Book Review: Always on My Mind by Jill Shalvis

This is another visit to Lucky Harbor with wonderful characters in denial leading to a sexy romance.

Always on My Mind (A Lucky Harbor Novel)
by Jill Shalvis

• File Size: 455 KB
• Print Length: 352 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (September 24, 2013)
• Sold by: Hachette Book Group
• ASIN: B00AFHHACO

Genre:Contemporary Romance
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: September 24, 2013
"Count on Jill Shalvis for a witty, steamy, unputdownable love story." -- Robyn Carr, New York Times bestselling author of Harvest Moon
THERE'S NOTHING LIKE THE REAL THING
After dropping out of pastry school and messing up her big break on a reality cooking show, Leah Sullivan needs to accomplish something in her life. But when she returns home to Lucky Harbor, she finds herself distracted by her best friend, Jack Harper. In an effort to cheer up Jack's ailing mother, Dee, Leah tells a little fib - that she and Jack are more than just friends. Soon pretending to be hot-and-heavy with this hunky firefighter feels too real to handle . . .
No-strings attachments suit Jack just fine - perfect for keeping the risk of heartbreak away. But as Jack and Leah break every one of their "just friends" rules, he longs to turn their pretend relationship into something permanent. Do best friends know too much about each other to risk falling in love? Or will Jack and Leah discover something new about each other in a little town called Lucky Harbor?

Review:
Leah had a rough childhood with a father who insisted on perfection and belittled her every effort saying she would always fail. As soon as she was old enough Leah got away. She did well in college but dropped out her last semester. She repeated the performance at chef school, fulfilling the predictions that she couldn’t finish anything.

Now Leah has come home to take care of her grandmother’s bakery while her grandmother recovers. The whole town is watching her as she has been the sweetheart of a cooking competition show. Leah is until contract not to reveal the final outcome but everyone expects her to win. She figures that her grandmother will recover and she will escape town before the finale airs.

Now that Leah is home she can spend time with her best friend and confidant, Jack. Jack is a handsome fire chief being chased by most of the women in town. When they were graduating high school Jack almost convinced Leah to be more than friends but just when he was sure they would be together Leah disappeared. Jack’s mother is fighting cancer and in an effort to cheer her Leah announces that she and Jack are dating. This is news to Jack who isn’t sure he wants to risk his emotions with Leah again.

Even though they fight acknowledging their true feelings they can’t resist their passion. Now Leah and Jack dance around each other trying to decide if they should admit that their pretend romance is real.

I really liked these two characters.  Poor Leah has to overcome the failure complex that was instilled by her abusive father. Jack has to be willing to risk changing his job and risk giving his heart. A large part of the book is filled with intimate, sexual encounters. Although I generally prefer more substance than intimate encounters I still enjoyed the conflict and the story beyond the passion as I waited to see how the pair would resolve their situation. This read quickly and I did enjoy it. Although it is part of a series this reads fine as a stand along.

See Tour Giveaway next post!
I received this title from Hachette/Grand Central Publishing for blog tour and an honest review.