Veena’s review of Three Little Words (Fool’s Gold, Book 12) by Susan Mallery
Contemporary Romance published by HQN 30 Jul 13
Yes! I came back for more Fool’s Gold in Susan Mallery’s latest romance featuring bridal shop owner Isabel and the Hendrix brothers Ford and Kent. Okay, all you people out there who have been on a varietal diet of gray, it’s not what you think. Kent and his lady love Consuelo are a secondary romance that add to Ford and Isabel’s story. I like how the author builds up anticipation with the secondary characters until we’re clamoring for their romance, and then she delivers exactly what her readers are asking for. Another delightful romance featuring characters who we root for in a town we’ve grown to love.
So we all know that Ford Hendrix has been in the special forces and he’s seen and done some heavy stuff. He left Fool’s Gold after Isabel’s sister dumped him, married someone else, and has never come home. Isabel has always had a crush on him and used him like a Dear Diary. She’s shared all her good times and bad times and every thing else in between with him, never knowing if he even opened any of the letters she sent him or if they were his ray of sunshine and his tie to home and goodness that kept him sane in an ugly world that he inhabits.
He’s back in the bosom of his family and really uncertain about his future course, especially when his mother insists on taking up a booth at the annual fair to find him and his divorced brother Kane wives, so they can settle down and be happy. This is so hilarious with their mother taking down names and interviewing suitable candidates. It’s pretty funny that she doesn’t consider Isabel suitable.
Isabel, of course, is in Fool’s Gold temporarily. She’s helping get her parents’ bridal shop ready for sale, having already escaped small-town life and now lives in the Big Apple. She’s a bit down temporarily, getting over a divorce and a betrayal from a potential business partner, but she’ll pull herself up soon, rebuild her life and follow her dreams. So what if she’s always had a crush on Ford and so what if she’s temporarily back in Fool’s Gold. She knows nothing can come of it.
I think it is classic that Isabel’s brother-in-law, who had been responsible for her sister dumping Ford in the first place, comes to the rescue of this true romance and sets Ford straight. What’s really sweet is Kane and Consuelo and how Kane tries to take up martial arts classes to prove his love. This is such a sweet secondary romance that I am almost sorry that they will not get their own book or at least a short story.
Fool’s Gold has a way of growing on you like a much beloved vacation spot. I like to visit as often as I can and catch up on all the people I know and love, to see what’s going on in their lives. I like to walk around the town to see what’s new and, of course, I like to spend some in-depth time with the primary characters I’ve come to enjoy so much. I honestly don’t know how Ms. Mallery does it, but she has created a much-loved institution. I’m always up for more Fool’s Gold.
Grade: A
Summary:
Can first love turn into the real deal?Isabel Beebe thinks she’s cursed in the romance department. Her teenage crush, Ford Hendrix, ignored all her letters. Her husband left her for another…man. So Isabel has come home to dust off her passion for fashion and run the family bridal shop until her parents are ready to sell it. Then she’ll pursue her real dreams. At least, that’s the plan, until sexy, charming Ford returns and leaves her feeling fourteen all over again….
Seeing Isabel all grown up hits bodyguard trainer Ford like a sucker punch. Back when heartbreak made him join the military, her sweet letters kept him sane. Now he can’t take his eyes—or his lips—off her. The man who gave up on love has a reason to stay in Fool’s Gold forever—if three little words can convince Isabel to do the same….
Other books in this series:
