorite female lead in a book, the other characters in the story more than make up for it. One of Susan Mallery's many talents in my opinion, is her ability to write very enjoyable secondary characters. Dana, Joss, and even the chickens add to the fun of this book. In addition to the humor though there is also a lot of emotion and drama brought on by Mitch's injury, Titan family dynamics, and the needs of a little girl. This should be a definite read for any Mallery fan, but read Under Her Skin first! Can't wait for the next one, which will be out soon.

Only Mine by Susan Mallery
Dakota Hendricks practices psychology in Fool's Gold and meets up with Ben.
She can never have children due to her cancer.
Fin Anderson is there to pick up his twin brothers so they can finish their last semester of college.
They are in the reality show and want to follow a lead for Hollywood when they are done there. They don't want to join the family business either but never told him.
Her adoption papers come through and she gets the baby which changes her life a lot.
Steven had hooked up with Arreila and their conversation was on national TV but Fin hadn't heard the whole conversation. They did meet up and talk like brothers.
When she divulges a health issue to him, he reacts without thinking...

A Fool's Gold Christmas by Susan Mallery

Evie Stryker's lessons in life: "Her family had taught her that the people who were supposed to love you back usually didn't and that it was far safer to simply be alone".
Dante Jefferson hasn't learn the lessons any better. Yet they click and find spending time together is comfortable, easy and exciting too. They set terms of "now". Can they keep to those terms?

A beautiful warm love story set in Fool's Gold. I felt sorry for Evie and her childhood, and emphasized with her on the question of forgiveness vs. remembered pain. She is stronger than I could have been!

While I had a great time visiting Fool's Gold again, I didn't find Dakota and Finn to be my favorite couple of Only Mine. Finn was a little one-minded for me, bent only on getting his brothers to return to Alaska with him so that life could be just the same as it had always been. Dakota is dealing with some medical issues, but I felt that the plot line grew a bit unrealistic as the story wore on.

The saving grace for me was the subplot of Stephen and Aurelia's story. I loved watching Stephen grow while at the same time helping Aurelia grow...even though she was sure the 9 years she had on him meant she must be far ahead of him maturity-wise. It was great to see them really become adults together and be willing to fight for what they wanted. The book was a good one, though not my favorite Mallery tale. Still, I'm really looking forward to seeing how the other two Hendrix triplets fare.

Classically trained dancer Evie Stryker has every intention of escaping Fool's Gold as soon as she can. It wasn't her idea to come to the small town to begin with, but following an injury her estranged family snatched her out of the hospital and brought her there.

She's kept busy teaching classes at the community's dance school, but the holidays are approaching and the head of the school has taken off, leaving Evie sole responsibility of Fool's Gold's winter festival production. A production the whole town looks forward to. A production that she's never seen, about a story she doesn't know, with dances she hasn't choreographed, sets she can't find, costumes she can't make, and students she's just started to teach. Not that there's any pressure or anything.

Dante Jefferson doesn't mind Fool's Gold. He can be just as good a lawyer there as he could in the city, and being closer to best friend and business partner Rafe for business issues that need his attention make it more than worth Dante's while. The incessant clogging and giggling from the dance studio on the floor above him was a little much to take, though, especially after a long day. It also tended to put some of his business calls in jeopardy. Confronting the teacher up there so they could work out a schedule seemed the sensible thing to do.

Coming face to...leotard-wrapped, sexy body with Rafe's little sister Evie didn't exactly put Dante in a sensible frame of mind, but for all sorts of reasons, giving in to the hot jolt of pure physical desire at the sight was a bad, bad idea. Still, there's something about Evie that makes even Dante feel a little holiday cheer.

And so long as they both understood that giving in to their obvious mutual attraction is strictly relegated to a friends with some lovely benefits thing, it'd be a shame to let all that mistletoe go to waste...

~*~

I so enjoy fun, feisty, festive holiday romances. I don't read them with many expectations beyond a light, sweet story with a bit of holiday cheer, and Mallery delivered smashingly in this instance. Fool's Gold is the perfect setting, too. Sure, it didn't break any new ground in the genre, but Mallery has a gift for creating truly endearing characters with just the right amount of genuine personal conflict to keep them from being totally cookie-cutter.

Evie's issues with her family, her mother in particular, lend a touch of gravitas to her character and to the plot of the story, and the surrounding holiday was a perfect vehicle to address those issues. Dante's past, brushed upon as it was, had a bit of darkness in it as well, explaining his nature and providing a framework for his lack of faith in relationships. They were both sexy, slightly wounded characters who fit quite quite nicely together in the story.

Their romance was kept relatively low key, all things considered. I liked the scenes in which they spent time together, most holiday-related outings that reminded me fondly of Christmases in my past. Their sexual relationship was deftly handled, as well. A preponderance of mattress gymnastics would have been out of place given the story, but too often lately contemporary romance seems to be overloaded with hot, sweaty sex scenes that serve little purpose but to titillate.

Hey, I'm all for the hot and sweaties, but not at the expense of character development or story progression, and that's become sadly more common in the genre. Thankfully, that wasn't the case in this book. Instead, the bulk of the plot-driven story elements stuck close to Evie's preparations for the winter festival, providing lots of humorous and sweet moments, and the character-driven story points had both Evie and Dante's relationship as well as Evie's family stuff to work out.

