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Los Lobos #2
Falling For Gracie
First comes love, then comes marriage… At least, that was Gracie's plan at the ripe old age of fourteen, when she loved eighteen-year-old heartthrob Riley with a desperation that made her a town legend. Even now that she's all grown up, the locals in sleepy Los Lobos won't let her forget her youthful crush.
And how can she, when she's face-to-face with Riley at every turn? The onetime bad boy has come back to town seeking respectability—but the sparks that fly between them are anything but respectable. Gracie's determined to keep her distance, but when someone sets out to ruin both their reputations, the two discover that first love is sometimes better the second time around.
And how can she, when she's face-to-face with Riley at every turn? The onetime bad boy has come back to town seeking respectability—but the sparks that fly between them are anything but respectable. Gracie's determined to keep her distance, but when someone sets out to ruin both their reputations, the two discover that first love is sometimes better the second time around.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 2005
949 people are currently reading
3366 people want to read
About the author
Susan Mallery
862 books15.4k 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 - 30 of 350 reviews
April 9, 2011
Falling For Gracie is the perfect title for this book, as you can't help loving Gracie and rooting for her.
At the tender age of 14, Gracie Landon became famous - or rather infamous - in her hometown, Los Lobos, for her wild crush on her 18-year-old neighbor, Riley Whitefield. She "loved" him with all her heart and wasn't afraid to show it, stalking him everywhere and basically playing havoc with his and his girlfriends' lives. That took a special kind of courage, the folks of Los Lobos liked to say. That took a special kind of insanity, Riley and Gracie's mother thought. So when Riley found himself forced to marry Pam, his pregnant girlfriend, the whole town started to wonder what Gracie would do... besides lying down in front of his car and telling him she loved him too much to let him marry that sneaky Pam and if he was going to go ahead with the engagement, he should just run her over and put her out of her misery. Ah, nothing like teen drama to liven up things! But Gracie's mother couldn't take her daughter's antics anymore, and sent her away to live with her aunt and uncle.
It's 14 years later now, Gracie is a successfull wedding cake maker living in Los Angeles and has left her crazy years behind a long time ago. When her estranged mother asks her to help with the preparations for her (Gracie's) younger sister's wedding, Gracie agrees to move back to Los Lobos for 6 weeks in hopes of getting reacquainted with the family she's rarely seen in the last 14 years. But things don't go accordingly to her plan, because Riley is also back in town - single! - and everyone, including Gracie's mother and sisters, expects her to make a fool of herself over him all over again. No one seems to care that Gracie has grown up and gotten over her crush on Riley, and her crazy teen antics are rehashed on the newspaper. Can Gracie's humilitation get any worse? Of course it can! Thanks to Gracie's older sister, who should really learn how to talk with her husband instead of getting her sister in trouble after trouble, Gracie ends up tangled up in Riley's life again.
Riley has only returned to Los Lobos to fulfill a condition of his deceased uncle's will: in order to inherit his estranged uncle's millions, Riley must prove that he's become "respectable" by running for mayor and winning. An entanglement with his former stalker Gracie isn't wise, but he can't help being charmed by her. It doesn't take long until the attraction between them takes over and before he knows it, he starts falling for Gracie. But there's something amiss happening in town... Who's plotting against Riley and Gracie and taking "compromising" pictures of them? Who's trying to ruin Gracie's business? And what about Gracie's family? Will they ever get a clue and start respecting her?
This book was mainly about Gracie and I simpy loved her. She was sweet, witty, funny and delightfully adorable. I wanted her to be happy, not because that's what I usually want for the heroines in the romance books I read, but because I really cared for her. I wanted her to get her man, Riley, not because he was the hero, but because she loved him and she deserved it. I wanted to smack her mother and her sisters because they hurt her, and I wanted to throttle that deceitful Pam.
Riley was more "complicated" to me. Sure, he was likeable and overall nice, but I couldn't help thinking he wasn't the smartest cookie in the jar. I mean, he knew very well the terms of his uncle's will, so he should have guessed who was behind his demise and put a stop to it. I also thought that some of his actions concerning what would happen after his election were cold and uncaring, but at least he was honest about it with those who were close to him and that helped to "redeem" him in my eyes. Plus, his refusal to use his relationship with Gracie to save his campaign/election was perfect and I ended up liking him.
The ending was a bit uneven, with the predictable but OTT unmasking of the villains and Gracie's somewhat lackluster last antic - considering her past, I was expecting something bigger and bolder. Oh well, I should have stopped acting like the nice folks of Los Lobos, expecting Gracie to be the same crazy 14-year-old. After all, she had changed...
"What do you think?" Gracie asked, sounding more than a little nervous.
God, she looked great. "That you’re crazy."
"Good crazy or bad crazy?"
"There’s a difference?"
"Oh, sure. I was bad crazy before, when I stalked you. I like to think I’ve changed."
All in all, this was a very charming and enjoyable read. Almost perfect.
At the tender age of 14, Gracie Landon became famous - or rather infamous - in her hometown, Los Lobos, for her wild crush on her 18-year-old neighbor, Riley Whitefield. She "loved" him with all her heart and wasn't afraid to show it, stalking him everywhere and basically playing havoc with his and his girlfriends' lives. That took a special kind of courage, the folks of Los Lobos liked to say. That took a special kind of insanity, Riley and Gracie's mother thought. So when Riley found himself forced to marry Pam, his pregnant girlfriend, the whole town started to wonder what Gracie would do... besides lying down in front of his car and telling him she loved him too much to let him marry that sneaky Pam and if he was going to go ahead with the engagement, he should just run her over and put her out of her misery. Ah, nothing like teen drama to liven up things! But Gracie's mother couldn't take her daughter's antics anymore, and sent her away to live with her aunt and uncle.
