Almost Perfect

Fool's Gold #2

by Susan Mallery

Back in high school, Liz Sutton was the girl from the wrong side of the tracks. Then she'd stolen the heart of the most popular boy in town, and their secret romance helped her through the worst of times. Until Ethan Hendrix betrayed her and everything they'd ever meant to each other. Devastated and pregnant, Liz left Fool's Gold, California-forever, she thought...

Now Liz must return to town and face the man who doesn't know of their son's existence. And this time she won't have the option of making a quick getaway. Ethan and Liz can't deny their passionate attraction, even after all these years. But will their desire be enough to spark a second chance at love?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Fiction, Adult, Second Chance

379 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 21, 2010

About the author

#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.

Reviews

[Jessica's Totally Over The Top Book Obsession · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 I hate Ethan Stars

****Spoilers****

Okay here are my thought on this book down and dirty. I liked everything about this story but the hero Ethan. He was a stupid, asshat, douchebag, and treated the woman he suppose to love who is also the mother of his child like shit. Not just in the beginning but til the very last page. So sorry I'm not sorry, but I don't give a shit he says he sorry. He is sorry alright a sorry ass selfish POS. I would have given the book a 5 star rating had he ended up alone and she married someone else. He has to be one of the top 5 worst heroes I have ever read!

[boogenhagen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yet another POS H and incredibly wimpy throwrug h. Sadly she is so pathetic she just sucks up the abuse. In a strange kinda way, they probably do belong together, but I was looking for a romance not a tragedy.

The only thing missing was the dramatic throwing herself in front of a train. Frankly I kinda think it happened that way after the book closed, cause srsly, who could like or live with the utter and complete ass the Zero Hero was, I figured 6 months later she OD'd on valium just to get away from him.

[Tracie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok. So I've started listening to this and I'm not sure I'll even finish it. It's not the reader, who seems adequate, it's the story. Before the end of the first CD I just wanted to gag.

Really. Would someone tell me how on earth anyone can like Ethan and consider him the romantic interest in this........romance. Why on earth would anyone want him. And his mother! All self-righteous. Why didn't she knock him upside the head and tell him off for his behavior. And what was with the main character (can't remember her name right now)? She KNOWS that Ethan is to blame for most of what happened, but by the end of the first disc she's willing to shoulder most of the blame.

So. She's a teen and he's in college when he seduces her, then publicly humiliates her. She leaves town, finds out she's pregnant, and goes back to tell him, finds him in bed with someone else (which, according to him doesn't matter because he was young, doesn't really remember anymore, is she really going to hold something that happened so long ago against him....) so she leaves without telling him. 5 or so years later she is back in town to tell him again. But he isn't in town. His wife (who you soon find out he married because--yes, he got her pregnant) doesn't tell him, but apparently writes a letter as if it is from him. But that's not suppose to matter either. Instead you get to listen to him constantly excusing himself and blaming her. And she seems to spend a lot of time pretty much buying into accepting the blame.

UUGGGG. And she's suppose to end up wanting the jerk?!? Really?

[Rashika (is tired) · Rating 1 out of 5]

(Note: I don't mean to sound like a troll or anything. Also if you are uncomfortable with swear words.. it would be better if you didn't read this)

I blame my need for reading a chic lit on Jenn Bennett.

This is not what I was looking for.
This was horrible.
I wanna crawl into my bed and cry. It was that bad.

The hero is an asshole.. he keeps on blaming the female lead for things she had no control over when from my point of view he should be taking most of the blame or his dead ex wife. Through out most of the book he is trying to make the female lead's life miserable and still claims to love her. You my sir are indeed an asshole. Please take you're shit some where else and oh get over yourself while you're at it.
If I were a real life character in this book there is nothing I would love more than running a truck over this guy.

The female likes getting walked over. She might as well get run over by something while she's at it. Oh so she is a single mother etc etc she's strong as hell. No. She is ridiculous. She let's people's opinions define her, she never stands up for herself and is weak as fuck.

I don't hate kids in a book. You just cannot because they tend to be cute but in this case? They sucked. They were selfish as hell! Oh Tyler's actions would have made sense were he 8 but he was 11! And her nieces? Oh dear god here this woman left everything and came as soon as possible and you start tantrums about not moving back with her.

WHY DID I READ THIS?
I am going to drown in a sea of self loathing.. this was just pathetic, all I wanted was a good romance about second chances... this is bullshit.

[Vintage · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gross, and apologies to Boogenhagen.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I should have re-read your review before I read this.

The heroine gets thrown under the bus repeatedly by EVERYONE from the wimpy, whiny H, her own kid, her ungrateful niece, the H’s mother and the town…yes THE TOWN.

The H gets his kid and the hot mama that can help with the day to day rearing because being a dad is all too much to handle on his own. He never fails to rub it in that she didn't try hard enough to tell him he was a dad, but pouts when she reminds him he turned his back on her when his high school kids called her a slut despite declaring his love.

Well, she's a mystery/thriller writer that has killed him off in her books so... here's hoping!

Made me cry but not in a good way.

Oh, and SM kills off one of the few good characters. WTF?

[Jena · Rating 2 out of 5]

I never believed the hero loved the heroine from start to finish. And God, there were WAY too many kids in this book. Everyone is either arguing about kids, for kids or with kids.

[Julie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Seriously, people need to get over the whole moving back to San Francisco. Liz lives there. Tyler's whole life is there. Liz can't just pick up and move. Ethan pisses me off regarding that- thinking he has the rights to demand that Liz stay in Fool's Gold. Why doesn't he move to San Francisco instead? After all, he'd be the only one changing lifestyle compared to Liz and Tyler. (not including Melissa and Abby). Ethan and his mom need to get over missing out on Tyler's life because seriously? it was partially Ethan' s fault for "sleeping" with Pia.

also, Melissa needs to get over her "I don't want to move, you can't make me." okay....fine. Liz will go back to SF without you and you can stay at a foster care in Fool's Gold. problem solved.

The romance is horrible. I can't forgive Ethan for betraying Liz like that. His sorry excuse of an apology for confessing his love for her, bedding her, and then telling her she's worth nothing to his friends was sickening. He should have needed to grovel a hell of a lot more. Also, I felt like Susan Mallory just kind of closed her eyes and chose a random scene to squish some "sexual tension" in, which very awkward. think about it. Ethan and Liz are walking out of court, both are angry with each other. Liz had just been betrayed by Ethan for the thousandth time. All of a sudden Ethan grabs her and they share a "passionate" kiss and then they both turn away and leave. not a word exchanged in this scene. hmm.....

What a horribly lacking book. I'm disappointed, Susan. I expected a lot more from you. Why is it so hard to find a good small town second chance book now a days?

excuse the grammatical errors, this review was written on my kindle, which has a mind of it's own regarding auto-correct.

[Inês Sagres · Rating 3 out of 5]

[EN] Liz Sutton didn’t have an easy childhood. With an alcoholic mother, she didn’t have any other option than leaving Fool’s Gold at eighteen when everyone in town was judging her based on her mother’s attitudes. She left behind Ethan, the love of her life, but she didn’t care since he was the first one humiliating her. Until she found out she was pregnant with his kid. During the last eleven years they were apart she tried to tell him about the pregnancy twice, and she was sure that he got the message on the second time… But apparently not, which makes her return to Fool’s Gold and the first encounter with Ethan at lot harder…

[PT] Liz Sutton não teve uma adolescência fácil. Com uma mãe alcoólica, ela não teve outra opção senão sair de Fool’s Gold aos 18 anos qanto toda a gente a julgava com base nas atitudes da sua mãe. Para trás ela deixou Ethan, o amor da sua vida, mas ela não quis saber uma vez que ele foi o primeiro a humilha-la. Até que ela descobriu que estava grávida com o bebé de Ethan. Durante os últimos 11 anos ela tentou contar-lhe duas vezes, e ela tinha a certeza que ele tinha recebido a mensagem na segunda tentativa… O que aparentemente não aconteceu, o que torna o seu returno a Fool’s Gold e o primeiro encontro com Ehtan muito mais difíceis…

Full review available at | Review completa em Under the Pages.

[Grisette · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

Okay, glancing at all these 1 star and 2 stars reviews had me pause for a minute but I sneaked peeked and found the story bingeable, so I decided to see for myself. While I can see why some people would rage read it, I ended up liking this book. Overall, it was a competent read, imho. Here's why:

✒ I am a sucker for wrong side of the tracks trope. Add to that public humiliation and rejection, and here I am with my tissues and baseball bat ready. This book did not deceive on that point. There was no faking it, no secret noble reason: he did truly break her heart and reject her because he did not have the cojones to be with her.

✒ Now, this being a chick lit book, its aim was not to engage the reader on the "cry your heart out like there's no tomorrow because the angst is so shattering" - so it did not end up as a rage read. Because all the tough issues were handled by the characters in an 'adult' way (I am captioning this, because adulting does not mean being wise and perfect - to err is human 😅) rather than in a drama frenzy way. Usually, I am all for the angst fest but I knew going in that this was not this type of betrayal book. And I was all okay with it because I think SM did a great job depicting the questions, doubts and worries plaguing the main characters while dealing with their situation. It made sense, it was believable, it had a realistic layer to it - even when the characters did stupid things (re: in RL, to err is human!).

✒ It was immensely readable. More and more this is an important factor for me. The ease with which a writing style will suck me into its universe. A book can have the best plot and twists but if it's unreadable, what's the use? SM's pen was smooth and comfortable. And like I said, the plot development made sense. So what more to ask?

✒ I liked the h, Liz a lot. She had a difficult start in life, a traumatic breakup at so young an age (I blame you Ethan 😠), faced challenges of a young, single mother but she became an adult who still tried to do her best. Yes, she made mistakes but her young age explained some of it, and more importantly, she was not afraid to own up for her mistakes and worked to find the middle ground.

✒ Ethan was the epitome of the imperfect good guy. My gosh, the number of fumbles he had with Liz! He seemed to pick the worst option every time, even without trying. I think his biggest problem was that he spoke/ acted too often without first thinking of all the consequences. Well, with Liz he has certainly learned a few things - his heart is in the right place and he was willing to make amends once he realised the extent of his actions. But I predict he will continue to blunder his way through and Liz will have to explain each time why he got it wrong 😅! That might not be an endearing picture but again, his character felt realistic.

✒ The ending. I know that 'big gestures' are passé in betrayal-grovel books, but I liked Ethan's big gesture. Because he did it foremost for Liz, with no expectation this would bring him back in her good graces. And because it balanced out his first betrayal where he acted selfish and coward - here, he exposed himself and defended her. And because his confessions set the town gossips to rights - not that I expect them to change overnight, but someone had to voice out the injustices thrown at Liz, and Ethan did it. And finally, because his words felt sincere. So while this may not have been an epic grovel, it was a satisfactory retributive gesture imho.

The characters were far from perfect and their decisions not always rational or laudable, but the way SM sold it, with realistic adulting, I say yes, I enjoyed this book for what it was.

[jenjn79 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5 / 5

I'm really loving this series. Mallery has hooked me completely. I wish we didn't have nearly two months to read the last book in the series.

Series Note:
I'd recommend reading the series in order. Lots of continuity going on.

Summary:
Back when they were teens, town golden boy Ethan Hendrix and poor-girl-with-an-unwarranted-bad-reputation Liz Sutton had a classic secret romance. But then Ethan trashed Liz to his friends to save face and she ran away. Only to find three weeks later she was pregnant. After two tries at telling Ethan, Liz gives up and moves on with her life and becomes a successful mystery novelist. Then an emergency sends her running back to Fool's Gold and smack into Ethan. Who learns that he now has an eleven year old son.

Ethan is shocked and furious that Liz never told him before. He blames her entirely and demands to be a part of his sons life. He wants Liz to move back to Fool's Gold so he can always his son around. But for Liz, Fool's Gold is a reminder of how she grew up and everything she hates. Then there's Ethan. He still sets her heart on fire. So what in the world is she going to do?

Review:
There's something about this series and the way Mallery is writing it that just really appeals to me. This book (and the first one) sucked me in from page one and kept me reading. I always love it when I'm reading a book and have no idea what page I'm on because I'm so engrossed in the story and that's what happened with these first two books in the Fool's Gold series.

I'm not sure I can explain why I loved this book. It wasn't any one thing, any specific aspect. It was the book as a whole - the small town setting, the characters, the emotion, the growing and changing, the secondary story aspects...all of it. All tied together, it makes for a very readable people/romance story.

If I had to limit it down to two favorite things, though, I think one would be the town as a whole and all the people interactions. You get to meet and learn about a lot of characters. Liz (the heroine) reconnects with old friends, and makes some surprising new ones. Other characters go through stuff. One character passes away. I loved reading about the growth and change of the people, and the events of the town.

And then there's Liz. She was a fantastic character. She from nothing...an abusive mother who drank and entertained men, a town who ignored what she was going through, peers made up lies about her, and a boyfriend who betrayed her and left her pregnant at 18. She took off a made a great life for herself. Then she had to go back to Fool's Gold and make peace with everything. I just thought she was a really strong character and I loved the way Mallery wrote her.

I don't always like stories that feature kids, but it worked for this book and I didn't mind it. And I also don't always like hidden pregnancy stories. Often because the woman had dumb reasons for not telling, making me dislike her. But in this book, I completely sided with Liz. Ethan was the one who ticked me off.