Not only were there some nice layers to the plot, but the mix of emotional baggage and character responsibility kept the story from focusing too narrowly on the romance. The whole of the read felt more substantial because of it. Everything came together so well that Mallery was able to deliver a well-rounded tale of personal journey and familial healing along with a feel-good romance. That was a very nice treat.

With humor, a touch of angst when necessary, and heavy doses of holiday sentimentality, Mallery gives her readers a warm, fun, sexy, touching romance. Charming and sweet, if slightly predictable (the romantic conflict was hardly a surprise), this book may not stick in my mind for long after reading, but it is exactly the sort of read I'd crack open each year near Christmas, curling up in a cozy chair near a crackling fire on a cold winter's night...if we had many of those in my neck of the woods.

Disclosure: An ARC of this book was provided to me by HQN publisher Harlequin via NetGalley. This rating, review, and all included thoughts and comments are my own.
~*~*~*~
Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.

There hasn't been a Fool's Gold story yet that I didn't love. All the characters are great and Evie and Dante are no different. I loved seeing more of the Stryker brothers and their women, especially Clay's fiance Charlie who I love. Evie is the youngest and the outsider of the Stryker family and Dante feels like he has spent his life as a bit of an outsider too. Neither are looking for the type of relationship that develops but it is wonderful nonetheless. My only complaint is that I wish we had a more concrete idea of where the future takes both Evie and Dante, but perhaps that will come in a future Fool's Gold story?

What a wonderful story! It is a story of love and forgiveness and, of course, happy endings! Evie has always been an outsider in her family. A product of a one night affair shortly after her mother's husband died, she has never fit in to the close knit Stryker group. Her brothers tried, but they were kids themselves. She needed her mom's love. So Evie has been a loner her whole life and on her own since the age of 17. Dante has been alone since the age of 15 when his mom died. Both are in Fool's Gold not by choice. So these kindred spirits decide to try to survive the Christmas season in Fool's Gold and found love along the way. Evie also was able to reconcile with her mom and her brothers. It was also fun to catch up with familiar characters from other Fool's Gold books. Can hardly wait for the next installment! May there be many, many more. Thanks, Susan, for bringing such a great town with such loveable characters to life.

As a lover of all Susan Mallery I have read all of her books, and I love the Fool's Gold series. I was so excited for Nevada book after reading both of her sisters love stories, but I just didn't love this one as much as I did the other two.

The relationship between Tucker and Nevada was some what overshadowed by the romance between Denise and Max and then with Will and Jo. The other romances were also thrown together and grew very quickly....I just felt as if I missed out on so much.

Also, we were introduced to Heidi, Annabelle and Charlie, who I felt were also kind of thrown into the story to prepare us for the next installment.

And having Cat jump into the story with all her craziness was not needed. She never explained why she fooled them into sleeping together ten years ago. I never got all my answers about that night and it was almost just forgotten about.

I enjoyed the book....I liked catching up with all of our old Fool's Gold friends... but the whole book felt rushed.... The main love story just got lost in the shuffle and then re-appeared for the last few pages.

I am still very much looking forward to the Christmas Novella and the next three Fool's Gold books coming out next Summer....So keep up the amazing stories Susan....I still love you!

New York Times best selling author Susan Mallery continues to amaze with her second in the Long Star Sisters series, Lip Service which is Skye's story, the middle Titan sister. The reader was introduced in May to all three sisters who share a father in Under Her Skin. One also learned they had an illegitimate brother Garth who has only revenge on his mind and has vowed to take the entire family down. To use adjectives like amazing or brilliant don't even describe how wonderful the second book is and waiting until July for Straight from the Hip is going to be torture.

Skye is the dutiful daughter of Jed Titan and she hopes one day to inherit the family home and have her father finally tell her he loves her. Nine years earlier instead of marrying the boy next door, who she loved deeply, she married a much older man her father arranged for his own selfish reasons and a sweet daughter Erin came from that marriage. Now she's a widow, hosting her father's business parties and again, Jed wants to marry and threatens her because he's aware that her exlover is back in town and he'll destroy Mitch and his ranch if need be; trust me you'll want to strangle Jed Titan and take him down yourself.

Skye's and Mitch's story was lovely to read because in the end as only Susan Mallery can pen it's about what's important in life and that's family, love and a real home, not one like Jed Titan is dangling and manipulating his daughters to believe they want. The reader literally watches Skye become stronger and realize that she and Erin can have a happy life with Mitch and their love story was incredibly beautiful.

Susan Mallery has written wonderful family stories which I've read throughout the years and some of them have sincere patriotisms as she relates tales of honour and valour for the men and women who serve in our Armed Forces and who give up their lives or come home injured fighting for our Country. That was the case with Mitch Cassidy who has returned nine years later missing part of his leg and with a real chip on his shoulder. It's the people who assisted raising him and maintaining the ranch and Skye's daughter Erin who help him to heal. It was sad to read about his ordeal and his final acceptance through therapy, group sessions and finally forgiving Skye and realizing he still loved her and her daughter. In the end, I was cheering for both Mitch and Skye because they stood up to Jed Titan.

