The Summer Escape by Jill Shalvis

When Anna Moore finds a coin in a collection of her dad's things, she doesn't expect Owen Harris to show up, accusing her father of having stolen a collection of rare goods including a necklace known as Ruby Red.

Owen's great aunt is his only family member left. She's ninety-five years old and, before she dies, he's like her to know that he recovered the property that was stolen so long ago. 

Together, they will solve the mystery of what happened oh so many years ago. All while Anna is also dealing with her sister Wendy who is pregnant with triplets. 

This is hypothetically part of a series but there isn't really a through line that I can see. This was a fast, fun, and fluffy book. Not much substance but an enjoyable book for a day off.

Three and a half stars

This book came out June 11, 2024

Sunrise Cove #6

Follows The Bright Spot

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

The Bright Spot A Novel by Jill Shalvis

Luna's been working on a ranch that barely scrapes by but she has gotten to work for an owner who, though incredibly cranky, has usually treated her well. Well, he did until last week when he died. So, now Luna's trying not to panic while she waits to find out what's going to happen next. She is shocked to find out that she will be the half owner, along with someone from out of town. 

Jameson Hayes is used to coming in and dismantling companies. He knows the farm has been failing and he's not impressed with what he's heard about the manager. He's only planning on being in the town for a short time but is intrigued by a lady he meets at the bar. In true romance novel fashion, the night doesn't end how he would have hoped and it's even worse when he realizes who he was chatting up.

The two will have to work past preconceived notions in order to find out what they want in the end. Neither really has a biological family and they're trying to figure it out along the way.

We get a LOT of background on Luna and her found family but we don't get to see much from Jameson. We especially get to know Luna's best friend Willow and the husband who she just can't get separated from. 

If you are looking for building friendships and in-depth characters, Shalvis is amazing. The romance is a little less well-developed but I don't think regular Shalvis readers will mind. 

Three and a half stars

This book comes out January 16, 2024

Follows The Sweetheart List

Followed by The Summer Escape

ARC kindly provided by Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

The Sweetheart List by Jill Shalvis

This book mainly focuses on Harper Shaw though there are a number of other stories that get pulled in. Harper is moving to Lake Tahoe to open a bakery. She doesn't start off on the right foot with her landlord, Bodie Campbell who is mourning the loss of his father as well as his career. Harper also meets Ivy, a teenage runaway, who reminds Harper a lot of herself. 

As Harper begins to get closer to the people in the town, the ties she sees begin to get more and more complicated. There is also a B plot with Bodie's brother and a woman that Harper is slowly starting to make friends with.

This was a fast, fun, and fluffy book but I didn't feel like I got to know any of the characters really well and I wished for more interaction between Harper and Bodie to really get a sense of their HEA.

Three stars

This book came out June 13, 2023

Follows The Backup Plan

Followed  by The Bright Spot

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Backup Plan by Jill Shalvis

Alice, Knox, and Lauren have a shared past. Lauren was involved with Alice's brother (Knox's best friend) but he died. Now the three have been brought together because Lauren's great aunt died and left them a B&B. Well, it's going to be a B&B. And they'll only inherit if they all stick around. But there's an even stickier past that starts to come to light as they all work together. 

There are so many layers to this story that none of them get truly developed. We know that Alice fears going back in the barn, Lauren is on the verge of losing her job, and Knox... well, we don't get to know Knox all that well. But the book is still a lovely read and, if you don't want to go to deep into emotions and are looking for a closed door romance, this will be the book for you.

Three and a half stars

This book came out January 17, 2023

Follows The Friendship Pact

Followed by The Sweetheart List

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Friendship Pact by Jill Shalvis

Tae and April Holmes, though mother and daughter, basically grew up together since April was a teen mother. Now, they are still unutterably close. In fact, April helped Tae get the event that is getting her company off the ground and save her from penury.

While at the party, Tae tries to make a quick getaway when she discovers that the man she recently went

on a date with is now attending with her mother. And she's standing there in a rented dress. When she tries to make a quick getaway, she doesn't get into her Uber, continuing the pain of the night. But it doesn't get better because the driver is an old friend/flame, Riggs Copeland. Oh, and they interrupt what appears to be a robbery at the local gas station.

The two of them start with a friendship pact but, since this is Shalvis it grows into more. 

I enjoyed this book mainly for the relationship between Tae and April. The one between Tae and Riggs was a little too fast for me. I did like that the Big Understanding was cleared up rather quickly when all of the characters finally talked to each other. 

