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Fool's Gold #7
Summer Days
Locked in an unexpected land dispute, Rafe Stryker is trapped in the one place he vowed never to return to—the Castle Ranch in Fool's Gold, California. He made millions facing ruthless adversaries in the boardroom, but nothing could've prepared him to go head-to-head against stubborn, beautiful Heidi Simpson. No one is more surprised than Rafe to discover that he's finding Heidi—and life as a cowboy—much more compelling than he wants to admit.
For Heidi, the Castle Ranch is the home she's always wanted. After a life on the road, the vivacious blonde has finally put down roots. She won't give that up without a fight, not even for a man whose late-night kisses make her yearn to be a little less…wholesome.
As the two turn from passionate adversaries to passionate, period, they'll discover that summer love can last a lifetime.
For Heidi, the Castle Ranch is the home she's always wanted. After a life on the road, the vivacious blonde has finally put down roots. She won't give that up without a fight, not even for a man whose late-night kisses make her yearn to be a little less…wholesome.
As the two turn from passionate adversaries to passionate, period, they'll discover that summer love can last a lifetime.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 29, 2012
About the author
Susan Mallery
820 books14.7k followers#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming and humorous novels about the relationships that define women's lives—family, friendship, romance. She's best known for putting nuanced characters into emotionally complex, real-life situations with twists that surprise readers to laughter. Because Susan is passionate about animal welfare, pets play a big role in her books. Beloved by millions of readers worldwide, her books have been translated into 28 languages.
Critics have dubbed Mallery "the new queen of romantic fiction." (Walmart) Booklist says, "Romance novels don't get much better than Mallery's expert blend of emotional nuance, humor, and superb storytelling," and RT Book Reviews puts her "in a class by herself!" It's no wonder that her books have spent more than 200 weeks on the USA Today bestsellers list.
Although Susan majored in Accounting, she never worked as an accountant because she was published straight out of college with two books the same month. Sixteen prolific years and seventy-four books later, she hit the New York Times bestsellers list for the first time with Accidentally Yours in 2008. She made many appearances in the Top 10 before (finally) hitting #1 in 2015 with Thrill Me, the twentieth book in her most popular series, the Fool's Gold romances, and the fourth of five books released that year.
Susan lives in Washington state with her husband, two ragdoll cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur. Her heart for animals has led Susan to become an active supporter of the Seattle Humane Society. Visit Susan online at www.SusanMallery.com.
Critics have dubbed Mallery "the new queen of romantic fiction." (Walmart) Booklist says, "Romance novels don't get much better than Mallery's expert blend of emotional nuance, humor, and superb storytelling," and RT Book Reviews puts her "in a class by herself!" It's no wonder that her books have spent more than 200 weeks on the USA Today bestsellers list.
Although Susan majored in Accounting, she never worked as an accountant because she was published straight out of college with two books the same month. Sixteen prolific years and seventy-four books later, she hit the New York Times bestsellers list for the first time with Accidentally Yours in 2008. She made many appearances in the Top 10 before (finally) hitting #1 in 2015 with Thrill Me, the twentieth book in her most popular series, the Fool's Gold romances, and the fourth of five books released that year.
Susan lives in Washington state with her husband, two ragdoll cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur. Her heart for animals has led Susan to become an active supporter of the Seattle Humane Society. Visit Susan online at www.SusanMallery.com.
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March 22, 2024
A rant.
I've just started CHAPTER 2. I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to finish this one. The narration is excellent but the story - first, heroine is Heidi - she has blonde hair which she is wearing in two pigtail plaits and she raises goats and was raised by her grandfather (sound familiar?) I haven't read any of the other Fool's Gold books so I thought maybe the childhood books/fairy tale theme is a gimmick of the series but a quick browse here on GR indicates not. Okay, this is perhaps cute and I could live with it but...
The set up is that Heidi lives with her grandfather Glen, who has sold (all or part, this is not clear to me) of Heidi's farm to May Stryker, mother of hero (I assume he's the hero at least) Rafe. May has paid $250,000 for the farm which Glen did not legally own. It's okay because Glen only did it to raise money for a friend who was dying from cancer and needed treatment. And he's okay now, so it was all worth it! Right?! I don't know how land transactions are done in the US, but here they are done by licensed conveyancers/lawyers and the FIRST thing that happens is a TITLE SEARCH to check who is the legal owner and whether there are any encumbrances (ie a mortgage) on the property. So, I don't even know how this transaction could have taken place. Then I'm told that the successful businessman with the mad skills Rafe SIGNED THE DOCUMENTS TOO!
Rafe comes to town at his mother's request to help her sort it out. Except, when he arrives, she's been talking to Glen and even though he's in his 70's and doesn't have a job and doesn't have any money and Heidi doesn't have any money and most of the farm is in fact owned by the bank who holds her mortgage, May feels confident that they can sort everything out without getting the police involved. When Rafe objects to this, he is shot down by May and Heidi as being cruel and awful. Glen WHO HAS COMMITTED FELONY FRAUD is treated with aw,-shucks,-he-didn't-mean-anything-by-it and that-Glen!-he's-always-getting-into-scrapes type statements.
So, Rafe, who clearly isn't the amazingly astute businessman he is presented as being, is the only one who seems to understand the gravity of the situation. And, this is just CHAPTER ONE.
Chapter two starts with Heidi consulting a lawyer who suggests that Heidi try and come to some arrangement to repay the money (um, okay, as far as it goes, that MIGHT be something that would be relevant to sentencing, because honey, Glen is GUILTY GUILTY GUILTY but how the heck is Heidi going to do this anyway? She's paying a mortgage and has very little money and now she's got a $250,000 debt too?) and also to get the ex-cancer patient in to testify (because then the Judge will have to undersand and let Glen off right?) and THEN, she ADVISES HEIDI TO HAVE SEX WITH RAFE to try and sort it out as that will be the "easiest way". **whimpers**
I needed a break before continuing on.
Tried again. Nope. The plot is so full of WFTery. I don't like any of the characters and I just can't suspend my disbelief enough.
Narration is Tanya Eby's usual very good standard. Story is a fail for me.
I've just started CHAPTER 2. I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to finish this one. The narration is excellent but the story - first, heroine is Heidi - she has blonde hair which she is wearing in two pigtail plaits and she raises goats and was raised by her grandfather (sound familiar?) I haven't read any of the other Fool's Gold books so I thought maybe the childhood books/fairy tale theme is a gimmick of the series but a quick browse here on GR indicates not. Okay, this is perhaps cute and I could live with it but...
The set up is that Heidi lives with her grandfather Glen, who has sold (all or part, this is not clear to me) of Heidi's farm to May Stryker, mother of hero (I assume he's the hero at least) Rafe. May has paid $250,000 for the farm which Glen did not legally own. It's okay because Glen only did it to raise money for a friend who was dying from cancer and needed treatment. And he's okay now, so it was all worth it! Right?! I don't know how land transactions are done in the US, but here they are done by licensed conveyancers/lawyers and the FIRST thing that happens is a TITLE SEARCH to check who is the legal owner and whether there are any encumbrances (ie a mortgage) on the property. So, I don't even know how this transaction could have taken place. Then I'm told that the successful businessman with the mad skills Rafe SIGNED THE DOCUMENTS TOO!
Rafe comes to town at his mother's request to help her sort it out. Except, when he arrives, she's been talking to Glen and even though he's in his 70's and doesn't have a job and doesn't have any money and Heidi doesn't have any money and most of the farm is in fact owned by the bank who holds her mortgage, May feels confident that they can sort everything out without getting the police involved. When Rafe objects to this, he is shot down by May and Heidi as being cruel and awful. Glen WHO HAS COMMITTED FELONY FRAUD is treated with aw,-shucks,-he-didn't-mean-anything-by-it and that-Glen!-he's-always-getting-into-scrapes type statements.
So, Rafe, who clearly isn't the amazingly astute businessman he is presented as being, is the only one who seems to understand the gravity of the situation. And, this is just CHAPTER ONE.
Chapter two starts with Heidi consulting a lawyer who suggests that Heidi try and come to some arrangement to repay the money (um, okay, as far as it goes, that MIGHT be something that would be relevant to sentencing, because honey, Glen is GUILTY GUILTY GUILTY but how the heck is Heidi going to do this anyway? She's paying a mortgage and has very little money and now she's got a $250,000 debt too?) and also to get the ex-cancer patient in to testify (because then the Judge will have to undersand and let Glen off right?) and THEN, she ADVISES HEIDI TO HAVE SEX WITH RAFE to try and sort it out as that will be the "easiest way". **whimpers**
I needed a break before continuing on.
