Reading Challenge- Summer Nights

For this review, I chose Summer Nights by Susan Mallery.  I loved this book.  It is my favorite in the entire Fool's Gold Series!!  Summer Nights is a great summer read.  Annabelle is a caring, sweet friend & granddaughter.  I love that Annabelle wants to learn how to ride a horse for her fundraiser.  Shane is a cowboy!!  So many woman would love to be with him!!  Shane wants Annabelle & Annabelle wants him!! Summer Nights touched my heart a lot.

I love how Susan Mallery has dedicated Summer Nights to librarians.  The librarians in my area are so wonderful.  I am in the middle of planning a fundraiser that I can not wait to do.  It is at the library that my family lived near for 12 years.  We got to know the Children's librarian over the years.  When you go to the library, you ask the librarian what book is good.  I know we have done that plenty of times for me & the kids.  They have been wonderful in talking about what books are very good to read.  If you are a librarian & has not read Summer Nights, then please do so.  It is a great book!  You will not be disappointed!!

                                                               Source: allaboutfoolsgold.blogspot.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Spoiler Warning: If you have not read this book, stop!  Read the book before reading the rest of my review!!

Summer Nights touched my heart a lot.  I love how Shane got rope into more than he wanted to.  His ideas was great to have the kids come to his ranch for horseback riding lessons.  I loved when Charlie brought him a little girl from the burn unit to ride one of the horses.  This made me cry.  As a mom of a child like my daughter, horseback riding is very good for her & it helps build up those stomach muscles.  When Ashleigh first learned to ride a horse, it was at a Ranch being offered by a couple for free for kids with disabilities just like Shane in Summer Nights.  Yes, this book touches my heart in more ways than any books has ever done.  I posted a photo of my daughter on a horse from last summer during her Camp to let Susan Mallery know that Summer Nights touched my heart this much.  

Annabelle is very passionate about her bookmobile.  She cares about the people that can not get to the library.  If she could get her bookmobile, more books, computers, & WiFi, then she would be able to do so much more.  But, she has to fund raise a lot of money.  In order to do that, she has to learn to ride a horse & dance on one at the Festival!!  I loved that a little boy ran up to Annabelle with a small jar & said to her "We found 'em and saved 'em. Because you bring us books." (page 31 Kindle) It is so sweet that a young boy is trying to help Annabelle with her bookmobile.  Reading is so important to children.  My children & I do reading nights, but since my migraines gotten worse, we have not had a reading night. We need to start them again.  Ashleigh & I are doing the Summer Reading program at our library.  In Summer Nights, it talks about Summer Reading programs.  I love that.  At the kids old school, they had a summer reading program.  I love that program.  

I love how Shane asks his mom if he knows of any nice girls.  Who does May say?  Annabelle, the one dancing on the bar, but he does not know that.  She is the librarian of Fool's Gold.  Heidi asks Shane if he would teach Annabelle to ride a horse for the festival & he said yes.  May is something with her animals.  So far, the list of animals are: Llamas, sheep, a donkey, & an elephant.  I am not going to say what else is going to join this list!  ;) 

Shane thinks Khatar is a "difficult horse. Or has a reputation of being difficult" (page 44 Kindle), but Annabelle thinks he is a sweet horse.  When Annabelle is at Castle Ranch, Khatar gets out to see her.  

Annabelle was giving herself advice about Shane.  "She had to learn to be herself.  Could she do that?  Could she let Shane see who she was and take things from there?" (page 52 Kindle).  I think that is a great piece of advice of learns to be herself.  You can be be someone else.  

 I love series.  I know this is a stand alone book, but we do see characters from the other books.  We meet Montana again.  She is very pregnant & married to Simon Bradley.  When will she have the baby?  Simon is driving Montana crazy.  If you remember from the book, Only Yours, when we first met Simon & Montana, Simon lost his wife & unborn baby.  He is worried this will happen again.  We also learned about Dakota's 2 children (read the book to find out!!).  We do learn what Montana is having (read the book).

I love friendship between Charlie, Annabelle, & Heidi. They are always there for each other.  Whenever there is a break up with one of them, they are there for them.  Whether it is for Weddings or any of the good times in their lives, they share it with each other.  

When I re-read pages 351-60, I love this part of the book beside the part where Shane start horseback riding lessons.  My most favorite part of the book is at the end of the book.  Shane arranged for the girls to ride their horses in the parade!  What a great way to show off what they learn.  

My favorite Shane quote is:

"I know you're nothing like my ex-wife.  I know you're good and kind and caring and loyal.  I like everything about you, Annabelle Weiss.  More than that, I love you.  I'm sorry it took me so long to figure that out, but I did and I'm standing here to say I love you.  I want to spend the rest of my life with you and our baby."

I skipped a lot of the book on purpose!  Read the book to find out!  You knew I was going to say that right!
Melissa

P.S. Something for you:

1. Who did Susan Mallery dedicated Summer Nights to?
2. Who did Shane see dancing on the Bar?
3.  Boy or Girl for Simon & Montana?  Name?
4. What happened to Charlie?
5. What did Charlie's mother to her/police? 
6. What was the surprise that was waiting at Castle Ranch for Annabelle?
7.  Did Shane like this surprise (#6)?