Two of a Kind

by Susan Mallery

Socially awkward and emotionally withdrawn make a passionate combination in TWO OF A KIND.

TWO OF A KIND, book 12 in the Fool’s Gold series, introduced me to my second favorite character living in Fool’s Gold- and she’s new to town. Felicia is a genius- something that some people might say is a good trait to possess. However, Felicia’s off-the-charts intelligence has resulted in her living an isolated life with no friends, no family, and no normal social interactions. Other people were always intimidated by Felicia’s intelligence, including her parents, so they avoided conversations and relationships with her. When Felicia enters the military she finally finds people who are willing to appreciate her mental skills and she makes some friends. These friends are constantly working on helping Felicia understand social norms and boundaries- but it continues to be a struggle. In Felicia’s quest for normalcy she approaches a stranger in a bar to have sex with her, for the first time ever. When a couple of her large, overprotective, military friends discover this encounter they sweep Felicia away and warn the man, a fellow officer, Gideon, to stay away from Felicia. Now, years later, Felicia and Gideon find themselves living in Fool’s Gold together and neither of them has forgotten about their one encounter. Felicia is ready to settle down but needs someone to help her learn how to date and be in a relationship; Gideon happily volunteers, once again, to be her teacher in the relationship department.

Felicia’s social awkwardness makes her such an appealing and entertaining character to read about. She is honest to a fault because she doesn’t always understand when it might be more tactful to hold her tongue. Often times slang and sarcasm confuse her and she responds to them with very literal comments that make those around her chuckle. She is truly a pure-hearted person who just wants to learn to be more socially acceptable. Gideon is sweet, reserved, and heart-breaking. He is willing to admit his physical attraction to and sexual compatibility with Felicia, but all other emotions are out of reach for him. Between killing people for a living and being held hostage and tortured for two years, Gideon has learned that emotions, especially love, make you weak. Gideon believes he is not capable of love which makes him the perfect person to help Felicia learn how to date, because he won’t become attached. Of course when the two of them start having practice dates and spending time together, they both realize that love is not an emotion that is controlled by or felt with the brain! The battle both of these two characters fight between their hearts and their minds is fantastic. The building of this relationship is filled with not only love but honesty and laughter and mistakes and hurt.

I adore Fool’s Gold and I adore Susan Mallery’s ability to continue to introduce us to new and interesting characters that have the ability to transport me to the pages of the book and the town of Fool’s Gold.