Series: Lucky Harbor

Review: At Last by Jill Shalvis.

Posted September 19, 2017 by Holly in Reviews | 1 Comment

Review: At Last by Jill Shalvis.Reviewer: Holly
At Last (Lucky Harbor, #5) by Jill Shalvis
Series: Lucky Harbor #5, The Chocoholics #2
Also in this series: Simply Irresistible, Under the Mistletoe (Lucky Harbor, #6.5), Forever and a Day, Once in a Lifetime, It's In His Kiss, He's So Fine, One in a Million, Merry Christmas, Baby
Publisher: Forever
Publication Date: June 26th 2012
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 314
Add It: Goodreads
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HER LOVE HAS COME ALONG . . . Amy Michaels loves her new life in Lucky Harbor. A waitress in the local diner, she's looking forward to her first weekend hike through the mountains. But when a wrong turn takes her off the trail, she finds herself up close and personal with forest ranger Matt Bowers. And even though she's tempted to kiss that sexy smile right off his face, she won't make the mistake of getting involved with the town heartthrob.

A former cop whose life went south, Matt doesn't let anyone get too close. But something about the feisty beauty caught his eye the moment he first saw her in the diner. After a hot night under a starry sky, Matt can't deny their attraction-or the fact that for the first time in a long time, he feels the stirrings of something more. Now it's up to Matt to help Amy see that, no matter what is in their past, together they can build a future in Lucky Harbor.

At Last by Jill Shalvis is book 5 in the Lucky Harbor series, but book 2 in the Chocoholics series, which follows three friends who live in the town of Lucky Harbor. These books stand alone well. I don’t believe you need to read the previous four books before reading this one.

I really like these Chocoholics books. I was a bit nervous about Amy. She came off as stubborn and closed off in the last book. And she was, but Shalvis made it work. I ended up really liking Amy. She was tough, but she had a soft underbelly which made her relatable.

I expected to like Matt based on the previous book and I did. I did find his guilt complex a bit over-the-top. Still, he was a stand-up guy and the perfect match for Amy.

I found this one to be darker than some of her others. There was still that trademark Shalvis humor, but the overall tone was darker than some of her others. It worked well with both Amy and Matt’s past history.

Shalvis never disappoints.

4.0 out of 5


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Guest Review: Merry Christmas, Baby by Jill Shalvis

Posted December 11, 2014 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Guest Review: Merry Christmas, Baby by Jill ShalvisReviewer: Tracy
Merry Christmas, Baby by Jill Shalvis
Series: Lucky Harbor #12.5
Also in this series: Simply Irresistible, Under the Mistletoe (Lucky Harbor, #6.5), Forever and a Day, Once in a Lifetime, It's In His Kiss, He's So Fine, One in a Million, At Last (Lucky Harbor, #5)
Publisher: Forever Yours
Publication Date: December 2, 2014
Format: eARC
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

 

Wild child Chloe Thompson can’t believe how much things have changed. She still can’t get enough of her sexy husband Sawyer, but he seems to prefer working to thinking about impending fatherhood. So tonight, a very pregnant Chloe is escaping her troubles at the town Christmas party.

Sheriff Sawyer Thompson hopes surprising Chloe at the party will give him a chance to set things right. But as the snow begins to fall and the wind rages, he wonders whether he can make it back in time. While mother nature conspires to keep Sawyer and Chloe apart, an unexpected arrival will require them to kiss and make up . . . and ring in the happiest holiday Lucky Harbor has ever seen.

It’s been 5 years since Chloe and Sawyer fell in love and got married. Now she’s 8 1/2 months pregnant and Sawyer if off on yet another DEA assignment.  The pair haven’t exactly been speaking to each other and when they do they argue about his jobs with the DEA.  She also has been sniping at Sawyer a lot because of pregnancy hormones.  The fact is she’s scared out of her mind to be a parent and she feels guilty that she’s put Sawyer in position of parenthood when he doesn’t really want to be there. Now Sawyer has gone off on yet another DEA job and Chloe is determined to get to the town Christmas party, even though everyone she knows tries to keep her home to rest.  Life has a way of throwing curve balls, however, and soon Chloe discovers that A) she’ll be getting an early Christmas present and B) Sawyer won’t stop loving her – ever.

This was a short but very sweet story about Chloe and Sawyer who we read about in Head Over Heels.  It was a kind of day-in-the-life type story and showed us that everyone has their ups and downs but that they never stop loving each other – no matter what.  There’s nothing that Chloe and Sawyer can’t get through – even if they lose their way for a while.

If you love the Lucky Harbor series you won’t want to miss this short addition.

