Chasing Perfect

Chasing Perfect was, well, perfect. I loved the characters, the plot, the romance, everything about this book. Most surprising was my over-the-top love of the setting. Small-town life can be hit or miss with me, but Fool's Gold is absolutely full of win.

Fool's Gold is the perfect small town, except it has a man shortage. For unknown reasons, most boys move away when they grow up and men don't move there. Charity is hired as city planner with the directive to lure businesses that will increase the male population of the town. This wonderful little town with the strange problem provides a wealth of possibilities for Susan Mallery to sweep readers off their feet with and judging by Chasing Perfect, she's more than able to fulfill our show more desires.

Charity and Josh are drawn to each other from the moment their eyes meet. On the outside, neither is the other's type, but chemistry can't be denied and the outside proves to hide the person underneath. Their romance, not without its difficulties, is realistic and almost painfully endearing. I wanted them together, needed them together, right from the moment they met. I reacted to every obstacle and awkward situation as if I was actually in the relationship with them. That kind of response to a romance is exactly what I look for in a book.

With so many singles (mostly women) living in Fool's Gold, I couldn't help but wonder which secondary characters would make it into a book of their own. Two I'd love to see are Pia (the town's event coordinator) and Marsha (the mayor). Completely different women and utterly charming in their own ways.

Chasing Perfect grabbed hold of my heart almost immediately. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. I'm absolutely thrilled there are at least five more books in this series and have already started the next, Almost Perfect. I would move to Fool's Gold if I could, man shortage or not. show less

I had never picked up a Susan Mallery novel before though I'd seen her on the shelves. It was no specific reason, and I'm sure I would have eventually. However, though LibraryThing, I had the opportunity to get a free advance edition of her newest book, Chasing Perfect.

I liked this book. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. I thought it was a well-written story that had a few cliches, but the author kind of brought together a few different predictable plot elements in a way I hadn't read before. That being said, I wouldn't say that it was a page turner that I couldn't put down. Odds are that if it hadn't been the first day of my spring break, I probably would have picked it up and put it down a lot more often. It kept my attention show more enough to want to finish it, but not in the way that Lisa Kleypas or Nora Roberts has.

I liked the heroine, Charity. I thought she was well-drawn with an occupation I hadn't read about before--city planner. Her personal story was fun to read and I liked watching her settle into the small town. She was probably what kept me in one place to finish the book--to see how her through line played out.

The hero, Josh, was mostly enjoyable. I felt like I was supposed to take for granted that he was charming, but I didn't feel it right away, not until the two characters were together. He almost felt...too planned, if that makes sense. He was a bit too much of a martyr for me and when he's swearing to stay away from Charity for the first half of the book, I felt like rolling my eyes. The author went to too much trouble to make him a tortured soul -- the reason he was wasn't cycling competively anymore was fine, but then Mallery threw in a fight with a best friend over the fact Josh didn't visit him in the hospital after an accident that Josh didn't cause. And the reason this fight was weird to me was that it was resolved between the two with almost no fanfare, like Ethan (the other guy) didn't really know why they still weren't speaking. It just seemed like an added conflict that went no where and didn't add to the story.

However, I'm pretty sure Ethan is the hero in book two, and that's probably setting up that book in someway. I understand that in a series, you have to set up the next book and the next character well enough so that the reader will want to read it. Nora Roberts and Lisa Kleypas are my two favorite authors, and their series are like crack to me. It just felt slightly forced to me with Ethan and this stupid fight between he and Josh.

Additionally, there was a tiny sub-plot involving missing money that was no mystery to me and I figured out the second it was introduced. It just felt like a way to get rid of a character Mallery had written in and then decided to get rid of.

While it may sound like I had a lot of problems with this book, I didn't. Overall, it really is a charming read and it's the heroine, Charity, who saves the book so its a good thing she's the narrator most of the time. She gives the book the B- rather than the C+ it was heading towards. It's only when I broke the plot down in my head for this review that little things niggled at me. If you don't expect too much and you just want some light-hearted fantasy, I recommend it.

That being said, I will pick up another Susan Mallery book :) show less

Charity Jones is looking for a home when she comes to Fool's Gold, California, as its city planner. After a childhood with a mother who was always sure that the next man and the next place would be better, Charity longs for roots. She falls in love with the town and the people she meets including local boy-made good Josh Golden.

Josh had a career as a world-class cyclist before giving up the sport and coming home. An accident in a race has shaken his confidence. Josh also had a difficult childhood. He was abandoned by his mother at a local hotel when he was ten and still recovering from a serious accident that had him in pain and on crutches. He was adopted by the town and aided in his recovery. He has always felt that it was some lack show more in him that caused his mother to abandon him.

While Fool's Gold looks perfect, there are a couple of problems. First of all, it has a severe shortage of men and one of Charity's jobs in to lure business to the city - especially if those businesses employ lots of men. Second, somehow $750,000 that was supposedly sent to the city by the State government has gone missing. No one really suspects Robert, the city financial officer and one of the few single men in town, of the crime but answers need to be found soon.

I liked the setting and look forward to reading more stories set in Fool's Gold. I liked both Charity and Josh very much and was rooting for their romance. I could understand why they were reluctant to share their goals for their futures with each other since both were more intrinsic than overt. The story had a nice blend of characters from the matchmaking mayor to the barracuda television reporter who really wanted to rekindle her relationship with Josh. I liked that the attraction was instant between Charity and Josh and that both of them were reluctant to pursue it until they got to know each other. I loved the happily-ever-after ending. show less

Chasing Perfect
4 Stars

Love the charming small town vibe with everyone knowing everyone else's business but dislike the way that most of the women treat Josh as if he were a piece of meat. Sexism is unacceptable whether it is directed toward women or men.

