Jill Shalvis - Under the Mistletoe

Publisher: Grand Central
 
ISBN:  978-1455544905
 
My rating: 4/5
 



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.

Nick grew up without a family of his own so he's overwhelmed by the love that Mia receives from all her relatives, gathered together to celebrate the season. Under their watchful eyes, Nick finds earning back her trust the hardest thing he's ever had to do. If he succeeds, he will receive the greatest gift of all, Mia's love for a lifetime.  14,000 words (JillShalvis.com)


My thoughts

Short and sweet, but it has everything - the conflict, the love scene, the drama and the whole gang from the first three Lucky Harbor series. Yippeeeeee.

Must read for any Lucky Harbor fan, but also for those loving Jill Shalvis!

PS - Yeah, loved it :-)

Jill Shalvis - The Sweetest Thing

Publisher: The Hachette Group

ISBN: 978 0 446 57162 3

My rating: 4/5



Tara has a thousand good reasons not to return to the little coastal town of Lucky Harbor, Washington. Yet with her life doing a major crash-and-burn, anywhere away from her unfulfilled dreams and sexy ex-husband will do. As Tara helps her two sisters get their newly renovated inn up and running, she finally has a chance to get things under control and come up with a new plan for her life.

Bu a certain tanned, green-eyed sailor has his own ideas, such as keeping Tara hot, bothered .... and in his bed. And when her ex wants Tara back, three is a crowd she can't control - especially when her deepest secret reappears out of the blue. Now Tara must confront her past and discover what she really wants. If she's lucky, she might just find that everything her heart desires is right here in Lucky Harbor. (from the back of the book cover)

My thoughts

It's a real shame that I didn't have the time to read the book in one go, but over a few days (quite a few days!). I'm sure I would've enjoyed the story even more. Simply Irresistible is the second book in the Lucky Harbor series. The first one was dedicated to Maddie, who I loved for her strength. This book is all about Tara, the one I couldn't warm up to in the first book.

"The Sweetest Thing" does not disappoint. It's written in true Shalvis style with wit, humor and lots of romance.

I found Tara a character hard to warm up to and I'm still not a 100% Tara-lover but then again, it's hard to imagine having had a past like hers - even more credit to Shalvis to make the Tara character believable. I love Ford - how can someone not like Ford? He's easy going, taking each day as it comes and yet in all his casual appearance has Tara figured out to the dot.

Adding Mia to the story was a nice touch by Shalvis and in my opinion she put the thoughts and complications of Mia's character nicely onto paper - even more though when Mia seems to go down the same road as Tara and Ford had seventeen years earlier.

My favourite quote (amongst so many others):
 "My own personal miracle," Ford said with feeling.

As I like Chloe very much I cannot wait for Head Over Heels to be released at the end of the year!

You can read "my thoughts" on Simply Irresistible here :-)