As for Ethan and the romance, that was the main area I thought the book could have been better. Ethan pissed me off a lot. Sure he had a right to be mad about learning her had an eleven year old son, but he was too self-righteous, too judgmental. I wanted to smack him more than once. And the re-ignited romance between him and Liz was so-so. For most of the book things are very acrimonious between them. I would have liked to have seen things smooth out sooner for them and more time spent on rebuilding their relationship. But the way it went by far didn't ruin the book. It just made the romance not quite as good as it could have been.

There were a few other small things I would have liked to have seen be done different or improved on. One was Ethan and Josh's friendship. In book 1 (featuring Josh), the two repair their long-estranged friendship and it hardly gets a mention in this book. Some more continuity there would have been nice. And second, Ethan's late wife plays a fairly big role in this book, and yet it's never mentioned how exactly she died. I think it might have been in book 1, but in this one you just learn she died in Ethan's arms and I kept thinking HOW?! It was a detail that kinda slipped through the cracks.

But again, they're minor things because really, I loved this book. Would have given it five stars except for those few things above. I can't wait to read more about Fool's Gold...I believe next up is a novella featuring Raoul Moreno, a transplant from the Bakery Sisters series.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Almost Perfect

Susan Mallery

ALMOST PERFECT is the second book in the Fools Gold series. I am really enjoying this series and I truly loved this story more than the first one and I really loved the first one. Susan Mallery has now become my newest auto buy author and I'm excited to read all of her previous books.
When Liz Sutton graduated high school she ran as fast as she could from Fools Gold, California. She was picked on in school and because her mother was a drunk and a prostitute, everyone assumed the apple didn't fall far from the tree. Liz was in love with Ethan Hendrix but she over hears him telling his friends that he barely knows her and wouldn't be caught dead with her. Little do his friends know that she gave up her virginity for Ethan. Liz is beyond wrecked and leaves Fools Gold as fast as she can.


She soon finds out that she is pregnant and goes back to Fools Gold to tell Ethan. Imagine how she feels when she walks in on him and another girl in bed? She leaves as quickly as she can once again. She goes back five years later to tell him again and tells someone close to him and he never gets the message. ALMOST PERFECT has Liz moving on with her life as a single mother to her son Tyler and life is good. Until the one day when she is called back to Fools Gold by her two nieces who need her. She doesn't think twice about packing her bags and running to the girls. As soon as anyone sees Tyler they are going to know who his father is. Ethan is quite the jerk through most of the story and I just wanted to smack him upside his big old stupid head. As soon as he finds out he has a son he is beyond livid with Liz. Well hang on people, it's about to get crazy in Fools Gold!


ALMOST PERFECT is only the fourth book by Susan Mallery that I have read but I'm determined to finish this series this year. Susan Mallery pulls her readers right in from the very first page and never lets them go. She makes her readers really care about all of her characters that they spend late nights finishing up her book because they can't stop. Well that's what happened to me anyway. Once I started reading, I had a very hard time putting ALMOST PERFECT down. I am so excited to continue this wonderful series of a town where there is a man shortage. It's so hysterical when a new man shows up!

[willaful · Rating 3 out of 5]

“So they were back to that, she thought, both annoyed and sad. The same road, the same words, the same feelings. They were trapped and she didn’t know how to make things different.”

Tell me about it.

I was curious to read this book because its Secret Baby plot sounded quite similar to Mallery’s Sweet Trouble, a story that packed a huge emotional punch for me. I wondered if the formula would work again, or if it would feel too much like a rerun. Well, it was a bit too familiar at times--but a much bigger problem is that it feels like a rerun of itself. There’s so much retread, with characters having the same conversations again and again; only the cast changes occasionally.

That quote wasn’t the only time I felt the author of the book was weirdly summing up my criticisms. There’s the several times Ethan gets torn into for having unprotected sex. And there’s this:

Ethan: “Is that what this is about? I haven’t suffered enough?”

I was troubled by a feeling of imbalance, of something missing, throughout this story. We see almost nothing about how Ethan really felt towards Liz when she left so many years ago--no anguish, no remorse, no sense of loss. We know he feels sorry for having treated her badly, but it’s so impersonal. Yes, I guess he didn’t suffer enough for my tastes.

Like the previous book in this series, this one overall seemed lacking in intensity and passion. Which, considering how much anger is in it, just doesn't seem right.

On the plus side, there are three kids in this book and they didn’t drive me crazy. Liz’s oldest orphaned niece is particularly well drawn. Writer and mother Liz is also a strong character, though tends to be too meek when being badmouthed by strangers. She explains all the time--too often--but she rarely fights back.

[Vanessa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Should be far from perfect! Ethan claimed that he loved Liz and then he seemed to get what he wanted and dumped her pretty quickly. She gets to overhear him deny her to his friends, she reacts, storms off, discovers she has a gift from our wonderful H, returns to enlighten him only to find him in bed w/ OW three weeks after she had run away, she dashes again, and then she attempts it one last time just to be turned down by a letter later. Liz is shocked that Ethan can claim he knew nothing about circumstances and Ethan isn’t happy that she kept the secret all these years. He originally approached her, when she returned to take care of nieces from a brother she hasn’t seen in YEARS, and he apologized for being a jerk all those years ago. His excuse – he was a kid! Okay, maybe that will float, but guess what he is a jerk later on and he is no longer a KID!

I had several problems w/ this book:

Tyler, their child, had a friend in San Francisco whose name was Jason and he MUST have a friend in Fool’s Gold w/ same name because there can NOT possibly be any other names under the sun – yeah picky huh (well in my defense it got confusing). What happened to the Disney land plans? Nothing further was mentioned on that. The second dinner after they had already eaten. How come everyone in this little town knew her secrets, but no one knew his? Not one of the nosey citizens lifted a finger for her or the two little girls later. Why did Ethan continue to defend his dead wife? What did she die of? The whole incident before Liz left the first time seemed to get rewritten a few times: One he called her a POA but he wouldn’t be interested in touching that; his friend called her a hoe (no not the tool), another he just wouldn’t be interested in her. Liz said that in Ethan not defending her it spoke of his character yet she still loved him?!!! Liz told Ethan’s mom she was gone 2 months when she returned to tell him her news, yet later she tells OW that she was gone 3 weeks. Liz thought OW had inability to remember the past w/ accuracy and I thought that could be said of Liz.

None of Ethan’s anger is directed at himself or dead wife all at Liz. He never looked for Liz or tried to contact her but he was reading her books so he could have contacted her and he never did. He knew why Liz had left and he wished that she had stayed and talked – seriously? Why couldn’t he have contacted Liz? He didn’t seem to ever want to accept own any of his own actions, but wants to blame Liz for all. She legitimately believed that he KNEW!! Why would she think his wife would keep the secret? Ethan is very immature in actions and behavior throughout the story, and denies her again behind her back. He doesn’t trust her since she didn’t state pregnant immediately either. He constantly shows her that he can’t be trusted, but she comes back for more … repeatedly.

