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Falling Into You: A Heartfelt Contemporary Romance Novel about a Single Mom finding Love
247 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2026
About the author
Susan Mallery
899 books15.9k 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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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 6, 2026
Falling Into You by Susan Mallery (2026)
originally published as The Best Bride (1994)
Hometown Heartbreakers #1
7h 23m narrated by Tanya Eby, 247 pages
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Movie Rating Equivalent: R/NC-17 depending on editing
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️¾👩👧👮♂️🦆
Falling Into You is the latest release from Susan Mallery. It was originally published as The Best Bride as part of the Hometown Heartbreakers series, and since I can only find Book 8 and beyond currently available, I'm guessing the entire '90s portion of the series is going to get republished. All the early editions have new titles, and I already saw artwork for One Summer Night due later this month.
I don't know much about the series, but since it seems that all the characters I've met so far are young and single or divorced—and the main love interest has eight eligible bachelors in his family—I'm guessing the series is going to be based around second-chance love, possibly going through the Sheriff's family getting hitched. Either way, I am totally here for it! This book is set in the '90s and reads like a contemporary '90s novel. It has great flow, simple romance, and no political agendas (I was afraid they were going to update it). It is an easy, quick read and not too emotional—definitely what you would call fast fiction or a beach read—and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this series.
It features an adorable little girl, a single mom on the run, and a hot Sheriff, so you know exactly what's going to happen, especially since the original title was The Best Bride. This is not the first time I have seen a '90s story get a title change because it mentioned nuptials. I'm guessing those aren't popular these days, but I was wondering why they were in so many '90s romance novels when a lot of people weren't necessarily trying to get married in the early '90s. Maybe that was part of the fantasy! It is interesting, but yeah, brides and pregnancies in the titles aren't going to fly; they have to all be revamped. While I usually prefer original titles, I actually think these cute, spot-on new titles are an improvement. I know I wouldn't have a problem reading a book called Part-Time Wife or Father in Training, but those titles make me think of indie Christian fiction, so I see why they had to be revised for mainstream readers.
The sex was modestly detailed, but I think this is the first time I've heard an author use the innuendo "woman's place"—at that point, just say vagina. All in all, it was a great, quick story, definitely perfect for a palate cleanser or a quick high.
Recommend to others: Absolutely! I enjoyed this just as much as her more recent publications, especially for the overall style and the simplicity of the plot (since some of her more recent characters can tend to be a bit snobby, not that I'm hating!). It definitely gave contemporary Debbie Macomber and early Robyn Carr vibes, but Tanya Eby’s narration let me know it was unmistakably a Mallery story. I'm actually going to be reading her February 2027 release, Friend Request, next!
Hometown Heartbreakers
1. The Best Bride (1994)
aka Falling Into You
2. Marriage on Demand (1995)
aka One Summer Night
3. Father in Training (1995)
aka Love, Next Door
4. Part-time Wife (1996)
5. Holly and Mistletoe (1996)
6. Husband by the Hour (1997)
7. Good Husband Material (2002)
aka Still the One
8. Completely Smitten (2003)
9. One in a Million (2003)
10. Quinn's Woman (2003)
Featuring: Single Mother, Sheriff, Fresh Start, Fictional Small-Town California, Divorcée and Divorcé, Tan Legs, On the Run, Sex - Detailed, 6-year-old, Family Dynamics, Second Chance - Bad Luck Love, Community, Nurse to Health, Set Up For Future Books
originally published as The Best Bride (1994)
Hometown Heartbreakers #1
7h 23m narrated by Tanya Eby, 247 pages
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Movie Rating Equivalent: R/NC-17 depending on editing
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️¾👩👧👮♂️🦆
Falling Into You is the latest release from Susan Mallery. It was originally published as The Best Bride as part of the Hometown Heartbreakers series, and since I can only find Book 8 and beyond currently available, I'm guessing the entire '90s portion of the series is going to get republished. All the early editions have new titles, and I already saw artwork for One Summer Night due later this month.
I don't know much about the series, but since it seems that all the characters I've met so far are young and single or divorced—and the main love interest has eight eligible bachelors in his family—I'm guessing the series is going to be based around second-chance love, possibly going through the Sheriff's family getting hitched. Either way, I am totally here for it! This book is set in the '90s and reads like a contemporary '90s novel. It has great flow, simple romance, and no political agendas (I was afraid they were going to update it). It is an easy, quick read and not too emotional—definitely what you would call fast fiction or a beach read—and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this series.
