Just One Kiss
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

Teens Patience McGraw and Justice Garrett are best of friends, and their relationship is blossoming into something more. Then one day, Justice disappears without a trace. Years pass, and Patience is a single mom caring for her mother, who has a debilitating disease. Then Justice returns unannounced to Fool's Gold, California. He claims that he was forced to leave their small town despite his strong objections because was taken into the witness protection program after his father, a brutal criminal, threatened to kill him. Now, Justice wants to open a security training school in Fool's Gold. Once again, Patience is drawn to Justice, but she doesn't know if he's the same boy she fell for when she was a teen. For that matter, what guarantee does she have that he won't disappear again? Mallery's story is packed with emotion. Readers will identify with her carefully crafted characters. Just One Kiss is the new book in Mallery's Fool's Gold series.--Mosley, Shelley Copyright 2010 Booklist

Patience McGraw fell hard for best friend Justice Garrett when she was a teenager, before he disappeared overnight without saying goodbye; now he's back in Fool's Gold, perhaps to stay, and they'll have to untangle their emotions and shared attraction to decide if they might have a future. Fool's Gold, Calif. is special, and Justice has never forgotten the small town he hid out in for a short time while he was in the witness protection program. He's also never forgotten Patience, the girl he befriended, and secretly fell for, before he had to leave in the middle of the night, danger on his heels. Now, years later, he's looking at property in Fool's Gold to open an elite security academy, and he'll use the opportunity to catch up with Patience, tell her the truth about his mysterious disappearance and apologize for the abrupt way he had to leave. However, Justice doesn't expect to be bowled over by the beautiful woman she's grown into or the sweet, open personality she's maintained. Attraction flares between them almost immediately, but she's not sure she can trust him with her heart again, and he doesn't think he should let her try. His life is chaotic and dangerous, the very antithesis of halcyon Fool's Gold. Plus, his father was an abusive bully, and he's not completely convinced he's a good bet as a family man. Yet the more time he spends with Patience, the more he wants to beat the odds. Mallery re-visits popular Fool's Gold and offers yet another sweet, sexy story with alpha hero Justice and never-forgotten girl-next-door heroine Patience. A couple of missteps, including a cast of secondary characters that is at times too sprawling, don't ultimately undermine a satisfying plot. Mallery delivers another engaging romance in magical Fool's Gold.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Teens Patience McGraw and Justice Garrett are best of friends, and their relationship is blossoming into something more. Then one day, Justice disappears without a trace. Years pass, and Patience is a single mom caring for her mother, who has a debilitating disease. Then Justice returns unannounced to Fool's Gold, California. He claims that he was forced to leave their small town despite his strong objections because was taken into the witness protection program after his father, a brutal criminal, threatened to kill him. Now, Justice wants to open a security training school in Fool's Gold. Once again, Patience is drawn to Justice, but she doesn't know if he's the same boy she fell for when she was a teen. For that matter, what guarantee does she have that he won't disappear again? Mallery's story is packed with emotion. Readers will identify with her carefully crafted characters. Just One Kiss is the new book in Mallery's Fool's Gold series. Copyright 2012 Booklist Reviews.