Hold Me by Susan Mallery

Book DescriptionPublication Date: May 1, 2015/Kindle April 28th

New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery's classic blend of lighthearted humor and intense emotional conflict works its magic on two newcomers to the California town of Fool's Gold, which Library Journal calls "a setting so real and appealing readers will want to start scoping out real estate." Destiny Mills believes passion has its place—like in the lyrics of the country songs that made her parents famous. After a childhood full of drama and heartache, she wants a life that's calm. Safe. Everything that Kipling Gilmore isn't. Her temporary assignment with the Fool's Gold search and rescue team puts her in delicious proximity to the former world-class skier every day. Part of her aches to let go for once…the rest is terrified what'll happen if she does. Though an accident ended his career, Kipling still lives for thrills—and a hot fling with a gorgeous redhead like Destiny would be a welcome diversion. Yet beneath his new coworker's cool facade is a woman who needs more than he's ever given. With her, he's ready to take the risk. But love, like skiing, is all about trust—and before you soar, you have to be willing to fall.

Fool’s Gold doesn't disappoint.  It follows the basic formula of Ms Mallery’s and that is a very good thing.  We have the typical two people who are damaged in some way –either emotionally or physically –and in this book we have one of each.  Kipling was an Olympic skier who was critically hurt in a skiing accident and Destiny is the product of a seriously dysfunctional family best known for their chart topping country western music and affairs.

Kipling is called a fixer who likes to fix things for other people and doesn't want to really settle down, and Destiny shies away from love and vows to only have an unemotional, calm marriage made-up of partners who are pretty much just friends.  She also believes that making love should just be for procreation purposes.  Naturally Kipling takes it upon himself to prove her wrong with the sex part!

Toss into this merry mix Destiny’s fifteen year old step-sister, Kipling’s abused sister Shelby, (a tertiary character)Miles (a tertiary character also) who loves ‘em and leaves ‘em, and you have quite the recipe for disaster –Fool’s Gold style.

The characters are seemingly well developed but I still found something to be a little lacking.  So much of this book dealt with other things and not just one the budding romance.  Normally this works for this series, but I found it to not work as well in this particular book.

The plot seemed a little ho-hum also.

All in all not a horrid book, but I felt it wasn’t the best of the Fool’s Gold series.