What sacrifice has he ever made? She makes sacrifices for him/kids and she puts up w/ the antics of people in the town – sure he has a gesture at the end but it was an ACCIDENT!!!! Ethan seemed to want things handed to him w/ no real effort on his part. What did he ever give up? He was sorry for the past, but he continually punishes her for the past! Even while he claims she should not punish him for it. The surface he is a good guy, but at heart he is selfish and immature and even he knows it.
Ethan denied Liz to his friends, excuse he was young, yet he admits r/s w/ Liz to his wife? Why at that point? To what purpose did it serve? It wasn’t really explained in the book, but seemed to offer up ammunition for the deceased wife to keep secrets.

I honestly believed that Liz made the effort to inform Ethan of the boy, but she was prevented several times. She believed he knew and didn’t want anything to do w/ the child. Why wouldn’t she believe that – it seemed true to form w/ his previous example of his character? Ethan decides it would be a good idea to teach the boy to be judgmental and sexist and it wouldn’t hurt to badmouth his mother, Liz, to the boy either.

Ethan tells her that he always loved her and hadn’t seen it before – yet he told her years ago that he loved her. So now it sounded like that was a means to an end - i.e. get in her pants! Maybe he is doing it again so that he can get a hand on to the child, after all Liz has a problem w/ putting everyone else ahead of herself. Surely she will stay true to form as well.

Also who was the big mouth that spread all of her business around town but not once considered his part of the whole deal? I'm guessing mom, but then that doesn't make sense because she KNEW what everyone said about Liz when she was younger and she continually states she felt bad about that. Then, of course, mom comes to Liz to offer support to her because it seems that a lot of the town is against Liz. If she blabbed, then why is she now coming to offer support and why didn't she then rectify the situation by blabbing about golden boy's part of the deal?

I could buy his excuse of he was a kid when he initially hurt Liz. However, one would think that given his age and his so called maturity level, which I honestly didn’t see, he would have stepped up to the plate. Ethan just isn’t strong enough to w/stand the adversity that he will be faced w/ and he kicks Liz to the side and he continues to do so throughout this novel. The only time he really seems to step up … it was an accident not meant for her ears! And Liz, likes to be a throw rug, is just so totally in love w/ him that even though he makes her so mad she forgives him because she loves him unconditionally, and she feels awful for not trying harder to tell him about the child. She has grown more in her time away then he ever could and in maturity level she far surpasses him, but in the end she still wants him. She seemed to settle for him and he didn’t seem that great of a hero, but the key is almost perfect as in he falls short of perfection and will never totally achieve it! However, he will try to for her … and that is something right?

[Manda Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

ALMOST PERFECT is the story of Ethan Hendrix and Liz Sutton. Let me warn you now that if you are not a fan of secret baby stories, then this is not the book for you. Twelve years after she left Fool's Gold pregnant with Ethan's baby, Liz returns to the small town where she grew up, her 11yo son Tyler in tow, to come rescue her two nieces who were abandoned by their step-mother. No way, no how is she prepared to stay there. Through a series of mishaps and bad luck and bone-headed moves on Ethan's part, Liz thought she had told Ethan about his son, but turns out that he didn't know at all. So when he happens to see her in town the day of her arrival and heads over to her parents house to welcome her back he learns the truth and is more than a little put out. What follows is an emotional, at times funny, at times frustrating story of two people trying to figure out how to get to their HEA. The town of Fool's Gold played a big role in this story and for those who complain that small towns are always idealized in romance fiction, let me just say that there are some serious dark sides to the town in this story. Even so, there is plenty of the charm that makes fictional small towns appealing. Not the least of which is the group of female friends Liz develops there, many of whom we met in CHASING PERFECT as well. Ultimately what made this story work was the fact that for all of their bickering, I couldn't help but feel that Ethan and Liz belonged together. And the fact that they didn't just meet again after twelve years and zoom into HEA made it feel more real. Good, emotional read.

[VaultOfBooks · Rating 1 out of 5]

By Susan Mallery. #2 in Fool’s Gold Series. Grade: F
I’d heard good things about this author, and thought I’d try one of her books out. I like books with kids – they add a twist – and picked Almost Perfect.
I am still recovering from the horror.
Back in high school, Liz Sutton was the girl from the wrong side of the tracks. Then she’d stolen the heart of the most popular boy in town, and their secret romance helped her through the worst of times. Until Ethan Hendrix betrayed her and everything they’d ever meant to each other. Devastated and pregnant, Liz left Fool’s Gold, California forever, she thought,
Now Liz must return to town and face the man who doesn’t know of their son’s existence. And this time she won’t have the option of making a quick getaway. Ethan and Liz can’t deny their passionate attraction, even after all these years. But will their desire be enough to spark a second chance at love?

