Title: The Forever Girl (Wildstone #6)

Author: Jill Shalvis

Date of publication: 12 Jan 2021

Genre / Themes: Contemporary Romance / Small town 

Author's links: Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

My rating: 3,5 Stars

Life has changed all four of them in immeasurable ways. Maze and Cat must decide if they can rebuild their friendship, and Maze discovers her long-held attraction to Walker hasn’t faded with the years but has only grown stronger. 

I haven't read the previous books in the series but this works perfectly as standalone. I'd say this story fall between romance and women's fiction - there is a central love story and a HEA but also a lot of time and focus is dedicated to the other characters (found family of the MCs).

I enjoyed the world Jill Shalvis, one were friendships and family matter, where people try to do their best despite the circumstances, where they make mistakes and take wrong turn along the way but are ultimately led by kindness. We get usual dose of pets and babies, mostly for comic relief without overshadowing the romance. 

On the negative side, I felt too much of the conflict was based on misunderstanding. I realise why the Maze ad Walker couldn't discuss things openly from the start. The trauma of their childhood is a serious one that has marked them and it was not easy for them to overcome their fears and to see themselves as worthy of love. 

There were some unexpected plot twists which I liked even though the story more or less went in the direction I expected it to go from the start. It's this familiarity, knowing what is coming, that makes these books comfort reads for me. 

I found this to be a comforting, hopeful story, making me buy the romance between the MCs, leaving me convinced they are right for each other and are good for each other and can make each other happy. It's this hopefulness, the promise of a better future together, that's the reason I read romance.

CW: Child abuse, neglect (in the past), fire, lost of a loved one

Blurb

If she has her way ...

Willa Davis is wrangling puppies when Keane Winters stalks into her pet shop with frustration in his chocolate-brown eyes and a pink bedazzled cat carrier in his hand. He needs a kitty sitter, stat. But the last thing Willa needs is to rescue a guy who doesn’t even remember her ...

He’ll get nothing but coal in his stocking.

Saddled with his great-aunt’s Feline from Hell, Keane is desperate to leave her in someone else’s capable hands. But in spite of the fact that he’s sure he’s never seen the drop-dead-gorgeous pet shop owner before, she seems to be mad at him ...

Unless he tempers “naughty” with a special kind of nice ...

Willa can’t deny that Keane’s changed since high school: he’s less arrogant, for one thing—but can she trust him not to break her heart again? It’s time to throw a coin in the fountain, make a Christmas wish—and let the mistletoe do its work ...

Jill Shalvis is my favourite author when it comes to sweet and sexy small town romances. And her Holiday stories always leave me at a happy place. This one was no different.

I still need to read the first book this new series but starting with the second one was no mistake either. It was so much fun and full of all the warm feeling and cosiness and friendship and the good of humanity in general that I associate with Christmas time. What made me really happy about this story that it did use the Christmas theme (strongly and with a touch of humour) without overdoing it. We don't get the perfect happy biological family but rather the right circle of friends and loved one who stick for one another through bad times and good ones and make the Holidays really special.

The heroine, Willa, was just adorable. Quirky and insecure, dealing with the consequences of a rough childhood by caring for everybody (humans and animals alike), going out of her way to help others, to bring joy and happiness in their lives.

The hero, Keane, like all Ms Shalvis' heroes, was close to perfect. He did have to make up for past mistakes but his present behaviour more than compensated for his carelessness in the past. He is working man and despite having a family unlike Willa. he was just as lonely as her.

I loved the character growth both of them had to go through in the story. There was a sort of reversal of roles which I found refreshing. She started as someone looking for love and long-term commitment while he was convinced he was no relationship material. Somehow along the road she ended up with doubts about her ability to be with someone for the long haul (she did think she wasn't good enough and that made me so sad) and he developed the idea that building a home with her and spending his life here with her was the right thing for him.

The chemistry between Willa and Keane was great and the love scenes - smoking hot. There was the usual circle of great friends (hers in this case) and their interactions both playful and concerned - were nicely done and fun to read.