It's 14 years later now, Gracie is a successfull wedding cake maker living in Los Angeles and has left her crazy years behind a long time ago. When her estranged mother asks her to help with the preparations for her (Gracie's) younger sister's wedding, Gracie agrees to move back to Los Lobos for 6 weeks in hopes of getting reacquainted with the family she's rarely seen in the last 14 years. But things don't go accordingly to her plan, because Riley is also back in town - single! - and everyone, including Gracie's mother and sisters, expects her to make a fool of herself over him all over again. No one seems to care that Gracie has grown up and gotten over her crush on Riley, and her crazy teen antics are rehashed on the newspaper. Can Gracie's humilitation get any worse? Of course it can! Thanks to Gracie's older sister, who should really learn how to talk with her husband instead of getting her sister in trouble after trouble, Gracie ends up tangled up in Riley's life again.
Riley has only returned to Los Lobos to fulfill a condition of his deceased uncle's will: in order to inherit his estranged uncle's millions, Riley must prove that he's become "respectable" by running for mayor and winning. An entanglement with his former stalker Gracie isn't wise, but he can't help being charmed by her. It doesn't take long until the attraction between them takes over and before he knows it, he starts falling for Gracie. But there's something amiss happening in town... Who's plotting against Riley and Gracie and taking "compromising" pictures of them? Who's trying to ruin Gracie's business? And what about Gracie's family? Will they ever get a clue and start respecting her?
This book was mainly about Gracie and I simpy loved her. She was sweet, witty, funny and delightfully adorable. I wanted her to be happy, not because that's what I usually want for the heroines in the romance books I read, but because I really cared for her. I wanted her to get her man, Riley, not because he was the hero, but because she loved him and she deserved it. I wanted to smack her mother and her sisters because they hurt her, and I wanted to throttle that deceitful Pam.
Riley was more "complicated" to me. Sure, he was likeable and overall nice, but I couldn't help thinking he wasn't the smartest cookie in the jar. I mean, he knew very well the terms of his uncle's will, so he should have guessed who was behind his demise and put a stop to it. I also thought that some of his actions concerning what would happen after his election were cold and uncaring, but at least he was honest about it with those who were close to him and that helped to "redeem" him in my eyes. Plus, his refusal to use his relationship with Gracie to save his campaign/election was perfect and I ended up liking him.
The ending was a bit uneven, with the predictable but OTT unmasking of the villains and Gracie's somewhat lackluster last antic - considering her past, I was expecting something bigger and bolder. Oh well, I should have stopped acting like the nice folks of Los Lobos, expecting Gracie to be the same crazy 14-year-old. After all, she had changed...
"What do you think?" Gracie asked, sounding more than a little nervous.
God, she looked great. "That you’re crazy."
"Good crazy or bad crazy?"
"There’s a difference?"
"Oh, sure. I was bad crazy before, when I stalked you. I like to think I’ve changed."
All in all, this was a very charming and enjoyable read. Almost perfect.
October 31, 2018
Audio Book Review:
5 Feel Good Stars!!
Fourteen year old Gracie Landon falls in love with eighteen years old Riley Whitefield, really truly in love. Her antics to discourage him from dating got so out of hand that she made the local small town newspaper which became to be known as “The Gracie Chronicles”. Her mother, in desperation, in what was supposed to be temporary solution, shipped Gracie off to live with her Aunt and Uncle, however; it would be 14 years till she finally returns and much to Gracie's dismay her antics are lore and NOT forgotten.
Gracie is now a successful and popular wedding cake maker and has returned home for her younger sister's wedding, her plans to keep a low profile take a turn when her older sister convinces her to help find out if her husband (Zeke) is having an affair… her husband happens to be Riley Whitefeild's campaign manager in his run for Mayor of Los Lobos. Predictably, Riley catches a mortified Gracie snooping around his house, she attempt explains to Riley what she was doing, but, because of her past behavior, Riley is naturally wary of Gracie and her motives.
Riley needs to become Mayor if he wants to inherit his uncle's multi-million estate and worries that a scandal by Zeke could hurt his campaign. As they work to uncover the truth about Zeke's nocturnal activities they reluctantly begin to slowly fall for one another.
There's some family angst with Gracie's mom and sisters who all managed to piss me off with their selfishness, fun and witty dialogue and, an untrusting broken hunky hero. I love the way Riley slowly becomes attracted to Gracie, it was so unexpected for him it made him question his sanity and his inner dialogue was quite funny. This book is just fun to read, it’s one of my personal favorite feel good reads.
* Excellent narration by the very talented Savannah Richards.
* Originally Read 2011
5 Feel Good Stars!!
Fourteen year old Gracie Landon falls in love with eighteen years old Riley Whitefield, really truly in love. Her antics to discourage him from dating got so out of hand that she made the local small town newspaper which became to be known as “The Gracie Chronicles”. Her mother, in desperation, in what was supposed to be temporary solution, shipped Gracie off to live with her Aunt and Uncle, however; it would be 14 years till she finally returns and much to Gracie's dismay her antics are lore and NOT forgotten.
“She’d been so hopeful that people would forget her.”
Gracie is now a successful and popular wedding cake maker and has returned home for her younger sister's wedding, her plans to keep a low profile take a turn when her older sister convinces her to help find out if her husband (Zeke) is having an affair… her husband happens to be Riley Whitefeild's campaign manager in his run for Mayor of Los Lobos. Predictably, Riley catches a mortified Gracie snooping around his house, she attempt explains to Riley what she was doing, but, because of her past behavior, Riley is naturally wary of Gracie and her motives.
“Wilma’s favorite is the time you nailed his girlfriend’s doors and windows shut so she couldn’t get out for their date. That’s a good one, but my favorite is the time you laid down right in front of his car".
Riley needs to become Mayor if he wants to inherit his uncle's multi-million estate and worries that a scandal by Zeke could hurt his campaign. As they work to uncover the truth about Zeke's nocturnal activities they reluctantly begin to slowly fall for one another.
There's some family angst with Gracie's mom and sisters who all managed to piss me off with their selfishness, fun and witty dialogue and, an untrusting broken hunky hero. I love the way Riley slowly becomes attracted to Gracie, it was so unexpected for him it made him question his sanity and his inner dialogue was quite funny. This book is just fun to read, it’s one of my personal favorite feel good reads.
