ARC Review: Forever and A Day by Jill Shalvis

 

Forever and A Day

(Lucky Harbor #6)

by Jill Shalvis

Dear Sawyer,

You had me head over heels in love with you but there is a new hottie that has caught my eye.
He’s a doctor, you know. That’s a checkmark in his favor.
He’s also got a hot bod. Another checkmark.
Let’s not forget the sexy things he likes to say. Check. Mark.
Sorry, but I think I’m going to stay with Dr. Scott for a little bit. Please don’t shoot me.

Love, Ann 

Yep, I’m a hussy, but you can’t blame a girl when Dr. Josh Scott is the sexiest thing to grace one of Jill Shalvis’s pages! All the heroes of this series have been downright delicious. Shalvis writes the best contemporary heroes out there, but Josh has topped them all in my eyes.

I was hesitant to start this book because readers don’t really know much about Josh. We got glimpses of his personality in the other books but he seemed like an overworked doctor most of the time. It wasn’t until this book, FOREVER AND A DAY, that we really see Josh’s life.

Josh lives with his adorable son, Toby and his twenty-one year old sister named Anna. Anna is a high functioning paraplegic who has a slight um, anger management problem? She is bitter and likes to feel sorry for herself. She underachieves and even after several years have passed, she still grieves for her parents who died in the car crash that left her without her own legs. Add a hellion dog named Tank and you’ve got the busy life of Dr. Scott.

Josh is feeling like he is being drowned. Life just keeps on going and he is just trying to keep up. The same goes for Grace who came to Lucky Harbor to escape the life she had. Her bank account is dwindling and she is just keeping herself afloat by taking on small jobs here and there to support her. Sooner or later, her savings will dry up and she needs a steady job that will support her. But in the meantime, she is looking for anything to keep her head up.

When Josh accidentally calls Grace to be his dog walker, things get out of hand pretty quickly. This book has the most fun! Shalvis has never failed to make me smile or laugh in one of her books, but this one just seemed to brighten up my day. Hell, my entire weekend! Josh and Grace sizzle off the pages! The chemistry is front and center in this book and doesn’t let up until you flip that last page.

FOREVER AND A DAY is a perfect 10, and the Lucky Harbor series is a tantalizing dessert – a delicious and decadent read that readers will devour!

*ARC provided by publisher

 

 

Purchase Links: Amazon

ARC Review: At Last by Jill Shalvis

 

At Last

(Lucky Harbor #5)

by Jill Shalvis

At last we get Matt Bowers’ story. I have been waiting for his book for a long time. And when I’m eagerly anticipating a book, my expectations begin to rise. Fortunately, Jill Shalvis continues to write stories that touch reader’s hearts and create laughter in the most unexpected times. The Lucky Harbor series has been a complete thrill to read!

Amy Michaels is on the hunt. Prepared with hiking gear, her grandmother’s journal and her kickass boots, Amy sets foot in Matt’s territory searching for her heart and the answers to her long unanswered questions.

I have to say that I loved the slightly darker tone to this book. It was a nice change of pace in the Lucky Harbor series, but I liked that the additional drama didn’t weigh the rest of the story down. Amy has her grandmother’s journal and as she tries to decipher bits and pieces of her grandmother’s words, she is on a search to find happiness for herself. Her dark past has required her to toughen up a bit, so in this book, readers see a much more serious side to Amy.

Glimpses of that past are exposed through the presence of Riley, a runaway teen whose own life is troubled. As Amy and Matt try to veer her life onto the right path, their share a journey that brings them closer and closer.

I loved the fact that Shalvis made the story come full circle. In the beginning, Amy needs rescuing from Matt as she gets lost, but in the end, Matt requires a helping hand to get out of the mess he is in. It just shows how well this relationship works because both sides are able to count on the other in times of distress.

Ty and Mallory, as well as Grace and Dr. Josh Scott are very involved in this book! It’s always nice to read about familiar characters and Shalvis has a way of making you adore her characters to bits. There’s even a little bit of Sawyer! Yay!

But for me, the best part of this book is Ranger Hot Buns! Matt Bowers packs some serious heat and he sizzled off the pages for me! Ranger Hot Buns is giving Sawyer a run for his money! I loved his determination and his possessiveness. He was caring and kind but also kind of grumpy too. Shalvis always writes the best heroes and Matt Bowers is definitely in my hottie harem now!

I cannot wait to see what’s in store for Josh and Grace. We don’t really know much about them, so it will be interesting to see how it all plays out!

 

 

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Review: Head Over Heels by Jill Shalvis

 

Head Over Heels

(Lucky Harbor # 3)

by Jill Shalvis

Favorite Quote:
“Chloe?”
“Yeah?”
“I’d be worth the inhaler,” he said, then forced himself to walk away into the night.

Sawyer,
I may not have asthma but you still make my breath hitch.

First things first, if you haven’t read this series already, then I highly suggest you do. Head Over Heels is book three, so go on and grab Simply Irresistible and The Sweetest Thing before you take a ride on the wild side!

Chloe Traeger is known as the “wild child”. Her impulsive antics and stellar personality gets her noticed. And sometimes, her impulsive and slightly law-breaking ways lands her in the hands of Sherriff Sawyer Thompson. Cue swoons. Because it’s a good place to be.

My, my Sawyer is a dream come true. With his cop mentality and barely restrained masculinity, there is no wonder why Chloe couldn’t fight her attraction for the roughened cop. He’s just too good to be true. The chemistry sizzles and Chloe finds herself using her inhaler more than once in the presence of Officer Hottie.

The free-spirited Chloe has spent numerous days in Lucky Harbor now. Though she still travels often, Lucky Harbor has become somewhat of a permanent home for her. She sees her two older sisters settling down and finding love and Chloe can’t help but wonder what will happen to her. “Settling down” isn’t quite in her repertoire, so she feels like she is at a loss. How can anyone as free as Chloe accept and love her for who she is?

Meanwhile, Sawyer has problems of his own. His issues involve his father who he doesn’t have a good relationship with. Believe it or not, but the straight arrow cop was once a hooligan who engaged in careless acts as a teenager. His father hasn’t forgotten that part of his life and reminds him each day as his health deteriorates and Sawyer tries to reach out a helping hand. Instead of accepting it, Nolan Thompson slaps it away, refusing any kind of help from his son. Sawyer regrets his actions, but can do nothing else but live with the choices he’s made.

What’s interesting is the fact that Sawyer and Chloe are polar opposites in everything they do. Sawyer is straight arrow whereas Chloe follows no lines at all. And if she does, she crosses them or blurs them completely. Their relationship has been developing from the first book and I thought Shalvis did a great job of slowly developing their romance. Sawyer isn’t one to simply allow anyone to walk into his life. He’s a guarded man who keeps his feelings to himself. But boy, he’s a potent one once he reveals those emotions.

HEAD OVER HEELS is my favourite book so far in the series. Sawyer and Chloe definitely became my top hero and heroine in Lucky Harbor, so topping them will be hard. However, that is not to say it’s impossible.

I couldn’t resist reading that extra tidbit at the end for the next Lucky Harbor book! Ty sounds like another one I could fall for. I’m pining for this next book already!

I can’t help but wonder who else will be getting a book in the series! Here are my guesses:
Cute Guy – I NEED to know who this man is.
Mark Bowers the Park Ranger – I loved this little walk on moments in HEAD OVER HEELS. Plus, the Park Ranger thing doesn’t seem so far off from Sawyer’s gig. Ergo, he must be a hottie.
Josh the Doctor – I can’t resist a man who can patch me up.

*ARC provided by publisher

 

 

Purchase Links: Amazon

Review: The Sweetest Thing by Jill Shalvis

 

The Sweetest Thing 

(Lucky Harbor #2)

by Jill Shalvis

The Sweetest Thing was such a treat to read. The second book in the Lucky Harbor series features Tara Daniels, the southern girl and the eldest of the three sisters. She is known as the steel magnolia because of her anal-retentive ways and slight egotistical manner. It’s her way or the highway.