The Titan sisters Lexi, Skye and Izzy have one common thread they love and are devoted to each other and the fact they all want their father's affection. Love is the common theme in both books, how it can heal and how much stronger the three sisters are because of it!

BREAKING NEWS: 6/19/2009 On the rise on the NYT Paperback list is Lip Service by Susan Mallery which moved up to number 13 in its second week on the list from number 14

Finally its Evie's turn ! I loved this story as with all the others in the Fool's Gold series ! How could you not love it ? All of Susan Mallery's books are beautifully written. Makes you wished you lived in this town even when you know its not real. What I enjoy most is that they are not overly mushy and sappy like a lot of romance novels. There is a good story behind it all and even though you know there's going to be a happy ending you are still cheering on the main character. I didn't want to put the book down I started it Thursday night after work and finished it Friday night after work. A very enjoyable read ! I hope there are many more to come in this series !

I absolutely loved Sky Titan's book. I enjoy those "lost love returns" type of stories and wouned heros are my favorites. I got both in this touching, sexy romance. I've been rooting for Sky and Mitch since the first book and couldn't wait to get my hands on their story. It was all I expected and more. Vibrant, leaping-off-the-page real characters, the funny, snappy dialog and steamy romance. Susan Mallery creates families that are amazingly real (not to mention disfunctional, but that's half the fun). It's like reading the gossip pages, being the member of an all girls club and flirting with the hottest guy you know, all rolled into one. I couldn't put Lip Service down until the last page was read. And then I immediately had to look up what's next for the Titan sisters.

Author: Susan Mallery
Published By: Harlequin
Age Recommended: Adult
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Book Blog For: GMTA
Rating: 5

Review:

"A Fool's Gold Christmas" by Susan Mallery was another one of her funny,sweet, warm, sexy and holiday romantic read. If you are looking for a entertaining novel ... you have come to the right place with this 'Fool's Gold Series' that just happens to take place in Fool's Gold, California. The characters were from Dante, Evie, Rafe, Clay, Shane, May, Carina, Cameron,Tammy, Glen, Annabelle, Heidi, Gideon,Lillie, Patience, Mayor Marsha,Monica, Dominique Guerin, Alexander (Cat) to Charlie plus a few others...only bringing the reader a good read. I loved how some of the characters were so warm and well developed in the series and even though I found this novel a little predictable that was OK. It was still a wonderful well written read. We find that Evie who is no longer a professional dancer. Will Evie be able to carry on the dance program that she didn't think she can do and will Dante come back to the program and admit ______? ...well before I tell it all... this is the time that I say you must pick up "A Fool's Gold Christmas" to see how Ms. Mallery will get this all out to us... with the Striykers family accepting Eva as a real family member and with her also accepting that for herself which is only found in this in this well written dialogue. The descriptions that were used were simply off the chart good making you feel as if you were there... the pet adoption, hayrides, and 'The Dance of the Winter King.'

If you are looking for a fast moving good romance... you have come to the right place for I would recommend "A Fool's Gold Christmas for you as a excellent read.

Very good book by Susan Mallery! I received this book as a e-arc from Netgalley to give my review. I haven't had the pleasure of reading many of her past books but if they are anything near like what this book was I will be looking for them to read as well. The character of Evie didn't start out very "likable" to me but as the story unfolded I understood more of why she is the way she is. Two young people with scarred pasts coming together to find love and friendship in a small town. It made me long to live in a small town setting like that. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend this book to others to enjoy as well.

As the title says if a book contains Christmas and a romance story I am hooked!!!! I was waiting for Dante's story from the first mention of him as Rafe's business partner. Evie was the perfect love for him! From the moment I read the first Susan Mallery book I was hooked and went hunting for more. I found the people and books of Fool's Gold and can't get enough of the stories of the people of this community. I will re-read them as I anxiously await new books from the Fool's Gold series! I love the connection of the characters and having them appear and reappear in other books. Bring on more Fool's Gold citizens and their stories!

As a Fool's Gold cheerleader I received "Only His" two weeks before its release date. It's now my favorite book in the Fool's Gold series. I say that after reading each one, but Susan just keeps making them better. I enjoyed that I wasn't able to predict what would happen next with the characters. I thought I knew certain character's secrets but I was always wrong. Susan gives readers THREE couples to root for in this book; Tucker and Nevada, Jo and Will, and Denise and Max. Each couple has a completely different relationship and problems to go with it. I liked Tucker and Nevada's backstory; it was real and gave Tucker something to improve upon. Jo and Will are a great couple to cheer for and after reading Jo's backstory I wanted her to get her happy ending. Denise and Max's relationship was hilarious. I laughed for eight straight pages after one scene. It might sound cramped and overwhelming to have three love stories in one book, but Susan has written them so well that it worked great and I wasn't left wondering about any of the couples. I didn't like the character of Cat. She was cliché and I got annoyed with her personality. I give "Only His" 5/5 stars. It was a great way to round out this year's Fool's Gold trilogy and was extremely funny with just the right amount of tension.

I'll give Susan Mallery this- she's created a world that I'm sucked into and I do want to see these sisters defeat the baddies of their worlds and find love. I enjoy her pacing and writing as well.

