Christmas on 4th Street ★★★★☆

Author: Susan Mallery
Genre: Contemporary Romance
329 pages

There's nowhere better to spend the holidays than with New York Timesbestselling author Susan Mallery in the town of Fool's Gold, where love is always waiting to be unwrapped... Noelle Perkins just got a second chance at life, and she intends to make the most of every minute. That's why she ditched a frustrating legal career to open her own store in Fool's Gold, California. The Christmas Attic celebrates everything that's magical about her favorite season. Business is booming, and as a bonus, gorgeous army doctor Gabriel Boylan has offered to help out during the holiday rush.

Gabriel's memories of Christmas past contain more sour grapes than sugar plums, thanks to a drill sergeant father who ran his home like a boot camp. Spending the holidays with his family while he recuperates from injury sounds as appetizing as last year's eggnog. Still, there are some enjoyable distractions in town, including sunny, sexy Noelle...and the red-hot mistletoe kisses they can't stop sharing.

Gabriel didn't think he was made for happily-ever-afters. But when fate hands you a love as sweet and surprising as this, only a fool could refuse....

 

    This was my first Susan Mallery book.  Christmas on 4th Street is book 12.5 in the Fools Gold Series.  I won this book in a contest on Goodreads.  I got the idea to read all Christmasy books after I got this book in the mail.  If you are wondering if it was hard picking up the story after 12 other books I didn't feel like I missed a thing.  I know that if I had read the other books I would have at least recognized the other characters but I never felt lost like I usually do when I read something that's in a series I haven't read.  

     I swear I had a grin on my face through half of this book.  Noelle is so funny.  Gabriel had his moments but Noelle was my favorite character by far.  She was just so peppy and fun.  Gabriel was a bit more serious, but that's understandable with all he's been through.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I swear I read it in record time.  I just couldn't put it down!  The town of Fool's Gold sounds so perfect I want to live there, lol.  The synopsis describes the book pretty well so there's no reason for me to go over the plot.  My favorite part of the book was when Gabriel finds the cats... especially the second cats.  It was so endearing.  

     This was a sweet story.  I loved Gabriel and Noelle.  I loved Fool's Gold and all the crazy people in it.  I am really looking forward to checking out the other books in this series now that I have had a little taste.  I especially want to read Gabriel's brother's book.  Susan Mallery did a great job with this story and tying everything in to Christmas.  Christmas on 4th Street is about taking chances and being brave enough to love.

Favorite Quotes:

"I'm sorry the lesson you  learned from what  you've been through is it's not worth taking the chance, because I believe it's all about taking the chance.  We are the sum of our experiences and those experiences need to come from a place of wonder and curiosity."

"I look at a sunrise and I see promise.  You look at a sunrise and count the hours until sunset.  Life is a gift and we need to accept it with gratitude and a full heart."