When Liz was eighteen years old, she was secretly dating Ethan who was back from college for the summer. That lasted till Ethan denied their relationship in company of his friends, saying that she wasn’t worth his time. Liz packed her bags and left… and then found out that she was pregnant. She came back to inform Ethan, but he was in bed with someone else.
Now, the first two paragraphs are enough to inform you what a crappy hero the male protagonist is going to be. This is one of the most common, obvious and boring plots romance authors can use. Bringing one of the main characters back to their hometown which they’d vowed never to do and there they meet their high school fling. The fling had gone bad, but of course, they’d carried a torch, and now, everything ends in happily ever after.
The last book I’d read along the same lines was Ms. Lorraine Heath’s Hard Loving Man. But compared to this, that was a treasure chest. And teenage hormones are always a bad excuse for being a jerk.
Liz’s comfortable existence is thrown into turmoil when she receives an email from the fourteen-year-old niece she never knew she had. Her estranged brother, Roy, is in prison, and his wife has walked out on his two daughters, leaving them to fend for themselves. Melissa and Abby have run out of money and are desperate to find some way of staying together. They don’t want to end up in the foster care system and run the risk of being separated. Acting on instinct, Liz packs her bags, collects Tyler from school, and heads to Fool’s Gold to look after the girls.
When Liz arrives, she’s appalled at the conditions the girls have been living in and furious at the people of the town who have once again failed to notice children in need. To add to her bad mood, she receives a disconcertingly cheery welcome from Ethan Hendrix, the man who supposedly wrote to her six years previously telling her he wanted nothing to do with her or their son. It transpires that the letter was forged by Ethan’s late wife, and he knew nothing of Ethan’s existence until Liz rolled back into town.
Ethan is livid to discover that Liz had his child and never bothered to inform him. He’s lost eleven years with Tyler, and he’s determined to make up for lost time. However, Liz never named him on Tyler’s birth certificate, so Ethan requires her cooperation if he’s to establish a relationship with his son. He wants Tyler to stay in Fool’s Gold, but it will take some persuasion for Liz to agree.
Juggling her nieces’ situation with the hostility of Ethan, his family, and most of Fool’s Gold’s residents, Liz is not having a good summer. She can’t wait to sell her brother’s house and move back to San Francisco. Unfortunately for her, life is not destined to be that simple. In desperation, Ethan has her served with a court order demanding shared custody of Tyler. When the judge orders her to remain in Fool’s Gold until she and Ethan can work out a plan for custody, Liz is obliged to prolong her stay in the town she hates and which she is convinced hates her. However, things are rarely as they seem. Over the course of the summer, Liz is forced to confront her past, and Ethan comes to realise he was far from blameless in his dealings with Liz all those years ago.
The hero was a jerk. It was predictable that Liz would move to Fool’s Gold. But Ethan didn’t deserve her. It seemed that Liz was doing all the compromising. All the parts of people stopping Liz on the street and berating her for how she supposedly treated Ethan were not only unbelievable but sounded really just stupid.
Ethan is also weak. He runs to his mom to whine about everything and he treats Liz horribly throughout most of the book, and he probably says “I’m sorry” throughout most of his dialogue, but yet the reader is supposed to be sympathetic to this guy. I wished Liz would’ve dumped Ethan for somebody else. Not only did he deny his love for Liz when he was in college to his buddies, he also told his own mother that he didn’t care about Liz when he was an adult. He does nothing to endear himself to her afterwards.
I didn’t feel the chemistry between Ethan and Liz. It was really hard to believe they still loved each other after so many years. Perhaps if they hadn’t fallen into bed again so quickly, if they had spent more time getting to know the new Liz and Ethan, it would have been more believable. I mean, the situation is complicated and they’re not really feeling lovey dovey towards each other, but they’ll still succumb to lust? Plain disgusting.
They are responsible adults…parents, and the sleazy affair…uh-oh. Jeez. I left the book mid-way.

Originally reviewed at www.vaultofbooks.com

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

It looks like sticking with Mallery paid off, and I'm so glad it did. This book fulfilled the promise of the other and without all the cliché.

Liz was certainly the big draw. I liked her from the start. She's strong and smart and kind and doing her best as a mother. Indeed, the motherhood moments in the book were standouts both in the character of her son as well as her interactions with the nieces dumped in her lap. Liz shows courage and no small amount of forbearance in dealing with the town and Ethan and his family, as well, and I really liked that.

Ethan, on the other hand, was much more problematic. As one of nature's paladins myself, I couldn't help identifying with his desire to do what's right. What I had substantially less patience with was his lack of empathy or understanding of what he had done (and to some extent, continued to do) to Liz. What he did would have destroyed a lesser woman and her recovery enough to spend any time with him was nothing short of miraculous.

Ethan is saved, somewhat, by his family; and I don't just mean in terms of them taking focus away from him. His care for his family and their willingness to take him to task saved me from writing him off and wishing Liz would find someone else to sigh over. Indeed, the family relationships in this novel are outstanding and a large part of what made this work. The secondary characters were a huge win, actually, all the way from the ornery ladies who kept telling Liz how much they hated her to Pia as the ex-mean-girl turned friend. And yeah, the ornery ladies weren't fun, but they were a great stand-in for the downside of the small town and thus validation for Liz' memories of persecution.

I do have to wonder where the title comes from. The only thing "Almost Perfect" was Ethan's ability to screw up every major interaction with Liz he had. It was like watching a blind man navigate a minefield, only with his seeing eye dog replaced with a bomb-sniffing dog. It's fortunate we're in his head in typical romance style because knowing his side helped me wince instead of wail.

Anyway, this was an entertaining read that kept me up way too late last night. And that's an endorsement all on its own.

A note about Steamy: Standard contemporary romance, and probably standard Mallery. About the middle of my tolerance with two explicit sex scenes. They were more integrated into the emotional story arc than in the first book, though, so more fitting overall.

[Dinjolina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just….I….I wash my hands of this cheating no good fu*ker!
And really, aside form not being able to use contraceptives and practice safe sex, there are a heap of more horrible characteristics to him.
Plain and simple- he sucked. Big time.
Also the stage speech in the end?
Sorry it can not delete all the bad things that happened. Not in my book.

I did like the heroine, but I am unable to give more than 2 stars on the sole stand of her being written well.

P.S. Did any of you feel he had even a spec of regret his child with Rayanne died?
To me this was also glazed over. He was so adamant about being a father yet his wife goes in to labor and dies without it having even a bit of spotlight in the story?

[Booklover · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was good story and Liz was awesome so strong and brave,inspite of being a outcast from society cause of what her mother does.she keeps fighting through her teens,excels in studies, Liz is really great---kind, caring,almost too good, half way thru this book and wondered why Liz would even want this guy!

Ethan on the other hand is Selfish,mean,arrogant and in first book of this series"Chasing perfect"u will come to know he stopped speaking to his best friend Josh for 10 years because Josh became the champion cyclist that Ethan wanted to be and couldn't because of an injury.then there is Liz god he does'nt deserve anyone first let me come to his treatment of Liz,Here is a guy, who tells all his buddies in front of the heroine(the secret girlfriend he supposedly loved) is a slut, and doesnt know her when teased about them. Heartbroken, she runs away only to returns 3 weeks later to tell him she's pregnant, but finds him in bed with one of her tormentor from high school. Of course, this makes her run away again, to return 5 years later to try telling him about the baby. This time she finds out he married another girl (which we later find out because he got her pregnant too, what a nice guy). And not once did he go after the heroine to apologize or to get her back. We're lead to believe its because he was young. Strictly speaking for myself, I just plainly felt he didn't love her at all.

And then there's Ethan again after few years after the incident when she comes to tell him abt the child when Liz returns he treats-greats her as if never anything happened,he even has a gall to get angry and abuse Liz call her Bitch when he comes to know of the child which he fathered,Liz even gives him proof of the letter which his now dead wife sent to Liz without telling anything abt it to Ethan it says"I know abt the boy and i don't want to do anything with it"still he gives benefit of doubt to his dead wife but not Liz

then Ethan's mother Denise(at the end she is smarter then Ethan)and whole town keeps taunting n treating Liz badly cause he did such a wrong thing against their Ethan,and Ethan even tries to poison his child's mind against Liz and tells him how bad his mother is cause she kept him from his father,even files for sole custody of his son inspite of Liz telling him again n again that she is ready to come to a compromise set a schedule so that Ethan spent time with his son n give him his father's rights

I kept expecting the time of redemption to come, but it never came. In my opinion, Heros can be forgiven for almost eanything, but not before they suffer a little to prove the reader he is genuinely sorry and in love, etc... This one is basically like this: 'Hero" is a jerk because he is immature, then he is a jerk because he is mad, then he is a jerk because he cannot turn back time, then he is a jerk because he HAS TO DO THE RIGHT THING, and finally, he is a jerk because he actually is forgiven by accident (his plan was only to inform the city part of the blame was his, but after all the crap he put Liz trough he was not capable of 1 great gesture!) I love flawed characters, but this one is not flawed, and he is very far away of being almost perfect, he is simply a jerk.

