Veena’s review of Fools Gold Christmas (Fool’s Gold, Book 9.5)by Susan Mallery
Contemporary Romance published by HQN 29 Oct 13

Fool’s Gold, where the community spirit is strong and the people rally around to make the impossible possible with its tortured heroes and spunky heroines, has been one of my favorite series over the summer. This is the Christmas story where two lonely souls connect and family estrangements are healed, complete with a matchmaking cat. With all of that going for it, this book still left me cold. Perhaps I’ve had too much Fool’s Gold lately and need a hiatus from it for some time.

Evie is the estranged sister of the Stryker family. Her brothers relocate her temporarily to the town of Fool’s Gold, when she gets injured and needs a place to hang her hat for a while. She gets a job teaching dance at the local dance school. Poor Evie is plunged out of her depth when the principal leaves in a rush, leaving her to produce a successful performance and teach the kids. Her situation is not improved when her brother’s business partner, whose offices are below the studio, storms up to complain about the noise level and its impact on his ability to conduct business. It’s not the most promising start to a relationship.

With the holidays around the corner, the community and family spirit is sky high. Evie and Dante forge a compact to help each other stay afloat through the infectious cheer that leaves both of them out in the cold. Proximity in this case makes the heart grow fonder, and their relationship evolves into a form of friendship with benefits.

This book appears to be more about Christmas in Fool’s Gold than Evie and Dante’s romance. It is nice to re-visit with all the couples from the previous books and catch up on their lives and children. We do, of course, get to know more about Evie and her mother and the truth behind their estrangement.

The community of Fool’s Gold continues to have the same strong spirit of togetherness. The town comes out to help Evie build and finish the sets she needs for her Christmas production. The women all come out and share margaritas with Evie when Dante runs away, as inevitably all the heroes of this series have done, to find the truth in their heart.

I guess that’s just it. The book is too predictable and the relationship between Evie and Dante just does not reach out and grab the heart as some of the other characters have done. Perhaps the other fact that might have played a role is that this is actually a re-release of a title from last year and I kept feeling that stuff is out of sequence.

Grade:C

Summary:

The cheer in Fool’s Gold, California, is bringing out the humbug in dancer Evie Stryker. An injury has forced her to return home to her estranged family. So she won’t add to the awkward scenario by falling for the charms of her brother’s best friend, no matter how tempting he is. When she’s recruited to stage the winter festival, she vows to do as promised, then move on, anywhere but here.

Jaded lawyer Dante Jefferson is getting used to the town he now calls home, but the pounding of little dancers’ feet above his office is more than he can take. When he confronts their gorgeous teacher, he’s unprepared for their searing attraction. Evie is his best friend’s sister—off-limits unless he’s willing to risk his heart. Dante has always believed that love is dangerous, but that was before he had to reckon with the magic of a certain small town, where miracles do seem to happen….

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series: