One in a Million by Jill Shalvis

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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

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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

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.

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.

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.

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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.

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.