Tried again. Nope. The plot is so full of WFTery. I don't like any of the characters and I just can't suspend my disbelief enough.
Narration is Tanya Eby's usual very good standard. Story is a fail for me.
May 29, 2012
Originally posted at Romance Around the Corner
Note: this review is long, contains spoilers and is a bit ranty. You have been warned.
Summer Days is the newest installment in a series that’s become a representative of small town romances joining the likes of Virgin River, Shelter Bay and Destiny. This is the 7th book in the series, and although the characters were introduced in the previous books, it stands alone perfectly well.
Heidi Simpson and her grandfather are the most recent residents of Fool’s Gold. They live in a farm outside of town where she raises goats and makes cheese. Yes, there’s another Heidi quite like this one. She’s happy to finally have a steady home because she grew up on a carnival going from town to town, and even though her childhood was happy, she longed for a steadier existence. But her grandfather is an irresponsible fool who’s about to jeopardize all that took lots of hard work to build. His friend has cancer and needs a lot of money to save his life, so grandpa decides to sell the farm in order to get the money. Problem one: he doesn’t plan to actually give up the farm; problem two: the farm isn’t his to sell because Heidi is the actual owner. So when the buyer takes them to court for fraud, they both can end up in jail, even if she didn’t know about it.
The logical thing is that they must give the farm to the buyers, pay the money back and/or go to jail, right? Well, there’s nothing logical about this book and this is when things start to go downhill. Since they can’t pay the money, and they won’t leave the farm (are you wondering why no one forces them out, the police, maybe?) the judge goes for the next best thing (no, not jail!): Heidi, grandpa and the buyer must go live together in the farm and figure out what to do about it all. The only one that’s slightly rational and angry about all this is our hero, Rafe Striker, the buyer’s son. They all used to live in the farm, many years ago. They were dirt poor and Rafe had to take care of his mother and siblings after their father died. Now, a self-made tycoon, he can’t understand why his mother would want to go back to a place filled with sad memories, and wants to see Heidi and her grandfather in jail. But his mother, who’s even more foolish than everyone else in the book put together, tells him to do nothing against them, so instead he also moves in to keep an eye on things.
Can you guess what comes next? I bet you can: Heidi and Rafe fall in love and (Spoiler Alert!) So do grandpa and mom. There’s also the necessary sequel bait, a matchmaker, an estranged sister that’s actually the book’s highlight, and a ridiculous misunderstanding that leads to an almost book-meet-wall moment.
This book didn’t work for me, and I think it’s quite clear why. The setting is too unbelievable to work. This is a Contemporary Romance so I expect it to make sense, not much, but enough as not to be distracting. I know that in real life hot tycoons don’t fall for goat girls, but I draw the line at plot devices like the one found in Summer Days. The grandfather broke the law, he should pay the money back or give up the farm, and maybe go to jail.
Perhaps I’m being too harsh, but this is not the only issue I had with the book. I can suspend disbelief and enjoy farfetched plots, but everything else has to work. Unfortunately, I also found the characters lacking. Heidi reads way too similar to previous heroines in the series, the triplets in particular. There’s no uniqueness to her, yes, she has the goats and the farm, she’s cute, she wants to belong, her friend died, etc. Is not that I didn’t like her, but I didn’t care for her one way or the other, she was bland. Also, there’s a pattern here: Charity, book one’s heroine, was cute, wanted to belong and a family; Dakota, book four’s heroine, was also cute, and desperately wanted a baby and her own family; and now Heidi, has similar wants and personality to them (and those goats sure are cute).
Rafe was quite typical. Grew up poor and now is rich, has daddy, mommy and commitment issues, but he wants a family, so he hires a matchmaker to find him the perfect wife. This matchmaker is wasted in the story because the fact that he’s looking for someone is not a cause for conflict. Heidi finds about it once they are together, and she gets upset just to forgive him immediately. I liked him because he’s the character with the most common sense, although to be fair Heidi isn’t happy with the situation either, but he also lacked chemistry with Heidi. I couldn’t picture them together, didn’t see why they fell for each other and I wasn’t emotionally invested in them as a couple.
The only secondary character that I thoroughly enjoyed, and she only has a tiny role so I wouldn’t even call her secondary, is Rafe’s estranged sister. She has more personality than everyone else in the book, and her background was very interesting and great for a potential story. However, I’m not even sure if she’s going to be a recurrent secondary character, maybe she will get a novella and her hero will be Rafe’s lawyer, I hope so. I just wish I had read her story instead.
And finally, the book-meet-wall moment. This is a spoiler so look away if you don’t want to know. Rafe wants to develop the farm’s land and build some condos. Heidi freaks out when she finds about it, but instead of confronting him, she fakes some cave paintings to fool the town and the archaeologist into preserving the area. Thankfully, the plan fails, but not before I was infuriated, needless to say she doesn’t go to jail for this either. She never confronts him, she just assumes that the only reason he’s been sleeping with her is to take away her land. It’s not her land, at least not until they pay the money back. But even if it were, why not talk to him. There was so much miscommunication, unbelievable plot developments and immature characters that I’m amazed I was able to finish the book.
Having said all that, there are plenty of positive reviews out there, including some from bloggers I respect and follow. Maybe I found the setting so unbelievable that I became predisposed, which, in turn, made me unable to enjoy the rest. Perhaps you will enjoy it more than I did.
ETA: now that I've read Kaetrin's review, I remembered another WTF part. Heidi's lawyer suggests Heidi to do anything possible to make Rafe like her and drop the charges, and by anything possible I mean sleep with him. Yes, this is one good lawyer right there, did I mention the lawyer's a woman? No? Well, there you go. I was very nice when I gave this book a two.
Source: we received an e-ARC of the book through NetGalley for review purposes.
Note: this review is long, contains spoilers and is a bit ranty. You have been warned.
Summer Days is the newest installment in a series that’s become a representative of small town romances joining the likes of Virgin River, Shelter Bay and Destiny. This is the 7th book in the series, and although the characters were introduced in the previous books, it stands alone perfectly well.
Heidi Simpson and her grandfather are the most recent residents of Fool’s Gold. They live in a farm outside of town where she raises goats and makes cheese. Yes, there’s another Heidi quite like this one. She’s happy to finally have a steady home because she grew up on a carnival going from town to town, and even though her childhood was happy, she longed for a steadier existence. But her grandfather is an irresponsible fool who’s about to jeopardize all that took lots of hard work to build. His friend has cancer and needs a lot of money to save his life, so grandpa decides to sell the farm in order to get the money. Problem one: he doesn’t plan to actually give up the farm; problem two: the farm isn’t his to sell because Heidi is the actual owner. So when the buyer takes them to court for fraud, they both can end up in jail, even if she didn’t know about it.
The logical thing is that they must give the farm to the buyers, pay the money back and/or go to jail, right? Well, there’s nothing logical about this book and this is when things start to go downhill. Since they can’t pay the money, and they won’t leave the farm (are you wondering why no one forces them out, the police, maybe?) the judge goes for the next best thing (no, not jail!): Heidi, grandpa and the buyer must go live together in the farm and figure out what to do about it all. The only one that’s slightly rational and angry about all this is our hero, Rafe Striker, the buyer’s son. They all used to live in the farm, many years ago. They were dirt poor and Rafe had to take care of his mother and siblings after their father died. Now, a self-made tycoon, he can’t understand why his mother would want to go back to a place filled with sad memories, and wants to see Heidi and her grandfather in jail. But his mother, who’s even more foolish than everyone else in the book put together, tells him to do nothing against them, so instead he also moves in to keep an eye on things.
Can you guess what comes next? I bet you can: Heidi and Rafe fall in love and (Spoiler Alert!) So do grandpa and mom. There’s also the necessary sequel bait, a matchmaker, an estranged sister that’s actually the book’s highlight, and a ridiculous misunderstanding that leads to an almost book-meet-wall moment.
This book didn’t work for me, and I think it’s quite clear why. The setting is too unbelievable to work. This is a Contemporary Romance so I expect it to make sense, not much, but enough as not to be distracting. I know that in real life hot tycoons don’t fall for goat girls, but I draw the line at plot devices like the one found in Summer Days. The grandfather broke the law, he should pay the money back or give up the farm, and maybe go to jail.