Four stars

This book came out June 14, 2022

Follows The Family You Make

Followed by The Backup Plan

Borrowed as hard copy from the library

Opinions are my own

The Family You Make by Jill Shalvis

During a near-death experience, Levi Cutler calls his mother. Rather than letting her know that he is in danger, he claims that he can't pick up his niece because he's met a new woman.

Jane can't believe that she might die in a snowstorm. Because she's in a gondola five and a half stories up (maybe more) and the wind is ridiculous. Being a traveling nurse has brought her into some strange situations but this one takes the cake. Then a handsome stranger puts himself in danger to try and protect her. And then asks her to pretend to be in a relationship so his family will feel better about him.

There is a lot going on in this book including a B plot with Jane's friend Charlotte and Levi's old friend that didn't really add much to the story. I did like watching the relationship between Jane and Levi grow but there is so much sturm and drang surrounding them.

Three and a half stars

This book came out January 11, 2022

Followed by The Friendship Pact

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Love for Beginners by Jill Shalvis

It's bad enough to be in a coma for two months. It gets worse if your whole body is broken and you're used to being an athlete (or at least being in training for a 5k). And it just heaps insult on injury to have your fiance now hooked up with your best friend. 

Emma Harris just wants to get away. Her PT isn't going well and now her former BFF and even more former fiance are treating her like she should stay with them. Not going to happen. It's just lucky that her physical therapist, Simon, knows of a place she can live. 

Simon has issues of his own. He wants to be a physical therapist full time but his father, who is recovering from a stroke, expects him to run the family business. Doing so is killing him by inches. Luckily, his new client is keeping him on his toes.

Yes, this is a romance that could potentially cause some squick because... patient and PT? Not really supposed to happen.

Three stars

This book comes out June 8th

(Loosely) Follows The Forever Girl

ARC kindly provided by William Morrow Paperbacks and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

The Forever Girl by Jill Shalvis

One moment can change a number of lives. And that moment happened for three foster siblings and two blood siblings almost a decade ago. Now there are four of them. Caitlin, the steady heart of the group; Maze, the de facto leader who is skeptical of love; Walker, the loner who lurks in the background; and Heather, the youngest of them all. 

The four of them haven't been in one place in years but now they are gathering for Cat's wedding to Dillon. Unfortunately, none of them seem to actually like Dillon. Which is going to be a problem since Cat has actually inveigled them all out to the family lodge a week before her actual wedding date and is asking them to stay. They each have their own reasons for not wanting to spend a week together but the family ties are too strong.

Most of the story focuses on Maze and Walker. Even though Maze brings a fake boyfriend, their attraction is strong and she finds herself drawn to the man she walked out on years ago. We also get glimpses of Cat and Dillon's relationship but, because their parts in the story are so brief, Dillon is more of a two-dimensional character. Heather, we see least of all though her story seems like it could have been interesting. 

Three stars

Follows The Summer Deal

Followed by Love for Beginners
This book comes out January 12th
ARC kindly provided by William Morrow Paperbacks and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

The Summer Deal by Jill Shalvis

Brynn, Eli, and Kinsey went to the same summer camp for many years. Eli and Kinsey were tight friends but Brynn was often on her own. In fact, Kinsey was her camp bully. Even though they're now grown-up, the hurt is there. So, when Brynn comes home, already tender from a break-up from a con who took all of her money and her grandmother's necklace, she's not exactly excited to move in with the two. Well, actually, Eli's gotten pretty hot so Brynn's okay with him but Kinsey is the same old mean girl.
But Kinsey's got her own things she's dealing with. Including a pretty heavy illness. She's not exactly in a place where she can give a lot of empathy to others and she is trying to hold herself back so she doesn't hurt anyone later.
This was an interesting story. Like other books in the Wildstone series, the only connection is that they are set in the same town. Also, the romance takes more of a backseat to the other relationships in the book. Maybe not AS good as some of Shalvis's books but regular readers will not be disappointed.

Three and a half stars

Follows Almost Just Friends

Followed by The Forever Girl
This book comes out January 12th
ARC kindly provided by HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Almost Just Friends by Jill Shalvis

Piper Manning's parents died when she was young then her grandmother died when Piper was 18 leaving Piper in charge of her younger brother, Gavin, and her younger sister, Willow. Neither Gavin nor Willow gave Piper an easy time but she's gotten them both out of the house and on their way. She's just about to achieve her dream of selling her grandparents' property and going to school in Colorado when they both come home, needing family. Which Piper might need as well.
Trying to change their family rut is painful. Also painful? Opening her heart to the tall, dark, and handsome man she meets in a storm, Camden Reid. He's in Wildstone to reconnect with his father after his brother's death but it may be that Piper is the person to help him to stay.
Piper's brother Gavin also gets his HEA with an old flame.
A nice addition to the series. I wish Piper and Gavin had gotten separate stories because we didn't get to see the true development of either but it a good read.