This is #2 of 3 in a trilogy about three sisters in Texas. They're rich, beautiful, and have had every advantage in life. At times this makes them hard to relate to or sympathize with. Lip service is about middle daughter Skye and her first love (turned SEAL who's home without 1 foot) Mitch. The parts with Mitch save this book. His pain, suffering, and acceptance of his new world are touching and I found myself rooting for him often.

Skye is the 'good girl' who is a 100% spineless, whiny, eye roll worthy, I wanna please my daddy (but he don't care) girl. I wanted to smack her, get rid of her, anything to just SHUT HER UP. Right up to the end she proves herself to be someone I'd never want as a friend. Is she a great mom and doing charity work? yeah. But she doesn't have to have a job, never has had a job. Her world is so removed from any reality I know that it was hard to get behind her.

The plot lines running through the trilogy (their issues with dear 'ol dad, the 'bad guy' trying to take them down) remain and this very much feels like a 'book 2 of 3' not in a good way. Ending unsatisfying and has me tapping my foot for July 1 when it'll all be revealed.

My suggestion would be to wait and see how book #3 does (reviews & take a peek at it yourself) and then decide. This wasn't anywhere near as good as book #1 for me.

While Nevada Hendrix's triplet sisters Montana (see Only Yours) and Dakota (see Only Mine) prepare for their weddings, she focuses on obtaining a job at the Janack Construction Company. The firm is working on a major construction project in Fool's Gold.

Her only hesitation is she would have to deal with Tucker Janack. A decade ago, she met an intoxicated depressed Tucker. While he struggled with the end of a relationship, she wanted him. They shared a one night stand but in the morning she knew love left with him. Tucker agrees to Nevada's platonic professional relationship, but soon wants more; she always wanted more. However, the woman who broke his heart ten years ago Cat the renowned artist is back ready to play with his heartstrings while Tucker refuses to dance to her tune as he loves Nevada but must persuade her to give him a second chance to prove he wants her.

The latest Hendrix sisters' contemporary romance is a delightful triangle in which the heroine burned once believes her love cannot match the glamour of Cat even if the artist's glitter is Fool's Gold. The story line is thin but fun as the second Fool's Gold trilogy draws to a wonderful conclusion.

Harriet Klausner

Feeling like misfits , Dante and Evie , hurt souls , keep each other company and have fun to get through the holiday season. Fool's Gold sounds like a magical place where everyone is family and you can find whatever you need to feel happy. Evie just might stay longer than she plans to work on her family and personal issues, maybe fall in. Dante isn't sure about his future, but he knows that he does not want to fall in love. This will not be my last Fool's Gold novel. Christmas in July is wonderful.

5 out of 5 stars!!!! Only His (Hqn) is a witty, smart, and fun novel that reminded me as to why I am addicted to Susan Mallery's Fools Gold series. The plot twists and surprises in this book are extreme in a way I never expected the author to take them, but I enjoyed the ride and I cannot wait for her next books in this series, "Only Us: A Fool's Gold Holiday" / "Summer Days" / "Summer Nights" / "All Summer Long", to come out!!

I loved the back-story between Nevada, Tucker, and Cat. Nevada and Tucker's relationship had twists all over the place but I was rooting for them the whole time. Then, I'm very happy to report, Denise and Max's story wraps up nicely and the other major secondary story is very appealing too, where you find out another back-story of a character that the author kept hinting at but never filled in until now. Plus, catching up on what is happening with characters from previous books is always fun too.

If you are a fan of Susan Mallery's books or just a fan of Fool's Gold, then you'll love this story!!!

Reviewed By: From Me to You ... Book Reviews
(read more of this review and a teaser or two on my blog)

Fool's Gold Christmas has everything you might want in a light Holiday Romance. The lead couple, already a favorite with readers, involved in a friends to lovers romance, are engaging and easy to invest emotion in. The secondary characters wandering in and out of the story are multi dimensional and well drawn. The story is well plotted, and the happily ever after superb. This one was however, a gentle read.
If this is your first Susan Mallery, don't make it your last.
*I received my copy from NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

"A Fool's Gold Christmas" combined two of my favorite things Christmas and Fool's Gold series! Even though the two characters(Evie and Dante) start out not liking Christmas, eventually the charm of Fool's Gold and their attraction for each other sparks the Christmas spirit in them. They both had to heal old wounds and Susan Mallery did an excellent job of making these characters seem so real that we were cheering them on. Even if you haven't read any of the other books in this series(which I would highly recommend you do!)I only wish this was a real place, because I would move there!

Another emotionally charged fantastic story in the lives of the lone star sisters! It is a complete page turner and I hated putting it down, almost as much as when I was complete with it! I will be seeking book 3 with a vengeance! The character and plot development is so very inviting and interesting that you just become part of the family! Thank you Susan Mallery for yet another enticing get away!

