Review: "Marry Me At Christmas" by Susan Mallery

Synopsis:

To bridal boutique owner Madeline Krug, organizing a Christmas wedding sounds like a joy—until she finds out she'll be working closely with the gorgeous brother of the bride, movie star Jonny Blaze. How will a small-town girl like her keep from falling for the world's sexiest guy? Especially with mistletoe lurking around every corner!

Jonny came to Fool's Gold looking for normal, not for love. Happily-ever-after only happens in the movies. Still, nothing about this quirky town is quite what he expected, and "ordinary" Madeline is the most extraordinary woman he's ever met. Refreshingly honest, disarmingly sweet. Achingly beautiful.

Planning the perfect wedding leads to candlelit dinners and strolls through snow-covered streets. And Madeline finds Jonny in real life even more captivating than her celebrity crush. But will the action star be brave enough to risk his heart and step into the role of a lifetime?

Genre: Contemporary Romance

My Review:

Marry Me At Christmas is the much-anticipated Christmas installment from Fools Gold, CA. After hearing much about the elusive movie star Jonny Blaze, the reader, along with his "biggest fan" Madeline, meet him as he makes his presence known in town - in order to plan his sister's wedding.

I love how the author showed us how normal Jonny Blaze really is - over and over. Despite his over-the-top displays of love for his sister, he is very down to earth and very believable as a real person. And his struggle with expressing his love was endearing.

And I appreciated how Madeline, despite her fan crush on Jonny, was able to see through the facade and fall in love with the man beneath it.

My biggest struggle with the story was that I felt the crisis was a bit manufactured. It came on abruptly - everything appears to be moving along nicely and then boom! But then it was resolved equally as quickly, which I also thought was a bit unrealistic. I would have liked a bit of time for the hero and heroine to stew on the crisis before it was resolved. It was otherwise a delightful story with cameos from some of our Fools Gold favorites and typical, delightful cameos from our favorite octogenarians!

Links:

Goodreads • Amazon • Barnes and Noble • Kobo • iBooks

About the Author:

Susan Mallery is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of novels about the relationships that define women's lives—romance, friendship, family. With compassion and humor, Susan keenly observes how people think and feel, in stories that take readers on an emotional journey. Sometimes heartbreaking, often funny, and always uplifting, Susan's books have spent more than 200 weeks on the USA Today bestsellers list, thanks to her ever growing legions of fans.


Susan lives in Seattle with her husband, two ragdoll cats, and a tattletale toy poodle. Animals play a big role in her books, as well, as she believes they're an integral component to a happy life.

Website: http://www.susanmallery.com

Review: "Thrill Me" by Susan Mallery

Synopsis:

Maya Farlow learned the hard way to depend only on herself, so when she fell too deeply for the bad-boy charms of Del Mitchell, she did the only thing she could—she ran. Stunned, Del left Fool's Gold to make his name and fortune in extreme sports. 

Now ten years later, Maya's been hired to promote her hometown's new slogan, The Destination for Romance. The celebrity spokesman is none other than Del, the man she dumped but never forgot. Awkward! 

Although Del's not the type to hold a grudge, he's determined to avoid falling a second time for the woman who broke his heart. He's a daredevil, not an idiot. Trouble is, in all his adventures, he never found a rush as exhilarating as Maya's kiss. Maybe risking his heart will prove to be the biggest thrill of all… 

Genre: Contemporary Romance

My Review:

Just when I was ready to write off Fool's Gold as jumping the shark, Susan Mallery has done it again - she has sucked me back in and made me fall in love with Fool's Gold all over again.

As with all of Susan Mallery's book, Thrill Me is a very well written book. The storyline flows effortlessly, the development of the characters is compelling, and the emotion is woven wonderfully into the story until you can no longer tell whether the emotions you are feeling are yours or the characters in the book. I found myself tearing up several times while reading this book - a sure sign that the author has created a book that touches your heart.

I think what struck me the most about Del and Maya's relationship is that it just happens. It didn't happen like a normal relationship - boy meets girl, boy asks girl out, girl stresses over what to wear, boy and girl date, boy and girl kiss, boy and girl have sex. Del and Maya had a relationship previously, so it was natural for them to reconnect when they both found themselves back in town and working together. A comfortable working relationship progresses into a couple of innocent kisses, and then Del and Maya are back together again. And then they're just working partners again, and then they're together. They never define their relationship - they just happen into it. It is especially interesting when the characters observe that's how their relationship happened.

