Book Review and Giveaway: Christmas in Lucky Harbor by Jill Shalvis

This is a fun package of holiday romance.
Christmas in Lucky Harbor: 
Simply Irresistible/The Sweetest Thing/
Two Bonus Short Stories
by Jill Shalvis

• Series: Lucky Harbor (Book 9)
• Mass Market Paperback: 800 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; Omnibus ed edition (September 24, 2013)
• ISBN-10: 1455547530
• ISBN-13: 978-1455547531

Genre: Contemporary Romance
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: September 24, 2013
Love awaits you in Lucky Harbor . . .

Simply Irresistible
After losing her boyfriend and her job, Maddie leaves L.A. to claim her inheritance-a ramshackle inn nestled in the little town of Lucky Harbor, Washington. She sees the potential for a new home and a new career-if she can give the inn the makeover it needs. Enter Jax, a tall, handsome contractor who knows exactly what Maddie needs...

The Sweetest Thing
Helping her sister set up the family inn is just the thing to make Tara forget her ex-husband and focus on her new life. Until she meets a sexy, green-eyed sailor determined to keep her hot, bothered, and in his bed. When her ex reappears, Tara must confront her past and decide what she really wants.

Kissing Santa Claus
NASCAR driver Logan Perrish returns to Lucky Harbor, Washington, with love in his heart and a ring in his pocket. But can Sandy Jansen forget the past and give him a second chance? Or will Logan be spending another Christmas alone?

Under the Mistletoe
There's no place like home for the holidays. And the Lucky Harbor Bed & Breakfast is bursting with festive lights and good cheer. But for Mia, Christmas is turning out to be anything other than merry and bright. Her recent break-up with her boyfriend Nick has made her return bittersweet. But then a surprise arrives, when Nick follows her to town bearing gifts - and asking for forgiveness.

Simply Irresistible (Previously reviewed at this link.)

The Sweetest Thing
Review:
4.25
Tara has returned to Lucky Harbor to help her sisters and to ‘find herself’ after divorcing Logan, her famous, dashing, race car driver husband. Tara tends to be the controlling, sophisticated and intense sister. She has determined that she needs to take control of her life after a rocky entrance into adulthood and then a high profile marriage where she gave all of herself until she got tired of being alone.

Her rocky teenage summer was spent in Lucky Harbor in a first romance with Ford, who went off to become a world traveling boat racer. Tara was surprised to discover that Ford had returned home and now is owner of the local bar in town. There is history between them that makes them hesitate to get together but the sexual pull still sizzles. Tara doesn’t want a hot re-run of her 17th summer and she isn’t quite ready to think that Ford could commit to something long term.

Logan comes to town to try to win back the love he lost and that gets Ford thinking he doesn’t want to lose Tara now that he has a second chance. As always in the small town of Lucky Harbor the busybodies stick their noses in. The social media buzzes with sneak images of encounters and a poll for which man will win her heart.

The story is fun and steamy. I really liked the warmth between Tara and Ford and Mia entering their lives adds extra complications. The sisters and their beaus add additional interest too. Ms. Shalvis does a nice job of providing characters a reader can root for as they push and pull their way to a happy ending.

Kissing Santa Claus
Review:
4.0
This is a quick novella that brings a happy ending for Logan. It is just short and sassy and a quick, fun read.  Logan had a quick affair with Sandy after Tara chose Ford. Then Logan left town. Now he is returning six months later and Sandy isn't sure she wants to welcome him so easily even if her body responds differently than her head.

I’m not sure how I would have felt about it if I hadn’t gotten to know Logan in The Sweetest Thing. The characters are not deeply developed but there is enough there, with enough story to make it a satisfying nugget.

Under the Mistletoe
Review:
4.25
The reader meets Mia in The Sweetest Thing too. There she was a 17 year old who became infatuated with the local, all around errand boy, Carlos, a good looking young man with attitude. But Carlos stayed home in Lucky Harbor while Mia took off for the adventures of college. Now it is four years later and Mia is hoping her college boyfriend, Nick, will join her at Christmas in Lucky Harbor and meet her family and friends.

