Summer Nights (Fool's Gold, Book 8) [Mass Market Paperback]

Susan Mallery (Author)

Book Description

Release date: June 26, 2012 | Series: Fool's Gold (Book 8)

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!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Mallery's prose is luscious and provocative."

-Publishers Weekly

"Romance novels don't get much better than Mallery's expert blend of emotional nuance, humor and superb storytelling."

-Booklist

"An adorable, outspoken heroine and an intense hero...set the sparks flying in Mallery's latest lively, comic, and touching family-centered story."

- Library Journal on Only Yours

"Mallery...excels at creating varied, well-developed characters and an emotion-packed story gently infused with her trademark wit and humor." One of the Top 10 Romances of 2011!

- Booklist on Only Mine

"When it comes to heartfelt contemporary romance, Mallery is in a class by herself."

- RT Book Reviews on Only Yours

From the Author

Dear Reader,

Annabelle Weiss is my gift to all the wonderful librarians who have been so enthusiastic about my books. The Fool's Gold librarian is a firecracker - petite and pretty, a fashion plate in her cute summer dresses and knock-'em-dead heels. Poor Shane Stryker doesn't stand a chance! The horse whisperer is mesmerized by Annabelle from the first moment he spots her - demonstrating the Dance of the Happy Virgin on top of the bar at Jo's. Although he tries to protect his heart, Annabelle will find a way past his defenses.

For a complete list of all of my books in order of publication, visit the Freebies page inside the Members Only section of my website.

Susan Mallery
read. laugh. love.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin HQN (June 26, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 037377687X
• ISBN-13: 978-0373776870
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (94 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #39,867 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Susan Mallery has entertained millions of readers with her witty and emotional stories about women and the relationships that define their lives. She has published more than 100 romance and women's fiction novels, beginning with two books the same month when she was just out of college. Her books have spent more than 120 weeks on the USA Today bestsellers list and have reached as high as #2 on the New York Times bestsellers list (SUMMER NIGHTS, Fool's Gold book 8). Known for her keen insight into human nature and her humorous take on life, Susan Mallery has been described by RT Book Reviews as "in a class by herself!" and was featured as a Red Hot Read in Cosmopolitan Magazine.

With a Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Susan is one of the few writers who can understand her royalty statement. She went on to get a Masters in Writing Popular Fiction and has extensively studied story structure in screenwriting courses, though she has no plans to write for the screen. Her goal, always, is to give readers a story that will move them, populated with characters who feel like real people.

Booklist says, "Novels don't get much better than Mallery's expert blend of emotional nuance, humor, and superb storytelling," and Publisher's Weekly calls her prose "luscious and provocative." Susan appreciates critical praise, but she values praise from her readers even more. She credits her successful career to the loyal readers who rush out to buy each new book on the day it's released.

With the advent of ebooks, Susan's career has soared even higher, and her books make regular appearances on both print and ebook bestsellers lists. She has embraced the Digital Age with a robust website (www.susanmallery.com), an active presence on Facebook (www.facebook.com/susanmallery) and a free Susan Mallery app for the iPhone, iPad, and Android devices (www.mobileroadie.com/apps/susanmallery). At www.foolsgoldca.com, she also provides bonus content such as after-the-happily-ever-after updates for the Fool's Gold romances, her most popular ongoing series.

Born and raised in California, Susan lives with her family in Seattle, where she survives the dreary days of winter with the help of a "happy lamp" and plenty of coffee.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#29 Overall (See top 100 authors)

#9 in Books > Romance > Contemporary

#10 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Contemporary

#10 in Books > Romance

#11 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance

#22 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction

#9 in Books > Romance > Contemporary

#10 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Contemporary

#10 in Books > Romance

#11 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance

#22 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Loving this part of the series! June 26, 2012

