CHRISTMAS ON 4th STREET - Susan Mallery
A Fool's Gold Romance , Book 12.5
HQN
ISBN: 978-0-373-77782-2
November 2014
Contemporary Romance

Fool's Gold, California - Present Day

As the owner of The Christmas Attic in Fool's Gold, Noelle Perkins is excited for the holidays.  While running an errand for a friend, Noelle gets an unexpected holiday surprise in the very appealing form of Dr. Gabriel Boylan.  An army doctor on leave, Gabriel is visiting his twin brother for the holidays, and he's the first man in a long time to make Noelle's hormones sit up and take notice.

A trauma doctor in the army, Gabriel is a bit burned out with his career right now, and an injury that forces a leave gives Gabriel the opportunity to reconnect with his twin brother, Gideon.  However, being the holidays, his parents are also visiting his brother, and the last person Gabriel wants to see is his retired drill sergeant father.  He's intrigued by Noelle, and in order to avoid his parents, Gabriel accepts a job at her store.  In spite of their attraction, Gabriel has come to understand Noelle well enough to know that a casual holiday fling is not what she's looking for, but he doesn't want love in his life.

Celebrate the holidays with the people of Fool's Gold in CHRISTMAS ON 4th STREET.  After a serious illness, Noelle decided that life is too short and she needs to make every minute count.  Her move to Fool's Gold gave her what she was missing in life – friends and family that she can rely on, as well as a sense of community.  Her three best friends are engaged, and she wishes to find love for herself, but it doesn't take her long to realize that Gabriel, the only man she's interested in, isn't looking for love.  His time as a trauma doctor has brought him pretty close to the front lines, and after losing his fiancée, he's decided that love is too risky, and not something he's willing to try again.  Noelle challenges his beliefs, but will his feeling for her be strong enough to change his mind?

Fans of the Fool's Gold series will enjoy the chance to see familiar characters, but if you haven't read the earlier books, it's fairly easy to follow along as the novel focuses pretty much on Noelle and Gabriel.  For a heart-warming holiday tale, you won't want to miss CHRISTMAS ON 4th STREET.

Jennifer Bishop