What a great story. I wish Fool's Gold were a real place. This one made my chest tighten and made me cry. Loved Evie, she is such a great character. If only places like Fool's Gold existed in reality, I would move there in a beat. I'd love to live in a town where the people go out of their way to meet and help the newcomers. Never once experienced that in my life all the times I've moved. It's great to imagine living in a place like FG. Great job Susan. Wonderful holiday story. Thank you

I'm not usually into "Christmas" type stories, but this one made me think about Christmas in a whole new way. If it were not for Susan Mallery's Fools Gold series I most likely would not have even considered reading it. :-) I really liked that the story takes two "so called anti-Christmas" people and brings them together. Both have difficult pasts when it comes to Christmas and while I don't, I do have issues with it. As the story progresses and the characters gradually change their opinions, I find myself doing the same.

I would love to jump into this story and find myself a man who would want to do the same with me. :-) Grow to love Christmas and grow to love each other at the same time.:-)

I love Christmas and this heartwarming story set during the holidays sure got me in the holiday spirit early. The tale of a romance between two people afraid to love but falling in love anyway. It made me laugh and cry. I am a huge fan of the Fools Gold Series. Susan Mallery makes you feel like a part of the close knit community in the town of Fools Gold. You feel like you know all of these characters. I am always sad and happy at the end of her books. Happy because of how much I enjoyed it and sad because it's over. I am already looking forward to the next one!

I usually love the Fool's Gold novels. It's great to read a love story, not only about two people, but encompassing a very special town with a myriad of inter-related stories and themes. The story of Evie and Dante was a bit flat. The plot was entirely predictable. The main characters were sadly one-dimensional. I was left wanting more. I'll travel back to Fool's Gold, but hope her next novel will provide more sighs and surprises.

I have yet to read the whole series. With that said, A Fool's Gold Christmas is a good read. I won't say it's the best but it is worth reading. Susan Mallery's writing has a way of keeping you interested. I would've liked to have read Evie and Dante's story as a separate book and the town's celebration of Christmas as a separate one also.
Evie has a lot of issues with her family and mostly with her mother. She can't wait to get out of Fool's Gold. Dante also doesn't want to be in Fool's Gold. They are perfect for each other!
Whether you have read the whole series or not, this book is worth the read

I finished this book last night. I can say it was not one of Mallery's best books. Honestly the whole Fools Gold Series is really not her best as far as I am concerned. I think her Sweet series, Buchanan series or Titan Sisters series were much better. Only Mine first off started with a Reality Series being the setting. I hate Reality shows so that was my first strike against this book. The second was it was too predictable. I was able to know what was going to happen in just about every scene before I read it. Not too much of a interesting read that way. Then strike three was it seemed about the 3rd or 4 chapters before the end, story lines that were going on just ended with no real explanation of what happened or a hint of a future story. This has been a trend in this series. I am guess that is due to editors making the authors cut down the books. I really like Susan Mallery's writing but this series is just not doing it for me. Will I get the next one possibly but I don't think it will be when it is first released. I have other authors that are releasing books at the same time that I will go with first. I truly hope that Susan Mallery will go back to how she wrote in Falling for Gracie and the other series I mentioned above.

I have always enjoyed Susan Mallery, and the Fool's Gold series does not disappoint. However, the story of Finn and Dakota was not my favorite. Finn was not well defined as a character. The book made his personality one note, and the ending was unrealistic. Dakota was whiny and not the adoption of Hannah in the middle felt forced.

The redeeming part of the book was the story of Stephen and Aurelia. The subplot felt like a real love story versus the forced romance in the main story. I only wish Stephen's character had been more defined and played a bigger role. The romance could have warranted its own story.

Overall, it was a pleasant read but not one I would read again.

I'll give Susan Mallery this- she's created a world that I'm sucked into and I do want to see these sisters defeat the baddies of their worlds and find love. I enjoy her pacing and writing as well.

This is #2 of 3 in a trilogy about three sisters in Texas. They're rich, beautiful, and have had every advantage in life. At times this makes them hard to relate to or sympathize with. Lip service is about middle daughter Skye and her first love (turned SEAL who's home without 1 foot) Mitch. The parts with Mitch save this book. His pain, suffering, and acceptance of his new world are touching and I found myself rooting for him often.

Skye is the 'good girl' who is a 100% spineless, whiny, eye roll worthy, I wanna please my daddy (but he don't care) girl. I wanted to smack her, get rid of her, anything to just SHUT HER UP. Right up to the end she proves herself to be someone I'd never want as a friend. Is she a great mom and doing charity work? yeah. But she doesn't have to have a job, never has had a job. Her world is so removed from any reality I know that it was hard to get behind her.

The plot lines running through the trilogy (their issues with dear 'ol dad, the 'bad guy' trying to take them down) remain and this very much feels like a 'book 2 of 3' not in a good way. Ending unsatisfying and has me tapping my foot for July 1 when it'll all be revealed.

My suggestion would be to wait and see how book #3 does (reviews & take a peek at it yourself) and then decide. This wasn't anywhere near as good as book #1 for me.

While Nevada Hendrix's triplet sisters Montana (see Only Yours) and Dakota (see Only Mine) prepare for their weddings, she focuses on obtaining a job at the Janack Construction Company. The firm is working on a major construction project in Fool's Gold.

