Only Mine by Susan Mallery (+ Giveaway Details!)

Summary/Cover Image from Author's Website:

You can't win if you don't play...

Her town's lack of men may make headlines, but it isn't news to Dakota Hendrix. The beautiful blonde has bigger problems to deal with, such as overseeing the romance reality competition filming in Fool's Gold. Screening eligible bachelors is a difficult enough task, but Dakota hits an unexpected snag when a sexy stranger comes to town.

Finn Anderssen will do anything to keep his twin brothers— the perfect contestants— off the show. Despite Dakota's better judgment, she finds herself drawn to the mysterious outsider. Like her, Finn knows about heartbreak and how a family can fall apart, so she doesn't dare to hope for anything more than a fling. After all, even in the Land of Happy Endings, finding true love is never as easy as it looks on TV.

Review:

I always like throwing in the occasional adult read into my reading mix, especially when the book looks as fun and adorable as Susan Mallery's Only Mine does. Thankfully, Only Mine turned out to be the perfect addition, as not only was it witty and romantic but realistic and lots of fun as well!

Only Mine begins just as production for the new reality show True Love or Fool's Gold turns up the heat in the small town of Fool's Gold. Everyone has a different reaction about the new show, which hopes to capitalize on the town's lack of men with a fun new dating competition. The town’s mayor has rooked Dakota Hendrix, one of Fool’s Gold residents, into helping monitor the production, and while she is not the happiest of campers about it, she is okay with complying with it for the time being. Finn Anderson, however, has a completely different take on it because his twin brothers have dropped out of college to take part in the show. Leaving everything for the moment in South Salmon, his small Alaskan town, he heads out to talk some sense into his brothers before it is too late. What he does not bargain for is falling for Dakota. However, what happens when events take a surprising turn or two? Will Finn and Dakota manage to survive the fall? Will Finn ever manage to talk some sense into his brothers, or will they manage to sprout their own wings and fly in the right direction? Only time and more pages can tell in this new fast-paced addition in the Fool’s Gold series.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of Only Mine was the characters. Dakota was sweet and likable from the start, and what I especially liked about her character was how strong she always seemed to be even in the scariest of situations. Hotheaded and a bit intense at times, it took a little while to warm up to Finn, but once his character began to bloom, it was easy to see how strong and lovable he was as well as how far he would go to protect the ones closest to him. Together Finn and Dakota began a realistic relationship for the most part, even though it was a bit fast at times.

The plot of this was also lots of fun. This was my first time reading a book in the Fool’s Gold series, and even though I was worried I would be a bit confused at first, it turns out these books mostly stands on their own. However, I will admit Only Mine has made me want to read past and future additions as soon as possible for a variety of reasons. One has to do with the charm and spunk Mallory puts into the town of Fool’s Gold. I am not normally a big fan of small towns, but Fool’s Gold actually was one I would not mind living in at least for a little. I also loved how Mallory included the POVs of not only Finn and Dakota but also Fin’s twin brothers as well as Aurelia, another contestant on the reality show, at times, because it gave me a through look into the minds and actions of all the main front-runners in the book. I also adored the addition of Dakota’s family, especially when their appearances caused a laugh or two, as well as some of the serious situations that balanced out the cute factor.

As hinted to above, Mallory’s writing was great. She thoroughly developed the characters and world at hand, and even though Only Mine was a bit predictable at times, she still managed to provide a thoroughly enjoyable story!

Lively and entertaining, Only Mine managed to be a big success in my eyes, one that I highly suggest to adult romance fans who enjoy a sweet but occasionally serious story. One thing is for sure though: I’ll definitely be reading more of the Fool’s Gold series, especially since rumor has it the next two books divulge into the stories of Dakota’s sisters, Nevada and Montana!

Grade: A- 

Only Mine is now out!

Source: Publicity Firm- thanks Little Bird Publicity!

To find out more about about Susan and her books, be sure to visit her website here. 

In celebration of the release, Susan Mallery is holding an exclusive contest for members of her website. To enter the giveaway, visit the contest page inside the Member Only lounge. If you are not already a member you can become one by entering an email address and zip code.The contest will be open to all members of Susan’s website who sign-up for a chance to win. It began August 1st and will end September 1st, 2011. Once the contest has ended Susan will randomly draw one lucky winner. The winner will receive a signed “exclusive first look” at Susan’s new Fool’s Gold Christmas e-novella (so fresh it doesn’t even have a title yet) and a man shortage t-shirt. Happy entering!