* Excellent narration by the very talented Savannah Richards.
* Originally Read 2011
April 1, 2020
Gracie, Gracie. Much better than I expected.
Plot:
Gracie was an obsessed 14 yo teen with a crush on the 18 yo H. Some of her shenanigans included nailing his girlfriend’s door shut so they couldn’t go on a date and lying down in front of his car so she could tell him how wrong the OW is for him. When the H has to get married to the pregnant OW (she wasn’t because she lied) the heroine is sent away by her mother to make sure she won’t embarrass the family any more than she already has. The mother keeps her away, stashed with an aunt and uncle. This has all happened in the past and we just hear different people's perception of what happened. I know the heroine sounds pathetic, but she was just 13/14 and had just lost her father. As the book starts, she hasn't lived at home for well over a decade and no longer feels a part of the family, her two sisters and mother.
The heroine is now a successful wedding cake baker to celebs so it’s time for mom to yank her back home after 12 or 14 years so she can make an expensive cake for one of her waste of space self-involved sisters. Yes, hard-hearted Vintage Sedona teared up for poor Gracie stuck with such an emotionally careless family.
The heroine is over her crush and very, very leery of the nostalgic love the town has for her past antics. The H is in town and is trying to win the mayor election so he can get his bad, dead uncle’s 97 million dollar inheritance. He is not as nice of a guy as one would hope. Oh, he’s nice to Gracie, but he has some nefarious plans for the town was revenge for the uncle. Another skewed revenge plot in Romanceland where innocents will suffer rather than the evil doer.
More antics ensue with the heroine playing Columbo for her married almost as much of a waste of space sister, and the hero and heroine get involved, sexually involved. Another time I had to check twice that this was a Susan Mallery as "muy caliente" to quote Bernadette from Big Bang Theory.
Heroine continues to bake cakes until she is sabotaged.
There’s some mild evil OW action, and Gracie’s mother and sisters are absolutely horrible in their condescension and nasty comments, but Gracie doesn’t take it lying down or forgive them right off the bat as she ends up tossing some home truths back at them.
Really fun in some places with nice banter between the H and h, but I believe Gracie is the character winner here.
Plot:
Gracie was an obsessed 14 yo teen with a crush on the 18 yo H. Some of her shenanigans included nailing his girlfriend’s door shut so they couldn’t go on a date and lying down in front of his car so she could tell him how wrong the OW is for him. When the H has to get married to the pregnant OW (she wasn’t because she lied) the heroine is sent away by her mother to make sure she won’t embarrass the family any more than she already has. The mother keeps her away, stashed with an aunt and uncle. This has all happened in the past and we just hear different people's perception of what happened. I know the heroine sounds pathetic, but she was just 13/14 and had just lost her father. As the book starts, she hasn't lived at home for well over a decade and no longer feels a part of the family, her two sisters and mother.
The heroine is now a successful wedding cake baker to celebs so it’s time for mom to yank her back home after 12 or 14 years so she can make an expensive cake for one of her waste of space self-involved sisters. Yes, hard-hearted Vintage Sedona teared up for poor Gracie stuck with such an emotionally careless family.
The heroine is over her crush and very, very leery of the nostalgic love the town has for her past antics. The H is in town and is trying to win the mayor election so he can get his bad, dead uncle’s 97 million dollar inheritance. He is not as nice of a guy as one would hope. Oh, he’s nice to Gracie, but he has some nefarious plans for the town was revenge for the uncle. Another skewed revenge plot in Romanceland where innocents will suffer rather than the evil doer.
More antics ensue with the heroine playing Columbo for her married almost as much of a waste of space sister, and the hero and heroine get involved, sexually involved. Another time I had to check twice that this was a Susan Mallery as "muy caliente" to quote Bernadette from Big Bang Theory.
Heroine continues to bake cakes until she is sabotaged.
There’s some mild evil OW action, and Gracie’s mother and sisters are absolutely horrible in their condescension and nasty comments, but Gracie doesn’t take it lying down or forgive them right off the bat as she ends up tossing some home truths back at them.
Really fun in some places with nice banter between the H and h, but I believe Gracie is the character winner here.
September 8, 2010
This one was difficult for me to rate for several reasons. First, I hate mean, selfish families that make unreasonable demands of one member (Gracie, in this case). When the heroine is spineless and won't stand up for herself, the book becomes a wall-banger, or very low rated. Mallery saved this one by having Gracie stand up for herself not too far into the book! Yay, Gracie! Second, I don't like characters who don't communicate (not so much Gracie and Riley, but everyone else in this book). Again, Mallery saves the day by having the two main characters have enough sense to try and talk to each other. Last, the plot simply didn't hold up and the reader had to make several suspensions of disbelief in order to gloss over the weak spots. Unfortunately, Mallery doesn't remedy this problem, so the plotting gets 3*.
Bottom line- I picked up the novel and read it in one day, even in the mist of a fast-paced vacation. I loved the characters and I have a weakness for novels where the leads make an effort to trust each other, so I give it 4* even with the shortcomings.
Bottom line- I picked up the novel and read it in one day, even in the mist of a fast-paced vacation. I loved the characters and I have a weakness for novels where the leads make an effort to trust each other, so I give it 4* even with the shortcomings.
March 3, 2018
I loved this one just as much as #1. I am really enjoying books I have found by SM. This one continues the story in Los Lobos with Gracie & Riley. We reunite with characters from #1. Comical...had me laughing..romantic, sexy, and just plain good!
August 4, 2024
3.2 stars
This is another of my old skim reads that I finally decided to read like a responsible adult 😅 Nevertheless, I think that my old impressions of the book still hold true:
🎂 The intro to the story was captivating, esp. for an unrequited love trope junkie that I am. Gracie was adorable and so down to earth with a side of crazy cute. Her youthful exploits were funny but also caused second hand embarassment, BUT as a reader, I kept being on her side. And the story does provide some believable background on why she acted as she did. She is the main reason I would re-read this!
🎂 I liked Riley too. Moreso with his grey shades to his character. Again, the story supported why he was like that.
🎂 The romance between Gracie and Riley had many fine layers (e.g. how Gracie was clear headed on how she never really knew Riley when she was a young stalker, how Riley saw that the adult Gracie was different and fun, how they both opened so easily to each other etc) but also felt a little bit insta. Overall, I liked how they were so considerate of each other's feelings. They made a believable pairing.
🎂 The family drama was rage inducing (such selfish biatches!) but they came around in their own way in the end. Gracie is still too good for them.
🎂 The OW drama (sort of)/ election drama was interesting but there were many plot holes that the author did not bother to fill (e.g. why Gracie left her pans so long there, why Riley never refuted formally the lies spun by the mayor etc). The OW was definitely a psycho to bear such a grudge for all these years and go to the lengths she did. But it did make for ott drama.
🎂 The pace of the story flagged a bit in the middle. Too much drama happening but yet the tone felt a bit heavish.
I would have rated it higher, and possibly bumped it to 4 GR stars until the Epilogue. Because as an amateur baker, I was very invested in the storyline about Gracie's career - so to have gone through all the unfair damage done to her business and having nothing addressed on where her business reputation now stood by the end of the book, I felt very let down, in a very uncomprehending way.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2017
When Gracie Landon was 14 years old she was head over heels in love with Riley Whitefield, she did everything she could to show him her never wavering devotion. Problem was Riley was four years older and when it was announced he was going to marry a girl from town, Gracie became a legend with her antics. All of her efforts were written as the Gracie Chronicles and the towns embrace of her never wavered even when she was sent out of town to live with her Aunt and Uncle.
Years later Gracie has become a wedding cake baker and is building her business. She is back to help with her sisters wedding, however she did not know Riley was going to be in town as well. Riley, now divorced, and when he catches Gracie in a compromising situation he doesn't know if he should have her arrested or believe her excuse. It becomes clear to Riley that Gracie is adorable now and if he was a man who was willing to commit, Gracie would be all his. Could his path in life make an unexpected change and what is it about Gracie that has him questioning all of his plans?
This was so much fun, Gracie is a hoot. This is one of those books that has you cracking up without and Gracie's back story was a bit of a surprise. I definitely will be reading more in this series.
Years later Gracie has become a wedding cake baker and is building her business. She is back to help with her sisters wedding, however she did not know Riley was going to be in town as well. Riley, now divorced, and when he catches Gracie in a compromising situation he doesn't know if he should have her arrested or believe her excuse. It becomes clear to Riley that Gracie is adorable now and if he was a man who was willing to commit, Gracie would be all his. Could his path in life make an unexpected change and what is it about Gracie that has him questioning all of his plans?
This was so much fun, Gracie is a hoot. This is one of those books that has you cracking up without and Gracie's back story was a bit of a surprise. I definitely will be reading more in this series.
November 8, 2019
This book functioned off of convenient plot developments, predictable "twists", and cliche storylines.
I have to say, this was one of the worst "romance" novels I've ever read, and I really wanted to like this book. It got so bad I started writing notes about it and ended up categorizing them into 3 categories. I divided them up into "WTF", which is pretty self-explanatory, "Inconsistency Hell", and "Things That Should've Been Removed After Draft One".
WTF:
"This was Riley, she reminded herself. This wasn't a casual dinner with a guy she liked. This was...dangerous".
- It is obvious that this was an attempt on the author's part to make Riley seem more mysterious and daunting. It didn't work. In fact, I stopped reading and laughed out loud. There is nothing in this book that explains why Riley is supposedly "dangerous", and I, as a reader, didn't see him as a "bad boy" like the characters from the story did. I didn't get it...what's so dangerous about a dude with earrings? Someone please tell me. I'm intrigued.
"Bread is death?"
"Not technically, but do you know what a couple of slices can do to a woman's hips and thighs?"
- Listen, I understand that this book was published in 2005 and maybe the world wasn't ready for women who aren't a size 0 to be in the spotlight. I get that that was the "ideal" girl then. However, this entire exchange made me uncomfortable. Eat the damn bread and move ON girl. A slice of bread isn't going to make you "fat" just like eating a salad for lunch one day doesn't make you healthy. The fatphobia in this book was unreal. Oh, god forbid you weigh more than your friends. That'd be the end of the world, right? Please. This was 67 pages in, and I could already tell I wouldn't like the rest of the novel.
Okay Susan, having your main character refer to the word "no" as the "n-word" is something I'd avoid doing for the remainder of forever. Moving on.
You're telling me that this bitch worked on a cake when she was THAT sick?? She was "poisoned", I know, but ANYONE who works in the food industry knows that if you're feeling sick, you don't go into work, especially not when that food is going to be eaten by 300 people.
Inconsistency Hell:
Gracie doesn't want a coffee late in the evening because it causes her to be restless and unable to sleep, but 2 pages later she's explaining that she's a "night owl" who works on her cakes until 3am or even later sometimes. Which is it, Gracie?? I'm DYING to know.
You're telling me Riley got a whole ass degree in Finance and didn't know how to run basic numbers for a bank.....something seems a little bit suspicious.
Neda works for a bridal magazine, but doesn't know the basics of decorating a wedding cake? Even I know the fondant trick and I've never even seen a wedding cake in real life.
P.S. On the second page of chapter 1, I read "baby sister's wedding" as "baby-sitter's wedding", which had me so confused for a solid 10 minutes. I had to go back and figure out what the hell I missed. Why did Gracie, unmarried without kids, need a babysitter? Why was she going to their wedding?
Things That Should've Been Removed After Draft One"
Remind me why Gracie is taking 6 weeks away from her booming business to help out a family that treats her worse than we all treat the yellow starbursts???
Every slightly interesting conflict that arises in this book is handled or completely forgotten about within one chapter. The rest of the conflict is boring and predictable.
These characters have an obnoxious obsession with spying on people. Also, the info dumps on cake decorating were literally the worst. I had to skip over entire pages because I just didn't care about how Gracie handles every little precise detail on her cakes. We get it. Her cakes are good. Move on.
Was there a character arc for Gracie? I'm thinking not, considering one doesn't come to mind, even when I actually try to think about it.
This entirety of this book is info dumps and cliche storylines. I'm surprised I actually read the entire thing. 1.5/5 stars. The .5 goes to the only character that didn't annoy the hell out of me, Jill, for being 100% that bitch.
I have to say, this was one of the worst "romance" novels I've ever read, and I really wanted to like this book. It got so bad I started writing notes about it and ended up categorizing them into 3 categories. I divided them up into "WTF", which is pretty self-explanatory, "Inconsistency Hell", and "Things That Should've Been Removed After Draft One".
WTF:
"This was Riley, she reminded herself. This wasn't a casual dinner with a guy she liked. This was...dangerous".
- It is obvious that this was an attempt on the author's part to make Riley seem more mysterious and daunting. It didn't work. In fact, I stopped reading and laughed out loud. There is nothing in this book that explains why Riley is supposedly "dangerous", and I, as a reader, didn't see him as a "bad boy" like the characters from the story did. I didn't get it...what's so dangerous about a dude with earrings? Someone please tell me. I'm intrigued.
"Bread is death?"
"Not technically, but do you know what a couple of slices can do to a woman's hips and thighs?"
- Listen, I understand that this book was published in 2005 and maybe the world wasn't ready for women who aren't a size 0 to be in the spotlight. I get that that was the "ideal" girl then. However, this entire exchange made me uncomfortable. Eat the damn bread and move ON girl. A slice of bread isn't going to make you "fat" just like eating a salad for lunch one day doesn't make you healthy. The fatphobia in this book was unreal. Oh, god forbid you weigh more than your friends. That'd be the end of the world, right? Please. This was 67 pages in, and I could already tell I wouldn't like the rest of the novel.
Okay Susan, having your main character refer to the word "no" as the "n-word" is something I'd avoid doing for the remainder of forever. Moving on.
You're telling me that this bitch worked on a cake when she was THAT sick?? She was "poisoned", I know, but ANYONE who works in the food industry knows that if you're feeling sick, you don't go into work, especially not when that food is going to be eaten by 300 people.
Inconsistency Hell:
Gracie doesn't want a coffee late in the evening because it causes her to be restless and unable to sleep, but 2 pages later she's explaining that she's a "night owl" who works on her cakes until 3am or even later sometimes. Which is it, Gracie?? I'm DYING to know.
You're telling me Riley got a whole ass degree in Finance and didn't know how to run basic numbers for a bank.....something seems a little bit suspicious.
Neda works for a bridal magazine, but doesn't know the basics of decorating a wedding cake? Even I know the fondant trick and I've never even seen a wedding cake in real life.
P.S. On the second page of chapter 1, I read "baby sister's wedding" as "baby-sitter's wedding", which had me so confused for a solid 10 minutes. I had to go back and figure out what the hell I missed. Why did Gracie, unmarried without kids, need a babysitter? Why was she going to their wedding?
Things That Should've Been Removed After Draft One"
Remind me why Gracie is taking 6 weeks away from her booming business to help out a family that treats her worse than we all treat the yellow starbursts???
Every slightly interesting conflict that arises in this book is handled or completely forgotten about within one chapter. The rest of the conflict is boring and predictable.
These characters have an obnoxious obsession with spying on people. Also, the info dumps on cake decorating were literally the worst. I had to skip over entire pages because I just didn't care about how Gracie handles every little precise detail on her cakes. We get it. Her cakes are good. Move on.
Was there a character arc for Gracie? I'm thinking not, considering one doesn't come to mind, even when I actually try to think about it.
This entirety of this book is info dumps and cliche storylines. I'm surprised I actually read the entire thing. 1.5/5 stars. The .5 goes to the only character that didn't annoy the hell out of me, Jill, for being 100% that bitch.
September 10, 2019
O štai ir Greisė!!!!! Tiek buvo apie ją girdėta pirmoje knygoje, kad nepaprastai skanu pagaliau susipažinti. Ji pakvaišusi, linksma ir nesibaigiančių idėjų generatorė, kuri Railio gyvenimą pagardino iki neišdylančio įsimintinumo. Ji miesto legenda - taip reikia mylėti. Grįžimas į Los Lobos miestelį sukels dar vieną bangą, bet ko nepadarysi dėl sesers, ypač kai esi vestuvinių tortų kepėja, o noras padėti kitai seseriai pastūmės prie senų darbelių. Humoras - garantuotas. Tortai - privers seiliotis. Jausmai - šokinės visose skalėse. O problemos - privers laikyti sukryžiavus pirštus, kad viskas baigtųsi gerai. Linksmai lengva atsipalaidavimui skirta knyga
September 30, 2010
First off, Gracie's family is horrid. I really disliked them and I don't think any of her family members had any redeeming qualities. I also had a difficult time connecting to any of the characters, but this may have been due to my immense dislike of Gracie's family. The events were a little unbelievable. I also found the events to be disjointed and unconnected.
August 27, 2025
Gracie regresa a su pueblo después de 14 años y lo hace para ayudar con la boda de su hermana, cabe decir decir que sus hermanas y su madre la tratan de una manera muy horrible y vergonzosa.
En su regreso se encuentra nuevamente con Riley, el chico del que estaba locamente enamorada a los 14 años y por el cual Gracie hizo muchas locuras.
Un final apresurado para una lectura romántica fácil y un poco cursi. 2
Le doy 2.5
En su regreso se encuentra nuevamente con Riley, el chico del que estaba locamente enamorada a los 14 años y por el cual Gracie hizo muchas locuras.
