Review: Time Out by Jill Shalvis.

Now here’s the Jill Shalvis that I know and love. It’s pretty neat how much of a punch Shalvis can pack in such a short story. She writes characters that are a lot of fun and heroes that you want in your bed. She also writes steamy romances that makes you sit up and pay attention.

This book follows Rainey Saunders as she deals with the fact that the guy that she had a major crush on when she was 16 and totally humiliated herself in front of is back in town and helping her out at work. She’s totally over Mark Diego so it shouldn’t be a big deal but sure as shit, it is. She’s not over Mark and he’s all sexy and available and she’d like to eat him for breakfast, lunch, dinner and a midnight snack.

I’m all about the one that got away and this was definitely one of those stories. Mark is four years older than Rainey but they were good friends growing up as Rainey hung out with Mark’s younger brother Rick. Things fizzled out when Rainey humiliates herself in front of Mark and when Mark moves away for a job, Rainey moves on.

All these years later, there’s still chemistry there and Mark isn’t walking away anymore. He wants her and he’s in town for a month so he’s putting on the charm and she doesn’t stand a chance.

It was fun watching Rainey melt under the full force of the Mark Diego charm. It was fun seeing them light up Rainey’s bed and it was fun to see them grow close again and it was just an overall fun read. I really enjoyed it and I’m so glad that I got it for review. Reading a Shalvis contemporary always puts me in a good mood and this story wasn’t any different. I enjoyed getting to know the hero and the heroine and really, what more could you ask for? Charming characters, a steamy romance and a hero that just won’t quit? I’m all about it.

Mark was a solid hero. He was good to the people he cared about, he had a good relationship with his family and he took care of the people that needed him. He was the kind of man that just handled things and I loved that about him. He wasn’t this perfect hero that does and says the perfect thing every time but he was real and he had flaws and I ate it all up.

Rainey is independent without being annoying and she had a great support system with her family but most especially with her friends Rick and Lena. It was a treat to get to know them and reading this book has made me just that much more anxious for Adam’s book (Animal Magnetism series), I need another Shalvis story to read pronto!

Overall, it was a great contemporary romance that I definitely recommend.

Grade: 4.5 out of 5

This book is available from Harlequin Blaze. You can buy it here or here in e-format.