I had never picked up a Susan Mallery novel before though I’d seen her on the shelves. It was no specific reason, and I’m sure I would have eventually. However, though LibraryThing, I had the opportunity to get a free advance edition of her newest book, Chasing Perfect.

I liked this book. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it. I thought it was a well-written story that had a few cliches, but the author kind of brought together a few different predictable plot elements in a way I hadn’t read before. That being said, I wouldn’t say that it was a page turner that I couldn’t put down. Odds are that if it hadn’t been the first day of my spring break, I probably would have picked it up and put it down a lot more often. It kept my attention enough to want to finish it, but not in the way that Lisa Kleypas or Nora Roberts has.

I liked the heroine, Charity. I thought she was well-drawn with an occupation I hadn’t read about before–city planner. Her personal story was fun to read and I liked watching her settle into the small town. She was probably what kept me in one place to finish the book–to see how her through line played out.

The hero, Josh, was mostly enjoyable. I felt like I was supposed to take for granted that he was charming, but I didn’t feel it right away, not until the two characters were together. He almost felt…too planned, if that makes sense. He was a bit too much of a martyr for me and when he’s swearing to stay away from Charity for the first half of the book, I felt like rolling my eyes. The author went to too much trouble to make him a tortured soul — the reason he was wasn’t cycling competively anymore was fine, but then Mallery threw in a fight with a best friend over the fact Josh didn’t visit him in the hospital after an accident that Josh didn’t cause. And the reason this fight was weird to me was that it was resolved between the two with almost no fanfare, like Ethan (the other guy) didn’t really know why they still weren’t speaking. It just seemed like an added conflict that went no where and didn’t add to the story.

However, I’m pretty sure Ethan is the hero in book two, and that’s probably setting up that book in someway. I understand that in a series, you have to set up the next book and the next character well enough so that the reader will want to read it. Nora Roberts and Lisa Kleypas are my two favorite authors, and their series are like crack to me. It just felt slightly forced to me with Ethan and this stupid fight between he and Josh.

Additionally, there was a tiny sub-plot involving missing money that was no mystery to me and I figured out the second it was introduced. It just felt like a way to get rid of a character Mallery had written in and then decided to get rid of.

While it may sound like I had a lot of problems with this book, I didn’t. Overall, it really is a charming read and it’s the heroine, Charity, who saves the book so its a good thing she’s the narrator most of the time. She gives the book the B- rather than the C+ it was heading towards. It’s only when I broke the plot down in my head for this review that little things niggled at me. If you don’t expect too much and you just want some light-hearted fantasy, I recommend it.

That being said, I will pick up another Susan Mallery book

To most people, Fiona Bristow seems to have an idyllic life-a quaint house on an island off Seattle’s coast, a thriving dog-training school, and a challenging volunteer job performing canine search and rescues. Not to mention her three intensely loyal Labs. But Fiona got to this point by surviving a nightmare…

As Fiona embarks on training Jaws, and Simon begins to appreciate both dog and trainer, the past tears back into Fiona’s life. A copycat killer has emerged out of the shadows, a man whose bloodlust has been channeled by a master with one motive: to reclaim the woman who slipped out of his hands…

But some infatuations last longer than others, and Laurel is convinced that the Ivy League lawyer is still out of her reach. Plus, Del is too protective of Laurel to ever cross the line with her-or so she thinks. When Laurel’s quicksilver moods get the better of her-leading to an angry, hot, all-together mind-blowing kiss with Del-she’ll have to quiet the doubts in her mind to turn a moment of passion into forever…

Best summary is available at Julia Quinn’s website.

The Arcane Society was born in turmoil when the friendship of its two founders evolved into a fierce rivalry. Nicholas Winters’s efforts led to the creation of a device of unknown powers called the Burning Lamp. Each generation of male descendents who inherits it is destined to develop multiple talents-and the curse of madness.

But their dangerous psychic experiment makes them the target of forces both inside and outside of the Arcane Society. And though desire strengthens their power, their different lives will keep them apart-if death doesn’t take them together.

World champion rodeo star Austin McKettrick finally got bested by an angry bull. His career over, his love life a mess, the lone maverick has nowhere to go when the hospital releases him. Except back home to Blue River and the Silver Spur ranch. But his overachieving brothers won’t allow this cowboy to brood in peace. They’ve even hired a nurse to speed along his recovery. Paige Remington’s bossy brand of TLC is driving him crazy. As is her beautiful face, sexy figure and silky black hair.

Austin’s brothers are laying bets that Paige’s place in his life just might become permanent.

Fast track up the political ladder, fast cars, fast women—that’s Garrett McKettrick. Make that was. A scandal has brought him home to Blue River, a place where a man can slow down, take stock and plan his next move. Which doesn’t include staying at the family ranch with his brothers. A city boy for a long time now, Garrett doesn’t think he has the land in his blood anymore. But Blue River has other attractions, like his former high school nemesis, Julie Remington.

As a lover of animals and nature, Beatrix Hathaway has always been more comfortable outdoors than in the ballroom. Even though she participated in the London season in the past, the classic beauty and free-spirited Beatrix has never been swept away or seriously courted…and she has resigned herself to the fate of never finding love. Has the time come for the most unconventional of the Hathaway sisters to settle for an ordinary man—just to avoid spinsterhood?

Captain Christopher Phelan is a handsome, daring soldier who plans to marry Beatrix’s friend, the vivacious flirt Prudence Mercer, when he returns from fighting abroad. But, as he explains in his letters to Pru, life on the battlefield has darkened his soul—and it’s becoming clear that Christopher won’t come back as the same man. When Beatrix learns of Pru’s disappointment, she decides to help by concocting Pru’s letters to Christopher for her. Soon the correspondence between Beatrix and Christopher develops into something fulfilling and deep…and when Christopher comes home, he’s determined to claim the woman he loves. What began as Beatrix’s innocent deception has resulted in the agony of unfulfilled love—and a passion that can’t be denied…

For two years, Catherine Marks has been a paid companion to the Hathaway sisters—a pleasant position, with one caveat. Her charges’ older brother, Leo Hathaway, is thoroughly exasperating. Cat can hardly believe that their constant arguing could mask a mutual attraction. But when one quarrel ends in a sudden kiss, Cat is shocked at her powerful response—and even more so when Leo proposes a dangerous liaison.

Leo must marry and produce an heir within a year to save his family home. Catherine’s respectable demeanor hides a secret that would utterly destroy her. But to Leo, Cat is intriguing and infernally tempting, even to a man resolved never to love again. The danger Cat tried to outrun is about to separate them forever—unless two wary lovers can find a way to banish the shadows and give in to their desires…