Chasing Perfect (Fool’s Gold #1) by Susan Mallery
4 out of 5 Stars!
Publication Date: April 27th 2010 by HQN
Welcome to Fool’s Gold, California, a charming community in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. There’s lots to do and plenty of people to meet, especially women. Because there’s just one tiny problem in Fool’s Gold: the men don’t seem to stick around. Maybe it’s the lure of big-city life, or maybe it’s plain old bad luck, but regardless of the reason, the problem has to be fixed, fast. And Charity Jones may be just the city planner to do it.
Charity’s nomadic childhood has left her itching to settle down, and she immediately falls in love with all the storybook town has to offer — everything, that is, except its sexiest and most famous resident, former world-class cyclist Josh Golden. With her long list of romantic disasters, she’s not about to take a chance on another bad boy, even if everyone else thinks he’s perfect just the way he is. But maybe that’s just what he needs — someone who knows the value of his flaws. Someone who knows that he’s just chasing perfect.
What completely won me over with this book was the town and its residents. Oh, and Josh Golden…but back to the town for now. I really felt like I was a part of it, like I grew up there, too. Which is weird because I grew up in the fourth largest city in the US, so there’s no way I could relate. Except maybe it’s because of that that I felt myself wishing I lived there. Even with the shortage of male population problem.
Charity Jones was really fun to read. I really enjoyed seeing her open up to different things and people with such ease, especially in a town where everyone has known each other since childhood. I loved her deadpan humor! Actually, several of the characters’ humor was deadpan, which resulted in me laughing out loud a lot of the time while reading. Charity took everything in stride, except when it came to Josh Golden. Charismatic Josh, with his stunning good looks, charming personality, and town hero status was NOT what Charity wanted to be attracted to. Except, we all know what happens when you deny yourself the person you want…you end up falling for them completely. Josh is having trouble dealing with what happened a couple of years before, when he retired from racing. I completely loved that he was was very down to earth despite his fame. Also that he wasn’t self-centered. He was good and caring, but his reputation with the ladies scared Charity away. I loved that he wasn’t pushy while pursuing her though. He gave her a lot of space to make her own choices. Another thing I really enjoyed and I mentioned before were the residents of Fool’s Gold. Every one of the characters I met, I loved.
I devoured Chasing Perfect. It was just what I needed: a happy romance. I believe I have found a new favorite author in Susan Mallery. I cannot wait to get started with the rest of this series!
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