First line: Shane Stryker was determined enough to never walk away from a fight and smart enough to know when he’d been beat.
From the back cover: Horse whisperer Shane Stryker is done with passion. This time around, he’s determined to meet someone who will be content with the quiet life of a rancher’s wife. And the fiery pint-size redhead who dazzles him at the local bar definitely does not fit the bill.
Small-town librarian Annabelle Weiss has always seen herself as more of a sweetheart than a siren, so she can’t understand why Shane keeps pushing her away. Shane has formed the totally wrong impression of her but only he can help her with a special event for the next Fool’s Gold festival. And maybe while he’s at it, she can convince him to teach her a few things about kissing on hot summer nights, too – some lessons, a girl shouldn’t learn from reading a book!
My thoughts: This is the 8th book in Susan Mallery’s Fool’s Gold series, but the first that I’ve read. Now, if you know anything about my reading habits, I usually do not like jumping into a series in the middle. However, when I was offered the opportunity to review this book, I was told that each book in the series was written as a standalone, so I decided to give it a try and I was not disappointed.
Summer Nights is Shane and Annabelle’s story, two people with a lot of baggage. Shane has recently returned to Fool’s Gold and is looking for a quiet life, hopefully settling down with someone that is good with laying low and staying out of the limelight. He is divorced and was really put through his paces with his ex-wife, leaving him with huge trust issues. Annabelle is the town librarian and fits that job to a tee, quiet and unassuming. She is also divorced and is wary of what true love is. As the two come together, we see the instant chemistry between them, but their own issues provide a major roadblock. Will they be able to forget their past and see what’s in front of them before it’s too late? Shane and Annabelle’s story is one you don’t want to miss – it’s hot, steamy, and filled with obstacles at every turn.
I really liked visiting Fool’s Gold and will definitely be going back to read the whole series, starting with book 1, Chasing Perfect. One of the reasons why I enjoy reading series and why I usually like to read them in order, is that you see the development of characters and follow that growth. You also start to become familiar with the town and feel as if you are visiting old friends with each book. Having read book 8 first, I feel like I will really enjoy my visits to Fool’s Gold.
Have you read this series? How do you feel about reading series? Do you always read them in order or do you jump around?
I received a complimentary copy of Summer Nights by Susan Mallery from Jenel, assistant to Susan Mallery.
Books in this series:
1. Chasing Perfect 6.1 Only Us
2. Almost Perfect 6.2 Almost Summer
2.5 Sister of the Bride 7. Summer Days
3. Finding Perfect 8. Summer Nights
4. Only Mine 9. All Summer Long – due out July 2012
5. Only Yours 10. A Fool’s Gold Christmas – due out Sept. 2012
6. Only His
This has been my favorite in the series, so far. I'm so glad that you enjoyed it!
You really need to jump back & grab some of the others – no cowboys but absolutely fun!
I'm going to check and see if the library has the other books – I think this series will be great summer reading!
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I love reading Fool's Gold! I'm 80% done with Summer Nights and have read all previous books twice. What can I say? I'm a fan! They're light, fun, great for the beach or really anywhere. They're enjoyable with great stories and loving people throughout the books. You can't go wrong with any Fool's Gold books, but Summer Nights certainly delivers. I can't wait for the next one called Almost Summer. Hope you enjoy Summer Nights!
I enjoyed my first visit there and am hoping to start reading the rest of the series this summer!
I've read the whole series up to Almost Summer & re-read most of them to refresh my memory & because they were that good. I have not been disappointed yet! Susan has a great writing style that leaves you feeling good.Summer Days is next in my reading stack!
I've read quite a few of Susan Mallery's books and have been looking forward to starting this series for a while – but just haven't gotten to it yet. Hopefully soon!
Thank you so much for the wonderful review! I'm glad that SUMMER NIGHTS worked for you. I adore Annabelle and Shane, so I love hearing from readers who felt the same way about them. Welcome to Fool's Gold, the Land of Happy Endings! Have you discovered all the bonus content at foolsgoldca.com?
Thank you for writing it!I'll be checking out all that bonus content soon. Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog!
How nice that you could read the 8th book in a series without having read the preceding books! This does sound like a wonderful book. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
It is nice that each book is written as a standalone. I do want to go back and read the earlier books and will most likely read them in order!
I've read this series from the beginning as well as most of Susan's other series. I love series as long as authors can keep them going so I don't get bored. There have been a few series that after awhile I get bored and give up reading. I try to read from the beginning so I know all the characters and aren't given spoiler info from later books but at times I find a book and don't know it's a series until it's too late.
I agree with the whole spoiler thing, too – another reason to read a series from the beginning!
Summer Nights is a great summer read. I love that Annabelle wanted to learn how to ride a horse for her fundraiser for her bookmobile that she cares so much about. I don't want to give away anything. There was so many twists & turns in this book! I love that so much. There is 1 thing that I absolutely love a lot, but I can not say. My daughter is disabled & she takes horseback riding lessons. Summer Nights is my favorite book in the entire Fool's Gold series! I give 5 stars! Way to go Susan Mallery!!
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I haven't read this series at all, but I understand your concerns about reading a series out of order. I do like when authors make it easy for new readers to pick up a series midway through. They seem more user-friendly.
Great review! Summer Nights was a fabulous read. I loved Annabelle and Shane. Susan is a wonderful author and I totally recommend her books to anyone who hasn't read her. 🙂
Always love returning to Fool's Gold. It is like returning home!! I love starting my summer reading a new Fool's Gold book!! Just One Kiss, Two of a Kind, & Three Little Words are all great books to read!