Perhaps I’m being too harsh, but this is not the only issue I had with the book. I can suspend disbelief and enjoy farfetched plots, but everything else has to work. Unfortunately, I also found the characters lacking. Heidi reads way too similar to previous heroines in the series, the triplets in particular. There’s no uniqueness to her, yes, she has the goats and the farm, she’s cute, she wants to belong, her friend died, etc. Is not that I didn’t like her, but I didn’t care for her one way or the other, she was bland. Also, there’s a pattern here: Charity, book one’s heroine, was cute, wanted to belong and a family; Dakota, book four’s heroine, was also cute, and desperately wanted a baby and her own family; and now Heidi, has similar wants and personality to them (and those goats sure are cute).
Rafe was quite typical. Grew up poor and now is rich, has daddy, mommy and commitment issues, but he wants a family, so he hires a matchmaker to find him the perfect wife. This matchmaker is wasted in the story because the fact that he’s looking for someone is not a cause for conflict. Heidi finds about it once they are together, and she gets upset just to forgive him immediately. I liked him because he’s the character with the most common sense, although to be fair Heidi isn’t happy with the situation either, but he also lacked chemistry with Heidi. I couldn’t picture them together, didn’t see why they fell for each other and I wasn’t emotionally invested in them as a couple.
The only secondary character that I thoroughly enjoyed, and she only has a tiny role so I wouldn’t even call her secondary, is Rafe’s estranged sister. She has more personality than everyone else in the book, and her background was very interesting and great for a potential story. However, I’m not even sure if she’s going to be a recurrent secondary character, maybe she will get a novella and her hero will be Rafe’s lawyer, I hope so. I just wish I had read her story instead.
And finally, the book-meet-wall moment. This is a spoiler so look away if you don’t want to know. Rafe wants to develop the farm’s land and build some condos. Heidi freaks out when she finds about it, but instead of confronting him, she fakes some cave paintings to fool the town and the archaeologist into preserving the area. Thankfully, the plan fails, but not before I was infuriated, needless to say she doesn’t go to jail for this either. She never confronts him, she just assumes that the only reason he’s been sleeping with her is to take away her land. It’s not her land, at least not until they pay the money back. But even if it were, why not talk to him. There was so much miscommunication, unbelievable plot developments and immature characters that I’m amazed I was able to finish the book.
Having said all that, there are plenty of positive reviews out there, including some from bloggers I respect and follow. Maybe I found the setting so unbelievable that I became predisposed, which, in turn, made me unable to enjoy the rest. Perhaps you will enjoy it more than I did.
ETA: now that I've read Kaetrin's review, I remembered another WTF part. Heidi's lawyer suggests Heidi to do anything possible to make Rafe like her and drop the charges, and by anything possible I mean sleep with him. Yes, this is one good lawyer right there, did I mention the lawyer's a woman? No? Well, there you go. I was very nice when I gave this book a two.
Source: we received an e-ARC of the book through NetGalley for review purposes.
February 11, 2020
SUMMER DAYS is the seventh book in the Fools Gold series and I can’t believe I waited so long to read this collection of funny and romantic stories. There are forty three books in this series and I’m hoping to get a huge batch of them read this year.
SUMMER DAYS deals with so many different emotions that one minute I was giggling and the next tearing up. Rafe Stryker, the first of the Stryker brothers featured in this series is a perfect and swoon worthy hero. He’s tough, rough under his polished exterior, and throughout SUMMER DAYS you see his softer side coming through. The story begins with Rafe heading to his mother’s rescue over a dispute regarding the home of a new Fool’s Gold resident, Heidi. Heidi owns a goat farm. May is a sweetheart. A little too nice and maybe a little too naïve but her heart is in the right place.
SUMMER DAYS will surely pull at your heart strings and make it very hard for you to put down. If you are like me, you won’t be able to stop until you know what happens to all of these beautiful people in Fools Gold. When he learns his mother was lied to over the purchase of the ranch they grew up on, he immediately takes charge, despite his mother’s understanding of the situation. Going to court, Rafe, his mother May and current owners Heidi Simpson and grandfather Glen must work together while the courts decide the ownership of the ranch. Before you know it, Rafe and May have moved into Castle Ranch and all kinds of mayhem ensues.
Make yourself a yummy hot drink, get your favorite blanket and get on the couch. SUMMER DAYS is an awesome way to spend the afternoon or evening. I’m so excited to continue with the Fools Gold series and learn more about my new found friends. Each book tells the story of different characters. This series is so easy to follow. The characters are also very believable and you can easily connect with them. Once you start SUMMER DAYS you won’t be able to put it down and will find yourself cheering for Heidi and Rafe as they try to navigate their way through a very different and unique situation. Susan Mallery will pull you in from the very first page and never let you go!
SUMMER DAYS deals with so many different emotions that one minute I was giggling and the next tearing up. Rafe Stryker, the first of the Stryker brothers featured in this series is a perfect and swoon worthy hero. He’s tough, rough under his polished exterior, and throughout SUMMER DAYS you see his softer side coming through. The story begins with Rafe heading to his mother’s rescue over a dispute regarding the home of a new Fool’s Gold resident, Heidi. Heidi owns a goat farm. May is a sweetheart. A little too nice and maybe a little too naïve but her heart is in the right place.
SUMMER DAYS will surely pull at your heart strings and make it very hard for you to put down. If you are like me, you won’t be able to stop until you know what happens to all of these beautiful people in Fools Gold. When he learns his mother was lied to over the purchase of the ranch they grew up on, he immediately takes charge, despite his mother’s understanding of the situation. Going to court, Rafe, his mother May and current owners Heidi Simpson and grandfather Glen must work together while the courts decide the ownership of the ranch. Before you know it, Rafe and May have moved into Castle Ranch and all kinds of mayhem ensues.
Make yourself a yummy hot drink, get your favorite blanket and get on the couch. SUMMER DAYS is an awesome way to spend the afternoon or evening. I’m so excited to continue with the Fools Gold series and learn more about my new found friends. Each book tells the story of different characters. This series is so easy to follow. The characters are also very believable and you can easily connect with them. Once you start SUMMER DAYS you won’t be able to put it down and will find yourself cheering for Heidi and Rafe as they try to navigate their way through a very different and unique situation. Susan Mallery will pull you in from the very first page and never let you go!
July 23, 2015
This is the first Fool’s Gold story that I have read. I have been a fan of Ms Mallery for quite a few years now so I knew that I would enjoy reading any book that she had written and I wasn’t disappointed with this one. Even though this was part of a series Ms Mallery did a great job in telling about things we needed to know which meant that the book can be read as a stand-alone.
Rafe Stryker’s mother had gotten herself into trouble which means that Rafe has to return to Fool’s Gold, a town in which he was born and raised and a town in which he sworn he would never return to! The first person he comes across is Heidi who was the actual owner of the property that his mother had thought she had bought for $250,000. It was in fact Heidi’s grandfather who ‘sold’ the land to May Stryker but of course he did not own it as the ranch belonged to his granddaughter Heidi. Unfortunately he was not in a position to return the money as he had given it to his friend to seek medical treatment as he had cancer. Rafe was determined to get his mother’s money back even if it meant that the old man went to prison and Heidi and her goats was thrown out but May had other ideas and agreed to share the land whilst the courts sorted the matter out.
I liked all the characters that we met and it made me want to go ahead and read the earlier books in the series. I became interested in this town where there was a shortage of men and key positions like Judge, Lawyer, Mayor, Police Chief & Fire Chief were all filled by women.
I liked Rafe and understood why he didn’t want to go back to that town and I liked Heidi too as all she ever wanted was her own place to call home and now Rafe was trying to take that away from her. The only thing I felt that spoiled this book for me was the ending, I liked that Heidi was the one to go and approach Rafe to try to let him know her feelings towards him, but I felt that it was a bit rushed and would have liked to have read more, but then I suppose we will continue to read more about them and other characters within Fool’s Gold in the next installment, which is about Rafe’s brother Shane.
ARC courtesy of the publisher Harlequin via Netgalley
Rafe Stryker’s mother had gotten herself into trouble which means that Rafe has to return to Fool’s Gold, a town in which he was born and raised and a town in which he sworn he would never return to! The first person he comes across is Heidi who was the actual owner of the property that his mother had thought she had bought for $250,000. It was in fact Heidi’s grandfather who ‘sold’ the land to May Stryker but of course he did not own it as the ranch belonged to his granddaughter Heidi. Unfortunately he was not in a position to return the money as he had given it to his friend to seek medical treatment as he had cancer. Rafe was determined to get his mother’s money back even if it meant that the old man went to prison and Heidi and her goats was thrown out but May had other ideas and agreed to share the land whilst the courts sorted the matter out.