Rating: 4 out of 5

four-stars


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Guest Review: One in a Million by Jill Shalvis

Posted December 2, 2014 by Tracy in Reviews | 4 Comments

Guest Review: One in a Million by Jill ShalvisReviewer: Tracy
One in a Million by Jill Shalvis
Series: Lucky Harbor #12
Also in this series: Simply Irresistible, Under the Mistletoe (Lucky Harbor, #6.5), Forever and a Day, Once in a Lifetime, It's In His Kiss, He's So Fine, Merry Christmas, Baby, At Last (Lucky Harbor, #5)
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: March 11th 2015
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four-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

As the brains behind wedding site TyingTheKnot.com, Callie sees it all: from the ring to the dress, the smiles, to the tears. It's that last part that keeps her single and not looking. Getting left at the altar will do that to a girl. But when Callie returns to her old hometown, she finds that her sweet high school crush is sexier than ever. And he makes it hard to remember why she's sworn off love.

Tanner is a deep-sea diver with a wild, adrenaline-junkie past - and now his teenage son is back in his life. How can Tanner be a role model when he's still paying for his own mistakes? It's hard enough that gorgeous Callie has appeared in town like a beautiful dream, challenging his best-laid plans to keep his heart on lockdown. Though there's something about being around her again that makes him feel like he can be the man she - and his son - deserve.

 

Tracy’s review of One in a Million (Lucky Harbor #12) by Jill Shalvis

Callie sells romance and the big wedding dream by running an online wedding site and being a wedding planner. The problem is is that she doesn’t really believe in any of the stuff she sells. She was left at the altar years earlier and now she doesn’t believe in love – or at least that’s what she tells herself.

Tanner is a man who has never been in love. He got a girl pregnant when they were just 17 years old and ended up marrying her. Not having any way to provide for his wife and son he joined the Navy but soon received divorce papers from his wife. After years of visiting his son and asking for custody his ex-wife now agrees to the custody but practically dumps their son, Troy off with Tanner and heads off to have fun with her boyfriend. While Tanner doesn’t like how it’s done he loves having his son around him and tries to get to know the sullen boy of 15. When he meets Callie he’s immediately taken with how she calms him and he loves being around her. He also enjoys Callie and Troy interact together.

Callie and Tanner start a bit of a habit of sitting together at the local bakery in the mornings but one day she doesn’t show up as she feels that she’s getting to attached to him – but who shows up at her door? Tanner, bearing gifts of coffee and donuts. The pair seem to have a great time together but Callie keeps telling him that even though they sleep together it doesn’t change anything – they’re just still friends. The problem is that both Callie and Tanner want it to change but neither come out and say it. This leads to hurt feelings and misunderstandings. Once they recognize the truth they’re then ready to do something about it.

I have to say that I really loved both Tanner and Callie in this story. Callie was quirky but levelheaded and Tanner was a bit more out there at times with his adrenaline rushes but also pretty down to earth. Between the two of them they really made just about the perfect couple. I loved how comfortable they felt with each other almost immediately – although Callie did have her moments at first with her klutziness. lol

The story also included a large portion that was focused on Tanner, Callie and Troy, Tanner’s son. Seeing Tanner trying to get Troy to talk to him and trust him; Callie putting Troy to work babysitting her grandmother, Lucille, and seeing his reaction to her – they were all just smile producing moments. I loved almost every part of Troy’s character in the book and thought he was a wonderful addition.

Of course we had to deal with Lucille in this book as Callie is her granddaughter but while she’s still her stubborn old self she was relatively mild in this one. I’ve always thought she was pretty hilarious and she was no different in this story.

Overall this was a great romance and love story that also had a wonderful family element to it. I can’t say it enough – I love this series and I hope it doesn’t end any time soon!

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

This title is available from Grand Central Publishing. You can buy it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

four-half-stars


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Launch Day Blitz – Review + a Giveaway: He’s So Fine by Jill Shalvis

Posted September 30, 2014 by Tracy in Giveaways, Promotions, Reviews | 2 Comments

Launch Day Blitz – Review + a Giveaway: He’s So Fine by Jill ShalvisReviewer: Tracy
He's So Fine by Jill Shalvis
Series: Lucky Harbor #11
Also in this series: Simply Irresistible, Under the Mistletoe (Lucky Harbor, #6.5), Forever and a Day, Once in a Lifetime, It's In His Kiss, One in a Million, Merry Christmas, Baby, At Last (Lucky Harbor, #5)

Publication Date: February 11th 2015
Add It: Goodreads
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

For Olivia Bentley, Lucky Harbor is more than the town where she runs her new vintage shop. It's the place where folks are friendly to strangers-and nobody knows her real name. Olivia does a good job of keeping her past buried, not getting too cozy with anyone . . . until she sees a man drowning. Suddenly she's rushing into the surf, getting up close and personal with the hottest guy she's ever laid hands on.