Un final apresurado para una lectura romántica fácil y un poco cursi. 2
Le doy 2.5
July 6, 2011
This book was so cute! I'm not really into contemporary romances, but I would read Susan Mallery again in a heartbeat!
Gracie is really fun, and has an upbeat personality without being so perky you want to throw something at her.
The only thing that prevents it from being a 5 star book is that the ending is too neat, too Scooby-Doo...you know, they unmask the villain and life returns to pre-villain status...
The damage done to Gracie's career was horrendous and the small blurb in the local small-town paper won't fix her national reputation. Also, Riley just magically is elected mayor after all the drama? I'd buy it if it weren't an overnight happening. Other than that, it is a cute book, waaay better than I'd have guessed, and I'd recommend it to anyone who wants a fun, quick, read with a pinch of intrigue!!
http://gotfiction.wordpress.com/2011/...
Gracie is really fun, and has an upbeat personality without being so perky you want to throw something at her.
The only thing that prevents it from being a 5 star book is that the ending is too neat, too Scooby-Doo...you know, they unmask the villain and life returns to pre-villain status...
The damage done to Gracie's career was horrendous and the small blurb in the local small-town paper won't fix her national reputation. Also, Riley just magically is elected mayor after all the drama? I'd buy it if it weren't an overnight happening. Other than that, it is a cute book, waaay better than I'd have guessed, and I'd recommend it to anyone who wants a fun, quick, read with a pinch of intrigue!!
http://gotfiction.wordpress.com/2011/...
September 13, 2025
This was THE most ridiculous book I have ever read. It’s like the author couldn’t decide on plot ideas and just decided to include it all. That being said it was very funny and an easy read and I couldn’t stop reading it at night sometimes. I started it because it was the only book downloaded my kindle while I was camping LOL (my mum has terrible taste)
October 10, 2022
Kinda sucks she stays in touch with her good for nothing sisters and mother.
April 2, 2011
Awesome book absolutely loved
In Los Lobos, fourteen years old Gracie Landon fell in love with eighteen years old Riley Whitefield, but he rejected her as being too young while seeing someone else. Her antics got so out of hand that the local media coverage became known as the Gracie Chronicles; her family, in desperation, shipped Gracie off to live with relatives out of state. Riley married and divorced Pam while Gracie never returned to her hometown for the next fourteen years embarrassed by how she behaved.
Gracie returns home for her younger sister's wedding, but plans to keep a low profile until her older sister coaxes her to help her find who her spouse Zeke is cheating with. Since he is Riley's campaign manager in his run for mayor, the siblings start there. However, Riley catches a mortified Gracie. She explains to Riley what she was doing. He needs to become mayor if he wants to inherit his uncle's 97 million estate and worries that a scandal by Zeke could hurt his campaign. As they work to uncover the truth about Zeke's nocturnal activities, they fall in love, but sensible Gracie refuses to take any risks when it comes to Riley and Pam is back causing further woes to make her seem unbalanced.
Gracie and Riley,both are rejected by their parents diferent circumstances but they both can understand the pain of it
Gracie is one brave,courageous woman,when she was 14 she had crush on Riley used to stalk him ,write poetries on girls whom he broke up with and god things she did from stopping Riley to marry Pamela (its really gr8 ideas can try it out also hehe)she has come a long way 14 years has passed but her mother n sisters still keep throwing that in her face,taunting her n hurting her i was glad when Gracie gave it back to each one of them
Riley lives his life by 3 F's and is running for mayorship as per his uncle's will but he wants revenge on his uncle he was betrayed by Pamela n was forced to marry her but as soon as her lie was out Riley was also out of marriage n left, he was wild in his teens n was scared of Gracie cause her stunts tht she pulled but now he feels something for her n there's someone trying to ruin the campaign for Riley
Great read,Definetely Keeper
Recommend it
In Los Lobos, fourteen years old Gracie Landon fell in love with eighteen years old Riley Whitefield, but he rejected her as being too young while seeing someone else. Her antics got so out of hand that the local media coverage became known as the Gracie Chronicles; her family, in desperation, shipped Gracie off to live with relatives out of state. Riley married and divorced Pam while Gracie never returned to her hometown for the next fourteen years embarrassed by how she behaved.
Gracie returns home for her younger sister's wedding, but plans to keep a low profile until her older sister coaxes her to help her find who her spouse Zeke is cheating with. Since he is Riley's campaign manager in his run for mayor, the siblings start there. However, Riley catches a mortified Gracie. She explains to Riley what she was doing. He needs to become mayor if he wants to inherit his uncle's 97 million estate and worries that a scandal by Zeke could hurt his campaign. As they work to uncover the truth about Zeke's nocturnal activities, they fall in love, but sensible Gracie refuses to take any risks when it comes to Riley and Pam is back causing further woes to make her seem unbalanced.
Gracie and Riley,both are rejected by their parents diferent circumstances but they both can understand the pain of it
Gracie is one brave,courageous woman,when she was 14 she had crush on Riley used to stalk him ,write poetries on girls whom he broke up with and god things she did from stopping Riley to marry Pamela (its really gr8 ideas can try it out also hehe)she has come a long way 14 years has passed but her mother n sisters still keep throwing that in her face,taunting her n hurting her i was glad when Gracie gave it back to each one of them
Riley lives his life by 3 F's and is running for mayorship as per his uncle's will but he wants revenge on his uncle he was betrayed by Pamela n was forced to marry her but as soon as her lie was out Riley was also out of marriage n left, he was wild in his teens n was scared of Gracie cause her stunts tht she pulled but now he feels something for her n there's someone trying to ruin the campaign for Riley
Great read,Definetely Keeper
Recommend it
April 29, 2009
A 3.5 read. Cute story, though extremely light. Got the audio version on audible and the narrator is decent.