The writing is smooth and immersing although there is some unnecessary repetition of plot points - perhaps the author thinks that her readers have a short attention span and need to be reminded of something they read 20 pages before.

Charity and Josh have good chemistry and their romance is engaging without the silly misunderstandings that usually turn me off this genre. That said, Charity is somewhat judgmental and her tendency toward jumping to conclusions based on surface appearances show more is very irritating. Josh, on the other hand, is a perfect combination of sexy vulnerability and fierce determination.

Overall, a good start to the series and the secondary characters are sufficiently interesting to continue on to the next book. show less

I went to the Romantic Times Convention this year with a couple of friends. As we perused the schedule of events, one of them was thrilled to see that there were several sessions with Susan Mallery and focused on her small town romances set in Fool's Gold, California. The other two of us had never read any of the books but we were happy enough to tag along and listen. As I'd been looking for a few more contemporary romances to balance out my not so secret historical Regency obsession, I decided that I'd give these romances by the funny and charming Ms. Mallery a try. And of course, true to form, I had to start at the beginning of the ever increasing series with the first book, Chasing Perfect.

Charity Jones is new to Fool's Gold. She's show more just been hired as the new city planner for the small town and she's been tasked with bringing new business to the area, especially businesses run by men. Because Fool's Gold has a serious lack of young, single men and a preponderance of single women. But somehow, Charity manages to interest the two bachelors that the town does have, Robert, the town treasurer, and local retired cycling celebrity Josh Golden. The former is a solid guy but he just doesn't make sparks fly for Charity the way that Josh does. However, Charity is reluctant to get involved with Josh because he's too famous, too perfect. She has a deep desire for the family she's been missing her whole life, having lived with just her mother, moving from pillar to post as she grew up, never setting down roots so a boyfriend who chases fame around the world is not ideal for her.

Josh might be a famous cyclist and the town's golden child but he has his own issues. He gave up cycling after an accident left a young rider, to whom he was a mentor, dead. He hasn't spoken to his best friend Ethan in years even though he desperately misses him. And he harbors abandonment issues stemming from his mother leaving him in Fool's Gold when he was just a young child. Rather than admit his fears and face his demons, he rides his bike only at night and prefers to let the town think that he's a playboy. He never counted on the complication that is Charity, his lightning hot attraction to her, and his growing feelings for the lovely new town planner. The fact that she is very much behind a push to hold a bike race in town to elevate Fool's Gold's profile doesn't help matters at all either.

As Charity and Josh get to know each other and end up hot and heavy, there is a lot more going on in the town as well. A hospital is considering building a branch in the town, a massive amount of money given to the town by the state has gone missing and must be tracked down, and Charity discovers that her expertise is not the only reason that she was considered for her job. The chemistry between Charity and Josh is immediate and steamy. Fool's Gold as a location is charming; it's the ideal small town, welcoming and friendly. As this is the first in a long running series, there are lots of unfinished plot lines left to tease out in future books but none of them are left in a frustrating or unsatisfying way. The fact that Charity is unable to see Josh's point of view when he presents it but accepts it almost immediately when Mayor Marsha lays it out at the end of the book is a bit too convenient in resolving their difference of opinion but aside from that hiccup, this is a warm and satisfying story. show less

The first novel in Susan Mallery's "Fool's Gold" series focuses on Charity Jones and Josh Golden.

Charity is recently hired as city planner in Fool's Gold. Charity is orphaned and is happy to be putting down roots in Fool's Gold and hopes that she can finally find a nice guy to settle down with after so many dating disasters. Josh is a world renowned cyclist who has moved back to Fool's Gold to recover from a bicycling accident that continues to haunt him.

The initial plot intrigued me but in the end I have to say that I found this entire novel to be a two star book. It really pains me to give this novel two stars. I mean seriously this does. I love Susan Mallery's Blackberry Island series and I am a bit perplexed that the author who show more wrote those novels wrote the "Fool's Gold" series as well. I purposely chose the first two books in this series for my To Be Read (TBR) 2014 pile because I loved the Blackberry Island books so much.

All in all I felt as if Charity and Josh were very flat, that the plot was patently absurd, and that the romantic chemistry was just not there. However, if only these things were present in the novel I would have still given it 3 stars. However, what really caused me to drop this novel down to two stars was the fact that several times throughout this novel it was shown that being a single woman with a good job was not enough. I several times had to put this book away because of that sentiment that kept being expressed by every single character that came into contact with Charity. She is told at one point to not purchase a home because she may meet a man and if they marry what is the point in having her own home. Several characters keep rhapsodizing about how hot Josh is, how perfect his body is, etc. and these are grown women with careers. I am not saying that women don't gossip (please) but each character was pretty much turned into a drooling imbecile around Josh and it became off putting after a while.

I am going to read book #2 since it is on my TBR 2014 pile and I hope that the series rebounds since in my mind it has to improve from book #1. show less

I have a confession. I’m becoming a contemporary romance addict. This is not a genre I normally indulge in but now I find myself constantly craving the warm fuzzies and dreamy sighs that accompany a well written romance novel. The more I read, the more I want. Chasing Perfect did not disappoint. This is definitely a story that will leave you feeling all gooey inside. Lucky for me gooey just happens to be exactly what I was hoping for when I started reading.

Chasing Perfect is a quick and delightful read. I fell in love with the small town of Fool’s Gold within the first chapter. I loved spending time with the characters in this quirky little town. Charity is a sweet girl next door type that is looking for a fresh start in a new show more place. Josh is a retired cyclist who is struggling to overcome a traumatic event from his past that is causing turmoil in his present. Oh and he is also a major hottie. There is even a little whodunnit side story happening which is predictable but still a nice addition to the plot. I couldn’t get enough of this book and am looking forward to the next release in this fantastic series. show less