REVIEW: Before We Kiss by Susan Mallery

In Before We Kiss (Fool’s Gold #14) by Susan Mallery, Sam Ridge is pretty sure he messed up big time. The former pro-NFL kicker had an incredible night with Dellina Hopkins on Valentine’s eve but freaked out when he saw the room in her home filled with wedding dresses and a dry erase board titled “ways to get a man to propose.” After the horrible luck Sam has had with women though, a guy should be allowed to panic. But now that he’s lived in Fool’s Gold a bit longer, he knows he must have misread the issue at Dellina’s that night.

“I have really bad luck with women.”
“Including finding the only one in town who has dozens of wedding dresses stored in her house?”
“Yup.”
She smiled. “Except I turned out to be not so bad.”
“That’s true.”

Armed with a smile, and an apology at the ready, Sam straightens things out with Dellina and enlists her to help him throw a client party for his PR business Score. She proves to be more than capable of handling the planning on little notice, but their wicked attraction just won’t go away. Sam tries his best to keep things strictly professional. He really does. But something about Dellina calls to him until he has no other choice but to give in. After a lifetime of trying to preserve his privacy and having his trust thrown back in his face, Sam wants to believe Dellina is the sweetheart she seems to be. But is she too good to be real?

‘She’d not only saved the client party, she’d turned out to be someone he could trust. And in his world, that was to be treasured.’

Party planner Dellina Hopkins hasn’t forgotten her spectacular night with Sam Ridge. If he only would have stuck around long enough to ask *why* there were so many wedding dresses in her spare room she could have explained she was just storing them for the local bridal shop. Admittedly, it has been fun to see the quiet and reserved NFL pro squirm a bit when they encounter one another in town. But Dellina is glad they’re now on the same page and working together on Score’s party, a huge opportunity for her business. She’s not looking for a do-over of their night together–although she wouldn’t dismiss it. So when she and Sam can’t be together without sparks flying, Dellina decides to enjoy their time without looking for more. Now if her heart would just get the message…

‘There was a lot at stake with this party. No way she was going to let her hormones and girl parts ruin a great opportunity.’

Before We Kiss is another happy-sigh-inducing romance in the popular Fool’s Gold series. Dellina and Sam finally get their moment to shine and find that HEA they both so deserve here in book 14.

Like I’ve said before, Fool’s Gold is one of my literary happy places. I enjoy the townspeople who are interesting & quirky but not too nicey-nice. There is a realistic feel to the town. Not everything is happy; there is conflict. And there are always local causes for everyone to rally around. So Mayor Marsha is still helpfully meddling in people’s lives which further introduces us to Olympic skier Kipling Gilmore and his half-sister Shelby. It sounds like they will make appearances in future installments based on what we learned here. Can’t wait for that! And I especially loved Caramel the Pomeranian who was just too cute for words. Such a wonderful addition to the story.

What can I say…I loved Dellina and Sam both. She was such a hard worker and had given up a lot raising her younger twin sisters after their parents passed away. It was great to see her getting a chance at romance, even if she wasn’t looking for it. And Sam. Quiet, introspective, and caring Sam. He just melted my heart with his wry humor and his bad luck with women. I mean…the poor guy had pretty much given up on finding someone he could trust until Dellina. His parents lack of boundaries (to say the least) were also an issue that was comical to us reading the story, but I could see how frustrating it would be for Sam. And I must say, the love scenes were so, so very intense, fun, and sensual that they’ll leave you breathless.

For people who are new to Fool’s Gold, you can start with any of the books and still understand what’s happening. Even this far into the series. And for diehard fans, I hope you enjoy Sam and Dellina’s connection as much as I did.

Book Info:

Published May 27th 2014 by Harlequin HQN

New York Times bestselling sensation Susan Mallery returns to Fool’s Gold, California, where it’s true that sometimes you have to kiss a few frogs…

Former pro-football kicker Sam Ridge has notoriously bad luck with women—from cheaters to fame chasers. Still, the gorgeous brunette at the bar in Fool’s Gold looks harmless—until she takes him home and he discovers a room devoted to securing a man, for life.

Dellina Hopkins never guessed that storing gowns from a friend’s bridal boutique would chase away her first and only fling. After her parents died, she skipped her “wild youth” to raise her sisters. She doesn’t want forever from Sam, but one night—all night—would’ve been nice.

His clean getaway gets messy when his firm hires Dellina to plan an event. As long hours lead to late nights, the two succumb to temptation again. Has Sam’s luck finally changed? Or this time, will Dellina be the one to run?