Charter boat captain Cole Donovan has no problem with a gorgeous woman throwing her arms around his neck in an effort to "save" him. In fact, he'd like to spend a lot more time skin-to-skin with Olivia. He's just not expecting that real trouble is about to come her way. Will it bring her deeper into Cole's heart, or will it be the end of Olivia's days in little Lucky Harbor?

 

Olivia has been living in Lucky Harbor for about a year and she loves it. She has a store and loves filling it with beautiful things. She was once a child star but after her show was cancelled, and she went a little nutty, she decided to change her name and make a new life for herself out of the limelight. She would prefer that no one know that she was once Sharlyn Peterson but unfortunately that doesn’t happen.

One morning she’s out walking when she sees someone fall in the water at the harbor. She immediately jumps in to save them even though she doesn’t swim all that well. The person ends up being boat captain, Cole Donovan, and he certainly doesn’t need saving. Cole ends up trying to save Olivia from hypothermia and the pair get a little cozy in the boat while trying to warm up. Olivia tries her bet stay away from Cole as she doesn’t need any complications in her life but she keeps running into him. Cole finds himself wanting to be near Olivia and makes a point of seeking her out.

Olivia has issues from her past. Her real family isn’t something to brag about but the people who she considered family, the people she worked with on the set, all abandoned her once her show ended. She felt betrayed and knows that even if she gets something going with Cole he’ll walk away. Despite those thoughts Olivia finds herself falling for Cole in a big way. The problem is that he’s an incredibly honest guy and Olivia’s been lying to him about who she is from the start. When he finds out can he forgive her and move past it all?

Another great story from Jill Shalvis! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – Lucky Harbor is one of my favorite series! The individual characters as well as the couples they make are so realistic and readable that I can’t seem to get enough of them.

In this story I never really saw Olivia and Cole getting together. Olivia had too many issues with family and people leaving her that I thought she would never open her heart to Cole. Cole had some issues as well, with his fiancé falling in love with his best friend, etc. He had trust issues, to say the least. When Olivia wasn’t coming out with the whole truth and nothing but the truth I saw the relationship slowly crumbling. I knew that Cole was going to take issue with her lying and of course, he did. The way that Shalvis had him working through it all surprised and thrilled me. She took his self-discovery in a direction I never would have thought of, but really enjoyed. Olivia finally came to terms with her past as well and that was something I wasn’t sure she could fully do.

The couples in Lucky Harbor all seem to help each other grow and that’s something I love reading. On top of that Shalvis gave us wonderful humor in this story that had me smiling throughout.

Overall, a fine addition to the series. I can’t seem to get enough of LH and can’t wait for the next book.

Rating: 4 out of 5

He's-So-Fine-Launch-Day-Blitz

Jill Shalvis author photo_longer lengthJill’s Bio:

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 for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

You can learn more about Jill at:
JillShalvis.com
Twitter @jillshalvis
Facebook.com/jillshalvis 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

HE’S SO FINE is available in mass market paperback, ebook and audio book formats wherever books are sold.

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1B0Lc5P
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1p1HaDH
IndieBound: http://bit.ly/1qL9GMO
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1n3cobU
Google Play: http://bit.ly/1vUlsVJ
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1lkIft2

And of course you can add it to your shelf on Goodreads here: http://bit.ly/1qbcfrn

four-stars


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Launch Day Blitz (+ Giveaway): It’s in His Kiss by Jill Shalvis – Excerpt and Review

Posted August 26, 2014 by Tracy in Promotions, Reviews | 13 Comments

Launch Day Blitz (+ Giveaway): It’s in His Kiss by Jill Shalvis – Excerpt and ReviewReviewer: Tracy
It's In His Kiss by Jill Shalvis
Series: Lucky Harbor #10
Also in this series: Simply Irresistible, Under the Mistletoe (Lucky Harbor, #6.5), Forever and a Day, Once in a Lifetime, He's So Fine, One in a Million, Merry Christmas, Baby, At Last (Lucky Harbor, #5)
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: August 26th 2014
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Add It: Goodreads
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

NE KISS CAN LAST FOREVER

Becca Thorpe has uprooted her life and escaped to the beach. Now's her chance to get away from city living, throw caution to the ocean winds, and live in the moment. Especially if the moment includes the deliciously sexy surfer she meets shortly after arriving in Lucky Harbor. Something about the dark intensity of Sam's eyes and the thrill she gets at his touch convinces her to stay awhile.

