Only Mine by Susan Mallery

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:  http://foolsgoldca.susanmallery.com/.  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

I received this ebook from the publisher via netgalley.com

Fools Gold series so far:

The Knitting Diares by Debbie Macomber, Susan Mallery, and Christina Skye

The Twenty-First Wish by Debbie Macomber

This is a sweet follow up to a main storyline in Twenty Wishes about Anne Marie Roche and her young daughter, Ellen. This is a very typical Macomber story, clean and sweet so I am not going to say much about it. If you read this as a stand alone, you probably are not going to enjoy it as much as if you had read the previous novel because there really isn't a whole lot of back story explained, just enough to refresh your memory. Overall, though, still cute. 3 stars

Coming Unraveled by Susan Mallery

I mainly read this anthology for Susan Mallerys story, as she is a favorite of mine and she did not disappoint with this one. Robyn Mulligan returns home after her dreams of being a Broadway star fall through and she runs into the last person she expects to see in her grandmothers knitting store, a handsome, hot-tempered man by the name of T.J. Passman. T.J. has done his research on Robyn and knows she has not succeeded to the extent that Robyns grandmother and two dear friends believe and he lets her know straight off he doesn't like her for misleading these women he has come to love as they helped him through a terrible tragedy in his life. Secrets are explained quickly and Robyn and T.J. soon develop a steamy relationship that is helped along a bit by Robyns grandmother and friends, who were some great characters! Good, quick, fun read which would have been a great full length I think. 4 stars

Return to Summer Island by Christiana Skye

This was my first taste of Christina Skye and I enjoyed it. Caro McNeal returns home from her hectic life after a devastating car crash leaves her with the possibility of never knitting again. Needless to say, she is determined to prove the doctors wrong as knitting is an escape from life for her. When Lieutenant Gage Grayson stops by on his way to active duty to pick up a painting from Caros aunt, they both feel the attraction right away and spend the day together, along with Gages children, his beloved cat and dog. As Gage leaves, they exchange emails and begin their correspondences. Caro includes pictures she has drawn of Gages pets that help him out while he is deployed. This was a very sweet, love at first sight story mixed with the powerful attraction of a pets love for their owner, no matter the distance. I really enjoyed this one and it left a smile on my face and a curiosity about more books by Ms Skye. Not much heat though, so I will need to do some research into that...as in is that normal for her or did it just not work for this story? 3 1/2 stars

Overall, not a bad anthology. I enjoyed each story and came away with a smile on my face for each one. Being that Macomber and Skyes were both tame and Mallorys was a bit steamy, they didn't really seem like three authors that fit the best together, in my opinion though. 3 1/2 stars

I received this ebook via netgalley.com

Silhouette Special Edition Oct 09

The Sheik and the Bought Bride by Susan Mallery

This was the first Mallery book I read in her Sheik series and it did not disappoint! I checked my library for some of the others in the series to read as well....like I need more to read but oh well...Susan Mallery is a favorite of mine! This was a great story about love and understanding and breaking and starting new traditions. Plus a nice dose of steaminess! :) You will not be disappointed reading this on a rainy afternoon.... Four stars

A Weaver Baby by Allsion Leigh

This was an interesting story but it has the secret baby storyline which I don't really mind but I know many people dislike. J.D. and her boss Jake share a night together after the horse she trains for him does well and it results in a baby, something she thought would be difficult for her due to an injury she suffered when stepped on by a horse when younger. She tries to tell Jake but an emergency happens and she returns home to Wyoming and her family. J.D. had trained a horse, Latitude, who suffered a horrible injury in a race and Jake brings the horse to her to have him heal as Latitude really only responds to her. The truth about the baby finally reveals itself after Jake sticks around...just because of the horse. I'm not really a horse person but the bond J.D. has with them was great and her caring for Latitude and his difficulties that arise is great. Three and a half stars.

The Nanny and Me by Teresa Southwick

I thought I would enjoy this one more and I didn't really like it much. It felt like a very familiar storyline, one I guess I don't enjoy. Blake gets custody of his orphaned niece Mia and nanny Casey comes to the rescue to help deal with this troubled pre teen. Casey has a back story that helps her deal with Mia but I don't know, this was just an ok read for me. Three stars.



The Texas CEO's Secret by Nicole Foster

Another story in the continuing storyline of the Foleys and the McCords. Here we catch up with Blake and Katie...who is Blakes brother Tates ex-fiance. Blake has been in love with Katie the whole time she was with Tate (who is happily engaged to Tanya) and now finally makes some moves to be with Katie. She falls for him but convincing themselves and their families that they are not just settling for each other is nice to read. Three and a half stars.

Straight From the Hip by Susan Mallery

First, let me start off by saying that Susan Mallery has become one of my favorite authors and I look forward to each new book! Straight from the Hip is the third in a quartet of books in the series, Lone Star Sisters. I highly recommend that you read Under Her Skin and Lip Service beforehand. Here is the synopsis from Amazon.com: Izzy has always been the fearless Titan sister. But when an oil rig blows up, leaving her barely able to see, her sisters find themselves as concerned by her emotional withdrawal as by the possibility that the explosion was no accident. Are the mind games their long-lost brother Garth has been playing turning physical? Or is someone else out to get them?
When her sisters enroll her in a survivor training camp, Izzy is not happy. Nick, her instructor, is determined that she won't be left in the dark. In more ways than one. But if he tells her the terrible truth behind why he's helping her, he'll never see her again. Unless they're both willing to take the biggest risk of all.

After reading the first two books in the series, I wasn't really to pleased with Izzy...she is a bit self-centered and I was not sure how that would play out in her own story. Nothing to be worried about, though, as Mallery tells a wonderful, poignant story of love. There are some great supporting characters as well...Nicks gay assistant, Aaron, becomes a close friend and a great help to Izzy during her stay at the camp and adds some great dry humor. You also get updates on her sisters, Lexi and Skye, as well as their best friend, Dana, who gets her own story in Hot on Her Heels. I really enjoyed watching the relationship develop between Izzy and Nick...they have lots of snappy dialogue and sexual tension that finally translates into some steamy bedroom moments. Nick has his fair share of demons, as does Izzy, and the way they finally come together and grow as characters is wonderful.

Overall, this book rates four stars for me. Its a quick, sexy, emotional read and I am very anxious to read the last story that Mallery has set up with two unlikely people!