As with all Susan Mallery stories I have read to date, the main character bakes (or cooks). Gracie lost her father at the age of 12 and fixates on the boy next door who is 18, while she is 14. She does all kinds of crazy things to keep him away from the girls he dates and the one he's eventually engaged to. (including putting a skunk in his car). Gracie becomes lengend and there are even a series of articles written about her in the local paper, but it embarrases her mother and she sends her away to stay with her aunt and uncle.
It's 14 years later and Gracie comes back to help with her sister's wedding. I have to say, her sisters and mother treat her horribly and it's disgaceful.
Gracie ends up under circumstances having to spend time with Riley and the two have several mysteries to solve. Nothing too big, but fun to figure out. Not lots of conflict between the two characters and it's nice to see that Gracie isn't falling all over Riley....though as the title suggests, someone does fall for Gracie. There's also a bit of humor in this one as well, but not enough to consider a romantic comedy.
As with all Susan Mallery stories I have read to date, the main character bakes (or cooks). Gracie lost her father at the age of 12 and fixates on the boy next door who is 18, while she is 14. She does all kinds of crazy things to keep him away from the girls he dates and the one he's eventually engaged to. (including putting a skunk in his car). Gracie becomes lengend and there are even a series of articles written about her in the local paper, but it embarrases her mother and she sends her away to stay with her aunt and uncle.
It's 14 years later and Gracie comes back to help with her sister's wedding. I have to say, her sisters and mother treat her horribly and it's disgaceful.
Gracie ends up under circumstances having to spend time with Riley and the two have several mysteries to solve. Nothing too big, but fun to figure out. Not lots of conflict between the two characters and it's nice to see that Gracie isn't falling all over Riley....though as the title suggests, someone does fall for Gracie. There's also a bit of humor in this one as well, but not enough to consider a romantic comedy.
November 6, 2011
This one was just okay--it had some cute moments, and some funny parts, but the overall premise and at least half of the actions of the antagonists and town as a whole were just this side of silly. The whole "Gracie loves with her whole heart" concept was just ridiculous--hello, she's fourteen and she put a skunk in her crush's car! (Just one of *many* fun ways she showed her "love".) Other than being her next door neighbor and the object of her obsession, he doesn't even know her, nor does she really know him. When he has to marry his high school girlfriend due to certain circumstances, Gracie throws herself in front of his car and says he might as well run her over? How can a town full of responsible adults think that's okay??? Riley's uncle's will just didn't even seem legal, let alone morally right, and the plot to bring both Riley and Gracie down was just way out there, not to mention full of holes. An okay read, if you don't have a problem with complete suspension of belief for a few hours....
November 22, 2011
Again, as with book 1, I believe this was a sweet read. I had a great time reading it but something important was just missing.
I will still try one more series from this author because there must be a reason for why EVERYBODY loves her so much.
I will still try one more series from this author because there must be a reason for why EVERYBODY loves her so much.
February 25, 2014
Some parts were too silly and too ridiculous. But I really liked the couple and rooted for them.
April 27, 2020
This was really cute. I liked the idea of Gracie getting notoriety in her early teens for being essentially a stalker, and that she was a cake decorator. Mallery did some research into cake decorating or bakes herself .... The story is good; the characters are well fleshed out IMO; and while there's a bit of insta romance, it's kind of believable because of the past the two characters shared.
I didn't love that Gracie's mom sent her away. I don't actually think that, even after reading the whole book, I liked either of her sisters or her mom much by the end. I tolerated them, and I understand Gracie's need to be part of a family. Just wasn't thrilled about the family that she had to choose from.
Riley's obsession with sticking it to his uncle was a bit of a sore point for me. It's the one thing that didn't sit well with the personality and character that he was even at the start.
And it was funny, because for the entire book, I couldn't help thinking about this as a bit of an updated teen romance from the 80s. The earring and Polarioid are probably what did it. Even though, fundamentally, I knew that the book was set in more current times. Gracie probably has one of those mini Polaroids that came back recently; and she's carrying a cell phone ....
Oh, you don't need to read the first book in the series, even though the characters from that do make an appearance. This book can definitely stand alone.
I didn't love that Gracie's mom sent her away. I don't actually think that, even after reading the whole book, I liked either of her sisters or her mom much by the end. I tolerated them, and I understand Gracie's need to be part of a family. Just wasn't thrilled about the family that she had to choose from.
Riley's obsession with sticking it to his uncle was a bit of a sore point for me. It's the one thing that didn't sit well with the personality and character that he was even at the start.
And it was funny, because for the entire book, I couldn't help thinking about this as a bit of an updated teen romance from the 80s. The earring and Polarioid are probably what did it. Even though, fundamentally, I knew that the book was set in more current times. Gracie probably has one of those mini Polaroids that came back recently; and she's carrying a cell phone ....
Oh, you don't need to read the first book in the series, even though the characters from that do make an appearance. This book can definitely stand alone.
June 24, 2025
I randomly stumbled across this author when I was looking for another book on Libby, and there were enough positive reviews of this Los Lobos series that I picked this one to try. It was a solid romance—Gracie is back in town for her sister’s wedding, and she runs into Riley, the boy she had a huge crush on at 14. As a teenager, Gracie did crazy things to keep Riley from his then-girlfriend, and her antics made her famous in the town. Now at 28, Gracie and Riley end up spending time together and it turns out they might actually be a good match. But with a mayoral campaign on the line and an inheritance as well, someone seems like they are out to sabotage everything.
I rooted for the characters, and enjoyed the support from the town for Gracie even though she was crazy. Her family was pretty awful. I was kind of bugged at how much everything was going wrong and annoyed that it was taking so long to figure out who was behind it all. The ending wrapped up really quickly compared to how much went down, but it was okay. It was an easy romance read, just a little cheesy but mostly endearing.
I rooted for the characters, and enjoyed the support from the town for Gracie even though she was crazy. Her family was pretty awful. I was kind of bugged at how much everything was going wrong and annoyed that it was taking so long to figure out who was behind it all. The ending wrapped up really quickly compared to how much went down, but it was okay. It was an easy romance read, just a little cheesy but mostly endearing.