I liked all the characters that we met and it made me want to go ahead and read the earlier books in the series. I became interested in this town where there was a shortage of men and key positions like Judge, Lawyer, Mayor, Police Chief & Fire Chief were all filled by women.
I liked Rafe and understood why he didn’t want to go back to that town and I liked Heidi too as all she ever wanted was her own place to call home and now Rafe was trying to take that away from her. The only thing I felt that spoiled this book for me was the ending, I liked that Heidi was the one to go and approach Rafe to try to let him know her feelings towards him, but I felt that it was a bit rushed and would have liked to have read more, but then I suppose we will continue to read more about them and other characters within Fool’s Gold in the next installment, which is about Rafe’s brother Shane.
ARC courtesy of the publisher Harlequin via Netgalley
November 9, 2015
Oh my gosh. The amount of stupid in the setup is beyond bearing. I'm not through three chapters and I can't stand any more. Rafe is a complete jackwagon, Heidi is an idiot, and her grandfather deserves to be in jail. Which is bad enough, but then the lawyers commit, like, nineteen ethics violations and the judge says random nonsense that comes from a base assumption that Heidi should be culpable for her grandfather's crime. I mean, all Heidi has to do is have a freaking brain and explain to Rafe that if he decides to play hardball and send her grandfather to jail, he can kiss all the money goodbye and the ranch as well. Her lawyer doesn't see this? Really? And that's just the easy stuff to rant on. I could fill another three paragraphs, one each on Glen (the grandfather), Rafe (the dilwad), and Heidi's lawyer (the sex-crazed dingbat). Gah!
June 3, 2015
I absolutely LOVE Susan Mallery. With the continuation of the Fool's Gold Series she does not disappoint in Summer Days which is book 7. The only reason I did not give this a 5/5, and I feel I have to explain, is because I was very upset with Rafes character from the beginning. I really did like the way he fit into his role but maybe it became too real to me. (Those types of men piss me off!) I was disappointed that Rafe did not reunite with his brother Clay in this book. The ending seemed like it was about closure to me, so he could move on and start a new life yet he did not complete it. It seems that Fool's Gold and its characters are becoming more real by the book; which is a great illusion don't get me wrong. I'm just going nuts with my expectations of these characters now because I feel like I know them so well. I will continue to leave the creative writing to Ms. Susan and just keep buying her books. LOL.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 6, 2012
For the past two years I've spent at least part of my summer vacationing (in my mind) in Fool's Gold, California. Now that the Hendrix triplets are married off, it's time for some of the other peripheral characters to get their HEAs. First up is Heidi, the "goat girl," so nicknamed because she keeps a herd of goats and sells cheese and soap made from goat's milk. Her hero is Rafe, a business tycoon whose mother has been swindled by Heidi's grandfather, who "sold" Rafe's mother Heidi's ranch to pay for his friend's cancer treatment. It's a complicated set up. But in a plot development that could only happen in a sitcom or a romance novel, the judge orders Heidi and rafe's mother, May, to share the house until she can make a ruling. So May, and of course Rafe, move in to the old Castle Ranch with Heidi and her grandfather.
I thoroughly enjoy these Fools Gold novels. Susan Mallery has a way of making me love tropes that from another author I'd roll my eyes at. I loved the quick chemistry between Heidi and Rafe, and the way that Heidi brought out the protector in Rafe. And in turn, how Rafe brought out the businesswoman in Heidi. This was a funny, sweet, poignant addition to the Fools Gold series.
I thoroughly enjoy these Fools Gold novels. Susan Mallery has a way of making me love tropes that from another author I'd roll my eyes at. I loved the quick chemistry between Heidi and Rafe, and the way that Heidi brought out the protector in Rafe. And in turn, how Rafe brought out the businesswoman in Heidi. This was a funny, sweet, poignant addition to the Fools Gold series.
December 26, 2015
Otro libro bonito,tierno,pastelosillo (en su justa medida) y romántico para pasar un rato muy muy agradable y entretenido.
Me gusta mucho el estilo ágil y nada emperifollado de la autora. Si bien el fondo de todas las historias es el mismo, consigue que cada pareja tenga algo especial y resulta muy bonito.
Con la historia de Heidi y Rafe me he visto sonriendo y suspirando como una boba. Hay personajes muy entrañables y muchos mensajes que aprender.
Y como estoy en racha,me voy a por el siguiente. El entrañable pueblo de Fool's Gold me tiene atrapada.
Reseña completa: http://ifantasiasyrelatos.blogspot.co...
Me gusta mucho el estilo ágil y nada emperifollado de la autora. Si bien el fondo de todas las historias es el mismo, consigue que cada pareja tenga algo especial y resulta muy bonito.
Con la historia de Heidi y Rafe me he visto sonriendo y suspirando como una boba. Hay personajes muy entrañables y muchos mensajes que aprender.
Y como estoy en racha,me voy a por el siguiente. El entrañable pueblo de Fool's Gold me tiene atrapada.
Reseña completa: http://ifantasiasyrelatos.blogspot.co...
May 29, 2012
Posted at Yummy Men & Kick Ass Chicks
(Just a heads up before I begin my review: I am not going to write actual spoilers in this review (as in I will not tell you about how things turn out) but I will be talking about many events that occurred in the book.)
Summer Days is the seventh book in Susan Mallery’s Fool’s Gold series. I have not read the previous books and I didn’t feel as though I was missing any vital information. I deem this book a stand-alone. I have heard countless wonderful things about this author – her contemporaries are favorites among many bloggers. So when I saw Summer Days up for review, I jumped at the chance to read it. And even though I enjoyed the author’s voice (which was a tad repetitive but otherwise quite lovely), I didn’t enjoy the “gaps” in the characters feelings when it came to many of the events in this story.
Let me explain.
First off, let’s meet the major characters: Heidi is the main heroine. Glen is her grand-father. May is a lovely yet an odd sort of woman and Rafe is May’s eldest son, the book’s main hero and a super rich and successful business developer. The book begins with Rafe heading back to the town he grew up in, Fool’s Gold, in order to help his mother deal with a little issue. Of course this issue isn’t little, but the way most people react to it you would think it was a tiny little insignificant thing. You see, Heidi owns a ranch. She has never really known what it was like being settled in one spot (thanks to her carnie upbringing) and finally buys a ranch where she raises eight goats. She sells goat milk soap and cheese. She lives there with her grand-father, the man who raised her since the age of three after her parents passed away. This ranch is her first real home. She is super happy. You with me so far? Okay. Glen’s friend was diagnosed with cancer and needed treatment to live. At his age, he couldn’t get insurance so he was basically dead. Glen couldn’t let that happen so he “pretend” sold Heidi’s ranch to May for $250,000. After handing over the money, May shows up to claim the property only to see that she’s been swindled by Glen. Heidi is a little ticked but can’t seem to be too upset because Glen is her grand-father and he took her in when she was just a toddler and blah blah blah.
Yeah, and he’s also the man who just sold YOUR home to someone and doesn’t see anything wrong with what he did!!!
May is all “Oh, that’s okay. I’m sure we can work something out” and Heidi is all “Oh that Glen. He’s always doing things like this. He has such a big heart though” and Glen is all “Ooo May is some woman. I like her.*wink wink*” All the while, Rafe is having a stroke and can’t believe he’s even walked into this situation!
I think Rafe is the only one here with any sense. While I appreciate that no one wanted to make a big deal out of this and want to settle this out of court (well, everyone but Rafe), I didn’t understand the characters reaction. At all.
And that’s not all I didn’t understand.
The lot of them are told by a judge that until she has time to review this properly, they must all work together and see if a solution can be reached. (By the way, I would love for a real judge or lawyer to read this book and to tell me if any of what the judge says or does makes any sense, from having everyone involved ‘work things out for now’ to her holding Heidi responsible for her grand-father’s actions. I honestly wonder if that would happen for realz.) So after hearing the judges temporary decision, May decides to move into the ranch house (with Rafe of course who at this point just wants to go home to San Francisco to resume his successful busy glamorous life) and decides to go all out and renovate the ranch. The fence, the barn…name it, May is fixing it. Oh, and she buys an elephant. An elephant! And no one tells her “you’re a little crazy May”. She really is a sweet character but I just didn’t understand why it was okay for her to blow so much money on stuff and more stuff all the time without having to really explain herself! She’s lived a crap life and she deserves happiness for sure. But c’mon! An elephant!
And the final thing that really really bothered me was Heidi’s little plan. Everyone has plans for the ranch. Heidi finds out Rafe’s ideas for the land and realizes that she needs to stall his plans so in order to have a little more time to convince the judge that she can pay May back. (Why she is stuck paying back is beyond me too. It was Glen’s mistake yet Heidi is suffering from it. And not once does she go ape-sh*t on his a**!) Heidi’s plan is well…stupid. It didn’t really advance the story at all. All it did really was show the reader that Heidi’s friends are crazy for suggesting the idea in the first place and that Heidi, when desperate, will listen to anything.
That is all the detail I am going to give you. There is more to this story of course. There is a matchmaker and a traveling carnival and family feuds and reconciliations and lots of past heartache and many lessons about love. All stuff you expect to see in a romance books. Well, except maybe the carnies. You wouldn’t really expect that but they did make sense in the larger scope of the story I suppose.
I liked Rafe’s character. Don’t get me wrong here: Rafe is a jerk. But his character grows so much in this book, it’s great to watch. His story line actually made the most sense. May is cute but a little much. Glen…I just wanted to shake him and ask him why he shows no real remorse for what he did. Oh, he says sorry and all that but he never really seems to mean it. That REALLY bothered me. Remorse is one of the most important things you can teach a person. Children need to understand that there are consequences for their actions and that if you hurt someone by doing something, YOU must be held accountable. Glen apparently missed that lesson while growing up. And Heidi… I quite liked her but that one plan of hers really soiled my opinion of her. But other than that, I liked her. She’s spunky.
I enjoyed the romance in Summer Days. It’s a slow and naturally built romance. No one jumps anyone at the first sign of a penis. It was sweet and, in a crazy sort of way, Rafe and Heidi made a very good match.
I will most likely try another one of Susan’s books sometime soon. I did like her writing and her romance. I just didn’t like how the characters almost seemed numb over things that most normal people would be infuriated by. The next book in the series, Summer Nights, is Shane (Rafe’s brother) and Annabelle’s (the local librarian and Heidi’s friend) story. I really liked Shane in Summer Days and I am very curious about him. I may give his book a try. (I’m assuming there will be no elephants in his story.)
As for Summer Days, I feel most people will find it adorable. There is a secondary romance that it actually sort of cute…in an odd twisted sort of way. The characters are endearing even if they are frustrating. What I am saying is that just because I didn’t love the book doesn’t mean you won’t. If you are a fan of Ms Mallery’s books, give it a try. Then email me and tell me if I’m the only one who was driven bonkers by the characters reactions to things and by Glen’s lack of remorse.
2.5 stars
(Just a heads up before I begin my review: I am not going to write actual spoilers in this review (as in I will not tell you about how things turn out) but I will be talking about many events that occurred in the book.)
Summer Days is the seventh book in Susan Mallery’s Fool’s Gold series. I have not read the previous books and I didn’t feel as though I was missing any vital information. I deem this book a stand-alone. I have heard countless wonderful things about this author – her contemporaries are favorites among many bloggers. So when I saw Summer Days up for review, I jumped at the chance to read it. And even though I enjoyed the author’s voice (which was a tad repetitive but otherwise quite lovely), I didn’t enjoy the “gaps” in the characters feelings when it came to many of the events in this story.
Let me explain.
First off, let’s meet the major characters: Heidi is the main heroine. Glen is her grand-father. May is a lovely yet an odd sort of woman and Rafe is May’s eldest son, the book’s main hero and a super rich and successful business developer. The book begins with Rafe heading back to the town he grew up in, Fool’s Gold, in order to help his mother deal with a little issue. Of course this issue isn’t little, but the way most people react to it you would think it was a tiny little insignificant thing. You see, Heidi owns a ranch. She has never really known what it was like being settled in one spot (thanks to her carnie upbringing) and finally buys a ranch where she raises eight goats. She sells goat milk soap and cheese. She lives there with her grand-father, the man who raised her since the age of three after her parents passed away. This ranch is her first real home. She is super happy. You with me so far? Okay. Glen’s friend was diagnosed with cancer and needed treatment to live. At his age, he couldn’t get insurance so he was basically dead. Glen couldn’t let that happen so he “pretend” sold Heidi’s ranch to May for $250,000. After handing over the money, May shows up to claim the property only to see that she’s been swindled by Glen. Heidi is a little ticked but can’t seem to be too upset because Glen is her grand-father and he took her in when she was just a toddler and blah blah blah.
Yeah, and he’s also the man who just sold YOUR home to someone and doesn’t see anything wrong with what he did!!!
May is all “Oh, that’s okay. I’m sure we can work something out” and Heidi is all “Oh that Glen. He’s always doing things like this. He has such a big heart though” and Glen is all “Ooo May is some woman. I like her.*wink wink*” All the while, Rafe is having a stroke and can’t believe he’s even walked into this situation!
I think Rafe is the only one here with any sense. While I appreciate that no one wanted to make a big deal out of this and want to settle this out of court (well, everyone but Rafe), I didn’t understand the characters reaction. At all.
And that’s not all I didn’t understand.
The lot of them are told by a judge that until she has time to review this properly, they must all work together and see if a solution can be reached. (By the way, I would love for a real judge or lawyer to read this book and to tell me if any of what the judge says or does makes any sense, from having everyone involved ‘work things out for now’ to her holding Heidi responsible for her grand-father’s actions. I honestly wonder if that would happen for realz.) So after hearing the judges temporary decision, May decides to move into the ranch house (with Rafe of course who at this point just wants to go home to San Francisco to resume his successful busy glamorous life) and decides to go all out and renovate the ranch. The fence, the barn…name it, May is fixing it. Oh, and she buys an elephant. An elephant! And no one tells her “you’re a little crazy May”. She really is a sweet character but I just didn’t understand why it was okay for her to blow so much money on stuff and more stuff all the time without having to really explain herself! She’s lived a crap life and she deserves happiness for sure. But c’mon! An elephant!
And the final thing that really really bothered me was Heidi’s little plan. Everyone has plans for the ranch. Heidi finds out Rafe’s ideas for the land and realizes that she needs to stall his plans so in order to have a little more time to convince the judge that she can pay May back. (Why she is stuck paying back is beyond me too. It was Glen’s mistake yet Heidi is suffering from it. And not once does she go ape-sh*t on his a**!) Heidi’s plan is well…stupid. It didn’t really advance the story at all. All it did really was show the reader that Heidi’s friends are crazy for suggesting the idea in the first place and that Heidi, when desperate, will listen to anything.
That is all the detail I am going to give you. There is more to this story of course. There is a matchmaker and a traveling carnival and family feuds and reconciliations and lots of past heartache and many lessons about love. All stuff you expect to see in a romance books. Well, except maybe the carnies. You wouldn’t really expect that but they did make sense in the larger scope of the story I suppose.
I liked Rafe’s character. Don’t get me wrong here: Rafe is a jerk. But his character grows so much in this book, it’s great to watch. His story line actually made the most sense. May is cute but a little much. Glen…I just wanted to shake him and ask him why he shows no real remorse for what he did. Oh, he says sorry and all that but he never really seems to mean it. That REALLY bothered me. Remorse is one of the most important things you can teach a person. Children need to understand that there are consequences for their actions and that if you hurt someone by doing something, YOU must be held accountable. Glen apparently missed that lesson while growing up. And Heidi… I quite liked her but that one plan of hers really soiled my opinion of her. But other than that, I liked her. She’s spunky.
I enjoyed the romance in Summer Days. It’s a slow and naturally built romance. No one jumps anyone at the first sign of a penis. It was sweet and, in a crazy sort of way, Rafe and Heidi made a very good match.
I will most likely try another one of Susan’s books sometime soon. I did like her writing and her romance. I just didn’t like how the characters almost seemed numb over things that most normal people would be infuriated by. The next book in the series, Summer Nights, is Shane (Rafe’s brother) and Annabelle’s (the local librarian and Heidi’s friend) story. I really liked Shane in Summer Days and I am very curious about him. I may give his book a try. (I’m assuming there will be no elephants in his story.)
As for Summer Days, I feel most people will find it adorable. There is a secondary romance that it actually sort of cute…in an odd twisted sort of way. The characters are endearing even if they are frustrating. What I am saying is that just because I didn’t love the book doesn’t mean you won’t. If you are a fan of Ms Mallery’s books, give it a try. Then email me and tell me if I’m the only one who was driven bonkers by the characters reactions to things and by Glen’s lack of remorse.
2.5 stars
July 20, 2019
Summer Days
2 Stars
When his mother is the apparent victim of a wily conman, Rafe Stryker does the unthinkable and returns to Fool's Gold and Castle Ranch. Although the place is anathema to him, Rafe swears to retake it even if it means displacing the current owner, Heidi Simpson. But, Heidi and Rafe find themselves inexplicably drawn to each other, and Heidi realizes that she will have to choose between the man she loves and the home she has always wanted.
The love-hate romance between Heidi and Rafe is intense and satisfying. Unfortunately, the rest of the plot is completely illogical.
***Spoilers Ahead***
To begin with, it is difficult to suspend disbelief and accept that a savvy businessman like Rafe would neglect to research the property his mother was buying, or that he would sign a document without reading it. Moreover, the land Heidi owns is worth a great deal more than the $250,000 her grandfather swindled from Rafe's mother. It beggars belief that a judge would award it entirely to Rafe even considering Heidi's questionable actions.
Another weak point is the characterization. Rafe's mother, May, is a dingbat, to say the least, and her eBay spending spree is simply ridiculous. Heidi's grandfather, Glen is a womanizer and a con artist. He defrauded May, but everyone behaves as if he's a misunderstood old man with a heart of gold.
Rafe and Heidi have great chemistry, but they are constantly lying to one another. Rafe is also a callous jerk who has no qualms evicting Heidi even after he realizes his feelings for her. Not cool!
Overall, not one of the better installments in this series.
2 Stars
When his mother is the apparent victim of a wily conman, Rafe Stryker does the unthinkable and returns to Fool's Gold and Castle Ranch. Although the place is anathema to him, Rafe swears to retake it even if it means displacing the current owner, Heidi Simpson. But, Heidi and Rafe find themselves inexplicably drawn to each other, and Heidi realizes that she will have to choose between the man she loves and the home she has always wanted.
The love-hate romance between Heidi and Rafe is intense and satisfying. Unfortunately, the rest of the plot is completely illogical.
***Spoilers Ahead***
To begin with, it is difficult to suspend disbelief and accept that a savvy businessman like Rafe would neglect to research the property his mother was buying, or that he would sign a document without reading it. Moreover, the land Heidi owns is worth a great deal more than the $250,000 her grandfather swindled from Rafe's mother. It beggars belief that a judge would award it entirely to Rafe even considering Heidi's questionable actions.
Another weak point is the characterization. Rafe's mother, May, is a dingbat, to say the least, and her eBay spending spree is simply ridiculous. Heidi's grandfather, Glen is a womanizer and a con artist. He defrauded May, but everyone behaves as if he's a misunderstood old man with a heart of gold.
Rafe and Heidi have great chemistry, but they are constantly lying to one another. Rafe is also a callous jerk who has no qualms evicting Heidi even after he realizes his feelings for her. Not cool!
Overall, not one of the better installments in this series.
October 12, 2023
12/16-19/17 - 1 star - Apparently I was much more forgiving 5 years ago because this time I absolutely hated this book. It was full of judgmental and deceptive and just plain stupid people. First of all, Heidi's grandfather Glen sells a ranch he doesn't own, but because he didn't keep the money and used it to help a friend, somehow everyone thought it was OK, even Heidi who totally got screwed out of everything and was forced to pay back the $250K loan! Then when Rafe makes some business decisions (they're just in the planning stages, people, and nothing's been done yet!) in Fool's Gold, Heidi gets pissed and proceeds to stupidly try to dupe the whole town, but somehow she's forgiven and he's the bad guy. Heidi actually did something criminal (along with Annabelle), but no one seemed to care. They even joked about going to jail and/or losing their jobs, but they still didn't seem to have any real sense of the consequences. I didn't understand that one at all. And all of Rafe's family thinks he's a jerk because when he started taking care of them when he was just a child and his father died, he admittedly handled it pretty crudely--bossing everyone around while still supporting and being totally loyal to them. So now he's the villain of the family. I noticed they didn't mind taking his money, though. And everyone was mad at Rafe for making decisions without talking to anyone, but no one consulted with him either, so there were a lot of people working at cross purposes. But, again, Rafe was wrong and everyone else was fine. I mean, even the town decided to choose sides and made up buttons for Team Rafe or Team Heidi. Can you imagine? How judgmental can you get? And pretty short-sighted too, since his business venture would ultimately help the town. Can you tell I'm on Team Rafe? Although he did make some pretty bonehead moves by signing paperwork without even looking at it. Hard to understand how he was such a savvy and successful businessman. Tanya Eby did a fine job of narrating, but I was so angry through so much of the book that I really can't give it more than 1 star. It was overwhelmingly judgmental and sent a very bad message, in my opinion. Basically, if you're part of the town, you're "family" and good, no matter what you do. If someone decides you've done something wrong, then you're immediately an outsider and you're bad, with little hope of getting back in anyone's good graces. I guess every author is allowed a disappointing book now and then, so I'll continue with the series, but I sure hope things turn around with Annabelle and Shane's story.
6/17-21/12 - 3 stars - After reading all of the previous books of this series and looking forward to this one, I was quite disappointed. The whole premise of the "romance" is based on dishonesty. Although they tried to makes it seem as though it was for a good cause, I had trouble accepting the notion that the end justifies the means. I'm still giving it 3 stars, though, because I enjoyed the continuation of favorite characters and the camaraderie found in the small town of Fool's Gold. Definitely my least favorite so far.
6/17-21/12 - 3 stars - After reading all of the previous books of this series and looking forward to this one, I was quite disappointed. The whole premise of the "romance" is based on dishonesty. Although they tried to makes it seem as though it was for a good cause, I had trouble accepting the notion that the end justifies the means. I'm still giving it 3 stars, though, because I enjoyed the continuation of favorite characters and the camaraderie found in the small town of Fool's Gold. Definitely my least favorite so far.
July 29, 2016
Dias De Verano es el septimo libro de la saga Fool´s Gold y tiene como protagonistas a Heidi ( personaje secundario en el libro anterior ) y Rafe, un nuevo personaje.
Cuando inicie la lectura tuve la sensacion de que este libro no conseguiria gustarme tanto como los anteriores, principalmente porque no sabia que esperar de estos nuevos personajes, en este libro la mayoria de personajes son nuevos excepto algunos que conocemos brevemente de las historias anteriores, pero ya no hay breves apariciones de los protagonistas de los primeros libros, precisamente por eso esta historia no me gusto tanto, estos nuevos personajes no me transmiten tanto como en su momento lo hicieron Ethan, Liz, Dakota, Montana, Pia, etc, ademas la trama me parecio bastante floja y un poco cogida con pinzas. Desde mi punto de vista el peor de la serie por el momento.
2 Estrellas!
September 3, 2021
Second reading: OK, I made it all the way through this time and have bumped my rating up to 2.5. Heidi's grandfather's dishonesty, May's annoying behavior about it, and Heidi's really, bad decision to also act dishonestly, along with Charlie's and Annabelle's participation, all get a 1-star rating. The rest of the story gets a 3. I own most of this series but this one is not a keeper and I've returned it to the library.
First reading: Wow. Surprisingly bad. 1 star DNF. I didn't like the characters at all. The hero's mom was very annoying and the grandfather was a dishonest con man. I only made it through about three chapters, then skipped to the end. Very disappointing but I'm reading Book 8 right now which is MUCH better.
First reading: Wow. Surprisingly bad. 1 star DNF. I didn't like the characters at all. The hero's mom was very annoying and the grandfather was a dishonest con man. I only made it through about three chapters, then skipped to the end. Very disappointing but I'm reading Book 8 right now which is MUCH better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 17, 2021
Land disputes, goats and an elephant all add to the charm of this quirky community. Romance and humor are all part of the package in Fool's Gold, California.
September 6, 2012
I found myself having a love/hate relationship with this book, and it all revolves around the main plot.
Heidi’s grandfather, Glen, sells May ranch land for $250,000. Well meaning, the only problem is…it isn’t his land to sell. Rafe returns to Fool’s Gold to help his mother (May) sort out the problem. May feels like the ranch can be shared, and this isn’t a big deal. Rafe, however, sees this as illegal and wants the property or the money back – period. Heidi is upset, but loves her grandfather and knows he didn’t mean to harm anyone
Mild rant:
Now, if you ignore the glaringly obvious flaws in the ranch situation, Rafe and Heidi are true opposites, and I think it lends well to their romance.
