Publication Date: 10/28/2014
Publisher: Harlequin
Imprint: HQN
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 400
ISBN-10: 0373778996
ISBN-13: 978-0373778997
(Received for an honest review from Harlequin HQN)
Purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indiebound, itunes
Susan Mallery on the WEB: website, twitter, facebook, goodreads
Books in the series:
Fool's Gold
1. Chasing Perfect
2. Almost Perfect
2.5. Sister of the Bride
3. Finding Perfect
4. Only Mine
5. Only Yours
6. Only His
6.1. Only Us
6.5. Almost Summer
7. Summer Days
8. Summer Nights
9. All Summer Long
9.5. A Fool's Gold Christmas
9.5. Halfway There
10. Just One Kiss
11. Two of a Kind
12. Three Little Words
12.5. Christmas on 4th Street
13. When We Met
14. Before We Kiss
15. Until We Touch
15.5. Yours For Christmas
Coverart: Click the Image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.
Excerpt from, Christmas on 4th Street, courtesy of the author's website.
Synopsis:
There's nowhere better to spend the holidays than with New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery in the town of Fool's Gold, where love is always waiting to be unwrapped…
Noelle Perkins just got a second chance at life, and she intends to make the most of it. That's why she's opening her own store in Fool's Gold, California. The Christmas Attic celebrates everything that's magical about her favorite season. Business is booming, and as a bonus, gorgeous army doctor Gabriel Boylan has offered to help out during the holiday rush.
Gabriel's memories of Christmas past contain more sour grapes than sugarplums, thanks to his drill sergeant father. Spending the holidays with his family while he recuperates from an injury sounds as appetizing as last year's eggnog. Still, there are some enjoyable distractions in town, including sunny, sexy Noelle…and the red-hot mistletoe kisses they can't stop sharing.
Gabriel didn't think he was made for happily-ever-afters. But when fate hands you a love as sweet and surprising as this, only a fool could refuse….
Thoughts:
Christmas on 4th Street is a reprint of a Christmas themed story in the Fool's Gold series by Susan Mallery. Readers looking for some extra special Christmas cheer for the holidays will love the Christmas setting and Noelle's quaint store, The Christmas Attic. In Mallery's typical happy-ever-after style, this book is perfect in front of a warm fire, with a cozy blanket and a cup of hot chocolate. Readers may know that a fairy tale ending is around the corner, but it's all in how you get there. A great Christmas read and a great return to Fool's Gold during Christmas time.
What I liked:
I've been a fan of Susan Mallery for awhile now and I've read several books in the Fool's Gold series. When I saw this reprint up for review for the holidays, I couldn't resist. Returning to this wonderful small town is always a great adventure. I love the way Mallery incorporates the entire town into every book in this series. Readers who want to catch up previous couples and residents have no trouble finding out something new and readers just starting out will fall in love with Fool's Gold quickly.
In this addition to the series, readers who are familiar with Gideon and Felicia will really love meeting Gideon's twin brother, Gabriel. It was nice to catch up with a great couple from the past, while meeting a new and dynamic couple that reverberated off the pages. Gabriel and Noelle, both have issues in their past, that is affecting their present and ultimately their future. Her friends aren't aware of what she's been through and his family, just doesn't understand why he feels the need for distance. It's a great set up for the true meaning of the holiday season.
One of the things that I really enjoyed about this book and others in the series is the way Susan Mallery writes about the relationships between women. The women in this small town stick together through thick and thin and heart break. The way they all pull together to support and uplift each other is inspiring. I want friends like that and Mallery makes be believe it's possible to find them.
The romance between Noelle and Gabriel was just what I was looking for at Christmas time. He wants to steer clear of his family while he is healing from an injury and ends up working in Noelle's Christmas store. Not exactly where you might think to find a disillusioned military doctor. I liked the fact that Noelle was determined to live every moment like it was her last and the way she was slowly able to instill that same way of looking at life into Gabriel. He needed a new way to look at the world and she gave it to him. Pretty heavy stuff for Christmas season and perfect for this book.
This was a typical book for the series. Readers go into reading Susan Mallery's books knowing how they are basically going to go. Woman looks to find the perfect man, woman finds man, man is scared to death, man leaves, man comes back, man and woman live happily-ever-after. There is definitely a formula here, but the thing that sets each of these books apart, is in the details. The little things that make Gabriel and Noelle's story different from the other couples in the series. Her issues with illness and his estrangement from his family. The fact that she owns a Christmas store and he is a military doctor. It's those things that make all the difference!
I have to mention the scene at the cabin. I just can't resist. A town owned cabin, stocked with everything you need for a little shut eye, a bite to eat or a little romance. Casseroles and condoms, Oh My! LOL... You just have to read it to understand. I laughed and laughed over just the thought of it.
Bottom Line:
I may have wanted a little more realism and a little less formula in this book, but that's not say I didn't like it. I knew they'd end up together, so do you, before you even start. What made this one worth the time, was the spirit of this little town, the amazing people that populate it and those wee little things that made it special. It was a great Christmas read!
Christmas on 4th Street is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.
I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!
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