Charity Jones is the latest addition to the Fool's Gold community as the town's new city planner. Charity is more than happy to make Fool's Gold her home since she loves the small town feel and that her neighbors and co-workers are very pleasant and nice. There seems to be a shortage of men, which is a problem dating back years, and the mayor is concerned the town will die if they don't find a way to get more men to reside in Fool's Gold. Charity's new responsibility is trying to figure out a way to bring in more traditional male jobs, which may appeal to the male population, thus fixing the problem. Charity finds this problem amusing, but will do the best that she can under the circumstances.

Although there is a lack of men, there is one resident who is considered Fool's Gold's 'favorite son' and not just because of his superstar looks and status. When Josh Golden's mother walked out on him when he was just ten years old the Fool's Gold community took him in and adopted him. Josh never forgot what they did for him, even when he became a very rich cyclist who was the second youngest winner of the Tour de France. Josh is retired now after a major mishap that he can't forgive himself for. He is fine running his various businesses and lending a hand wherever he can. And when he meets Charity, who isn't as awestruck like most the women in town are, Josh thinks he has struck gold in the romance department. The only thing standing between him is the emotional wall Charity has placed around herself because of her past. Josh wants to prove to Charity that he is a good guy, and with the town standing behind him, she doesn't stand much of a chance.

CHASING PERFECT has a nice small town feel that most readers should enjoy. There is humor, quirky characters and a nice romance between Charity and Josh. This couple is very well-rounded regardless of the hidden pain they both bottle up inside. Not only do they want to become better people in the way they treat others, but they want to do it together.

Susan Mallery does have engaging storytelling skills, but I found myself a bit disinterested half-way through the story. The main issue I had was that nothing all that exciting was going on. The tension between Charity and Josh is non-existent and when they finally become a couple, it was somewhat of a let down. Then something shocking occurs, but again it did nothing to peak my interest.

Chasing Perfect does have a wide variety of nice secondary characters such as Ethan Hendrix, who used to be Josh's best friend, but for various reasons, have drifted apart from one another.Then there is the town treasurer Robert Anderson, who is an overall good guy, who Charity finds too dull to have a romance with. And of course Mayor Marsha, who tries to be a matchmaker in her spare time.

There maybe not much of a spark while reading Chasing Perfect, but for those who want a simple, easy read, give this latest by Susan Mallery a go.