Back in high school, Liz Sutton was the girl from the wrong side of the tracks. Then she’d stolen the heart of the most popular boy in town, and their secret romance helped her through the worst of times. Until Ethan Hendrix betrayed her and everything they’d ever meant to each other. Devastated and pregnant, Liz left Fool’s Gold, California – forever, she thought… Now Liz must return to town and face the man who doesn’t know of their son’s existence. And this time she won’t have the option of making a quick getaway. Ethan and Liz can’t deny their passionate attraction, even after all these years. But will their desire be enough to spark a second chance at love?
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"So, I read this book and I think it is actually really, really good. It does include some sexual erotica (hahahaha, awkward) but I think it kind makes things more interesting ;) I really, really love Susan Mallery books. One of the reasons is because of her difference from others and I like it. :)"
— Emma (5 out of 5 stars)
" I have mixed emotions about this story. I really liked the main character, Liz. Her actions seemed totally justified to me. I had a hard time caring about Ethan. I felt the author was trying to show his point of view as being an acceptable response. Here's the thing, it is easy to say 12 years later how you would have handled a situation but that probably would not have been your response. He says he would have married her and wanted to raise their child together. Sure he's 35 now but at 23? People want to be righteous about the father has to know but men have 9 months to get used to the idea. Women have the 3 minutes the test takes. Speaking as someone who "did the right thing" and told the father and spent 15 years regretting it because he made my son and my life hell, I say each situation is different. You want to think everything will work out but I wish I never told him. One thing I enjoyed about this story was the different perspectives it showed and the complex relationships between the characters. However, I don't buy that Fool's Gold is that small of a town. They have a community college, kid's camp, and a bike school. California small towns must be different from Texas small towns. I am also not sure at 18 Liz could have supported herself and a baby on a waitress salary in San Francisco. The cost of living is supposed to be really high there and daycare for a newborn is crazy expensive. "
— Amy, 2/13/2014" More like 2 1/2 stars but much better than I expected after reading earlier reviews. The hero really really was a jerk and none of the explanations really explained that away. It reminded me a lot of The Duke by Gaelen Foley -- he treated her, in oh so many ways, like noblemen treated the "other" women in their lives. But Mallery is a terrific writer: I defy anyone to not finish one of her books and I ended up liking it a lot. "
— Janet, 2/4/2014" Disappointed. First time I did not like the male character in a romance. "
— KT, 1/27/2014" What everyone else has said. Liked Liz alot and the story about the nieces. Didn't like Ethan, his mom, or the town very much. Too much young person death again. There are other ways to remove people from a story. It just takes some thinking. "
— Barbara, 1/19/2014" I liked this book a lot and also the H/h "
— Kathy, 1/6/2014" this was my first susan mallery book, and i adored it. i loved what liz did and who she represents. makes me want to find some more of her books in this series and get started reading. "
— Stacey, 12/31/2013" I don't know whether the books get better or if I'm such a romantic that by the end of the book I'm overlooking that some serious wrongs were done between the characters. I felt that the past discrepancies weren't really something that they could overcome to be together. "
— Rochelle, 11/24/2013" Arggh! I do not like "secret baby books," but this one was okay as far as they go. "
— Alexis-Morgan, 11/22/2013" Cute, just what I expected. "
— Crystal, 11/15/2013" Almost Perfect by Susan Mallery is one of her older books. It is a story about Ethan and Liz. Miscommunication certainly is the culprit in their relationship. There are children who are homeless and a community trying to make amends for the past. Another Fool's Gold story! "
— Marti, 8/8/2013" Quick entertaining read... the only thing that really got me was that Liz accepts the blame for not having informed Ethan of her plight - whereas she tried, not once, but twice. Nothing terribly surprising or unpredictable, but it lets itself be read. "
— penelopewanders, 4/15/2013" Loved it along with all of her books "
— Susan, 7/1/2012" "Almost Perfect" is the Fool's Gold story of Pia O'Brian and Raoul Moreno. These two characters are more alike than their first meeting. This book peeled back their differences and revealed their "truth". "
— Joanne, 7/9/2011" i really enjoyed this book it was a page turner for me. "
— pam, 7/8/2011" 3.00 Stars - Contemporary Small Town Romance. "
— Kelly22, 6/21/2011" There were times while reading this book I wanted to reach out and smack people for the way they were talking to Liz. I completely enjoyed this book. One of my favorite by Susan Mallery. "
— Amanda, 4/30/2011" (3.5 Star Rating) <br/> <br/>This wasn't an amazing book but it was one of Mallery's better and more enjoyable reads. "
— Laura, 4/23/2011" A wonderful story about love and the magic of second chances! "
— Julianna, 3/21/2011" For mindless romance, I have liked other books much better. May give the author one more chance before I give up on her.... "
— Dena, 3/6/2011" One of the best romance books i have ever read. "
— Nana, 2/25/2011" This was another fast, heartfelt read from this series. I made the mistake of starting it at 11pm and then finishing it at 2am....at least I enjoyed it even though I'm dragging today! "
— Cat, 2/11/2011Susan Mallery is a critically acclaimed author of more than one hundred romance and women’s fiction novels, which have made the New York Times bestsellers list and been listed in Booklist’s Top 10 Romances for four consecutive years. Her books have been translated into twenty-eight languages. Because she is passionate about animal welfare, pets play a big role in her books.
Tanya Eby is a novelist and an audiobook narrator who has earned several AudioFile Earphones Awards and been nominated for the Audie Award. She has a BA degree in English language and literature and an MFA in creative writing from the University of Southern Maine.