Etha never felt sorry for how he treated Liz during teens,not when she came back and things he did to hurt her and never for once apologise to her or Grovel

I gave 2 stars only for Liz cause way she fights through all odds

Read it but mostly if you can ignore it

[Analia · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5⭐

“— Me gustaba mucho leer y los libros eran mis amigos.
—¿Cómo se puede tener un libro como amigo? —preguntó Abby—. No se puede hablar con ellos.
—No, pero pueden llevarte a otro lugar. Con los libros, el mundo parece más seguro.”

ME HA ENCANTADO y por momentos he sufrido. Harlequin publica novelas con mejores tramas que lo que actualmente está de moda en la novela romántica y eso que ésta saga es ya viejita.
“Casi perfecto” es el segundo libro de la saga Fool 's Gold y lo único que puedo decir es que era terminar un capítulo y seguir con otro porque está narrada de forma amena y se lee deprisa, cuando te das cuenta ya se ha terminado. AMO a Mallery; Me ha tenido con la piel de gallina la mayor parte de su lectura.
Esta novela continúa contándonos sobre la vida en un pequeño pueblo de California, Fool's Gold, un pueblo tranquilo donde nunca pasa nada importante, pero a su vez no existen los secretos porque toda la población lo sabe TODO de todos. Y Liz creció allí, que está ubicado en la ladera de las montañas de Sierra Nevada.
La historia de éste libro empieza exactamente donde terminó la anterior. En esta ocasión Susan Mallery nos mostrará la parte más difícil de vivir en un pueblo pequeño, no solo la relación entrañable que existe en un lugar donde se conoce todo el mundo, sino el lado opuesto: “Fool’s Gold no era perfecto, ningún lugar lo era. Tenía cosas buenas y cosas malas, igual que sucedía con la gente.”

En el instituto, Liz Sutton era la chica de la zona pobre de Fool 's Gold, que sufrió bullying por una manada de chicas muy mezquinas siendo una de las víctimas, convirtiendo su vida en una pesadilla. Liz había sido la chica guapa e inteligente, pero pobre y con mala reputación por vivir en la peor zona del pueblo.
Así y todo, Liz le había robado el corazón al chico más popular del pueblo, Ethan Hendrix y su romance secreto la ayudó a sobrellevar la peor época de su vida ya que su madre era alcohólica. Hasta que Ethan Hendrix la traicionó a ella y a todo lo que habían supuesto el uno para el otro. Abatida y embarazada, Liz se marchó del pueblo para no volver más… Hasta que recibe una carta de sus sobrinas que viven en Fool 's Gold cuyo padre, Roy -hermano de Liz- está preso.
Han pasado doce años. Ella regresa como una autora famosa que escribe novelas de misterio, inspirándose en Ethan para un relato y ha seguido haciéndolo en sus libros, matándolo obvio no como una venganza, sino como una catarsis, una forma de soltar el pasado. Ahora deberá enfrentarse al hombre que no sabe nada de la existencia de su hijo. Y en esta ocasión no tendría la opción de volver a huir.
Ethan en el libro anterior es el mejor amigo de Josh; es el prototipo de hombre que es aceptado allá donde va, es el que tiene una familia que siempre es amable y respetable. Y mientras vamos conociendo la historia de ellos dos, también aparecen temas como el de las “apariencias”: “Ya sabes el lugar que ocupan los Hendrix en la historia de este pueblo —dijo con un tono cargado de humor y orgullo”, Donde lo único que importa es la reputación y “esa maldita idea de que somos los Hendrix, la familia que fundó Fool’s Gold —parecía frustrada—. La reputación lo es todo. «Actuad bien, comportaos bien». Pero las emociones no importaban.”
Tampoco quiero dejar pasar el tema que toca la autora y es ése referido a que nadie hace nada cuando alguien vive en un hogar desestructurado junto a una madre egoísta y borracha: Liz fue ignorada. Mientras todos se daban cuenta de que estaba mal atendida en su casa, ninguno hizo nada. Tal vez porque era demasiado madura para su edad y sus notas nunca se vieron resentidas y siempre llegaba al colegio puntualmente. Tal vez fue porque no estaban sensibilizados con los niños tanto como ahora. Pero cuando ellos, como una comunidad, pudieron haberla ayudado, se quedaron en silencio.
“Aunque el final de la historia de Liz es un final feliz, no todos los niños que son ignorados corren tanta suerte. No todos los niños tienen la habilidad y la determinación necesarias para sobrevivir. Aunque estamos orgullosos de Liz y de su vida, no debemos obviar esta oportunidad que se nos ha presentado de aprender de nuestros errores, de hacerlo mejor la próxima vez para que nadie vuelva a ser ignorado.”
Me ha encantado Liz, su entereza a pesar de las adversidades, una mujer que lucha por superarse pese a todos los insultos que recibe de la gente del pueblo. ¡Madre mía! Ni que fuese el mismísimo diablo.
La historia de su hermano Roy me generó mucha tristeza. Las descripciones de la cárcel son bastante crudas, reflejo de la realidad, pero la autora luego sabe continuar con diálogos esperanzadores.
A Ethan por momentos quería matarlo. De éste personaje, en “Buscando la perfección” sabemos que su mujer ha muerto estando embarazada. Aquí nos enteramos de que se había casado con ella para cumplir con su obligación pero nunca la amó. Y ella solo se quería a sí misma ya que sabía que Ethan tenía un hijo con Liz y se lo ocultó; Mintió a Liz para que pensara que él no quería saber nada de su hijo...

Es cierto que Ethan cometió errores que hicieron mucho daño a Liz. Él no me enamoró, es un hombre que está resentido por el tiempo perdido, está enojado con Liz y consigo mismo, pero también con su mujer fallecida, entonces se descarga con Liz. Entiendo a Ethan porque al ser miembro de una de las familias fundadoras de Fool's Gold, con un padre que le inculcó el deber de la responsabilidad con respecto a su apellido y el hacer siempre lo correcto; El problema es que termina siendo un peso para él dificil de llevar y lo convierten en un idiota inmaduro. Pero los años pasan, ahora es un hombre adulto y tiene que enfrentarse a los errores del pasado y asumir parte de su culpa.
La mamá de Ethan no me agradó nada. ¡Qué señora metiche! aunque luego justifica que es una mujer ambivalente y que está furiosa por el tiempo que han perdido, pero como madre que es, puede entender a Liz. Sabe que ésta no lo tuvo fácil cuando era pequeña y, como es madre de tres hijas, lo lamenta por ella. Denise se pregunta “¿Dónde estaba su madre? Esa chica sí que vivió unas circunstancias difíciles”. Al final, ésta mujer tiene la capacidad para cambiar y debo reconocer que me tapó la boca.
“Casi perfecto” es la historia de unos protagonistas que no son perfectos y de ahí mi nota: cometen errores, tienen defectos, o sea, la humanización de ellos. Como lectora sentí que vivía todo lo que Mallery cuenta de sus personajes. Y eso me gustó, porque todo lo que hacen no es como un simple personaje de un libro, sino como una persona a la cual comprendes.
A Liz y a Ethan les cuesta superar la fase del resentimiento pero tienen que hacerlo por el bien de su hijo Tyler, e intentan llevarse bien pero no cuentan que la atracción física continúa ahí. Y el amor que una vez tuvieron está allí latente. Liz tiene que lidiar con el pasado y con las meteduras de pata de Ethan, que cada vez que intenta hacer lo correcto empeora las cosas. Y es ahí donde aparecen las trillizas, hermanas de él, con las cuales disfruté porque lo regañan sin lástima cada vez que él en vez de acercar a Liz, la aleja.
“Casi perfecto” es una historia de amor llena de emociones, en algunos momentos tierna y en otros apasionada. Cuando hablo de la humanización me refiero a que por cómo sucedieron las cosas, seguramente su relación no hubiera funcionado cuando se conocieron, porque Liz era muy madura y Ethan MUY inmaduro. El tiempo pasó y ahora los dos tienen más experiencia.
Es un drama romántico. Poco y nada de descripciones empalagosas pero te da esperanza, seas soltera o no, porque habla de segundas oportunidades; La historia de los personajes secundarios como Roy, como Cristal, Pía es la historia de muchas personas reales, pero el final es HERMOSO. Un poco corto, pero no deja de ser romántico y debo confesar que disfruté viendo a Ethan desesperado por hacer que Liz se quede en Fool's Gold.
Pía es la próxima de la historia. Y en éste ya te adelanta qué tema se tocará: embriones congelados.
Como así también quiero conocer la historia de amor de cada una de las trillizas: Montana, Dakota y Nevada.

[Tmstprc · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can not say how dislikable the hero is in this book. His pretty speech at the end does nothing to redeem his lack of character and behavior, past behavior and current behavior. 😤🤯😤

[Didi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was good-ish. I love second chances, I love the hero redeeming himself, but although the former proved well enough, the latter was a bit of a let down.
Ethan was quite a jerk most of the time. Yes, he got better and made up for it in the end, but when a hero gets on your bad side for a sizable part of a book it's hard to warm up to him as quickly as the heroine does. This is the first book I've read by this author, but I'm not interested in continuing the series. So, not bad, it was decent so a low 3 stars for me.

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book should be retitled Opposite of Perfect or Barely Likeable.

Let's see... where to begin with this one... Susan Mallery is so hit or miss with me. I was hoping this would be good because the premise had potential to be heartfelt and angsty. Oh, I felt something alright. Just not the warm and fuzzies I was hoping for.

The H and h are the typical social opposites; the H being the small town's golden boy and the h the pariah, mainly because of her mother's drunkeness, prostitution-ness, and plain old skankiness. Of COURSE the H and h are drawn together. He takes her virginity, promises to run away to college together, and love her forever. Can you see where this is going? So what does the golden boy do? Calls her a slut in front of her and his friends saying he'd never be with someone like that. C'mon ladies, tell me you don't see his appeal!! She runs away, finds out she's pregnant, comes back to tell him about the baby, but finds him in bed with another gal, and yes, it's someone who made it her life's goal of tormenting the h. Ah yes. Again, what a charmer. She runs away... again, returns 6 years later to make another attempt to tell the H about his son, only to be told by his pregnant wife he wasn't home but she'll be sure to tell him she stopped by and about his son. SURE SHE WILL! So, are we surprised that the h receives a letter from our beloved H saying he knows and doesn't want her bothering him ever again? Of course. So, fast forward 5/6 years later, she comes back to the hell of her home town when she hears that her nieces are left unattended because her brother is in jail. She runs into the H, he's blindsided about the fact that he had a son after all these years, angered that he missed out on the first decade of his son's life, and shows her by... having sex with her??

Here's where the book went downhill for me. I get how the circumstances came about. He was a good looking small town kid whose father was a bit of a reputation whore. I get that. I also get that he wasn't man enough to fight for what he wanted because whatever he wanted was usually given to him. I forgive that because he was still, in essence, a kid. But that's where my forgiveness ends.Given 11 years to grow, this H is no H, at least not one that I'd be sniffing around again. Oh hell to the NO!. The h raised a child on her own, picked up the pieces of her life, and became a success as a published author. After all that, she was so spineless when it came to the H. I would have junk punched him in the man business so many times over, he wouldn't have had to worry about knocking up another woman (and yes, that's why he got married... because he just can't seemed to put a raincoat on it.) Each time I think he's going to finally be worthy, he pulls a stunt that I would have tore into him, yet the h "falls into him" and allows him to kiss her. UGH. Please. I never felt that this joker loved her, not then and definitely not at the end.

The only reasons I gave this 2 stars was because 1) I liked some of the secondary characters, and 2) a theory of mine was actually implemented in this storyline. It's one that I normally think of with stories of husbands leaving their families for another woman and the wife says, no no no... wait a sec. Take the kids too. You want to start over? Start over like I would have to. See how your honey deals with you coming with a package. Well, the h's son and the H kept blaming the h about their lost time, wanting her to move her entire life to be closer to the H, and the son hurting the h saying how he wanted to live with the H, even though his mother sacrificed everything for him. The h was convinced to allow the son to experience living with the H and the H could NOT handle it. So quickly was it that the boy found appreciation for his mother and the H said, "oh, it turns out that visitation WILL work for me afterall."

{{PUNCH FACE NOW}}

[Jessica *The Lovely Books*]

*DNF*

Ethan is the suckiest hero I’ve read to date. Yuck.

