My Kind of Wonderful by Jill Shalvis

This book came out last month so imagine my absolute squee of delight to find out that I was still given an ARC through NetGalley.
We met Hudson "Hud" Kincaid in Second Chance Summer. He's one part of the "other families" that his father scattered around the country. He and his twin had a blow-out argument and Hud hasn't really spoken to him since then though he's desperately worried since his twin is in the army and they're never really sure whether he's alive or not. Meanwhile, their mother, never super-stable to begin with is now teetering on the edge of what seems to be Alzheimer's or some sort of dementia.
Bailey Moore has her own issues. She just wants to live life to the fullest and complete her list (not a bucket list, BTW). Though she realizes that Hud's mom might have invited her to paint a mural at the lodge under false pretenses, Hud's family quickly jumps on the idea, throwing Bailey and Hud together. And sparks have been flying since they first met on a double black diamond so Hud doesn't see this as a good thing, spending more time with a woman who is bound to change his life.
But they do get together and there is some give and take. I liked Bailey well enough but I wish we had seen more growth. Hud's hidden edges were a nice touch. I didn't love the end but this is definitely a book that regular Shalvis readers will enjoy.

Follows: Second Chance Summer
Followed by: Nobody but You

Second Chance Summer by Jill Shalvis

New series from Jill Shalvis. An okay start but I wasn't really feeling this particular book. I have a feeling other Shalvis fans may disagree. Definitely not bad enough for me to give up on the series.
The Kincaid family is an unusual one. Aidan and his brother, Gray, found out later in life that his father had two other families, twin boys and a girl. Eventually, all of the sibling ended up living with his mother. Their father was nowhere in sight. Now the family is struggling because their father mortgaged the family resort. When he sees that ex-flame Lily is back in town, he's stoked to see her.
Lily Danville is back in Cedar Ridge, not by her own doing. Her boss in San Diego had ordered her to leak some gossip to the press and then not only fired her, but blackballed her, when it all went south. Now Cedar Ridge Resort, working for her best friend Jonathon, is her only option. Even though it's the place where she lost both her sister and her father. And that was part of my problem with the story, how she worked her way through that (not a spoiler, this is a romance people). She is not very happy to see Aidan. He was a big part of the worst part of her life. Just because he's a super-hot firefighter/search and rescue dude doesn't mean that she's going to fall into bed with him. Except that, again, romance novel.
As I mentioned at the beginning, an okay story but I really didn't feel like Lily worked through her issues. There was more than a whiff of "magic wang" about this story.

Followed by: My Kind of Wonderful

Still the One by Jill Shalvis

Darcy Stone is still recovering physically from the car accident that nearly killed her eleven months ago. Emotionally, she has never been stable, especially since her parents were so remote and unforgiving. All of which explains why she's keeping herself so emotionally distant from everyone, even A. J. who is friends with both her brother and sister.
A. J. has always liked Darcy. Yes, in that way. After her accident, he even comped her a large, large amount of money for physical therapy after her insurance company stopped paying. He's trying to keep his distance from Darcy, especially after refusing to have a one night stand to take away her pay. 
But now A. J. needs Darcy's help. He's trying to raise grant money to help veterans whose money has also run out and the man he was supposed ot take has backed out. Darcy doesn't particularly want to spend hours in a car with A. J. and then be stared at, but he's offering to help fund her rescue of unwanted dogs that she's rehabilitating for veterans.
Didn't love that there was no condom use. At least there was some discussion of testing but... meh. I really enjoyed getting to know more about Darcy and A. J. Now I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens with her pilot sister, Zoe.

One in a Million by Jill Shalvis

Image lnked from Goodreads

While the last few books in the Lucky Harbor series haven't exactly tripped my trigger (they were okay, but not my favorite Shalvis books), this book finally got back to the things I love about this author, her character development and their witty banter. I could have used less shoehorning of characters from early in the series (Shalvis has remarkably avoided this in the past) but overall, I really did like this book.
 Callie Sharpe is back in the town where she grew up. Though the proprietor of a very popular wedding site as well as being a wedding planner, Callie doesn't believe in true love. Not since her first crush left her at the altar on the day of their wedding. Now she's checking up on her grandmother (town gossip and social media maven, Lucille) and starting to develop some majorly grown-up feelings about her high school crush.
For his part, Tanner Riggs is not in a good place for love either. His fifteen-year-old son, one conceived in a heated night of high school sex, is back in town. And, not only does he have the regular teenage mulishness, he has his dad's bad attitude. I absolutely adored the morning meetings that Callie and Tanner were having. Doughnuts and coffee while Callie is professionally dressed for Skype conferences and in comfort clothes from the waist down? Majorly cute.