September 27, 2025
This was fun and funny. I will say parts of the story went off on tangents and I was like “why do I need to care about thisss!?!” The evil ow drama ended up being silly. The spicy scenes felt rushed and not at all romantic or sweet. I felt like the reader had to assume a lot about the back story between the MCs and the fmc’s stalker antics. But I enjoyed the humor in this book so I bumped it up to 2 stars.
November 19, 2017
Adored! Gracie is someone you wish you had as a friend and cheer for while Riley is the guy you hope you meet. They're wildly entertaining together and wildly hot in the sheets.
A little mystery, family drama, baggage but oh so rewarding!
A little mystery, family drama, baggage but oh so rewarding!
July 4, 2017
This book so great! I laughed at many of the parts and still was surprised when certain things happened, even if I had a gut feeling about it. Again another amazing book by her and I can't wait to read her other books that will be coming out soon
May 28, 2019
I have loved this whole series. I read it out of order, but it didn’t make a difference (although books 1 & 2 should be read in sequential order...book 3 can be read at any point). Gracie is quirky & I loved that she got her love story. Sweet with a little bit of mystery!
August 17, 2017
Ugh yes - so good. VOTE FOR RILEY!
January 9, 2018
3.5/5
April 9, 2012
More like 3.5 stars.
This was an enjoyable story about a woman named Gracie whose past is legendary, filled with borderline (ok, she was actually way on the wrong side of that border) psychotic and obsessive behavior of a 14 year girl for her 18 year old neighbor Riley. Even though Gracie had lost her father at the time, her antics caused her mother to send her away to live with an aunt and uncle, not welcoming her to come home over the next 14 years, except to help with her baby sister's wedding. Even though Gracie had made a name for herself in the wedding cake business, she realizes that a town doesn't forget so easily, nor did the object of her affections.
As anyone could imagine, being sent away from your family would cause some issues and require them to be addressed. The family members made we want to reach into the book and shake every last one of them. But, refreshingly enough to see, it didn't take long for Gracie to bristle and say, HEY! I don’t think so! She had a realistic amount of patience for them, insight to know she was family to people she didn't really know, and the confidence and strength to stand up to them at almost every turn.
Riley, like many emotionally wounded heroes, was closed off and took longer to warm up to. He was a complicated soul who was in need of dealing with his past rejections. Despite his flaws and walls, he was still a likable character.
This could have been a 5 star for me had it not been for a few factors. There were some excessive elements that detracted from the story. I understand that some creative license is needed but, there is only so much one can give before it touches on the ridiculous and I felt that these devices had no real purpose and could have easily been edited out of the storyline without harming the plot. It only added ends that were never tied up and left me frustrated. I understand that the author was attempting to round out the story, but, at that point, it was completely unnecessary.
This was an enjoyable story about a woman named Gracie whose past is legendary, filled with borderline (ok, she was actually way on the wrong side of that border) psychotic and obsessive behavior of a 14 year girl for her 18 year old neighbor Riley. Even though Gracie had lost her father at the time, her antics caused her mother to send her away to live with an aunt and uncle, not welcoming her to come home over the next 14 years, except to help with her baby sister's wedding. Even though Gracie had made a name for herself in the wedding cake business, she realizes that a town doesn't forget so easily, nor did the object of her affections.
As anyone could imagine, being sent away from your family would cause some issues and require them to be addressed. The family members made we want to reach into the book and shake every last one of them. But, refreshingly enough to see, it didn't take long for Gracie to bristle and say, HEY! I don’t think so! She had a realistic amount of patience for them, insight to know she was family to people she didn't really know, and the confidence and strength to stand up to them at almost every turn.
Riley, like many emotionally wounded heroes, was closed off and took longer to warm up to. He was a complicated soul who was in need of dealing with his past rejections. Despite his flaws and walls, he was still a likable character.
This could have been a 5 star for me had it not been for a few factors. There were some excessive elements that detracted from the story. I understand that some creative license is needed but, there is only so much one can give before it touches on the ridiculous and I felt that these devices had no real purpose and could have easily been edited out of the storyline without harming the plot. It only added ends that were never tied up and left me frustrated. I understand that the author was attempting to round out the story, but, at that point, it was completely unnecessary.
April 27, 2020
Normally, I like Susan Mallery's books along with most of the characters. I devoured the Mischief Bay books, especially liking "Sisters Like Us." The characters, while they disagreed with each other and had their issues, were mostly likeable and cared for each other.
This one, however, I did not like.
Gracie was mostly a doormat for her family. Oh, and her whole family is horrible!!! It's been a long time since I've read a book where I disliked characters this much (even Bunny, the meddlesome and annoying mother in "Sisters Like Us" had some good qualities.) Why Gracie would have taken six weeks away from her business to help any of these people is beyond me.
I didn't buy the relationship between Gracie and Riley. It all seemed too forced to me... and even downright creepy at times how people in the town seemed to think it was cute. Riley was just kind of bland, too. I fail to understand why him having an earring made him a "bad boy"- I just found him boring. I feel like neither of the main characters experienced any development or really even had any strong story arcs throughout the story. There was a start and end to the story, but not enough in between to make me believe in their connection.
I feel like Mallery's more recent books and characters are much better.
This one, however, I did not like.
Gracie was mostly a doormat for her family. Oh, and her whole family is horrible!!! It's been a long time since I've read a book where I disliked characters this much (even Bunny, the meddlesome and annoying mother in "Sisters Like Us" had some good qualities.) Why Gracie would have taken six weeks away from her business to help any of these people is beyond me.
I didn't buy the relationship between Gracie and Riley. It all seemed too forced to me... and even downright creepy at times how people in the town seemed to think it was cute. Riley was just kind of bland, too. I fail to understand why him having an earring made him a "bad boy"- I just found him boring. I feel like neither of the main characters experienced any development or really even had any strong story arcs throughout the story. There was a start and end to the story, but not enough in between to make me believe in their connection.
I feel like Mallery's more recent books and characters are much better.
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