Her only hesitation is she would have to deal with Tucker Janack. A decade ago, she met an intoxicated depressed Tucker. While he struggled with the end of a relationship, she wanted him. They shared a one night stand but in the morning she knew love left with him. Tucker agrees to Nevada's platonic professional relationship, but soon wants more; she always wanted more. However, the woman who broke his heart ten years ago Cat the renowned artist is back ready to play with his heartstrings while Tucker refuses to dance to her tune as he loves Nevada but must persuade her to give him a second chance to prove he wants her.

The latest Hendrix sisters' contemporary romance is a delightful triangle in which the heroine burned once believes her love cannot match the glamour of Cat even if the artist's glitter is Fool's Gold. The story line is thin but fun as the second Fool's Gold trilogy draws to a wonderful conclusion.

Harriet Klausner

Feeling like misfits , Dante and Evie , hurt souls , keep each other company and have fun to get through the holiday season. Fool's Gold sounds like a magical place where everyone is family and you can find whatever you need to feel happy. Evie just might stay longer than she plans to work on her family and personal issues, maybe fall in. Dante isn't sure about his future, but he knows that he does not want to fall in love. This will not be my last Fool's Gold novel. Christmas in July is wonderful.

5 out of 5 stars!!!! Only His (Hqn) is a witty, smart, and fun novel that reminded me as to why I am addicted to Susan Mallery's Fools Gold series. The plot twists and surprises in this book are extreme in a way I never expected the author to take them, but I enjoyed the ride and I cannot wait for her next books in this series, "Only Us: A Fool's Gold Holiday" / "Summer Days" / "Summer Nights" / "All Summer Long", to come out!!

I loved the back-story between Nevada, Tucker, and Cat. Nevada and Tucker's relationship had twists all over the place but I was rooting for them the whole time. Then, I'm very happy to report, Denise and Max's story wraps up nicely and the other major secondary story is very appealing too, where you find out another back-story of a character that the author kept hinting at but never filled in until now. Plus, catching up on what is happening with characters from previous books is always fun too.

If you are a fan of Susan Mallery's books or just a fan of Fool's Gold, then you'll love this story!!!

Reviewed By: From Me to You ... Book Reviews
(read more of this review and a teaser or two on my blog)

Fool's Gold Christmas has everything you might want in a light Holiday Romance. The lead couple, already a favorite with readers, involved in a friends to lovers romance, are engaging and easy to invest emotion in. The secondary characters wandering in and out of the story are multi dimensional and well drawn. The story is well plotted, and the happily ever after superb. This one was however, a gentle read.
If this is your first Susan Mallery, don't make it your last.
*I received my copy from NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

"A Fool's Gold Christmas" combined two of my favorite things Christmas and Fool's Gold series! Even though the two characters(Evie and Dante) start out not liking Christmas, eventually the charm of Fool's Gold and their attraction for each other sparks the Christmas spirit in them. They both had to heal old wounds and Susan Mallery did an excellent job of making these characters seem so real that we were cheering them on. Even if you haven't read any of the other books in this series(which I would highly recommend you do!)I only wish this was a real place, because I would move there!

Another emotionally charged fantastic story in the lives of the lone star sisters! It is a complete page turner and I hated putting it down, almost as much as when I was complete with it! I will be seeking book 3 with a vengeance! The character and plot development is so very inviting and interesting that you just become part of the family! Thank you Susan Mallery for yet another enticing get away!

What a great story. I wish Fool's Gold were a real place. This one made my chest tighten and made me cry. Loved Evie, she is such a great character. If only places like Fool's Gold existed in reality, I would move there in a beat. I'd love to live in a town where the people go out of their way to meet and help the newcomers. Never once experienced that in my life all the times I've moved. It's great to imagine living in a place like FG. Great job Susan. Wonderful holiday story. Thank you

I'm not usually into "Christmas" type stories, but this one made me think about Christmas in a whole new way. If it were not for Susan Mallery's Fools Gold series I most likely would not have even considered reading it. :-) I really liked that the story takes two "so called anti-Christmas" people and brings them together. Both have difficult pasts when it comes to Christmas and while I don't, I do have issues with it. As the story progresses and the characters gradually change their opinions, I find myself doing the same.

I would love to jump into this story and find myself a man who would want to do the same with me. :-) Grow to love Christmas and grow to love each other at the same time.:-)

I love Christmas and this heartwarming story set during the holidays sure got me in the holiday spirit early. The tale of a romance between two people afraid to love but falling in love anyway. It made me laugh and cry. I am a huge fan of the Fools Gold Series. Susan Mallery makes you feel like a part of the close knit community in the town of Fools Gold. You feel like you know all of these characters. I am always sad and happy at the end of her books. Happy because of how much I enjoyed it and sad because it's over. I am already looking forward to the next one!

I usually love the Fool's Gold novels. It's great to read a love story, not only about two people, but encompassing a very special town with a myriad of inter-related stories and themes. The story of Evie and Dante was a bit flat. The plot was entirely predictable. The main characters were sadly one-dimensional. I was left wanting more. I'll travel back to Fool's Gold, but hope her next novel will provide more sighs and surprises.