Boy, was I getting ticked toward the end of this book. Callie, who protested throughout the book that she didn't believe in love was ticked off that Tanner didn't introduce her as his girlfriend. When Lucille pointed out this hypocrisy (and Callie admitted it), I could have cheered. An absolutely awesome way of dealing with a trope that needs to Go The Fuck Away.

He's So Fine by Jill Shalvis

Image linked from Goodreads

Oh man, I think I'm going against the grain by not giving this five stars. At least for the Advanced Readers. But I can say that regular readers of Jill Shalvis will like this book.
When the story opens, Cole Donovan is working on one of his company's boats. He gets distracted and slightly electrocuted and ends up in the water. That's when Olivia sees him, assumes he's drowning and jumps in to save him.
She's in town to disappear. See, Olivia Bentley isn't the name she was born with. Or even the name she's known by. But it is the name she's using to rebuild her life. Which could be a problem since Cole is incredibly rigid... especially about people lying to him.

I just couldn't connect with Olivia. She never really grew as a character. And we didn't really see past growth either. She was a child star, then a wild child, then, magically, she's an adult. An adult who keeps her lips sealed every single time Cole reveals something.
Cole, who we're shown (and told) over and over, is an easygoing guy... until we're told he's really actually very rigid. Wha huh?
And, oh, I'll probably get some comments from this... I thought the opening scene was over the top. And for me, not in a cute way. More in an excruciating sort of "people don't really do this" kind of thing.
The thing I like about Jill Shalvis is that not all of her endings are over-the-top, massively public proposals. Except... that they have been for this series. It's like each boating partner has to outdo the last.

Previous Book in this Series: It's in His Kiss

It's in His Kiss by Jill Shalvis

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Becca Thorpe has literally moved across the country to get a new start. A currently-blocked jingle writer, she's landed in Lucky Harbor, hoping to find someplace to find out who she really is. See, up until now, her role in life has been to keep her brother on the straight and narrow.
Sam Brody likes living in Lucky Harbor. Even being on the Pinterest board of Hotness run by the town's unofficial mayor has it's perks. When Becca moves to town, he's by turns annoyed with, intrigued with, and bemused by her.
Both of our characters have had rough family lives. Sam, on the other hand, lost his mother at an early age and had the type of father that got him landed in foster care. A lot. His only saving grace came in the form of his partner Cole's mother, Amelia. She saw Sam and decided she was his son. Becca was always put in charge of her younger brother, he always came first. And when his life and career went down in flames, she felt the guilt.
I loved that these two characters were able to have some just-for-fun sex. Yes, they ended up getting tangled but it didn't start out that way, and neither one of them felt any guilt for it.
It looks like most people are absolutely loving the book and I can unequivocally say that, if you like Jill Shalvis, there is no reason to skip this book.
Unfortunately, I had some issues with the book.

What was the deal with Sam fixing all of Becca's parental problems in, like, 10 minutes? Or at least the space of a couple of sentences. This was a lifetime of problems and one low-toned conversations has her mother with a teary-eyed request for forgiveness and Becca just caving. And I can't stand when female characters talk about wanting to have a no-strings relationship and then get all pissed off when the man doesn't reciprocates. I'll admit that Sam's actions seem to indicate that he has stronger feelings but you can't blame a guy for backing off when there's been no deeper discussion. YET EVERYONE IN TOWN DOES. Of course, am does match it with, "I won't sleep with my employees" and then totally doing it so maybe it does balance out? And the rape? What the heck was up with that glossing over?

I will also add that if you don't like excruciatingly embarrassing, public declarations of love, this book will not have an enjoyable ending for you.

