Title: Fool Me Twice.
Series: If Only..., #1.
Author: Mandy Hubbard.
Publication Date: June 5th, 2014.
Publisher: Bloomsbury.
Format: Paperback, 272 pages.
Source: Provided By Publisher.
My Rating:
Mackenzie is determined not to fall for Landon all over again. Not after he dumped her and got back together with his ex. But they are both at Serenity Ranch and Spa for the summer and she can’t just ignore him – especially after he takes a nasty fall and doesn’t remember ever breaking up with her! Now it’s her turn to dump him. And not without a little bit of fun first...
Fool Me Twice is a ridiculously cute, sweet, funny and light-hearted book that’ll have anyone grinning like an idiot whilst they’re reading it. It’s full of hilarious scenes, practical jokes and romantic encounters – and although some of the scenes were a little cheesy at times, I didn’t really mind. Mandy Hubbard has a really bubbly writing style and outlook and I just loved her style of writing. Fool Me Twice is fun and quick read, and I’d really recommend any contemporary lover to pick it up and give it a go.
Mackenzie, or Mack, is our main protagonist throughout Fool Me Twice, and I really loved her character! She’s smart, witty, upbeat, funny, and caring. She has this ridiculously quirky personality and sense of style; she even dyed her hair red and blue for Independence Day! Mack was just a really loveable character that you can’t help but laugh along with, and I think if I met her in real life, she’d be someone I’d really want to be friends with. Overall I thought she was a really strong and interesting character and I was rooting for her to be happy right from the start.
Landon is the love interest throughout Fool Me Twice, and the guy Mack wants to get revenge on for breaking her heart. At first, I really didn’t like his character – he seemed too full of himself, and didn’t seem to care what so ever about how much he’d hurt Mack in dumping her the way he did. However, the more the novel progressed, the more I started to like him. It turns out he has this complete other side to him, and can be really sweet and fun. By the time I was nearing the end of the book, I was desperate for a happy ending and for the two of them to work things out and to be together. Talk about a change of opinion!
Although the majority of the characters acted and seemed much more like 16 year olds, rather than 18 (or nearly 18) year olds, it surprisingly didn’t faze me much what so ever. I have a bit of a pet peeve about characters that act stupidly, or if they really don’t act their age – but Mack, Landon and Mack’s best friend, Bailey don’t act like little kids at all - just slightly younger versions of themselves, trying to enjoy their last summer before they go off to University. As for the relationship between Landon and Mack, it was so sweet and beautiful. As much as she tried not to fall back in love with Landon, she just couldn’t help it, even after all did to her. She was willing to forgive and mostly forget the things that happened between them the year before, and at first that frustrated me, but as I read more and more, I found out I really didn’t mind so much after all.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading Fool Me Twice. It’s definitely not a book to be taken too seriously, but was generally a really beautiful and kind of heart-warming tale with a lot of humour mixed in! Mandy Hubbard’s writing is fresh, funny and quirky, with a lovely ability to create a lovely backdrop to the story – I could picture the Ranch really clearly in my head! I flew through Fool Me Twice, reading it in just two sittings, and although it’s not perfect, I believe it well and truly deserves the 4/5 star rating I gave it. I can’t wait to read more books in this series and from Mandy Hubbard in the future – she’s definitely an author to keep an eye out for!
Quotes
“Is his horse always that hyper?”
Storm is dancing at the end of the reins, but Landon just maintains his solid grip and walks as if it’s no big deal that a thousand-pound horse is hopping around like a bunny on crack.
“Yeah, pretty much. He’s got his roping saddle on and Storm knows it. He’s such a hothead for roping.”
“Oh.”
“Should we bail?” I ask. “I mean, I don’t know the rules of engagement. Without the aid of explosives or whatever.”
“First, no, you do not let him run you off, and second, dude, explosives! We could blow up his junk!” - Page 39.
It’s out here on the trail where sometimes I think I see deep inside his soul, those moments he’s utterly content, and somehow I finally get him. It doesn’t mean we’re meant to be, doesn’t mean he won’t break my heart.
It just means deep in his heart, he’s something different. The guy who would gallop to the edge of a cliff to save you [...]. He’d share his last drop of water with you, or if your horse went lame, he’d offer you his own and then walk, even if his boots made his feet blister and the sun dang near killed him.
He might still dump you for another girl, but out here, under the never-ending sky, he’s mine. The guy I fall for over and over and over again. - Page 194 & 195.
My reverie is broken when Landon touches my knee, and I turn to him. He leans across the space between our horses, and my eyes slip closed just as his lips touch mine.
As the sun rises over the desert, we kiss. - Page 235.