By rebecca moe

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Oh, Shane, Shane, Shane. Talk about issues! So adorable, such a genuinely nice guy, and yet so utterly clueless. Based on a few milliseconds of watching a complete stranger dancing on a bar, he proceeds to spend the majority of twenty chapters measuring Annabelle with a flawed yardstick. Even when he realizes what he's done, he keeps on doing it. And yet--I, along with Annabelle, love him anyway. But yeesh, he waits until the very last minute to pull it all together! (And even though you know practically from chapter three how he's going to do it, it was fun to read. If anyone deserved that kind of public spectacle, it would be Shane. And Annabelle, for that matter. He so owed her.) At least we all know that we'll get to see more of them as the series continues, since the book that follows will be about the last of the three friends, Charlie, and the third Stryker brother, Clay, professional model and butt double. (Is it just me, or does anyone else hear Joey from "Friends" in their heads saying, "Al Pacino goes into the shower and bam! there's my butt!")

Again, the animals steal the show. Priscilla the elephant is lonely for a herd, and adopts various other strays into her pack, including a mother cat and her kittens, a pony, and a pig. Misunderstood but beautiful Arabian stallion Khatar is hands down one of my most favorite characters--he obviously sees Annabelle for the not-at-all-Shane's-ex-wife that she is nineteen chapters before his owner. If only horses could talk, he'd have given Shane the tongue lashing that he deserved, like any other self-respecting resident of Fool's Gold would. All in all, this one has me chomping at the bit to read Charlie's story, in the hopes that it will be just as hard to put down.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Another star in the Fool's Gold series June 26, 2012

By Tooncesmom TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Shane Stryker returns to his childhood home in Fool's Gold with the intention of settling down, building a ranch house and stables for his thoroughbreds and maybe finding a plain, simple girl to marry. He's done with passion and drama and wants a woman who is nothing like his glamorous ex-wife. But he's not immune to an attractive woman's charms, and when he spots a breathtaking redhead dancing on the bar at Jo's, he immediately knows his libido is in trouble.

Annabelle Weiss, the town's librarian, is quiet, easygoing and doesn't consider herself anything close to a siren. So why does the handsome cowboy keep her at arm's distance? She has escaped a trophy wife marriage and is done with pretense. She wants to find a man who loves her for herself. She thinks she's found such a man in Shane, but how can she prove it to him when he says she's just like his ex-wife?

Once again, Ms. Gallery brings together the memorable characters in previous Fool's Gold books. Superb pacing, likable three-dimensional characters, snappy dialogue and humor are the trademarks of this series, and Summer Nights does not disappoint. At times, I wanted to knock some sense into Shane who seemed unable to see what a jewel he had in Annabelle, a truly worthy and vibrant heroine (a little bit bad and a whole lot good). I enjoyed the camaraderie between the Strykers, also between the women of Fool's Gold. After getting a taste of firefighter friend Charlie, I can't wait to read her story next.

Mallery proves her mettle in this stellar series. Fun and skillfully written, and the sex ain't bad, either.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Cute, but cluttered June 26, 2012

By C. Aleo

Format:Kindle Edition

Horse breeder Shane Stryker's first impression of librarian Annabelle Weiss is that she's an attention-seeker: just like his ex-wife. But when she shows up at his temporary ranch for riding lessons, he finds himself drawn to her. Annabelle is likewise attracted, but after the disaster of her first marriage, she's not willing to take a chance to someone who isn't willing to go for it all when it comes to relationships. Their relationship takes off in fits and starts, but the true test will be whether or not Shane can believe Annabelle really does prefer a drama-free life, and Annabelle can convince him that the few things that crop up after they meet really are out of the ordinary for her.

This is the premise of Susan Mallery's Summer Nights , the eighth book in her Fool's Gold series. The romance between Shane and Annabelle is sweet, and the love scenes are spicy, but the mere fact of this being the eighth book in a continuing series clutters the book too much. There are recurring characters from seven previous books to catch up with, as well as set-ups going on for future books, and apviously on peared pre ile it may be nice for fans of the series to catch up with their favorite characters from earlier, it leaves little room to focus on the couple we're supposed to be focused on, and will confuse any reader coming in for the first time at book eight.

I received this book from NetGalley for review.

This review appeared previously on Goodreads.