[Suzie Quint · Rating 4 out of 5]

I tend to avoid secret baby stories like the plague. The heroine rarely has any justification for keeping the man from knowing that he has a child that's valid enough to counter my distaste for a crappy deception that strikes me as selfish and self-serving. I say rarely because this book is the exception. Liz actually made 2 attempts to let Ethan know about his child and that was enough to get past my innate dislike of this type of story. (Upon reflection, I think it's probably illogical at best and utterly ridiculous at worst that, instead of telling Ethan, she would tell Ethan's wife that she had his child--what woman would actually do that?--but that only came up later as I was mulling the story over. While I was reading the story, I bought it. Probably because the scene wasn't actually in the story but only referred to because it was in the past.)

A number of other reviewers have commented about not liking Ethan much, and yes, he did some pretty crappy stuff when they were young, but he grew up, and frankly, if he hadn't been so crappy, I wouldn't have liked her, so story-wise, I think it was necessary to keep her from looking like a witch for not telling him she was pregnant.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost Perfect
3.5 Stars

Ethan Hendrix, scion of the town's founding family, and Liz Sutton, daughter of the local "fallen woman", were hot and heavy as teens until the night he betrayed her. Now over a decade later, Liz returns to town and must face the consequences of her devastating secret. Can Liz and Ethan forgive each other for the past and fine happiness for the future?

Another series that I had put on the back burner for some unknown reason as Mallery writing is very engaging.

Unfortunately, this particular installment contains several unappealing tropes including a secret baby, a jerk hero and the ubiquitous lack of communication that plagues contemporary romances.

Although the secret baby trope is somewhat mitigated by circumstances beyond Liz's control, this does not fully assuage her responsibility for failing to inform Ethan of his son's existence. That said, Ethan's behavior leaves much to be desired both in his teen years and as an adult. He is completely unlikable from the start, and as such is is difficult to believe in the second chances romance.

Nevertheless, the book is very well written and Mallery manages to reel the reader in, in spite of rather than due to the characters themselves.

[mirada · Rating 3 out of 5]

2'5 estrellas, pero le pongo tres.
No me gustó excesivamente el personaje de Ethan. Comprendo lo que dice y hace hasta que le demuestran que intentaron hablar con él, pero desde ese momento en adelante se comporta como un malcriado.

[Veronica WordsAreMyDrinkOfChoice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Asshole hero, who in my opinion did not love the doormat heroine!

[Sandy Ⓢ · Rating 3 out of 5]

[Reto 2017, libro #27: personaje escritor (a)]

[Jac K · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars
Almost Perfect is the second book in the Fool’s Gold series… which is a long series following the residents of the town…you guessed it… Fool’s Gold. I’m not familiar with the author, but it came up as a recommendation, my library had the ebook, so I figured why not. When I read the blurb; I thought it would be an emotional read, but I couldn’t connect with either MC. The plot’s bones were good, but the delivery left gaps. Conflicts were introduced for drama, but they weren’t developed or explained; I was entertained, but not emotionally invested.

First, I was a bit disappointed when Ethan’s big “betrayal of everything they’d ever meant to each other” was denying their secret summer fling to his friends. Total slime ball move saying, “she’s a piece of ass, but not anyone I’d be interested in,” but she’s the one who agreed to be the dirty little secret with the jackass. So, it’s totally ok had he pretended she didn’t exist, but saying he’s not interested is devastating. This statement upsets her so much that she literally quits her job on the spot, walks home, packs her bags and leaves town. (??!!)

This is an example where major drama is introduced, but not developed. I get Ethan was a jerk, but Liz’s reaction was completely illogical. She should've been super upset that he was ashamed of her "town standing" and wanting to keep the relationship on the DL. It would have been more believable if he cheated, but even then usually people have a discussion. It's unrealistic that an intelligent, mature girl hops on a bus with no plan, no money, no job, or place to stay? Not to mention, leaves her scholarship that she worked hard to get. It's such a leap for a single, pregnant, homeless teen to become an international best-selling author without any help from anyone, and we get no backstory or explanation. Hell, have a nice woman from the shelter or church bring her home, and help her out. None of this made sense, and the author just brushed over all it without any explanation. (which is an ongoing problem)

I thought both MC’s were immature, and I found their love match unbelievable; they had a two-month secret relationship 11 years ago. Then after reuniting, they went from arguing constantly to you’re the love of my life without any development.

I didn't hate Ethan, like most readers; I didn't like him either. He was undeveloped, and portrayed as kind of dumb, and inconsiderate. He's angry throughout a lot of the book, which I could sympathize with, and I liked that Liz took responsibility for her part in not telling him about the kid, but again, it was undeveloped. They had no conversations about it, or really anything for that matter. I don't think he cheated; she’d left town 2-months prior, and they'd only had a 2-month relationship. I thought the author totally dropped the ball with the Rayanne/dead baby sub-plots.

Bottom line- There was a lot of potential, but nothing really evolved, or felt authentic. I guess this is a second chance romance, but they really didn't have a first chance. The relationship doesn't progress naturally, and the book ends rather abruptly without any solid resolution. I'm not sure if this is because the series goes on for 15 books, so maybe they come up again. I'd recommend it as a freebie, but I wouldn't spend $6 bucks on it unless you're into the series.

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Friggin' adorable.

I was soooo looking forward to this book (even though I didn't much like Fool's Gold #1)and I have to say I'm not disappointed.

I think there is the potential for a lot of people to be annoyed with Ethan and maybe even Liz, but I can't say that I was at all.

The hidden-child theme is one of my favourites because it is such an impossible situation. How can two people fall in love after such a betrayal. I also love the themes where the heroine comes from a really tortured past where she isn't loved be those who are suppose to love her unconditionally (i.e. the caregivers). So this book mixed two of my favourite themes.

Liz was a strong character, and not too weepy (although there were many almost weeps, but who could blame her in her position). I loved the addition of the nieces. Unexpected, but great. I question why Abby would want to call Liz mom - maybe because she didn't know her mother - but in truth wouldn't Aunt Liz be enough?

I also like the inclusion of Crystal's death. We get to know Crystal a little (and she has a bigger role in the next book) she is young and caring and all that good stuff - it isn't often when a "good and young" person dies in a romance. It was sad (but not too sad because we don't get to know Crystal personally) but it was refreshing because tragedy does strike in everyday life.

Also, loved the gesture at the end. It was fabulously fitting in my opinion. Perfect for Liz. And added bonus being that Ethan doesn't even expect her to be there, so it was a gesture that just happened to be a gesture not a planned out gesture that in real life would just be creepy (you know what I am talking about).

I know that there is a third book starring Pia coming out in September (how will I wait?) but I think there is the potential for a lot of other books too. There are some great characters in this story and I could see them being further developed. Particularly the triplets. I feel like they were set up, a little, and will be getting their own stories (maybe one will pair with the mysterious secluded author who lives in the woods?? The one they talked about a little, who is akin to bigfoot in his legendary status. He was mentioned a little, and it makes me wonder why)

Anyway, Loved this book.