There is obvious sexual tension and chemistry, and it was great to see Rafe think about someone else. When he attempts to help Heidi in building her business, it’s not because he sees that as a threat, but rather he likes her enough that he wants her to succeed. He’s not completely heartless, he just wants what he feels (rightfully so) he is owed.
And Heidi doesn’t want to love him; she fears love just as much as he does, despite seeing such healthy relationships amongst her good friends. I loved the interaction we got between Heidi and her girl-friends. They helped add some lightness, and some bumbling assistance to throw some extra curves at Rafe and his “plot” to get Heidi and her grandfather out of the ranch.
If you like the other Fool’s Golds books, you’ll probably like this one. For me, though, the big plot piece just took this book down a few stars for me.
Heidi’s grandfather, Glen, sells May ranch land for $250,000. Well meaning, the only problem is…it isn’t his land to sell. Rafe returns to Fool’s Gold to help his mother (May) sort out the problem. May feels like the ranch can be shared, and this isn’t a big deal. Rafe, however, sees this as illegal and wants the property or the money back – period. Heidi is upset, but loves her grandfather and knows he didn’t mean to harm anyone
Mild rant:
Now, if you ignore the glaringly obvious flaws in the ranch situation, Rafe and Heidi are true opposites, and I think it lends well to their romance.
There is obvious sexual tension and chemistry, and it was great to see Rafe think about someone else. When he attempts to help Heidi in building her business, it’s not because he sees that as a threat, but rather he likes her enough that he wants her to succeed. He’s not completely heartless, he just wants what he feels (rightfully so) he is owed.
And Heidi doesn’t want to love him; she fears love just as much as he does, despite seeing such healthy relationships amongst her good friends. I loved the interaction we got between Heidi and her girl-friends. They helped add some lightness, and some bumbling assistance to throw some extra curves at Rafe and his “plot” to get Heidi and her grandfather out of the ranch.
If you like the other Fool’s Golds books, you’ll probably like this one. For me, though, the big plot piece just took this book down a few stars for me.
July 18, 2016
Rafe Stryker lost both his father and his childhood growing up on Castle Ranch with his mother, two brothers, and his illegitimate little sister. He shouldered much more responsibility than he ought to and since then has grown into a very wealthy businessman, never losing his desire to be in control and take care of what's his. He will do anything to make sure his mom is happy and that includes returning to Fool's Gold and going up against the stubborn but beautiful Heidi Simpson over ownership of Castle Ranch. The Ranch symbolizes stability and a home that Heidi has always wanted. She lost both her parents as a child and was taken in by her grandfather Glen, a traveling carnival worker. Glen always taught her that love was for fools and he always had a way with the ladies. But when he charms Rafe's mother, May, into believing she could have ownership of the ranch, Heidi finds herself in a whole new world of trouble.
While not the most heart-tugging of Fool's Gold romances, this sure was a hilarious one. This was super Rom-Com. Heidi is a carnie who raises goats and just wants to settle down with her somewhat-of-a-con-artist-but-has-a-big-heart grandfather, Glen. I like the innocent, feisty farm-girl character of Heidi vs. the once a cowboy-always-a-cowboy turned businessman Rafe. Like most leading men in Fool's Gold, Rafe likes being in control of his life, a trait which causes him to take control of the lives of those he loves. Basically, his intentions are good, but he acts without thinking. Best part about Rafe? He is a man who can rock a suit in a hot car AND a plaid shirt and jeans on a horse. Overall, this story was very cute and very funny (animal-lovers will love this). But I didn't get as emotionally attached to this story or the characters. Everyone in Fool's Gold will be looking up to Ethan and Liz, as well as Montana and Simon in my eyes.
While not the most heart-tugging of Fool's Gold romances, this sure was a hilarious one. This was super Rom-Com. Heidi is a carnie who raises goats and just wants to settle down with her somewhat-of-a-con-artist-but-has-a-big-heart grandfather, Glen. I like the innocent, feisty farm-girl character of Heidi vs. the once a cowboy-always-a-cowboy turned businessman Rafe. Like most leading men in Fool's Gold, Rafe likes being in control of his life, a trait which causes him to take control of the lives of those he loves. Basically, his intentions are good, but he acts without thinking. Best part about Rafe? He is a man who can rock a suit in a hot car AND a plaid shirt and jeans on a horse. Overall, this story was very cute and very funny (animal-lovers will love this). But I didn't get as emotionally attached to this story or the characters. Everyone in Fool's Gold will be looking up to Ethan and Liz, as well as Montana and Simon in my eyes.
September 1, 2012
3.00 Stars - Contemporary Small Town Romance
There is nothing more Heidi Simpson wants but a stable home in form of Castle Ranch in Fool’s Gold after growing up in the carnival all her life. But to aid a friend’s illness, her grandfather attempts to sell the property to one May Stryker. But alas it wasn’t his property to sell. Henceforth Heidi is now stuck with a rigid court order and a very pissed off May’s ruthless business tycoon of a son, Rafe Stryker.
A very rich man and a successful entrepreneur Rafe wishes to avoid falling in love, settle down and have kids of his own someday soon in a big city. Hence comes the matchmaker to find him the perfect wife. But watching Heidi, aka goat girl, closely, with her goats and innocent pigtails, tempts him to set off his closely planned out future and lose a battle for the first time in his competitive life.
Set in Fool’s Gold, with beautiful dialogues, abundant narration and easy humor, Susan Mallery this time tells the story of the eldest of the Stryker brothers, caught in a property disagreement with the leading lady herself.
There is nothing more Heidi Simpson wants but a stable home in form of Castle Ranch in Fool’s Gold after growing up in the carnival all her life. But to aid a friend’s illness, her grandfather attempts to sell the property to one May Stryker. But alas it wasn’t his property to sell. Henceforth Heidi is now stuck with a rigid court order and a very pissed off May’s ruthless business tycoon of a son, Rafe Stryker.
A very rich man and a successful entrepreneur Rafe wishes to avoid falling in love, settle down and have kids of his own someday soon in a big city. Hence comes the matchmaker to find him the perfect wife. But watching Heidi, aka goat girl, closely, with her goats and innocent pigtails, tempts him to set off his closely planned out future and lose a battle for the first time in his competitive life.
Set in Fool’s Gold, with beautiful dialogues, abundant narration and easy humor, Susan Mallery this time tells the story of the eldest of the Stryker brothers, caught in a property disagreement with the leading lady herself.
May 29, 2012
Another home run for Mallery! Fool's Gold is the land of happy endings and we are lucky enough to get to read another one with Summer Days.
Rafe Stryker, the first of the Stryker brothers featured in Fool's Gold, is a perfect hero. He's tough, rough under his polished exterior, and throughout the book you see his softer side coming through. The book begins with Rafe heading to his mother's rescue over a dispute regarding the home of a new Fool's Gold resident, Heidi. Heidi owns a goat farm. Really, a goat farm! Their love story begins with perfect sexual tension running beneath dislike. As each character sees more depth in each other they grow softer and the passion ignites.
Speaking of passion...it's well written and HOT! We all know the real reason we read Romance Novels and Mallery does it with class that leaves you satisfied.
If you are looking for a nice summer read that won't tax your brain and gives you a happy ending, this is the perfect book. You won't regret your purchase!
Rafe Stryker, the first of the Stryker brothers featured in Fool's Gold, is a perfect hero. He's tough, rough under his polished exterior, and throughout the book you see his softer side coming through. The book begins with Rafe heading to his mother's rescue over a dispute regarding the home of a new Fool's Gold resident, Heidi. Heidi owns a goat farm. Really, a goat farm! Their love story begins with perfect sexual tension running beneath dislike. As each character sees more depth in each other they grow softer and the passion ignites.
Speaking of passion...it's well written and HOT! We all know the real reason we read Romance Novels and Mallery does it with class that leaves you satisfied.
If you are looking for a nice summer read that won't tax your brain and gives you a happy ending, this is the perfect book. You won't regret your purchase!
July 28, 2018
The plot of this book doesn't make any sense except that Fools Gold exists in a world where matchmaking is the primary function of everyone and things like laws and jobs fall second to that. There is no way that Heidi would lose her ranch because someone who doesn't own it frauded someone else into thinking they bought it - and for a fraction of it would actually be worth on the market! What Heidi should have done if she just had to keep her grandfather out of jail for fraud by paying what he stole was sell some of her ranch to developers for a couple of million bucks. She could even have used Rafe's plan, turn it around on him a bit. It's outrageous that she would lose everything while her grandfather didn't have any consequences - he doesn't even have to move because he falls in love with woman he scammed! - and Heidi is never mad about it or anything.