Nick grew up in foster homes and learned not to get attached or allow others to get too close. He has  enjoyed his dating time with Mia but hasn’t really even acknowledged them being together as ‘a relationship.’ He hesitates when she invites him home and she determines that he isn’t ready so she leaves without him.

When he shows up in Lucky Harbor he has to face Mia’s family and old boyfriend too. Will Nick be able to get Mia to move past the hurt he caused and allow them a second chance?

This is another quick short story with two sweet characters. I like the personality that Ms. Shalvis gives to Nick as it is a good and realistic blend of lone wolf confidence and vulnerability. This one doesn’t have quite as much heat as the other books which is okay with me.

As a package of two full novels and two shorts this is a great deal. It offers fun reading for those who enjoy contemporary, sassy to sizzling, happy ending romance.

I received this book from Hachette/Grand Central for an honest review.

ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY for my review Copy.

ENTRY FORM HERE

Don't forget to fill in the form for entry! 

I have noticed a few commenters who forgot to enter through the Form.  

For 3 Extra Bonus entries Visit the author's website and tell me something you find of interest; OR tell me about another book by this author that you enjoyed; OR comment on the review.

* This contest is open to U.S. address only.
* This contest will close 10 PM (Central) on January 3, 2014.
The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.
WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED after January 3, 2014.
Winners will have 72 hours to respond by email or the winners form linked in the announcement.

Always on My Mind Feature and Excerpt, Plus #Giveaway: Lucky Harbor Backlist!

ALWAYS ON MY MIND

by Jill Shalvis

Publication Date: September 24, 2013

Genre: Contemporary
ISBN: 978-1-4555-2110-4

Summary:

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?

Author’s Social Networking links:

Blog: http://jillshalvis.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JillShalvis
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JillShalvis
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22370.Jill_Shalvis

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/16bZwGE

Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/1aIeV6N
Indiebound: http://bit.ly/16c0lPH

Author 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.

ALWAYS ON MY MIND excerpt:

     He stared at her. “That’s quite a list of shortcomings,” he eventually said. “Is that all?”
     “No.” She shoved her wet hair from her face, though she managed to keep her regal stance, nose firmly in the air at nose-bleed height. “I held back because I didn’t want to be overly rude.”
     He laughed softly. “Don’t hold back, Leah. Let’s hear all of it.”
     “Well, your truck has more sporting goods than a store, you never say you’re sorry, and your girlfriends look like supermodels. I mean, what is that? There’s nothing wrong with real boobs, you know!”
     “I fail to see the problem.”
     She snorted again, and he was starting to feel greatly insulted. “You’re not exactly a walk in the park, Leah.”
     “No?”
     “No. You’re flighty, you live for your every whim, you downplay any real emotion you feel.”
     She hugged herself tight. “Good thing this is all pretend then, isn’t it,” she said softly.
     “Yeah.”
     She was freezing. And hauntingly gorgeous, so damn gorgeous standing there wet and silvery by the moon’s glow, like a goddess. It’s Leah, he had to keep reminding himself. Leah, who’d once beaten him in a marshmallow-eating contest, only to puke all over him. Leah, whose dark-green eyes had a way of telling the world to bite her. Leah, who’d run off on him and left him heartbroken. He took a step into her—for what exactly, he had no idea—and she poked a finger into his chest.
     “God,” she said. “You’re so…” Words apparently failed her, but she let out a sound that managed to perfectly convey how annoying he was.
     “Ditto,” he said, and then grabbed the finger drilling a hole between his pecs and tugged her hard enough that she lost her balance and fell against him.
     He wrapped an arm around her waist, entangling a hand in her wet hair.
     She went still as stone and stared into his eyes. And then lowered her gaze to his mouth.
     Yeah, they were in sync there. Suddenly he couldn’t breathe. Hers caught audibly in her throat, a good sign, he decided. Maybe she wouldn’t knee him in the balls. Testing the waters, he grazed her jawline with his teeth.
     She shivered.
     Then he slid his mouth to the very corner of hers and was rewarded by the clutch of her hands on his shirt. Having her hold on to him like this, like he was her only anchor, sent a bolt of lust straight through him. “Leah,” he murmured, hearing the surprise in his own voice, feeling the heat course through him as he finally—God, finally—covered her mouth with his.
     Her lips parted for him eagerly, and he groaned, drowning in the erotic collision of her hot tongue and chilled, wet body.
     Serious trouble. He was in serious trouble.