There will more books in the series coming soon - a novella, One Snowy Night by the end of 2016 and a full-length novel, Accidentally on Purpose, early 2017 and I can't wait to read them both.

Purchase links: Kindle / iBooks / Nook / Paperback / GooglePlay / Kobo / BAM

Synopsis

If she has her way . . .

Willa Davis is wrangling puppies when Keane Winters stalks into her pet shop with frustration in his chocolate-brown eyes and a pink bedazzled cat carrier in his hand. He needs a kitty sitter, stat. But the last thing Willa needs is to rescue a guy who doesn’t even remember her . . .

He’ll get nothing but coal in his stocking.

Saddled with his great-aunt’s Feline from Hell, Keane is desperate to leave her in someone else’s capable hands. But in spite of the fact that he’s sure he’s never seen the drop-dead-gorgeous pet shop owner before, she seems to be mad at him . . .

Unless he tempers “naughty” with a special kind of nice . . .

Willa can’t deny that Keane’s changed since high school: he’s less arrogant, for one thing—but can she trust him not to break her heart again? It’s time to throw a coin in the fountain, make a Christmas wish—and let the mistletoe do its work . . .

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website, www.jillshalvis.com, for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

“You want to come upstairs, Willa?”

What she wanted was to put her hands back on his chest now that she knew it was as hard as it looked. Instead she gripped either side of her seat with white knuckles. “Of course not.”

“I think you do. I think you want something else too.”

“What I want,” she said as coolly as she could, “is dinner as promised.”

“Liar,” he chided softly.

“Well that’s just rude, calling your date a liar.”

“So it is a date.” His tone was very male and very smug. It should’ve pissed her off but instead it did something hot and erotic to her insides.

Clearly knowing it, he smiled at her and then dragged his teeth over his lower lip as he contemplated her.

Gah. She wanted to do that. And she wanted to do more too. She wanted him shockingly badly and suddenly she couldn’t remember why she shouldn’t. She tried to access her thought processes on the subject but her brain hiccupped and froze. Which surely was the only reason she let go of the death grip on her seat, slid her fingers into his hair, and . . . brushed her mouth over his.

He didn’t move, not a single muscle, but when she pulled back, his eyes had gone dark as night, piercing her with their intensity.

“Don’t read that the wrong way,” she whispered.

“Is there a wrong way to take it when a beautiful woman kisses you?”

Purchase links: Kindle / iBooks / Nook / Paperback / GooglePlay / Kobo / BAM

Title: Nobody but You (Cedar Ridge #3)
Author: Jill Shalvis
Date of publication: 29 March 2016
Genre / Themes: Small town romance

Author's links: Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads
Add to Goodreads

My rating: 3 Stars

Synopsis

SOMETIMES YOU CAN GO HOME AGAIN…

After an overseas mission goes wrong, Army Special Forces officer Jacob Kincaid knows where he must go to make things right: back home to the tiny town of Cedar Ridge, Colorado. All he needs to scrub away his painful past is fresh mountain air, a lakeside cabin, and quiet solitude. But what he discovers is a gorgeous woman living on a boat at his dock.

Sophie Marren has nowhere else to go. She’s broke, intermittently seasick, and fighting a serious attraction to the brooding, dishy, I’m-too-sexy-for-myself guy who’s now claiming her dock. Something about Jacob’s dark intensity makes her want to tease—and tempt—him beyond measure. Neither one wants to give any ground . . . until they realize the only true home they have is with each other.

Review

I was curious to read Jacob's story from the start of this series but things got even more exciting in the previous book, which was about his twin brother. And I also have a big soft spot for war heroes, so I couldn't wait to meet Jacob.

His unexpected romantic affair was really sweet and very emotional at the same time. It took both Jacob and Sophie by surprise and neither of them it as anything long-term until it was too late for either of them to back away. 