Four stars
This book came out January 21st
ARC kindly provided by HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Wrapped Up in You by Jill Shalvis

After a lifetime of heartbreak, Ivy Snow is ready to run her (about to be permitted) taco truck and make some roots with her found family in San Francisco. She's finally found a place to stay and nothing's going to push her out, not even the uber-handsome Kel O'Donnell.  Guy's a cop anyway and Ivy knows that's no good. It's too bad he's the cousin of one of her new-found friends and it sounds like he's going to be hanging out for awhile. And the more they hang out, the hotter he gets...
Kel has been... well. He's not working as a sheriff right now for reasons and he's got some time off from his ranch so he'll help his cousin Caleb with some work for his security business. He doesn't expect to fall in lust with a woman who cooks like a dream. But when her brother comes back into town, Kel just isn't sure that Ivy is someone he can trust.
I love most of Shalvis's work but the ending often don't work for me and this one is the same. It skips too far ahead and too much has happened that I would have liked to know how they actually got to their end point, it would have made the characters a little deeper.

Three stars
This book comes out September 24th
ARC kindly provided by HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

The Lemon Sisters by Jill Shalvis

Brooke's life isn't going great. Rather than being out in the field, shooting the travel documentaries that she loved, she's behind the scenes as a producer. Her OCD is barely contained and one of the guys she's working with is also someone she's sleeps with occasionally which is usually okay but can also cause some tensions. Next to her perfect sister, she feels like she's a mess.
Mindy's always been the one who got straight As. She married her high school sweetheart and has three beautiful children. She's living the dream. So why is she outside Brooke's door right now? And weeping in Brooke's bed while her children run around?
The sisters will learn that they need to work with each other to resolve the issues in their past that will help free up their future.
There is a trend right now for romance authors to work more in the Women's Fiction genre and that's what this book felt like to me -- more about the bond between sisters than any romance. And that made it kind of flat for me because I didn't really relate to either Brooke or Mindy. It's Shalvis, so I liked it but her strengths are usually her characters and they just weren't there.

Two and a half stars
This book comes out June 18
ARC kindly provided by HarperCollins and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Playing for Keeps by Jill Shalvis

Caleb Parker and Sadie Lane have been circling around each other. Both are attracted but neither wants to get involved. Sadie has a dark past including an ex who was a suit, like Caleb, and who treated her very badly. Caleb is a little more interested but doesn't really want to get involved with anyone. He was a sickly child, almost died as a baby, and his history has made his family more than a little overprotective.
One night, Caleb is trying to coax a three-legged stray out of the rain when Sadie comes to help. Because they both helped, they decided to coparent (or "co-pet") and that leads to more and more interactions where each can discover who the other truly is.
Shalvis is the queen of building characters and both the h/h are fleshed out amazingly well. There were a couple Big Misunderstandings too many but this was otherwise a really enjoyable book.

Four stars
This book came out January 22
ARC kindly provided by publisher and Edelweiss

Rainy Day Friends by Jill Shalvis

Lanie Jacobs isn't running away from life per se. She's just sort of licking her wounds, recovering from the discovery that her husband was not just her husband. He had, in fact, married at least three other women that we hear about within the first 50 pages or so. Her choice of hideout? The Capriotti winery. She's spending two months living and working there, helping them to rebrand. What she didn't expect was a tight-knit family unit that invites this stand-offish woman into their fold.
Mark Capriotti is a single-dad who is working to make a good life for his six-year-old twin daughters. They are pretty much plot moppets but not super-annoying.
I didn't love Lanie's story. The B plot in this book was not really needed, especially since it was what took up most of the drama in the last third of the book and took away from us seeing Mark and Lanie developing.

Three stars
This book comes out May 30
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley
Follows The Good Luck Sister

The Good Luck Sister by Jill Shalvis

Tilly Adams hasn't exactly reached the heights that her teenage self had imagined (who does?). Instead of being a famous artist, she's an art teacher. And who's in the front row of her first class? Dylan Scott, her teenage best friend, her first boyfriend, and they guy who walked away without looking back.
Dylan did what he thought was best, in order to give Tilly a better life. And he's pretty sure it worked out. If only he can get Tilly to agree.
Man, I was really hoping for a better story for Tilly. And one for Quinn's (Tilly's sister and heroine of the first book in this series) best friend Skye. As novella's go, this one has the same problems of making you believe that the characters can fall in love in less than 100 pages. And this one has the added pressure of doing it in even fewer since the "current day" story is interspersed with what happened ten years ago.

