Veena’s review of Kiss Me (Fool’s Gold, Book 17) by Susan Mallery
Contemporary Romance published by Harlequin 30 Jun 15
It’s time to meet sexy rancher Zane Nicholson, whose ranch has recently become a part of the town of Fool’s Gold, and experience the magic of the town as it reaches out and impacts not just his life but also the lives of the tourists who have come to his ranch to experience an old-fashioned cattle drive.
This story is a little different from the normal stories in this series, since the readers don’t get to wander through the town and experience the various businesses, both old and new, that continue to thrive in the town. It does, however, have all the normal characteristics of complex human relationships and frailties that are brought out into the open, cleaned up, and cauterized on the way to a happy ending. This is a not-to-be-missed story since it sounds like it’s going to launch a host of new books and characters for the series.
Zane is responsible for raising his stepbrother, who is up to all the usual mischief that a young adult gets up to. In his desire to spare his brother the pain that he himself experienced when he messed up in his childhood, he’s especially hard on him, particularly when he forces him to crew with a cattle drive for tourists that came about from some of his brother’s mischief.
The cattle drive gives the author the opportunity to introduce an interesting cast of characters who have their own very particular idiosyncrasies – the tree-hugging vegetarian couple who are unhappy with the meals that are provided and the interesting friction when the husband actually wants to try some of the superb and so-very-fresh meat that is on the menu; Phoebe, who’s running away temporarily from her issues to experience all the wide open country and animals from the jaded eyes of a city dweller, even as she’s falling in love with Zane; the two children who’re in foster care; the childless couple who are guardians to the children on the trip; the two older ladies we’ve experienced before who are pinching and admiring the young nubile males, who are settling in their town and so on. Each participant has the opportunity to confront their fears and move toward a happy conclusion, along with the help of mother nature and the various animals who move the story along.
I enjoyed seeing Zane and Phoebe’s romance flourishing in the midst of the crowd. Phoebe is an especial darling who talks aloud to herself and to the animals around her, especially the lead bull who the cattle follow. There are a few tense moments, thanks to mother nature and Phoebe’s past, but in true Fool’s Gold fashion, the town looks after its own.
Another delightful entry in the series.
Grade: B
Summary:
New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery creates the small-town destination for romance in charming Fool’s Gold, California—where a loner cowboy finds the one woman who can capture his heart
After Phoebe Kitzke’s kind heart gets her suspended from her job in LA, she swears off doing favors—until her best friend begs for help on the family ranch in Fool’s Gold. Unfortunately, sexy cowboy Zane Nicholson isn’t exactly thrilled by the city girl’s arrival.
Thanks to his brother’s latest scheme, Zane has been roped into taking tourists on a cattle drive. What Phoebe knows about ranching wouldn’t fill his hat, but her laughter is so captivating that even his animals fall for her. One slip of his legendary control leads to a passionate kiss that convinces him she’s exactly the kind of woman a single-minded loner needs to avoid.
In his arms, Phoebe discovers she’s a country girl at heart. Yet no matter how much the small town feels like home, she can’t stay unless Zane loves her, too…but is this cowboy interested in forever?
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series