I liked Sophie, her determination and decisiveness to go forward with her life on her own coupled with her occasional clumsiness and total obliviousness, were mostly adorable. AT times they felt too much - she seemed immature and childish to me, especially in her anger towards her ex and his flings. I understand and sympathize with her anger and hurt but her tricks and vengeance felt petty and really beneath her. 

A thing a like about Jill Shalvis' series in general is the sense of friendship and brotherhood/sisterhood she creates among the characters. I love their banter, the friendly teasing and ultimately their loyalty to one another and the sense that your family/close friends always have your back and accept you as you are. I expected this to have a more central role here, especially with Jacob and Hud being twins but I found it missing. 

We saw a lot of the brothers and their sister but for me it lacked the familiar warm feeling of community, their partners made just a few brief appearances. I wished we saw more of all of the characters coming together. Kenna's love life also caught me by surprise and it felt a bit rushed and out of place.

Overall, this story is a nice addition to the series, with a hero whom I greatly enjoyed and heroine who was cute but also a bit annoying. The romance and chemistry between Jacob and Sophie were strong and heart-warming.

Synopsis

Bailey Moore has an agenda: skiing in the Roc
kies, exploring castles in Europe, ballroom dancing in Argentina. Now that she has a second lease on life, she's determined not to miss a thing. What she doesn't realize is that item #1 comes with a six-foot-one ski god hot enough to melt a polar ice cap. She doesn't want to miss out on him either, but Hudson Kincaid isn't the type of guy to love and let go. And as gorgeous as Cedar Ridge is, she's not planning to stick around.

As head of ski patrol at his family's resort, Hud thinks he's seen it all. But never has he run into someone like Bailey. She might look delicate, but her attitude is all firecracker. And her infectious joy touches something deep within him that he's been missing far too long. Now he'll just have to convince Bailey to take a chance on her biggest adventure yet . . . something rare and all kinds of wonderful.

Review 

I needed a comfort read and as usual, Jill Shalvis' romances came to the rescue. My Kind of Wonderful (in the second book in her latest series, Cedar Ridge, set in a mountain ski resort, a setting the works great for me.

This story had so many of may favourite tropes in romance - a heroine who is fragile on the outside but all tough and determined on the inside, a hero who is protective and caring, loving fiercely his family and friends but pretty clueless when it comes to his personal life.

The story touches of serious issues (serious illness), family obligations and support, moving one, accepting the past with your mistakes and really, really looking to the future.

Bailey was a great heroine, a woman trying to find her place because up to now she has been forced to look on life from the sides and make no plans for the future. She has a list of things to do but then life happens and she has to quickly adapt her list. I love how fierce and determined she was. The way she went about being honest about her feelings for Hud, not playing games, acting coy or clingy was touching and real.

Hudson was a complex character on his own. He carried so much guilt and burden on his shoulders, yet he always took time to help the other, to be there for his family and friends. Life had thought him not the rely on anyone, even the family he so dearly loved. It took him quite a while to accept the change of plans life threw at them. He did not think there was a place for a woman in his life (and heart) but Bailey surprised him and took residence in his world without really asking.

The romance was hot and tender at the same time. It started as one time thing which soon became a few more times till the forever kind of relationship. The road to Bailey and Hud's HEA was not that easy though. The constant going back and forth, especially on the part of Hud, got tiresome and annoying towards the end. I wanted him to realise what he had and what he needed in life so much sooner but alas, he just needing some more prodding and good natured ribbing by his siblings to get the picture.

I absolutely love the family dynamics Ms Shalvis builds in her stories - there so much fun and love and warmth and caring about each other - which makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

Overall, after loving the first book in the Cedar Ridge series, Second Chance Summer (review), I really enjoyed this one too. It hit all the right buttons for me and left me happy with a smile on my face. A recommended read for Ms Shalvis' fans and any other lovers of contemporary romance.

My rating: 3.5 Stars

Review

Purchase links: Amazon / B&N / Kobo / iBooks 

My reviews of other books by Jill Shalvis - HERE

Add to Goodreads

My rating: 4 Stars

Jills Shalvis starts a new small-town, family type of series and first book, Second Chance Summer, releases today! You can read an excerpt as part of the celebration and also to get a small taste of Aiden (who is just delicious) and Lily (who is just too cute).