Three stars
This book comes out May 1st
ARC kindly provided by Edelweiss
Followed by Rainy Day Friends

Holiday Wishes by Jill Shalvis

In high school, Lotti was the ultimate good girl while Sean was the bad boy. One night, she was trying to comfort him (I guess?) and they lost their virginity to each other. Since then, Sean has pretty much just been bed-hopping while Charlotte (she's grown-up now) has been a serial monogamist.
They've met again because Sean reserved Lotti's B&B as the place to host his brother and all of their friends for his brother's wedding. Now the two are forced together because a giant storm has made all the roads impassible. It also gives them time to get to know one another as adults.
This was pretty good for a novella. There is never enough time for character development or really getting into a romance but it was a light, fun read that fans of Shalvis will enjoy.

Three stars
This novella comes out October 18

Accidentally on Purpose by Jill Shalvis

The relationship between Elle and Archer has been mysterious throughout the other two books and I've looked forward to learning more about their past.
The book opens with Archer asking (sort of) Elle to help them with a honey pot scheme. Apparently she has done so in the past and this is no different. During this exchange, we see a bit into where they are now. As the book progresses, we get to see a bit more of her history and their history together.
Of course, the road to HEA won't be easy. Elle's sister come back into town bringing up a lot of Elle's issues again.
And the ending. Oh. The Shalvis endings lately have been depressingly similar. Public. So Public. Always with the public. And the overwrought. This was not my favorite book in the series.

Three stars

This book comes out January 24

Follows One Snowy Night

One Snowy Night by Jill Shalvis

Rory Andrews doesn't remember Max Stranton from high school but he sure remembers her. In a gender reversal from The Trouble with Mistletoe, this time, the girl done the guy wrong. It seems that Rory's high school home life wasn't great and she was being picked on at school. Her attempt at retaliation accidentally included taking out the life Max Stranton had planned for himself. And then she ran, leaving Max to face the fallout, and she never even knew. Now, she needs his help to get back to Lake Tahoe in time for her first Christmas with her family in six years. She's disappointed them before so she doesn't want to be late. Too bad there's a blizzard that is leaving them trapped with Max's dog, Carl along for the ride.

This was okay but, as a novella, not enough time to really get to know or fall in love with the characters. Both Rory and Max felt a little stock to me with not enough time to explore how they got from their teenage selves to their nowadays selves.

Three Stars
This novella comes out November 8
Follows The Trouble with Mistletoe
Followed by Accidentally on Purpose

The Trouble with Mistletoe by Jill Shalvis

Okay, the first book in this series, though by one of my favorite authors, just wasn't up to Ms. Shalvis' usual level of snuffiness. And I have to admit, the preview for this book wasn't making me any less nervous about the series. In the preview, we learned that Willa Davis, pet shop owner, was to be the next heroine. And her hero? A guy who had stood her up in high school (duh duh duh duh) and doesn't remember her now (duh duh DUH!) Too bad he needs her help. She'd refuse but she's nicer than me and has a soft heart for the kitty that Keane is watching for his sick great-aunt.
The dance between these two was fantastic. And when Keane told Willa that he didn't want to save her <swoon>.
And then.
And then.
One last Big Misunderstanding. I am NOT understanding this misstep by Shalvis. It is just so ham-handed and one of the characters seems to completely step off the path that s/he had been moving in. And then there was ANOTHER little misunderstanding. Like, why? why? So disappointing. It immediately dropped the book down from 4 1/2 to 3 1/2 stars. There's a lot of time before this book hits the shelves and I'm hoping a good editor will fix this before the book actually comes out (I read the book in May).

Three and a half stars
This book comes out September 27

Sweet Little Lies by Jill Shalvis

Ugh. This was such a battle in my head. One of my favorite authors tackling one of my least favorite tropes (the Big Lie, cousin to the dread Big Misunderstanding.) And while Shalvis made this trope at least palatable, it was still uncomfortable reading knowing that one character was hiding such a big thing from the other.
Pru has spent the majority of her time since her parents passed away trying to make it up to the people they harmed. Especially sexy Finn O'Reilly. But she doesn't want to "make it up to him;" she's just super attracted to him, even though her secret prevents her from getting into anything more than friendship. Or so she would believe...
Finn O'Reilly doesn't mind having dropped out of college to take care of his younger brother when their parents were killed. Well, mostly he doesn't. It does stick in his craw that his 22-year-old brother seems to be more party and less business while Finn has been supporting him. But other than that, he's fine. Especially now that sexy Pru finally seems to be returning his interest...

This book comes out June 28
Three stars

Followed by The Trouble with Mistletoe