I have yet to read the whole series. With that said, A Fool's Gold Christmas is a good read. I won't say it's the best but it is worth reading. Susan Mallery's writing has a way of keeping you interested. I would've liked to have read Evie and Dante's story as a separate book and the town's celebration of Christmas as a separate one also.
Evie has a lot of issues with her family and mostly with her mother. She can't wait to get out of Fool's Gold. Dante also doesn't want to be in Fool's Gold. They are perfect for each other!
Whether you have read the whole series or not, this book is worth the read

I have always enjoyed Susan Mallery, and the Fool's Gold series does not disappoint. However, the story of Finn and Dakota was not my favorite. Finn was not well defined as a character. The book made his personality one note, and the ending was unrealistic. Dakota was whiny and not the adoption of Hannah in the middle felt forced.

The redeeming part of the book was the story of Stephen and Aurelia. The subplot felt like a real love story versus the forced romance in the main story. I only wish Stephen's character had been more defined and played a bigger role. The romance could have warranted its own story.

Overall, it was a pleasant read but not one I would read again.

First off heroine was whiny, no backbone, and highly annoying. WHO the hell lets someone else dictate who they marry especially when you were already engaged. I'm not sure I like this series at all. Very weak plots. Jed and Garth impossibly evil, way over the top too. Mitch was better character but even after awhile it was rather annoying to hear his anger all the time. I was in fact annoyed by who was Erin's father. Skye disgusted me, period. I seriously gave up midway. I don't recommend and most likely won't read the others. I might read about Izzy because she's the only one that I found sassy and real. I didn't read about Lexie, but the book for some reason didn't interest me. Read series I guess at your own risk and time. I'm highly disappointed Susan Mallery. I've loved Fool's Gold. Not sure what happened in this series.

I really did not like this story. There didn't seem to be a main hero and heroine. Tucker and Nevada just seemed to be a part of the crowd. I didn't like Tucker or Nevada. In the beginning they are moaning about their past and then they jump into bed together but it wasn't like any romantic thing at all. It was just sex and even that was blah. Nevada was too busy trying to be tough. She talked about what a pain Cat was and then all of a sudden was her best bud. I couldn't stand Cat's character at all. She was so selfish and didn't hear what anybody else was saying to her. There were too many characters and their own personal stories. All the jumping around with everybody else's story left little time to develop any feelings for Tucker or Nevada. The plot just seemed to be all over the place. Maybe the other Fool's Gold stories are better but after this one don't think I'll be trying any of them out.

I am a big fan of Susan Mallery and the Fool's Gold series and once again she did not disappoint. I find myself being envious of the characters in her books because they get to be part of such a great community, crazy huh being envious of a fictional town and it's people, but that just shows how good this series is. It's got me thinking about Christmas in October and that is a feat in itself :) Thank you Ms. Mallery for another hit.

Well, Susan you have done it again, charming, amazing, loving and so well written. Evie and Dante's story is wonderful and as always all the rest of the cast in all the Fools Gold Series is like that as well and I own every one and cannot wait for Ford's story. This book delivers everything of love and Christmas and finding yourself and becoming who you are and forgiving the past and going on with the future. Great read as always from Susan Mallery.

This is the second book in the Lone Star Sisters series. The series is about three sisters who have been raise by Wealthy Texan father who doesn't care about his daughters , only what they can do for them. The theme in the past 2 novels are how each daughter comes understand their father and move past the dsyfunction. The storyline of thier step-brother trying to distroy thier lives continues. This novel is about Skye who has always done what her daddy wanted (even marry someone she didn't love). Skye's 1st love is back and 9 years have past but the spark is still their. Off to get Straight from the Hip (Lone Star Sisters) , Book three in the Lone Star Sisters series.

In this sweet and charming 4th installment to the Fool's Gold series we return to meet Dakota Hendrix. She's coming out of her shell and including family in on her deeply hidden secret. In walks Finn Andersson, he's not happy to be in Fool's Gold. The reality show filming in the small town with a shortage of men has called for auditions and picks his identical twin brothers to be on the show. Finn of course, would rather they come home and finish college.

As usual, Ms. Mallery has written very likeable characters. I loved being taken back to the town and having glimpses of previous characters. I would have liked to see more interaction with Dakota & Finn. At times the story dealt too much with the reality show and I felt that took something away from our two love birds. It was an easily predicted ending, but one that I did enjoy.

The character development and evolutions are beyond compare! I feel as I know these town persons! The challenges and struggles each endures makes this hard to put down! The small town life and what it is to be a family! The beginnings of relationships are intriguingly created! Am on the search got book 5 of fools gold !

I wanted to like this one more than I did. The series is a good one but I never really attached to the leads in this one. It is funny because I was really looking forward to reading the sisters story. Maybe I just can't take too cynical leads?

All the fun of the series is here and if you like the series you should enjoy the book.

I was hoping Evie would get her own story ever since she was introduced in "All Summer Long". This is a PERFECT Christmas romance. The first thing that struck me was her name. Evie, as in Christmas Eve. I have felt so bad for her since reading the Summer Trilogy. This book wraps up everything Christmas is about and puts a huge red bow on it: love, family, forgiveness, aiding others through charity and surprises! This will be a book I read every Christmas and will be giving as a gift to many!