Rafflecopter  Code (with gift card and full backlist prizes!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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.

Book #Review and #Giveaway: It Had to Be You by Jill Shalvis

This is a fast, fun, enjoyable read.

It Had to Be You

by Jill Shalvis

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (May 28, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1455521124
• ISBN-13: 978-1455521128

Genre: Contemporary Romance
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Book Description

Release date: May 28, 2013 | Series: Lucky Harbor

Ali Winters is not having a good day. Her boyfriend left her, everyone in town thinks she's a thief, and now she's about to be kicked out of her home. Her only shot at keeping a roof over her head and clearing her name is to beg for help from a police detective who's as sexy as he is stern....

After a high-profile case goes wrong, Luke Hanover returns to his hometown for some peace and quiet. Instead he finds a bombshell brunette in a heap of trouble. As he helps Ali put her world back together, the pieces of Luke's own life finally seem to fall into place. Is this the start of a sizzling fling? Or are Luke and Ali on the brink of something big in a little town called Lucky Harbor?

Review:
Ali is a very vibrant, upbeat person. She comes from a household where her mother went from boyfriend to boyfriend but she always protected her two daughters and tried to look on the bright side of things. Ali had become the responsible one, helping with finances.  She moved to Lucky Harbor with the hope of building a new life for herself.  She loves working as the clerical and floral assistant in the town’s florist and she has lots of great ideas if only her boss would let her use them.

Ali was dating, then living with the charismatic town manager. He had been working long hours and it had been several months since they shared a bedroom but she still considered him her boyfriend until she discovered him ‘partying’ with another girl in his office after an important town event. She returns home to find he has vacated and she gets a text from him that the lease has expired and she has to move out that day.

Ali is in the kitchen in her under garments when she is surprised by an intruder. It turns out to be Luke who is the owner/landlord. He has come home expecting an empty house and seeking refuge and escape from a high profile murder case.  Instead he is faced with a vibrant, package of determined young lady. Ali assures him she will be out in a few days and in the meantime she will protect him from the intruding calls and visits from reporters.

Before Ali can find other lodgings she becomes the primary suspect in the theft of a suitcase of fifty thousand dollars of town money. Luke doesn’t want to become involved but his protective instincts have already kicked into gear.

I loved these two characters! Ali is so upbeat and positive that she buoys those around her, including the tired and brooding Luke. Luke is all protective cop and ‘hero’ material. It is fun to read their fun dialogue and their attempts to resist the irresistible zing between them! Ali teaches crafts to the senior set, including Luke’s estranged step-grandfather. These folks and some other crazy characters add to the emotional trauma as Luke and Ali try to solve the mystery which is clearly some type of frame-up. Some of the prior characters of other Lucky Harbor books are mentioned although they aren’t a big part.

The characters are sweet and loveable, the plot is fun and the writing is easy. Jill Shalvis does a lovely job of keeping the reading upbeat and fun.

I received this title, for an honest review, from Grand Central/Hachette.

Thanks to the fine folks at Grand Central, Hachette, for offering a copy for Giveaway!
TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY for a Print Copies

ENTRY FORM HERE

For 3 Extra Bonus entries Visit the author's website and tell me something you find of interest.

ONE Winner-

* This contest is only open to those with US address.

* No P.O. Boxes Please - for shipping reasons.

* Limit one win per household.

* This contest will close 10 PM (Central) on June 21, 2013.
The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.
WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED on June 22, 2013.
Winners will have 72 hours to respond by email or the winners form linked in the announcement.