Next Book in the Series: He's So Fine

Then Came You by Jill Shalvis

Image linked from Goodreads

This book had so many tropes that I hate in books. The heroine is all, "I can't do this - but I want to - but you're my boss - but you're so hot." So annoying. And the hero was all, "I am amused man who wants you and will have you." And, yet... I really liked this story. Really, really. I tore through it in a couple of hours, even laughing out loud a couple of times.
p. 38 "Calories." Emily said on a sigh. "The evil tiny creatures that live in my closet and sew my clothes a little tighter every night."
Emily Stevens has her life figured out. She's going to finish vet school and then continue taking care of her father and her sister while simultaneously getting her college study partner to fall in love with her. She just has to get through this internship, which is not in L.A. like she had planned. Nope, it's in Sunshine, Idaho. Well, at least it looks like it's going to be interesting, since she just walked in to the waiting room and saw "a golden retriever, a collie mix, two pissed off cats in carriers, and... a Shetland pony." (p. 9)
Too bad the guy she's going to be reporting to is her hot one-night stand from the veterinarian's conference in Reno, Dr. Wyatt Stone. He of the glasses and T-shirts with funny sayings.
Wyatt has his own issues. He lives with both his sisters and they're trying to drive him insane. Well, they're trying to help him fix up their grandparents house but it seems like they want to drop him off at Insanity along the way. It doesn't help that his hot new intern is helping him as well.
Jill Shalvis fans, rejoice. This is an excellent addition to her canon and a book not to be missed.This book had so many tropes that I hate in books. The heroine is all, "I can't do this - but I want to - but you're my boss - but you're so hot." So annoying. And the hero was all, "I am amused man who wants you and will have you." And, yet... I really liked this story. Really, really. I tore through it in a couple of hours, even laughing out loud a couple of times.
p. 38 "Calories." Emily said on a sigh. "The evil tiny creatures that live in my closet and sew my clothes a little tighter every night."
Emily Stevens has her life figured out. She's going to finish vet school and then continue taking care of her father and her sister while simultaneously getting her college study partner to fall in love with her. She just has to get through this internship, which is not in L.A. like she had planned. Nope, it's in Sunshine, Idaho. Well, at least it looks like it's going to be interesting, since she just walked in to the waiting room and saw "a golden retriever, a collie mix, two pissed off cats in carriers, and... a Shetland pony." (p. 9)
Too bad the guy she's going to be reporting to is her hot one-night stand from the veterinarian's conference in Reno, Dr. Wyatt Stone. He of the glasses and T-shirts with funny sayings.
Wyatt has his own issues. He lives with both his sisters and they're trying to drive him insane. Well, they're trying to help him fix up their grandparents house but it seems like they want to drop him off at Insanity along the way. It doesn't help that his hot new intern is helping him as well.
Jill Shalvis fans, rejoice. This is an excellent addition to her canon and a book not to be missed.

Once in a Lifetime by Jill Shalvis

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If you like character development, this one's a doozy. Former bad girl Aubrey Wellington is trying to make amends. She's also trying to avoid one man she wronged but the fireworks between them are hard to ignore.
Ben McDaniel has spent the five years since his wife's death traveling around the world installing water systems. But he's finally ready to stay home for awhile.
When the rest of the townsfolk notices the attraction between them, they aren't shy about warning Ben (the local hero, though, that title seems to belong to whoever this Shalvis book is about) off of a girl who is most recently known for being involved with a man who had a girlfriend. Actually, many, many girlfriends.
I gave this book three and a half stars because I mostly had good feels for this book. But thinking back, there were many frustrations as well.

I spent half the book appreciating what Aubrey was trying to do and the other half annoyed because it really didn't seem like what she did was really that out of line of normal teenage angsty-type stuff. Her so-called "bad deeds" were generally in retaliation for a very real slight that someone else had done to her. It's almost like Shalvis was trying to create excuses for her behavior. It wasn't like Victoria Dahl's Jane who truly was a wild child.
Ben, I enjoyed. Except for his ass-hat duncery at the end but the town of Lucky Harbor holds up a mirror and makes him face that. Oh, and the fact that he disabled her car? That's not romantic, that's creepy. Even though he admitted it, it's still creepy.
The plot was interesting but the last Big Misunderstanding the sex kitten pictures was cleared up rather too fast and didn't really need to be included at all.

Her Sexiest Mistake by Jill Shalvis

Image linked from Goodreads

When I saw this book on NetGalley, I was instantly excited. New Jill Shalvis! Except that it's not. It's a re-release from 2005. And it's not as good as her more recent works.
Mia Appleby is trying to be the perfect woman. She's trying to overcome her past where her mother and sister concentrated so hard on finding a man that they couldn't get ahead in life. But when the book opens, Mia is running away after waking up in the bed of teacher Kevin McKnight.
Through the course of the book, we see Mia juggle stress from work, stress from Kevin's pursuit, and stress from the goth-y niece who shows up on her doorstep one day. But we don't really see her grow. And there's not really a sens of Kevin being anything but perfect. Unlike her later books, I really didn't care about these characters and couldn't wait for the book to be over. To be honest, if it weren't for being an ARC, this book would have been a DNF for me.
Will I stop reading Shalvis books? Dear God no. But will I recommend this one? Probably not.

