REVIEW: Only Yours by Susan Mallery

Title: Only Yours
Series: Fool’s Gold, #5
Author: Susan Mallery 
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: NetGalley
Published: August 2011 by HQN Books

Montana Hendrix has found her calling—working with therapy dogs. With a career she loves in a hometown she adores, she's finally ready to look for her own happily ever after. Could one of her dogs help her find Mr. Right… or maybe Dr. Right?

Surgeon Simon Bradley prefers the sterility of the hospital to the messiness of real life, especially when real life includes an accident-prone mutt and a woman whose kisses make him want what he knows he can't have. Scarred since childhood, he avoids emotional entanglement by moving from place to place to heal children who need his skillful touch. Can his growing feelings for Montana lead him to find a home in Fool's Gold, or will he walk away, taking her broken heart with him?

Why I Read this Book: I’m hooked on this series. I love the town of Fool’s Gold and its inhabitants.

What I Liked: Only Yours is a romance story between two beta characters. Montana and Simon both have their insecurities. While Montana has ‘typical’ insecurities about herself, Simon’s insecurities are the result of his tortured past. Because of his horrible past, he’s very anti-social and just tries to keep to himself. On the flip side, he has used his bad experience in the best possible way – he contributes his expertise and dedication to helping children who are burn victims. His profession is essentially the reason for his being.

The secondary story arc revolving around the triplets’ mother was very interesting and mysterious. Their mother, Denise, got quite a bit of page time in Only Yours. There’s more to her past than she admits to and I hope we get to find out more in the next book. Perhaps there’ll be a rekindling of an old flame…?

What I Didn’t Like: Montana was trying too hard to repair Simon, which only upset him. Yes, he was still struggling with the demons from his past but he’s the only one that can fix that. Montana was overstepping her boundaries in this aspect.

The timing of Montana trying to set up her sister with the town’s new vet was a poor fit. If I had been in Montana’s shoes, knowing all along that Simon didn’t plan on staying in Fool’s Gold, I would have gone after the vet myself. Being that they both work with and love animals, Montana seems to be a more suitable match for the vet (and vice-versa) than her sister. It would have felt more right if the match-making attempt would have been saved for the next book.

The ending left me feeling unsatisfied and empty. Things were quickly wrapped up and there wasn’t enough closure for me.

Overall Impression: This is my ‘comfortable’ contemporary romance series. I know what to expect and what I’m going to get; nothing earth-shattering but a good, light romance novel perfect for an afternoon read.

The Book Vixen’s Rating: