Tuesday Review: More HEAs in Fool’s Gold

Susan Mallery calls her fictional world of Fool’s Gold, California, “The Land of Happy Endings.”  The growing cast of appealing, distinctive characters and the uniqueness of Fool’s Gold with its man shortage and the history behind that shortage make this series a standout among the ever-growing subgenre of small-town series. I’m a long-time Susan Mallery fan, but I knew she had hit upon something special with this HQN series when I read the first book, Chasing Perfect, in April 2010. I’m hooked for the duration.

Mallery recently added three more happy endings for citizens of the small town with three books about the Hendrix triplets, younger sisters of Ethan Hendrix, hero of Almost Perfect, (Fool’s Gold Book 2).


Only Mine (July 26, 2011) is the story of Dakota, a psychologist who joins the production staff of a reality show filming in Fool’s Gold to protect the interests and image of the town and Finn Andersson, a pilot from South Salmon, Alaska, who plans to be in Fool’s Gold only long enough to make sure that his twin brothers give up their absurd idea of being contestants on the show and return to complete their final semester of college. I gave Dakota’s story four stars in my review at The Romance Dish in early August. Books 5 and 6 arrived on bookshelves on the heels of Only Mine.

Only Yours

By Susan Mallery

Publisher: HQN

Release Date: August 30, 2011

4.5 Stars

Only Yours is Montana’s story. While her sisters found their vocations, Montana has wandered, but since she has begun working with therapy dogs, she has found the sense of purpose that’s been missing. A hospital visit with a rambunctious canine called Fluffy leads to a stormy confrontation with Dr. Simon Bradley.

Simon, a plastic surgeon temporarily on staff at the Fool’s Gold hospital, is fiercely devoted to his patients, so despite his contretemps with Montana and Fluffy, when a young burn patient begs to see the puppy, Simon requests a visit from Montana and a therapy dog smaller and less exuberant than Fluffy. Prepared for a professional relationship, Simon is blindsided by the powerful attraction he feels for the sunny-natured Montana.

Physically and emotionally scarred by an abusive childhood and an isolated adolescence, Simon is a loner who defines himself by his medical practice, flying all over the world to treat burn victims. He has no family, few friends, and no place he calls home. He is the opposite of Montana with her large, closely connected family, her circle of friends, and her roots in Fool’s Gold. Their differences add to the attraction, but they also magnify the obstacles that stand in the way of an HEA.

As much as I have enjoyed the Fool’s Gold books, I have been troubled more than once by what seemed to me the real jerkiness of several of the heroes. Unlike those heroes, Simon’s past is so horrific and his coping strategies so entrenched that his behavior is understandable and forgivable. Montana is a delight and her openness, compassion, and joy are exactly what Simon needs. I loved these two together, and the developing secondary romance between the triplets’ mother and Montana’s boss was a wonderful bonus.

Only His

By Susan Mallery

Publisher: HQN

Release Date: September 27, 2011

5 Stars

Only His is Nevada’s story. Eager to prove herself without the support of the family business, she applies for the job of construction manager with Janack Construction, the company that’s building a casino/resort complex on tribal land in Fool’s Gold. She’s caught by surprise when the man interviewing her is not the head of the company but his son Tucker—her one-time friend, the man who broke her heart, and the source of her greatest humiliation.

Tucker is one job away from taking over the company from his father. He plans to spend a year in Fool’s Gold seeing the project through the first stage of construction before resuming his nomadic lifestyle. He knows how important relationships with the locals can be to his project, and Nevada Hendrix’s expertise and connections make her the best person for the construction manager’s job—if only they can move beyond their past and he can ignore his attraction to her.

As if the situation weren’t complicated enough, Caterina Stoicasescu, the self-absorbed artist and former child prodigy with whom Tucker had been obsessed for years shows up as the guest artist for one of Fool’s Gold’s many festivals. Neither he nor Nevada is prepared for the drama that follows in Cat’s wake. Nevada is also struggling with the changes the double wedding of her sisters will bring to the triplets’ relationship and with the shock of walking in on her mother at a revealing moment.

Through all the complications, Nevada and Tucker grow closer, becoming friends and lovers as well as working together. But the road to a happy ending is filled with twists and potholes. Nevada wants permanence and Tucker still sees himself as a vagabond with no ties.

This is my favorite if the 2011 Fool’s Gold books. I fell hard for Tucker. He’s a charmer with a sense of humor and a low jerk quotient, and even when he runs from commitment, it doesn’t take him long to see his wrongheadedness.  Nevada is a strong heroine, a risk-taker who excels in a male-dominated profession and addresses her relationship with Tucker with a refreshing directness. Cat adds an unexpected element, and as usual with Mallery’s books, the secondary romances are terrific additions to the main story. I loved all the humor in this one too, and I was happy to see more of Pia and Raoul.  Now I’m wondering if Charlie the firefighter, Annabelle the new librarian, and Heidi the goat girl will be the heroines of future Fool’s Gold books.

Fool’s Gold has become one of my favorite fictional places, and I look forward to many more visits.

What are your favorite fictional towns? Have you visited Fool’s Gold yet?