Sparks fly when the sister of the bride meets the brother of the groom in this brand-new Fool’s Gold love story…Abby Hendrix would do anything to help with her beloved sister’s wedding, even play tour guide to the off-puttingly brilliant–and unexpectedly gorgeous–brother of the groom. She’s a small-town schoolteacher; he’s a gifted surgeon. Nothing intimidating about that! She’ll just ask … just ask him to help her plan a top secret surprise for the wedding. No pressure.
Joaquin Kincaid has always been book-smart and people-awkward, and Abby’s sweet and social nature triggers an unexpected yearning inside him. His whole life, he’s been an outsider, while she’s so popular she’s able to convince an entire town to go along with her wild ideas. For the first time ever, he’s met a woman who accepts him as he is, quirks and all, and he feels himself falling in love. Could Abby love him, too? Or, when she discovers the real reason he came to Fool’s Gold, will he lose her forever?
Don’t miss Susan Mallery’s latest book, The Stepsisters! A heartfelt tale of friendship between two women who used to be sisters.
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I LOVE Susan Mallery’s “Fool’s Gold” contemporary romance series. I’ve listened to all of them on audiobook. This is a cute novella about two people who are perfect for each other, but will that be enough to keep them together forever? It’s always fun to watch Susan’s characters fall in love, survive their dark moment, and find their happily ever after.
I read the Chasing Perfect part of this book when it first came out. It started me on a journey of wonderful stories by Ms. Mallery that is still going on today. Since I’ve reviewed CP previously, I wanted to review A Fool’s Gold Wedding here.
It is a cute short story about two people who are so very different…but in my mind, so very much alike. Abby, who is all grown up now, reminds me of a sprite – happy, and funny, and just high on life. She has a quick wit, and is gorgeous, even though she doesn’t know it, and is kind right down to her very soul. And Joaquin. He is one of those characters that you just want to wrap up in your arms and hug the stuffin’ outta him. I adored him.
I won’t give you any details but know that their story is sweet and fun and reading about them falling in love made for a wonderful story. Abby has the entire town of Fool’s Gold behind her and Joaquin is and has always been on his own. He’s extremely intelligent but not so aware about the ways of the world. I will admit that I didn’t like how Abby’s friends and family all rallied around her, and pointed the blame to Joaquin only, but everyone redeemed themselves in the end, imho.
Absolutely adored this story! And it was so much fun going back to Fool’s Gold.
I loved the Fool’s Gold series, so I was very happy to see this novella released. It was great to be back in that beloved town with all the wonderful characters.
The pairing of Abby and Joaquin was interesting since they were so very different and he had a hidden agenda. But I enjoyed it. I could just imagine the look on his face as he entered Jo’s Bar, or helped Abby with the wedding preparations for her sister and his brother. I didn’t want the story to end and have to say farewell. Well done Susan Mallery.
This was a lovely visit back to Fool’s Gold. Abby Hendrix, daughter of Ethan and Liz (Sutton) Hendrix (Almost Perfect), and soon-to-be teacher, is spending the summer helping her sister Melissa with her wedding. She’s taken aback when Melissa asks her to take her fiancé’s brother under her wing when he comes to Fool’s Gold three weeks before the wedding. Joaquin, a brilliant and busy surgeon, hasn’t made it to any family gatherings, so no one has met him yet. All she knows is that he’s scary smart, so she’ll put him to work if she needs to.
Joaquin, who was in college by the time he was ten, never developed social skills the way others did. He focuses exclusively on his career and dismisses other peoples’ lives as “mundane.” When he loses a patient to her burns, he applies and is turned down for a fellowship program with Dr. Simon Bradley, who just happens to be Abby’s uncle. At the story’s beginning, Joaquin plans to use Abby to get to Simon and plead his case directly. Those plans go out the window when he meets Abby.
I enjoyed the first meeting between Joaquin and Abby. Neither looked forward to their forced companionship but planned to make the best of it. I had to laugh at Abby, who was utterly flummoxed by Joaquin’s good looks and took a few minutes to get herself together. Even then, she babbled a bit before settling down. Likewise, Abby differed from what Joaquin expected. Her energy drew him right away, and he noticed her beauty in detail that was unusual for him. I loved seeing her give him a tour of the town and its history while he marveled at the fact that he didn’t feel awkward talking to her.
I loved seeing the development of the relationship between Joaquin and Abby. Before he arrived, Abby asked her Uncle Simon how best to entertain Joaquin since they were so different. He pointed out that Joaquin wouldn’t have had a normal childhood to show him her everyday life. So she did. They spent a lot of time together working on wedding stuff. Joaquin’s enjoyed it far more than he expected and liked getting to know more about Abby. The more she learned about him, the more she ached for the things he missed in life. I loved the sweet scenes of the things they did together. Neither expected the attraction that grew between them. I loved how they looked at it practically, realizing that Joaquin would leave Fool’s Gold after the wedding. However, neither could deny the feelings that grew between them, though they certainly tried. He’s not into relationships, and she wants the whole marriage and family thing. But Joaquin has an ax hanging over his head and putting off dealing with it just makes it more difficult.