If you can ignore how terrible the plot is, or skip through all the nonsense, the romance part between Heidi and Rafe is pretty good.
If you can ignore how terrible the plot is, or skip through all the nonsense, the romance part between Heidi and Rafe is pretty good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 13, 2012
After reading an intense, exhausting book, I wanted something reliably comfortable and familiar. Summer Days came through nicely, a smooth read with just a small spice of angst. If I were a lawyer I think the plot would make my head hurt, and the writing is a bit repetitive, but it went down nice and easy.
July 28, 2012
Didn't like it. The writing was good and I liked the secondary characters but I had huge issue with the whole set up of this one (i.e. the legality behind the "selling" of the ranch and making Rafe and his mother move in with Heidi and Glen). #7 in the series and it was not good. Glad I decided to wait and get it from the library instead of spending money on it.
October 31, 2020
1.5
Uno de los grandes problemas de este libro es que su trama no tiene sentido y hace aguas. Resumiendo rápido: el abuelo de Heidi vende su rancho, sin ser suyo, a May (la madre del prota) por 250.000 para poder dar ese dinero a un amigo que tiene cancer. Entonces llega Rafe, el hijo, y lleva a todo el mundo ante la jueza. Que básicamente les dice que mientras ella busca antecentes que actúen como si fueran todos co-propietarios. No entraré a explicar todos los detalles pero os podéis hacer una idea.
He leído en otras reseñas que Heidi y Rafe no tienen una personalidad única. Y es cierto. Heidi recuerda sospechosamente a otras heroínas de Fool's Gold. Es demasiado plana. De hecho su personalidad es que es una cabrera. A parte de eso, no hay mucho más.
Rafe al principio es un poco el típio business man que es un capullo egoísta. Pero he de decir que a lo largo del libro va evolucionando un poco. Lo cual se agradece.
Pero en general, como pareja, no me han dicho nada.
Si ha habido algo que me ha puesto de mala leche han sido ciertos comentarios recurrentes. Como que está en el ADN de las mujeres que después de tener sexo creamos un vínculo con el hombre en cuestión. O que el prota busque una compañera de vida que cumpla con requisitos tales como ser intelectual pero no mucho, tener una carrera pero poder renunciar a ella para cuidar a los niños, que sea bonita, etc.
Lo he comentado alguna vez que Mallery es una montaña rusa. Me he encontrado con libros que son del montón, libros que realmente me gustaron y libros a los que les he dado 1 estrella. Y bueno, esto viene a confirmar mi teoría.
De momento tengo ganas de leer la historia de Charlie pero no puedo decir lo mismo de Annabelle :)
Uno de los grandes problemas de este libro es que su trama no tiene sentido y hace aguas. Resumiendo rápido: el abuelo de Heidi vende su rancho, sin ser suyo, a May (la madre del prota) por 250.000 para poder dar ese dinero a un amigo que tiene cancer. Entonces llega Rafe, el hijo, y lleva a todo el mundo ante la jueza. Que básicamente les dice que mientras ella busca antecentes que actúen como si fueran todos co-propietarios. No entraré a explicar todos los detalles pero os podéis hacer una idea.
He leído en otras reseñas que Heidi y Rafe no tienen una personalidad única. Y es cierto. Heidi recuerda sospechosamente a otras heroínas de Fool's Gold. Es demasiado plana. De hecho su personalidad es que es una cabrera. A parte de eso, no hay mucho más.
Rafe al principio es un poco el típio business man que es un capullo egoísta. Pero he de decir que a lo largo del libro va evolucionando un poco. Lo cual se agradece.
Pero en general, como pareja, no me han dicho nada.
Si ha habido algo que me ha puesto de mala leche han sido ciertos comentarios recurrentes. Como que está en el ADN de las mujeres que después de tener sexo creamos un vínculo con el hombre en cuestión. O que el prota busque una compañera de vida que cumpla con requisitos tales como ser intelectual pero no mucho, tener una carrera pero poder renunciar a ella para cuidar a los niños, que sea bonita, etc.
Lo he comentado alguna vez que Mallery es una montaña rusa. Me he encontrado con libros que son del montón, libros que realmente me gustaron y libros a los que les he dado 1 estrella. Y bueno, esto viene a confirmar mi teoría.
De momento tengo ganas de leer la historia de Charlie pero no puedo decir lo mismo de Annabelle :)
June 21, 2017
Fools Gold book 7 is just a light hearted as the others. This easy to read book is perfect for summer! Set in a small town filled with drama, friendship, and family that Susan shares in a way that makes you feel like you are in the middle of it all. I am looking forward to meeting the next set of characters in book 8.
July 31, 2017
No me gusta lo que hace Heidi con las cuevas. Todo por un falso despecho.
Si pudiera le deba 2'5 estrellas, pero le pongo las 3 por ser generosa. Es, de momento, la pareja que menos me ha gustado y que menos me he creído de la serie.
Si pudiera le deba 2'5 estrellas, pero le pongo las 3 por ser generosa. Es, de momento, la pareja que menos me ha gustado y que menos me he creído de la serie.
February 24, 2019
I liked this. I was a little concerned that I wasn't going to like the resolution but actually it came out ok - although I could have done without Heidi's late plot twist! Slightly insufficient grovelling on both sides at times, but a fun read.
January 9, 2022
Oh Lord, this book was so good. I absolutely adore the characters, the plots, the romance and the literal LOL moments.
Susan Mallery is right up there with Debbie Macomber, and that says a lot coming from me.
Susan Mallery is right up there with Debbie Macomber, and that says a lot coming from me.
May 5, 2018
I loved this book!! Love this author!!! I have read quite a bit of her books!! I love this series so far!!
October 3, 2018
This book was a deception 👎🏻
October 24, 2018
Und weiter geht es. Was sich neckt, das küsst sich von Susan Mallery ist der siebte Teil der Fool's Gold Reihe. Es geht um Heidi, welche noch nicht sehr lang in der Kleinstadt lebt. Sie und ihr Großvater leben seit kurzem in der Castle Ranch und züchten dort Ziegen. Als Rafe Stryker wegen eines Grundstückstreites nach Gool's Gold zurück kommt, liegen sich die beiden von Anfang an in den Haaren. Auch May, Rafes Mutter und Glen, Heidis Großvater kommen sich immer näher, was für Rafe und Heidi nichts Positives bedeutet.
Auch dieses Buch hat mir wieder sehr gut gefallen. Verbotene Liebe, Herzschmerz und die große Liebe. Rafe ist mir ein klein bisschen unsympathisch. Alles muss nach seinem Kopf gehen, er muss immer gewinnen. Er sieht zwar ein, dass das falsch ist, dennoch ist es eine Eigenschaft, die mich etwas nervt. Heidi finde ich ziemlich süß. Rafe nennt sie immer Ziegenmädchen, was mich total an die Kinderserie Heidi erinnert, wo Peter immer Ziegenjunge genannt wird.
Die sich rasch entwickelnde Liebesbeziehung und das auf Lieben auf immer und ewig haben wir auch hier. Ich kann noch immer nicht verstehen, wie man nach ein paar Wochen/Monaten sagen kann, dass man eine Person heiraten möchte. Aber gut, so sind diese Bücher nun mal.
Auf jeden Fall freue ich mich schon auf die nächsten Teile.
Auch dieses Buch hat mir wieder sehr gut gefallen. Verbotene Liebe, Herzschmerz und die große Liebe. Rafe ist mir ein klein bisschen unsympathisch. Alles muss nach seinem Kopf gehen, er muss immer gewinnen. Er sieht zwar ein, dass das falsch ist, dennoch ist es eine Eigenschaft, die mich etwas nervt. Heidi finde ich ziemlich süß. Rafe nennt sie immer Ziegenmädchen, was mich total an die Kinderserie Heidi erinnert, wo Peter immer Ziegenjunge genannt wird.
Die sich rasch entwickelnde Liebesbeziehung und das auf Lieben auf immer und ewig haben wir auch hier. Ich kann noch immer nicht verstehen, wie man nach ein paar Wochen/Monaten sagen kann, dass man eine Person heiraten möchte. Aber gut, so sind diese Bücher nun mal.
Auf jeden Fall freue ich mich schon auf die nächsten Teile.
November 22, 2018
Loved this story!
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