Title: Second Chance Summer (Cedar Ridge #1)

Pre-order: Amazon / B&N / Kobo / iBooks

Synopsis

Excerpt 

“How did you fall?” he asked.

“Backward. Fast,” she quipped, not about to admit she’d been startled by a bunny. A baby bunny.

“Smartass.” He began to check her over. As in he put his hands all over her and ran them over her body. “You’re bleeding,” he said.

“I’ll buy you new sheets.”

“Shut up.” He frowned at her wrist and found another problem at her ankle, all while she attempted to keep her T-shirt covering as much as of her as possible. Then he pointed to her shirt. “Lose it.”

“Bite me.”

“Later,” he said. “I want to see your ribs.”

“How about my foot up your ass?”

He met her gaze, his own stubborn and unbending. “Me or a doctor, Lily.”

He’d do it too, she had no doubt. He’d drag her kicking and screaming out of here if need be. So she sighed and very carefully lifted the T-shirt to just beneath her breasts. 

“See? I’m fine—”

She broke off, the air backing up in her lungs when he ran his hands very lightly over her ribcage, stopping when she managed to suck in a breath.

“Bruised, not broken I don’t think,” he said, his voice quiet and calm and clinically dispassionate, in direct opposition to his eyes. “Turn over.”

She bit out a harsh laugh. “Yeah, that’s going to happen nev—”

He rolled her over and pinned her there with a hand low on her back.

She sputtered and fought him, but then went utterly still when he ran his fingers up the back of one thigh, scooping the edge of her boy cut panties up a cheek.

“Also bruised,” he said.

“That’s where I landed. No worries, I’m padded nicely.”

“Nicely is right,” he said, and he removed his hands from her.

She leapt off the bed, tugged down her shirt, and had to tighten her lips not to whimper at the fast movement. “Okay, thanks. Be sure to lock the door on your way—”

“Did you hit your head or lose consciousness at any time?”

“No!” She didn’t want to need his help, wanted to lick her wounds in private rather than get turned on by his gentle touch. But she was stupid light-headed from getting up too fast and knew she wasn’t in the greatest shape.

And must as she didn’t want to like it, she did like how he always seemed to be there for her, even if her brain kept telling her heart she didn’t want him to be.

He still wasn’t leaving. “Tell me what really happened.”

“I loaded up some wood and was making my way up the stairs when”—she broke off and grimaced —“something popped out of the wood. I nearly had heart failure and fell down the stairs. The end.”

He never took his eyes off of her. “What popped out at you?”

“A spider,” she said, because hey, that could’ve totally happened. Just because she’d freaked out over the baby bunny didn’t mean that there wasn’t also a spider. Maybe she’d been so busy falling down the stairs she just hadn’t seen the spider.

“A spider made you fall down the stairs?” he asked in disbelief.

“A big one.” She lifted her hands so that they were about a foot apart.

His lips twitched.

Her hands spread apart even wider. “It might have been a mutant spider.”

“Or a baby bunny,” he said.

She stared at him while he grinned wide.

“You knew the whole time,” she accused.

“Yep. Lenny told me.”

“Well isn’t that just like a man,” she said in disgust.

Aidan tipped his head back and laughed out loud.

“Fine. Whatever,” she said. “I’m taking a shower. Alone.”

“Make it lukewarm, not hot,” he said. “I’m going to the truck for my first aid kit.”

“Aidan, I’m so not in the mood to play doctor.”

“Good,” he said. “I’ll play doctor and you play the nice, sweet, passive patient.”

Waiting on Wednesday is a book meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and it features books that we are eagerly awaiting to be released.