A Christmas to Remember--Anthology

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Dream a Little Dream by Jill Shalvis
Ian O'Mallery had been hoping for a long-term relationship with Melissa Mann but she broke it off the day after he suggested they move in together. Now, the rugged firefighter is in a panic because the call that has just come in is for her apartment building, the one where she's trapped inside.
It's been six months but Melissa still thinks of Ian just as much as he thinks of her. But can she move beyond her past to hook up with a man who so clearly returns her love? And how can she show him that she really means it this time. Maybe by becoming his own, special, Christmas elf.
Every Year by Kristin Ashley
Part of the Chaos series, this story shows Tabby and Shy in their first Christmas as a real couple, spending time with her family, and getting to watch Shy and his brother start to reconnect with the Christmas spirit.
I haven't read any Kristin Ashley books but it was easy enough to connect with the characters in this light story.
"Silent Night" by Hope Ramsay
Maryanne is down on her luck. Like, no money, no gas, just had a baby down on her luck. About to find her long-lost cousin to ask if she can take Maryanne and said baby in down on her luck. But she thinks she's found the farm and decides to walk, with the practically newborn and hang out until her cousin comes home.
But her cousin doesn't live at that house. Nobody does. In fact, the owner, Daniel Jessup, is in town to try and get it on the market. He doesn't like Christmas and isn't excited to learn that there's a strange woman with a newborn in his stall.
Vaguely inspirational, which is okay, but strange coming just after a short story about a biker club. Least favorite of the four.
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" by Molly Cannon
Lincoln Jones' mother has sent him a Christmas gift in the form of professional organizer, Dinah Mason. He falls for her, but then makes a stupid mistake. Can he win her back in time to celebrate the holiday together?
An okay story, but one I didn't really remember three days later.
"A Family for Christmas" by Marilyn Pappano
Jared Connors is from a family of wealthy doctors. No, not just doctors, surgeons and the like. They're not excited when he becomes a pediatrician and moves to a small town in Oklahoma. One where he meets the antithesis of his dream woman, Ilena Gomez, war widow. But somehow, he falls for her.
Not as polished as the first two stories. Not horrible, but not as good.

Rumor Has It by Jill Shalvis

Image linked from Goodreads

Okay, I know this is an ARC from NetGalley and we're not supposed to ding books since it's not the final copy, but there were three, three, spelling/grammar errors in the first thirty pages. Very distracting. Luckily, I got into the flow of the story and there either weren't any more or I missed them.
Kate is a stereotypical romance heroine. She's smart, so when she gets nervous she gets verbal diarrhea (in the form of scientific facts) or clumsy (as in literally trips over her own feet.)
Griffin has just come back from the war. Not by choice. An IED caused some major damage and he's no longer active. He's back in Sunshine, Idaho for his sister's wedding (Kate's BFF.) Nobody thingks that he'll be good for Kate, including Grif, but somehow, the attraction is just to strong to deny.

One favorite quote from page 151--
Some men brought flowers.
Griffin had brought her mace.
She loved that about him.

Loved the unexpected ending to the storyline about someone watching her. Also loved that Griffin (why spell it "Grif?" It looks like a dog bark and took me out of the story every time) got to work through a lot of his issues but that Kate grew a little as well. The epilogue was unneeded and a little annoying.

It's implied that they're getting their HEA, does it explicitly have to be stated that they're getting married?

Seeing Red by Jill Shalvis

"Seeing Red" is one of a trio of color-themed titles about firefighters. The H/H are Joe (formerly fat high school friend, now fightingly fit arson inspector) and Summer ("Red" apparently flighty world-traveler who is never home for long.
Their friendship seemed unbreakable in high school. Joe used to sneak over to Summer's house when his dad was drunk and they were fairly inseparable at any point. Until the fire. Summer was with her crush in the basement of her family warehouse while Joe was trying to figure out a way to let them know he was there, without revealing his breaking heart. Fire erupted and Summer's father died and everything changed.
Now Joe is battling a fire at the same warehouse. One that brings Summer home for a short stay. One that is extended when a fire at her family's main shop occurs.
Joe is gobsmacked. He doesn't want to go through the same pain of losing Summer. For her part, Summer is realizing just what an m-a-n Joe grew up to be. She's interested in a quick fling but has no interest in long-term plans.
A good book. Not one that measures up well against current Shalvis books but okay. And the characters show good common sense when using protection during sex. While Summer's issues are fully explored, Joe's aren't which was a disappointment but didn't destroy the book for me.