I love the brother dynamic of the Mitchell brothers. Del is a wonderful character with a great personality and fills his own spot in the family, but the author has opened the door to a lot of future stories about the Mitchell brothers by showing secrets that each of them is holding close - there are many we are only teased with and don't know the complete story yet, ourselves. And I look forward to heading to Happily, Inc. where two of the brothers have moved.

Susan Mallery hit a home run with Thrill Me and has a recommitted fan of Fool's Gold. Just when I was ready to close the door on a great small town, deciding their stories had all been told, she has set us up for so many stories in the future.

Links:

Goodreads • Amazon • Barnes and Noble • Kobo • iBooks

About the Author:

New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery has won the hearts of millions of readers around the world with books described as “immensely entertaining, intensely emotional” (RT Book Reviews), “hilarious” (Fort Worth Star-Telegram), and “heartwarming” (Publishers Weekly). One major retailer recently described her as “the queen of romantic fiction.” While she deeply appreciates the accolades of critics and booksellers, Mallery is even more honored by the enthusiasm of her readers and the word-of-mouth that catapults her toward the top of the bestsellers lists time and again.

Mallery lives in not-so-sunny Seattle with her husband, plus a toy poodle and two ragdoll cats who are not at all impressed by her growing fame.

Website: www.SusanMallery.com

Review: "Kiss Me" by Susan Mallery

Synopsis:

After Phoebe Kitzke's kind heart gets her suspended from her job in LA, she swears off doing favors—until her best friend begs for help on the family ranch in Fool's Gold. Unfortunately, sexy cowboy Zane Nicholson isn't exactly thrilled by the city girl's arrival.

Thanks to his brother's latest scheme, Zane has been roped into taking tourists on a cattle drive. What Phoebe knows about ranching wouldn't fill his hat, but her laughter is so captivating that even his animals fall for her. One slip of his legendary control leads to a passionate kiss, but she's exactly the kind of woman a single-minded loner needs to avoid.


In his arms, Phoebe discovers she's a country girl at heart. Yet no matter how much the small town feels like home, she can't stay unless Zane loves her, too…but is this cowboy interested in forever?

Genre: Contemporary Romance

My Review:

Kiss Me is the next installment in the Fools Gold series, but as we progress through the series, I feel less and less connected to what I consider the "original" Fools Gold residents that made me fall in love with the town. This story is also set on a ranch about 20 miles outside of town, so we don't spend a lot of time in town, or with the town residents - except for, of course, our resident octogenarian busy bodies - Eddie and Gladys.

I had a hard time getting to know Zane. Who he is and what drives him wasn't immediately apparent so it took longer to really get to know him. But as I finally got to know him, I really liked him. His relationship with his brother Chase is a struggle between being a brother and a father figure, influenced by Zane's relationship with their father, and it added an interesting dynamic to the story - those two brothers couldn't be more different.

Phoebe is like an open book - she loves easily and cares for everything and everyone, which leaves her open to being hurt. And she is - often. It was fun to find her confiding in Manny, the lead steer in the cattle drive! Her almost "innocence" with regards to her view of the world makes her endearing to the reader - and to Zane. It takes a while to see through his blathering and brooding behavior to realize that he really does like her.

The secondary storyline with the childless couple and two foster kids was difficult to follow. The children were introduced at the beginning of a chapter with no background - just BAM, an introduction about two children at a bowling alley. I didn't understand what was going on. And then as the foster parents, Thad and CJ, were introduced, I also was having difficulty following along with the direction of the storyline. The author ties everything together by the end but there were times that as the reader it was difficult for me to make the connections.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable story with great characters and a well-written struggle to find happiness for the hero and heroine. I do, struggle, however, with how far from the core of Fool's Gold that the books have had to stray in order to keep the stories fresh and the characters new and compelling.  Perhaps its time to consider where the ending lies for the citizens of Fools Gold.