Release Date: 30 June 2015

Add on Goodreads

Pre-order: Amazon / B&N / Kobo / iBooks

Synopsis

Darcy Stone is game for anything—except sexy Navy vet and physical therapist AJ Colten, the guy who’d rejected her when she’d needed him most. Now the shoe is on the other foot and he needs her to play nice and help him secure grants for his patients. Unfortunately Darcy can’t refuse. She needs the money to fund her passion project: rescuing S&R dogs and placing them with emotionally wounded soldiers.

AJ admits it—Darcy is irresistible. But he’s already been battle-scarred by a strong-willed, vivacious, adventurous woman like Darcy, and he’s not making the same mistake twice—until he and Darcy are forced to fake a relationship. Growing closer than they’d ever imagined possible, Darcy and AJ have to ask themselves: how much between them is pretend? What’s the real thing? And where does it go from here?

Jill Shalvis is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller. She has written more than four dozen romance novels and lives in Nevada with her family.

Synopsis

Darcy Stone is game for anything — except sexy Navy veteran and physical therapist A.J. Colten, the guy who'd rejected her when she'd needed him most. Now the shoe is on the other foot and he needs her to play nice and help him secure grants for his patients. Unfortunately, Darcy can't refuse. She needs the money to fund her passion project: rescuing S&R dogs and placing them with emotionally wounded soldiers.

A.J. admits it — Darcy is irresistible. But he's already been battle-scarred by a strong-willed, vivacious, adventurous woman like Darcy, and he's not making the same mistake twice—until he and Darcy are forced to fake a relationship. Growing closer than they'd ever imagined possible, Darcy and AJ have to ask themselves: how much between them is pretend? What's the real thing? And where does it go from here?

Review

I've said it before that Jill Shalvis' book are my comfort reads, sometimes they work better, sometimes - worse but I love the familiar writing style, the warmth  and security of the relationships she creates.

The Animal Attraction series are one of my favourite of hers and the blurb for this latest installment really drew me in. I had very high expectations of this story and loved some bits of it but there are a few things that threw me off and it ended a nice, but a bit annoying 3-star read for me.

I admire strong characters, overcoming physical and emotional trauma and naturally, I loved Darcy. Her fears felt real, her courage and openness were much appreciated. Her attraction to AJ and her sense of rejection were well presented and this made them believable. She was a real human being - a little reckless, a lot of spunky and sassy, yet vulnerable, tender, caring. She knew had made mistakes and will probably make more in the future, she had issues with her body image after her accident. 

AJ, on the other hand, came off a bit as super human - all cool, calm and collected, a responsible adult who had his life figured out. At least that's how Darcy saw him and that's how he acted most of the story. His reluctance to risk his heart with Darcy did piss me off. I wanted him to man up and go for what he wanted, consequences be damned. 

There were some heartbreaking descriptions of Darcy's daily physical struggles and her difficult road to recovery but I was disappointed how it all was glossed over in the love scenes. There was not a hint of physical discomfort, pain, strain, or anything like that, while we kept seeing this things happening  in her daily activities all the time.

I liked the glimpses of Dacry's brother and sister, AJ's dad, Xander and Tyler plotlines, and the "other" woman from the gym. They did create the warm small-town, close-knit family and friends atmosphere I enjoy in Ms Shalvis' novels. What I didn't like were Trent and his wife - they seemed really cheesy to me and out of place in the story.

I also got annoyed with the constant miscommunication between Darcy and AJ, and the eavesdropping scene is a trope in romance I absolutely hate. Acting out and not really discussing things happened one too many times and felt forced. 

On the good side, I loved the animal theme here. I'm not a big fan of animals in general, to be honest, I'm scared of them and prefer watching from afar rather than interacting directly. Still, I love how Ms Shalvis' pours her own love of animals in her stories. It's touching and never overly sentimental.

Fans of Jill Shalvis will enjoy this novel, though it's not my favourite in the series. 

Purchase links: Amazon / B&N / Kobo / iBooks

Author's links:
Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

My rating: 3 Stars

This is the final book in the Lucky Harbor series and it offered a cute romance thought it didn't end up as one of my favourites in the series.