ALL SUMMER LONG is the last in this summer's Fools Gold
trilogy about three best friends and their
rather unusual love matches but after all they do say
there's someone for everyone.
Now it's firewoman Charlie
Dixon's story which is rather unique since she really
wasn't looking for her Mister Right, she had always felt a
little different from her friends. She was a little rough
around the edges and truth be told she couldn't qualify as
a femme fatale and physically her size made it more
difficult to find the one that fit. She didn't suffer fools
or pretty boys. But now she was up close and rather
personal with a godlike looking man, actually a male model
with a body and face that even made Charlie sigh and now
that they are close together she notices that here is a
man that actually has to look down to her.
Her best friend
is married to Clay's brother and she might see Clay at
their
ranch when she went to ride her horse. So Charlie knew
hers and Clay's paths would probably be crossing.
Fool's Gold seemed like a good choice for Clay now that he
is pretty much out of the entertainment business. Here he
is planning to own and operate a Haycation place, vacation
ranch where the guests actually work the farm. It is a win
for the entire community and fits right in with other
venues
being planned in the area. It is also an opportunity to be
near his mother and brothers.
Clay sees that Charlie is quite different than the women
who he usually dates but there is something rather
attractive about this tough independent female who fits so
well in a usually male profession. When he approaches her
about his training to be a volunteer firefighter she
actually shoots him down thinking him pretty but useless.
Wow
that stung! So of course he applies and workes his tail off
leading the pack of trainees.
Charlie and Clay actually had a lot in common. Each isthe
recipient of quick judgments based on their appearance.
These assumptions have clouded their lives in many ways
both
professional and personal. Once Charlie realizes she is
doing to Clay exactly what made her crazy she feels guilty.
The fact that she finds him attractive is a good sign that
maybe she is finally ready to get a handle on her own
life, her own demons.
Charlie and Clay begin as friends and as time goes on their
friendship begins to take on a life of its own. They
are definitely the odd couple. But they are good
together and can provide each other with a unique remedy.
ALL SUMMER LONG completes this summer's trilogy with a
unique story
about fitting in and surpassing other people's
expectations. Family is as usual central as in many Mallery
books. She makes her characters larger than life and then
they have to solve very human problems -- and in true
Mallery style with her signature panache.
Can a summer fling turn into love that lasts a lifetime? Former underwear model turned entrepreneur Clay Stryker has loved, tragically lost and vowed that he'll never risk his heart again. After making his fortune, the youngest of the rugged Stryker brothers returns to Fool's Gold, California, to put down roots on a ranch of his own. But he's frustrated to discover that even in his hometown, people see him only for his world-famous...assets. Firefighter Chantal (Charlie) Dixon grew up an ugly duckling beside her delicately beautiful mother, a feeling reinforced long ago by a man who left soul-deep scars. Now she has good friends, a solid job and the itch to start a family-yet she can't move toward the future while she's haunted by painful memories. Clay finds an unexpected ally, and unexpected temptation, in tomboyish Charlie, the only person who sees beyond his dazzling good looks to the real man beneath. But when Charlie comes to him with an indecent proposal, will they be able to overcome their pasts and find a love that lasts beyond one incredible summer?