It features an adorable little girl, a single mom on the run, and a hot Sheriff, so you know exactly what's going to happen, especially since the original title was The Best Bride. This is not the first time I have seen a '90s story get a title change because it mentioned nuptials. I'm guessing those aren't popular these days, but I was wondering why they were in so many '90s romance novels when a lot of people weren't necessarily trying to get married in the early '90s. Maybe that was part of the fantasy! It is interesting, but yeah, brides and pregnancies in the titles aren't going to fly; they have to all be revamped. While I usually prefer original titles, I actually think these cute, spot-on new titles are an improvement. I know I wouldn't have a problem reading a book called Part-Time Wife or Father in Training, but those titles make me think of indie Christian fiction, so I see why they had to be revised for mainstream readers.
The sex was modestly detailed, but I think this is the first time I've heard an author use the innuendo "woman's place"—at that point, just say vagina. All in all, it was a great, quick story, definitely perfect for a palate cleanser or a quick high.
Recommend to others: Absolutely! I enjoyed this just as much as her more recent publications, especially for the overall style and the simplicity of the plot (since some of her more recent characters can tend to be a bit snobby, not that I'm hating!). It definitely gave contemporary Debbie Macomber and early Robyn Carr vibes, but Tanya Eby’s narration let me know it was unmistakably a Mallery story. I'm actually going to be reading her February 2027 release, Friend Request, next!
Hometown Heartbreakers
1. The Best Bride (1994)
aka Falling Into You
2. Marriage on Demand (1995)
aka One Summer Night
3. Father in Training (1995)
aka Love, Next Door
4. Part-time Wife (1996)
5. Holly and Mistletoe (1996)
6. Husband by the Hour (1997)
7. Good Husband Material (2002)
aka Still the One
8. Completely Smitten (2003)
9. One in a Million (2003)
10. Quinn's Woman (2003)
Featuring: Single Mother, Sheriff, Fresh Start, Fictional Small-Town California, Divorcée and Divorcé, Tan Legs, On the Run, Sex - Detailed, 6-year-old, Family Dynamics, Second Chance - Bad Luck Love, Community, Nurse to Health, Set Up For Future Books
September 17, 2026
I went into this book hoping for at least a mildly entertaining read, but it turned out to be an absolute trainwreck from start to finish. It takes a lot for me to give a book a one-star review, but this one earned every bit of it.
From a purely technical standpoint, the writing and editing are astonishingly poor. The prose is cluttered with plot holes and blatant character contradictions—a character will state a firm conviction on one page, only to act completely against it two pages later without any narrative reason. The storyline relies on absurd, unrealistic coincidences that pull you out of the story every few chapters. Nothing feels earned, believable, or logical.
What truly made this painful to read, however, was the dialogue and descriptive choices:
Unintentional Comedy: The author has a bizarre fixation on using the weirdest, most baffling adjectives to describe basic human anatomy. Instead of grounding the scene, it just leaves you laughing for all the wrong reasons.
Cringe-Inducing Terms: The text repeatedly refers to oral sex as "making love." Reading that phrasing once was jarring enough, but repeating it throughout the book made me cringe so hard I nearly closed it for good.
The lack of basic editing makes it feel like an unpolished first draft that accidentally got pushed to print. Save your sanity, your money, and your reading time—skip this one entirely.
From a purely technical standpoint, the writing and editing are astonishingly poor. The prose is cluttered with plot holes and blatant character contradictions—a character will state a firm conviction on one page, only to act completely against it two pages later without any narrative reason. The storyline relies on absurd, unrealistic coincidences that pull you out of the story every few chapters. Nothing feels earned, believable, or logical.
What truly made this painful to read, however, was the dialogue and descriptive choices:
Unintentional Comedy: The author has a bizarre fixation on using the weirdest, most baffling adjectives to describe basic human anatomy. Instead of grounding the scene, it just leaves you laughing for all the wrong reasons.
Cringe-Inducing Terms: The text repeatedly refers to oral sex as "making love." Reading that phrasing once was jarring enough, but repeating it throughout the book made me cringe so hard I nearly closed it for good.
The lack of basic editing makes it feel like an unpolished first draft that accidentally got pushed to print. Save your sanity, your money, and your reading time—skip this one entirely.
September 10, 2026
I really disliked both main characters. The descriptions of the body too. My goodness its okay to not say so much of "my most secret parts..." like we all have heard it before. Also the constant he big rough man and im tiny soft girl KILLED ME. Maybe its just the time of this book but I was hoping for a cute hallmark style autumn book.
September 13, 2026
Falling into You by Susan Mallery is a reissue title previously known as The Best Bride. Book #1 of the Hometown Heartbreakers Book series. It was a cute read about a single mom relocating to start fresh.
September 15, 2026
A big nope from me. Way too conservative leaning. It’s 2026. Who cares if you had a baby while not being married!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews