All Summer Long by Susan Mallery

Former underwear model turned entrepreneur Clay Stryker has loved, tragically lost and vowed that he'll never risk his heart again. After making his fortune, the youngest of the rugged Stryker brothers returns to Fool's Gold, California, to put down roots on a ranch of his own. But he's frustrated to discover that even in his hometown, people see him only for his world-famous…assets.

Firefighter Chantal (Charlie) Dixon grew up an ugly duckling beside her delicately beautiful mother, a feeling reinforced long ago by a man who left soul-deep scars. Now she has good friends, a solid job and the itch to start a family—yet she can't move toward the future while she's haunted by painful memories.

Clay finds an unexpected ally, and unexpected temptation, in tomboyish Charlie, the only person who sees beyond his dazzling good looks to the real man beneath. But when Charlie comes to him with an indecent proposal, will they be able to overcome their pasts and find a love that lasts beyond one incredible summer?

 

With the final Fool's Gold book of the summer I was both looking forward to it and dreading it because it didn't want it to end! Susan Mallery's All Summer Long is a great end to this summer's trilogy. Charlie and Clay, who seem like an odd couple on the outside, really have a lot in common inside. Both are judged for their looks and both want to change their lives and overcome their pasts.

There were parts that were a bit weird and for me, I think my biggest hangup was that in all of the Fool's Gold books that Charlie was mentioned it, she is not someone who I particularly liked or cared about and I certainly didn't see her in the role of the romantic lead.  It took a little while for me to get over that fact.

This book was sweet and charming at times and hot and steamy in others. You'll laugh and you'll love catching up with some favorites from Fool's Gold who we've met in previous stories. This is a must read for all Susan Mallery fans and even if you haven't read all of the books in the series, you'll be able to enjoy All Summer Long.