Links:

Goodreads • Amazon • Barnes and Noble • Kobo • iBooks

About the Author:

New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery has won the hearts of millions of readers around the world with books described as “immensely entertaining, intensely emotional” (RT Book Reviews), “hilarious” (Fort Worth Star-Telegram), and “heartwarming” (Publishers Weekly). One major retailer recently described her as “the queen of romantic fiction.” While she deeply appreciates the accolades of critics and booksellers, Mallery is even more honored by the enthusiasm of her readers and the word-of-mouth that catapults her toward the top of the bestsellers lists time and again.

Mallery lives in not-so-sunny Seattle with her husband, plus a toy poodle and two ragdoll cats who are not at all impressed by her growing fame.

Website: www.SusanMallery.com

Review: "Hold Me" by Susan Mallery

Synopsis:

Destiny Mills believes passion has its place—like in the lyrics of the country songs that made her parents famous. After a childhood full of drama and heartache, she wants a life that's calm. Safe. Everything that Kipling Gilmore isn't. Her temporary assignment with the Fool's Gold search and rescue team puts her in delicious proximity to the former world-class skier every day. Part of her aches to let go for once…the rest is terrified what'll happen if she does. 

Though an accident ended his career, Kipling still lives for thrills—and a hot fling with a gorgeous redhead like Destiny would be a welcome diversion. Yet beneath his new coworker's cool facade is a woman who needs more than he's ever given. With her, he's ready to take the risk. But love, like skiing, is all about trust—and before you soar, you have to be willing to fall.

Genre: Contemporary Romance

My Review:

I really enjoyed the beginning of Hold Me, and my apologies for using a completely overused cliche - Kipling and Destiny have a witty repartee from the very beginning. Kipling is very comfortable in his own skin, and Destiny's outlook on life and love, albeit a bit screwed up, sets the stage for some fun interactions between Kipling and Destiny throughout the book. Both of them have strong feelings about relationships, influenced strongly by their childhoods, but in both cases they have taken it too far. What may initially seem as divergent relationship goals and personalities are actually very similar. From the very beginning, I loved how Destiny intrigues Kipling and he makes no apologies for his interest in her, albeit only in a "serial monogamy" kind of way. He sees her temporary residency as perfect to meet his goals.

Destiny has an innocence about her that is really quite endearing.  Her background has left her both "wise to the ways of the world" and "innocent to the realities of love and emotion." Her views on life and love are really quite mixed up, and perfect for Kipling, who is a fixer. He doesn't even realize he's doing it half the time, but his interest in Destiny is partly due to his need to fix what he sees needs fixing. Destiny sees her views as protecting herself from what she saw as an lonely childhood. Everything she does in life is about what she believes is protecting herself from being emotionally hurt, up to and including her desire for a "sexless marriage".

In true "Fools Gold" fashion, the strong women in town influence the happenings, and I laughed as we see Kipling's partners in the "Man Cave" succumb to their wives desires with regards to the bar.  I could literally see in my mind each of them looking sheepish as they explain the hold their wives had over them.  And Kipling's completely baffled by this reaction.  The gaggle of women that meet at Jo's bar were so welcoming to Destiny and Starr, and even Shelby (Kipling's sister), it makes me want to join them for a margarita-filled lunch one day! Hold Me is a great return to Fools Gold for 2015!

Links:

Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes and Noble - Kobo - iBooks

About the Author:

New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery has won the hearts of millions of readers around the world with books described as “immensely entertaining, intensely emotional” (RT Book Reviews), “hilarious” (Fort Worth Star-Telegram), and “heartwarming” (Publishers Weekly). One major retailer recently described her as “the queen of romantic fiction.” While she deeply appreciates the accolades of critics and booksellers, Mallery is even more honored by the enthusiasm of her readers and the word-of-mouth that catapults her toward the top of the bestsellers lists time and again.

Mallery lives in not-so-sunny Seattle with her husband, plus a toy poodle and two ragdoll cats who are not at all impressed by her growing fame.

Website: www.SusanMallery.com

"Before We Kiss" by Susan Mallery

Former pro-football kicker Sam Ridge has notoriously bad luck with women—from cheaters to fame chasers. Still, the gorgeous brunette at the bar in Fool's Gold looks harmless—until she takes him home and he discovers a room devoted to securing a man, for life.

Dellina Hopkins never guessed that storing gowns from a friend's bridal boutique would chase away her first and only fling. After her parents died, she skipped her "wild youth" to raise her sisters. She doesn't want forever from Sam, but one night—all night—would've been nice.