But easy-going Ford Walker walks back into her life and suddenly Tara doesn’t seem capable of handling her life as well as she thought she could. Especially in the presence of someone so deliciously sexy.

Ford Walker is the man of my dreams. He’s the resident hottie at Lucky Harbor and is adored for more than his stunning good looks. With a killer personality and an equally killer bod, Tara must use all her defenses to keep her away from Ford.

In the first book of the series, Simply Irresistible, readers are introduced to Tara and Ford and their secret past. While it doesn’t take a genius to figure out the story arc for this next book, I thought Shalvis did a very good job in working towards Tara and Ford’s story.

A younger, wilder version of Tara haunted Ford for seventeen years when Tara left Lucky Harbor for a better life. But when she returns, Ford doesn’t want to lose her twice. It takes him awhile to fight for what he wants since he is a man who is used to having things fall into place for him. But when someone as great as Tara crosses your path, Ford knows when to take that leap.

Not to mention that Tara’s ex-husband, Logan Perrish, the sexy NASCAR champ has come to small town Lucky Harbor to get his wife back. The odd thing about Logan is that HE IS SO NICE! I had a very hard time not liking him, which makes things so much harder for Ford because Logan is a solid guy as well.

Now the question is, who is Tara Daniels going to pick? Her old flame or her rock?

Shalvis has a unique way of creating such memorable characters. You can’t help but love them all. And in addition to that, their witty dialogue adds more appeal to an already enjoyable read.

There is something so loveable about Shalvis’s characters. They leap of the pages as if they were telling you their story themselves and once you flip that last page, you wonder how on earth did you get so sucked into a book? It seems that Shalvis just has that golden touch. The Sweetest Thing was a pleasure to read.

I thought I loved Jax but, sorry...I think Ford is the man for me. Although, I wouldn’t be claiming anyone just yet. It seems that Sawyer, the third musketeer and bad-boy-with-a –gun may be a good catch too! I’ll have to read Head Over Heels, Chloe and Sawyer’s book next to find out!

 

Purchase Links: Amazon

Review: Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis

 

Simply Irresistible

(Lucky Harbor # 1)

by Jill Shalvis

Welcome to Lucky Harbor - a small town populated by people with big hearts and personalities! Sounds fun, right?

Except Maddie Moore isn’t too pleased about returning to Lucky Harbor. Freshly fired and still feeling the sting, Maddie is Miss Moping as she drives herself into the town where her mother lived. Upon her mother’s death, Maddie and her half-sisters Tara and Chloe are forced to return and fix up the Lucky Harbor Resort that their beloved mother left for them. Though they share a mother, the three sisters don’t have much in common other than that. As the middle child, Maddie is known as the peacemaker. Or, better known as “The Mouse.”

True to her nickname, Maddie guards herself very well. She has a past that still haunts her. So when a dangerously seductive man steps into her life and gives her a chance at something new, Maddie pulls back with good reason.

Shalvis does a fantastic job at bringing her characters to life. She forms unbreakable bonds between the sisters and an undeniable attraction between Maddie and Jax. However, the petty fights between Maddie and Jax did get annoying after awhile. I think this was more due to the fact that they were fighting over menial things. I knew it wouldn’t really shake the bond that Jax and Maddie developed in this book.

Having read other of Shalvis’s titles, I feel like this book really showcases her talent as a writer. The pacing was perfection, the characters were really well-thought out and unique. And it just flowed really well. I picked up this book and fell in love with it, devouring it in four hours and now seriously regretting plowing through it so quickly.

With the secret that Tara, Maddie’s older sister reveals in this book and the build-up that Shalvis does, there is no question that I’ll be picking up The Sweetest Thing ASAP. These three sisters are so fun and sweet, I wouldn’t be surprised if I finished this next book like a box of treats!

 

 

Purchase Links: Amazon