Summer Nights by Susan Mallery

Horse whisperer Shane Stryker is done with passion. This time around, he's determined to meet someone who will be content with the quiet life of a rancher's wife. And the fiery, pint-size redhead who dazzles him at the local bar definitely does not fit the bill. 

Small-town librarian Annabelle Weiss has always seen herself as more of a sweetheart than a siren, so she can't understand why Shane keeps pushing her away. Shane has formed the totally wrong impression of her but only he can help her with a special event for the next Fool's Gold festival. And maybe while he's at it, she can convince him to teach her a few things about kissing on hot summer nights, too—some lessons, a girl shouldn't learn from reading a book!

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With this being book #8 in the series you would think that it would be hard to keep it fresh while keeping up with the residents of Fool's Gold. Luckily, Susan Mallery is a master at her craft and "Summer Nights" just makes the little town of Fool's Gold, California seem more and more appealing.

With small town librarian Annabelle and horse whisperer Shane getting their turn in the spotlight, "Summer Nights" keeps with the long-standing formula of a great romance mixed in with the every day lives of people that we would all enjoy being friends with. Annabelle is looking to find someone who accepts her for exactly who she is without wanting her to change, unfortunately, Shane spots her at the one time in her life that she stepped out of her comfort zone and formed all kinds of wrong opinions of her! He's looking for someone who is stable and wants to settle down in to a peaceful existence with no drama and seeing Annabelle dancing on the bar has him thinking that she's the kind of woman who craves attention.


This was my favorite of this part of the Fool's Gold series and I found both of the leading characters to be very likable and people that I genuinely cared about.  That means a lot to me when I'm investing time and money into my reading addiction - give me characters that I care about and can relate to and a story that isn't completely far fetched.  This was definitely better than the previous title, "Summer Days".
 
The whole story is essentially wrapped around one of Fool's Gold's famous festivals and Susan Mallery lets us see how all of the locals are doing in their lives without letting them take up too much time from Shane and Annabelle. This is another great story for the series and a must read and a great addition to your Susan Mallery bookshelf!

Summer Days by Susan Mallery

Locked in an unexpected land dispute, Rafe Stryker is trapped in the one place he vowed never to return to-the Castle Ranch in Fool's Gold, California. He made millions facing ruthless adversaries in the boardroom, but nothing could've prepared him to go head-to-head against stubborn, beautiful Heidi Simpson. No one is more surprised than Rafe to discover that he's finding Heidi-and life as a cowboy-much more compelling than he wants to admit.

 

For Heidi, the Castle Ranch is the home she's always wanted. After a life on the road, the vivacious blonde has finally put down roots. She won't give that up without a fight, not even for a man whose late-night kisses make her yearn to be a little less...wholesome.

 

As the two turn from passionate adversaries to passionate, period, they'll discover that summer love can last a lifetime.

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I have been a huge fan of the Fool's Gold series since the get-go and I was very excited for the next trilogy to begin. Back in Fool's Gold (after almost a year!) we spend time with goat farmer Heidi (yes, like the children's story complete with living with her grandfather!) and sexy millionaire Rafe.

There were a few issues for me with this story.  For starters, Heidi's grandfather has done something illegal and although his heart was in the right place, it doesn't seem to be realistically acknowledged that what he did was a crime.  Enter Rafe and his mother and their living situation just becomes bizarre.  It's a very silly (and not in a good way) and awkward plot line that had it hard to focus on what we were really reading about - the relationship between Heidi and Rafe.
 

"Summer Days" was a little bit harder for me to get in to because the image of a grown woman in braids raising goats just didn't seem to sit right in my mind. But visual images aside, the book doesn't disappoint. Susan Mallery is wonderful at what she does and it was wonderful to be back amongst friends and Rafe and Heidi just had you rooting for them. Show more

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Lucky in Love by Jill Shalvis

Mallory Quinn has had enough of playing it safe. As a nurse and devoted daughter, she takes care of everyone but herself. And as the local good girl, she's expected to date Mr. Right. But for once, she'd like to take a risk on Mr. Wrong. And who could be more wrong than Ty Garrison? The mysterious new guy in town has made it clear that he's only passing through, which suits Mallory just fine. Besides, his lean, hard body and sexy smile will give her plenty to remember once he's gone . . .

For the first time in his life, Ty can't bear to leave. Helping this sexy seductress-in-training walk on the wild side is making him desire things he shouldn’t including leaving the military for good. As their just-for-fun fling becomes something more, Mallory and Ty wonder if they could really be this lucky in love. 

After all . . . anything can happen in a town called Lucky Harbor.

I have to admit, I have read this series a bit out of order - meaning I read the newest one first and then started at the beginning. I enjoyed the trilogy with the sisters very much but "Lucky in Love" was just my absolute favorite. The characters were relatable and interesting and boy was there HEAT!

A spicy read that I did in a day and now am kicking myself because I'm done! This is a wonderful addition to the Lucky Harbor series and should not be missed!