Only His Fool's Gold Series by Susan Mallery
Love the sound of this town, close to the city and in the heart of the mountains and country and wine vineyards nearby.
Nevada was trying to get the next site job. She thought she'd be meeting with the older man, not the son, who she had gone to bed with years prior.
Tucker doesn't know why she won't take the job, she finally agrees and it's so hard to keep business in the forefront because she wants to have sex with him.
Nevada is a triplet, Montana and Dakota are her sisters.
Ethan, her brother took over the family business, when their father unexpectedly had passed away just weeks ago.
He introduced wind turbines and was able to help put all of them through college, putting his education on hold.
This is the town where every main job is done by woman, it still astonishes me!
There is also a story of their mother, Denise. She has hooked up with a man her own age and after they hook up she has a crisis and breakdown because she feels she's betrayed her dead husband.
The building of the casino is in place and on schedule. They have to do some blasting which is new to Nevada.
It started with a kiss and then onto hot steamy sex.
Kat, who had gone out with Tucker 10 years ago is back in town. She is the famous metal sculpture and wants to give the town square a giant vagina.
artist. Kat shares another secret with Nevada.
After the explosion there is a problem that halts further progress on the casino.
Another story is when Jo tells Will of her past and he can't forgive her and move on, he wants to leave.
Nevada's sisters are to be married on the same day, same ceremony. Lot of work for a double wedding.
Love what they did rather than having the wedding cake, so unique.

I gave this book a five star rating. It was a really entertaining book. I like the author and like the Fool's Gold series. This book is about Dante,Rafe's business partner & his sister Evie. These are characters you already know if you have read the series. I read it in a few hours so it isn't very long but long enough to be interesting and enjoyable. I would recommend it to anyone.

A lovely story about two people, Evie and Dante, their negative feelings about Christmas and love. The town of Fool's Gold works miracles on their views and they find themselves thinking that they could live and love there.

While this latest of Susan Mallery's Fool's Gold series may not be her best, it is still a very good read. Mallery's characters are well developed - especially if you have read each of the books in the series. The only bad thing about A Fool's Gold Chrisstmas is it is too short! I am eagerly awaiting her next one.

Susan Mallery has done it again..
I love how she writes the characters and the descriptions of the town. I want my town to be like Fools Gold.
I think that A Fools Gold Christmas helps bring the message of Christmas into focus. It's not the presents, it's the friends and family together, loving and caring, helping, sharing, togetherness.
I can't wait for the next book...

I love Susan Mallery's Fool's Gold series so much I couldn't even begin to pick my favorite. This book has so many laugh out loud moments, my sides hurt when I finally put the book down. You have to love a book that starts out... "Never agree to a job interview in which the interviewer has seen you naked." Nevada wants to branch out from the family business and applies for a job with a new construction company and finds out that it's her old love who broke her heart. What to do? She really wants this job, yet she really doesn't want her heart broken again.

The women in Susan's books are always strong, not simpering whining females, and I really love that about her books. The women in Fool's Gold are all strong, competent women, so it's fun to watch them stand up to the men. In this final book of this summer's trilogy, Nevada and Tucker must overcome a past, even when that past comes back to town.

There are several subplots that add a lot of depth to this series and the town as a whole. We've been wanting to know about Jo and hoping for Denise to get her HEA. Several hilarious situations made me laugh until my sides hurt. I will never hear the word "armadillo" without laughing again! I can't wait until next year for the cowboys coming to town!!

I am a Susan Mallery fan. I am also retired from a career in aviation. It is unusual to find an author who can write bilievably about a field of which they are not intimatley familiar, but Susan did. I have loved the entire Fools Gold series and the many believable characters she has created. Only Mine ranks near the top of my list of favorite creations by Susan.

A great Christmas story as well as a great romance! When two lonely people lean on each other to get through the craziness of the holidays, love is sure to follow. A Fool's Gold Christmas was everything I wanted it to be, happy, heartwarming, even a little sentimental. Yes, I teared up a few times. The story of Evie and Dante is heartwarming and classic. I can't wait to read it again! Fool's Gold has always been my place for Happily Ever After and once again Susan Mallery does not disappoint

I wasn't expecting the characters to be so well developed in a Christmas Story. Often once I finish a book and move on to a new story, I don't think about the characters again until I revisit another book in a series. However, I'm still enjoying thinking about Evie & Dante; they seem so "real". I love the Fool's Gold series and this book more than lived up to my expectations.

This is the third book about the Hendrix triplets in the Fools Gold series. It was not my favorite but it was pretty good. I also think it should have focused more on Nevada and Tucker. The relationship of Denise and Max didn't take up too much of the book but added with the romance of Jo and Will, it did take away from the story of the main characters a little bit. The addition of Cat was interesting.... Also, it added several new characters. One thing that threw me was when she started talking about Charlie... I didn't have a clue who that was!! I read alot of different authors and about 3 books a week. It would be nice when they talk about minor characters to tell you who they are. I do love Susan Mallery and will continue to follow the Fools Gold series... Happy Reading!!!

I like the book overall however the sub plot between Evie and her mom was a little annoying. Evie is expected to forgive her mother who has barely spoken to her since she has moved out as a teenager. Yet Evie is the bad guy for not forgiving her mom the moment May decides to start acting like her mom so that her brothers and Dante and the town will be happy. It was very annoying that May doesn't seem that sorry and I kept expecting the mysterious dad to show up since the brought him up all the time.