Boatbuilder and investment genius Sam Brody is a self-made man who knows how dangerous it can be to mix business and pleasure. But he can't resist offering Becca a job just to hear her laugh and have her near. Yet when her brother comes to town asking for help, will he tempt her back to her glamorous life in the city? Or do Sam and little Lucky Harbor have a chance to win Becca's heart?

 

 

It's-In-His-Kiss-Launch-Day-Blitz

Tracy’s review of It’s in His Kiss by Jill Shalvis:

Becca Thorpe ends up in Lucky Harbor with no plan to stick around for good. This is more of a pit stop than anything else. She rents an apartment and attempts to get a job at a local bar and grill called the Love Shack but she’s a horrible waitress and it doesn’t work out. When she sees an ad for an admin at Lucky Harbor Charters she knows this is right up her alley. Unfortunately Sam Brody doesn’t want her to work there – for purely selfish reasons.

Sam meets Becca by chance when she seeks his help to locate her new apartment. She interrupts his boatbuilding and he’s not thrilled. Of course that doesn’t stop him from appreciating the view as she walks away.

Becca and Sam keep running into each other and pretty soon they’re in bed together. When Becca comes in for the admin job – at Sam’s business, Lucky Harbor Charters, Sam doesn’t want her there. Not because he doesn’t think she can do a good job but he doesn’t sleep with people he’s working with and he doesn’t want to stop sleeping with Becca. She ends up getting the job anyway and she rocks it. Sam, however, can’t seem to keep his hands off of her and that’s a problem for him. He finds himself wanting Becca more and more and is intrigued by her secretiveness. He wants to know everything about her but due to his childhood he’s not ready to say the “L” word – even though he soon starts to feel it.

This was another wonderful book in the Lucky Harbor series. There was love, humor, family angst and hot men – what’s not to like, right? Lol Shalvis just has a way of bringing out the best in her characters and this book was no different.

Becca was just mysterious enough that it kept me wondering what the deal was with her past and exactly what she was running from. Sam’s past was pretty much an open book and I liked that. It showed us the details about his life that formed him as a man and made me understand his decisions better. I loved Sam and Becca together so much and really liked their love story a lot.

I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book with Olivia and Cole – who were both introduced in this book. Sparks are flying – I can see it now. 🙂

Jill Shalvis is one of my favorite authors and I especially love the Lucky Harbor series. It’s consistently been one wonderful book after another and this one was no different.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Excerpt:

Standing up, she moved to the window and took in a most mesmerizing sight.

Not the ocean, though that was pretty damn fine, too.

But Sexy Grumpy Surfer—SGS for short, she’d decided—side by side with one of the other guys from last night, the two of them doing pull-ups on some metal bar. Given their easy, economical speed and the way they kept turning to eyeball each other, they were competing and not for the first time. They were shirtless, their toned bodies gleaming with sweat in the early-morning sun, definitely outshining the Pacific Ocean.

“Wow,” she whispered. She had no idea how long she stood there, or how many impossibly difficult pull-ups the two men did before they both dropped lithely to the ground, straightened, and gave each other a shove.

Their laughter drifted to her ears and she found herself smiling along with them. A sweaty tie then, she decided, and realized she was a little hot herself.

Hot and bothered.

Sexy Grumpy Surfer looked damn good laughing. The other guy moved off, back toward the small building be- tween the street and beach, but SGS remained. Turning only his head, he unerringly met Becca’s gaze.

Crap. She dropped like a stone to the floor and lay flat. He hadn’t seen her, she thought. He totally hadn’t. The glare on the window had blocked his view. Yeah, for sure he’d missed her…

Slowly, she rose up on her knees to take a quick peek and winced.

He was still there, hands on hips, looking right at her.

 

A clip from the audio edition of IT’S IN HIS KISS can be downloaded here: https://soundcloud.com/hachetteaudio/its-in-his-kiss-jill-shalvis

Giveaway: TODAY ONLY we’re giving away 5 copies of It’s In His Kiss. Use the rafflecopter widget to enter. The contest will last 24 hours only (midnight 8/26-midnight 8/27), so don’t delay!  Winner’s choice of digital or print. Shipping to US addresses only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Jill Shalvis author photo_longer lengthJill’s Bio:
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 for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

 

 

You can learn more about Jill at:
JillShalvis.com
Twitter @jillshalvis
Facebook.com/jillshalvis

IT’S IN HIS KISS is available in mass market paperback, ebook and audio book formats.

four-stars


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