His clean getaway gets messy when his firm hires Dellina to plan an event. As long hours lead to late nights, the two succumb to temptation again. Has Sam's luck finally changed? Or this time, will Dellina be the one to run?

My review:

** spoiler alert** Before we Kiss was a great addition to the Fools Gold city. I always enjoy being able to catch up with previous characters through the storyline of subsequent books, I LOVED the addition of Sam's parents. His parents complete lack of inhibitions when it comes to their - or anyone else's lives - was fun to watch. It was even more fun to watch Sam's reaction to their comments. Over and over I was laughing as I read something his over the top mother would say and his reaction to it. I really appreciated how he "benefited" from his mother's comments in his relationship with Dellina - like when he told her "that was it" in response to her previous question after their encounter in the bathroom. In the end, I was thrilled to see that Dellina told his mother that she was too over the top with other people's lives and feelings, and Sam accepted her apology with a joke! (not quite rated PG to put here). And in the end, Sam stepping out of his comfort zone to demonstrate his love to Dellina was a perfect ending to their love story.

Amazon: Amazon Listing
Goodreads: Goodreads Listing

"When We Met" by Susan Mallery

Angel Whittaker earned his scars the hard way, but the scars that can't be seen are the ones that haunt him the most. Since he moved to Fool's Gold, California, he's cobbled together a life for himself as a bodyguard trainer. If he's not exactly happy, at least his heart is safe.

Working with pro-football superstars taught tough-talking PR woman Taryn Crawford one thing—she can go toe to toe with any man. But then dark, dangerous former Special Ops Angel targets her for seduction…and challenges her to resist his tempting kisses.

Even in four-inch heels, Taryn never backs down. Unless, somehow, Angel can convince her that surrender might feel even better than victory.

My review:

** spoiler alert ** When We Met introduced a new group of young, single guys and girls to Fools Gold. Taryn has moved her PR firm to Fools Gold, at the request of her 3 "boys". While she was scouting the town last fall, she caught the eye of "Angel", who we knew from previous books that had him working at the "bodyguard school". Angel "decided" that Taryn was going to be his conquest, and early in this book, he "informed" her. Taryn was a strong female and needed an equally strong personality in her relationships - When We Met introduced a new group of young, single guys and girls to Fools Gold. Taryn has moved her PR firm to Fools Gold, at the request of her 3 "boys". While she was scouting the town last fall, she caught the eye of "Angel", who we knew from previous books that had him working at the "bodyguard school". Angel "decided" that Taryn was going to be his conquest, and early in this book, he "informed" her. Taryn was a strong female and needed an equally strong personality in her relationships - she got that with Angel. But their dynamic seemed so "stilted" and "unnatural". I didn't get the butterflies in my stomach as the romance developed, like I have in previous books. Angel and Taryn both have baggage - I felt that Angel's baggage was sufficiently explained and dealt with in this book, but Taryn's was glossed over. Her reactions to steps in her relationship with Angel seems "disproportionate" to her experiences with her father, and with Jack. I thought it a bit unusual that she went from "not trusting" Angel to save her life in the rapids, yet immediately made love with him on the creek banks.

And I wish she had delved further into how Angel got his injury - the scar on his neck was reference often but always with a "the other guy was worse" without more details. I wish we had learned more about Angel's military experiences.

There were lots of good parts of this book - I loved how Angel discovered things about himself by becoming a Grove Leader for a bunch of 7 year old girls ... I bet those girls LOVED him (and I'm surprised the moms didn't flock to him more). I loved how he became more and more comfortable with the girls over time, and in the end, wore the wreath on his head in the parade. I was glad that he came to the realization that he was wrong to leave Taryn, although I think she took him back too easily. I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED how her boys constantly came to her rescue - with her "pity party" after Angel broke up with her, and when Angel approached her at the parade. I could literally see them squaring up to Angel in that scene.

So, I felt this was a good, but maybe not a great installment in the Fools Gold series. But, Susan has set up a lot of future romances that I really look forward to - Jack and Larissa, and Sam and Dellina. The "boys" have some great personalities and I look forward to reading their stories.

Amazon: Amazon Listing
Goodreads: Goodreads Listing