It Had to Be You by Jill Shalvis

Jill Shalvis is a must-read author for me. I LOVE her books. The humor, the writing, it all works for me. Usually.

Image from Goodreads

Luke Hanover is a cop who needs to get away for awhile. His renters have moved out so he's in Lucky Harbor to get away from the press of a case-gonewrong in San Francisco.
Ali Winters is not having a good week. Her boyfriend broke up with her in a text and canceled their rental agreement the same day. And now, there's a stranger in the kitchen and she's wearing nothing but her undies.
What's going to keep these two together? How about $50,000 missing from the ex's office? And Ali was the last one known to be in the office. Luke decides to stick around and help out.
Somehow, the story just didn't work for me as well as her other stories in this series. Honestly, it was her writing that even bumped it up to three stars. I was so disappointed by the "I-don't-have-a-condom-it's-okay-I'm-on-the-pill" conversation. He's flattered that she "trusts him" which I guess is maybe an acknowledgement of being clean but it's not a real conversation.

Under the Mistletoe by Jill Shalvis

God, I love Jill Shalvis. Every book of hers is a must-read and I wait for months for new stories to come out. Which is why I'm so bummed to say this novella was only a "meh" for me. I got it off of NetGalley and was so excited to see a new Jill Shalvis that I didn't look closely.
Novellas are generally not enough time to develop good characters and that development is usually pulls me into a story. I read the story quickly, wanting to know what happened with Chloe, Tara and Ford's (from "The Sweetest Thing") daughter. It's an okay story and earned the three mile rating more from getting to catch up with other characters in the series than the romance between Choe and her beau, Nick.
Will other Lucky-Harbor-lovers enjoy this novella? More than likely. If you haven't read the rest of the series... I would definitely start with "Simply Irresistible" and go from there.

Forever and a Day by Jill Shalvis

I am loving every single book in this series. Seriously, loving.
Grace is in between jobs. She has overachiever parents who aren't necessarily pressuring her to also be excellent, but she's feeling the pressure. She's running out of money and options. Her phone rings with someone looking for a dog sitter. It's not her flyer he's answering but she jumps at the chance to make some money. Nearly losing the dog has Dr. Josh Scott coming to her rescue and also results in getting her fired. Except that Dr. Josh needs help. His practice has grown to a point where he can't keep up. He doesn't have enough time to deal with his son, much less his twenty-one-year-old sister who is pretty close to a paraplegic but most definitely has an attitude. In fact, her attitude is what has driven Josh's past two nannies from the house.
Grace doesn't want to get involved, but she has an attraction to Josh that is hard to deny. She's also falling in love with his son and trying to help protect his sister.
The cameos from other books were a little forced sometimes but never overt.
Love Lucky Harbor. Love the Chocolate quotes at the beginning. Love Amy, Mallory, and Grace's relationship.

Lucky in Love by Jill Shalvis

Ty Garrison is the man that Lucky Harbor  is calling “Mysterious Cute Guy.” Apparently the town’s Facebook page is half reportings about seeing him out and about. He’s actually in town trying to recuperate from an accident that injured him and left four of his coworkers dead. Mostly he’s just trying to keep his head down and finish some car repairs.

Mallory is the town good girl. A nurse with an unending well of patience, she’s the “white sheep” in a family of children who liked to cross the line. She’s also working on opening up a health services clinic so that people in need, like her sister who died at eighteen, would be able to get the help that they need without having to pay Emergency Room costs. I like Mallory. She's a good heroine, but not <i>too</i> perfect (that's just annoying in a heroine.)

However, like any good romance heroine. Mallory is ready for a walk on the wild side (as we’re told more than once) and she thinks Ty might be the perfect man. Short-term and just a little dangerous, he’s not interested in setting up with a dog, 2.3 kids, and a white picket fence. “She knew he didn’t want to be her hero.” But she can’t stop herself from going back again and again.

Of course, he can’t either. He finds himself stopping at her car wash, going by her house, replacing her alternator. “Probably he needed to work harder on keeping his distance.” 

It could be such a trite story but Shalvis weaves humor with a good dose of common sense and reality checks (e.g. we can’t just let our veterans fend for themselves after they’ve fought to protect our freedoms.