Shortly after he arrived, Abby introduced Joaquin to Simon when they had dinner together. Simon invited Joaquin to meet with him, where he confronted Joaquin about his reason for being in Fool’s Gold so much before the wedding. Simon told Joaquin why he was turned down for the fellowship. He also asked if Abby knew the truth and advised Joaquin to tell her asap. He didn’t want Abby hurt, and if Joaquin didn’t tell her, Simon would do it himself. While Joaquin insisted he had no intention of hurting Abby, he also kept putting off his confession. As his feelings for her grew, so did his guilt. Simon ticked me off when he followed through on his threat after Joaquin didn’t move fast enough for him. I ached for Abby and her feelings of betrayal, hurt, and anger. I also hurt for Joaquin, who realized too late how badly he screwed up.
It hurt to watch the two of them struggle with their feelings, and I kept my fingers crossed that they would find their way through it. I liked seeing Abby’s Aunt Montana (Simon’s wife) get involved, help Joaquin know the truth, and offer to help him win Abby back. Joaquin won my respect and admiration with his heartfelt apology and determination to show her how he changed. I liked that Abby made him work for her forgiveness but didn’t draw it out too long. There was a nice twist involving Simon that helped move things along. I appreciated that both Joaquin and Abby didn’t rush their relationship. The epilogue was fantastic and a perfect ending for the story.
I love all the Fools gold books; this one is no exception. Entertaining and a very good light read.
I love Susan Mallery! She entertains and keeps me riveted. It’s easy to fall in love with her characters.
Fools gold is always fun!
Susan Mallery always keeps you entertained!
This whole series is a “can’t put down”. Yes, it is predictable, but I love knowing the ending will be a happy one.
Susan Mallery is one of my favorite authors. I love her Fool’s Gold series and was so excited that she wrote a new novella in this series, years after the last book was released. (The last book was issued in 2016.) This novella had the same feel as the other books and several characters from the series were in this story.
I read it quickly and wish it was longer to stay in the town and linger. I definitely recommend reading this novella and also the entire series. I hope there might be another book added in the future.
So excited to return to Fool’s Gold and catch up with old friends and it did not disappoint. Loved the story of Abby and Joaquin. Joaquin, a gifted surgeon has arrived in Fool’s Gold for his brother’s wedding but his number one item on his agenda is to meet Simon, another gifted surgeon, who happens to be related to Abby. Soon a friendships develops between Abby and Joaquin that might lead to much more.
This is a novella, so the perfect summer read since you will not be able to put it down. It was wonderful catching up with everyone, it’s like I never left town.
Quick fun read! Abby Hendrix is an upbeat positive person. Always willing to help out. Joaquin Kincaid is a brilliant surgeon and socially backwards. When these two meet, sparks are flying. Abby stays her upbeat self, dragging Joaquin into helping with the wedding preparations. She drags him all over the place and yet he is the happiest he’s ever been. When it all comes crashing down, the last person he expects to help him is Montana, his mentors wife. These Hendrix’s believe in true love and can spot it when they see it.
What a fun story. I loved him being a misfit and her showing him how to be normal. Quick enjoyable read.
This is a novella that can be read in one sitting. It was really nice to return to Fool’s Gold, California for this story. Readers are reunited with some of their favorite characters, including Simon and Montana.
Joaquin is staying in Fool’s Gold for a few week’s before his brother’s wedding. He has an ulterior motive….he wants to meet Simon and convince the brilliant surgeon to accept him into a prestigious fellowship. He happens to make a connection with Abby, the sister of the bride, who also happens to be Simon’s niece.
I didn’t feel like Joaquin really did anything that terrible. He wanted to use his relationship with Abby to connect with Simon but it didn’t seem really disingenuous. He really cared about her. I didn’t like what a big deal Simon made about it, especially right smack in the middle of the wedding. It seemed very contrived because the story needed some angst.
Wow…cue up the tears as we head back to Fool’s gold. What a fabulous look into what’s been going on while we’ve been gone.
Abby is grown up! It’s been a long time since we’ve gotten to visit one of my favorite towns, and as I tell people, kids grow up when you’re not looking. Not only is she an adult, she’s graduated from college, and has a job lined up for the Fall. She’ll be teaching school in Fool’s Gold. This summer, right before her teaching debut, her sister is getting married. No, I’m NOT kidding. See, we’ve been away too long! Abby is helping with the wedding, when she’s tasked with also helping with the groom’s brother while he’s in town.
Joaquin, the groom’s brother, is in town for the wedding. But, something is amiss. The wedding is three weeks away. Super smart, like crazy smart, like graduating college as an early teen, Joaquin must be up to something. He’s a physician who doesn’t vacation, so what’s up with taking 3 weeks off?
This book was so much fun. Love, romance, angst, misunderstandings, and forgiveness. It’s a novella so it was a quick read. Fool’s Gold is a wonderful place. The homes are grand. The kids are all intelligent and good looking. Everyone works together for the common good. Who wouldn’t want to live here? Take a couple of hours, grab your favorite beverage and a couple of snacks, and indulge yourself by escaping into this book.
This was a novella so a quick read, but very intriguing and enjoyable. It’s a good lesson in things aren’t always what they seem to be, but where there’s a will there’s a way, or as the saying goes…if it’s meant to be it, it will.