Christmas in Lucky Harbor by Jill Shalvis

Christmas in Lucky Harbor:
Simply Irresistible/The Sweetest Thing
by Jill Shalvis
Publisher:   Grand Central Publishing
Publish Date:  11/01/2011
ISBN:  9781455502523

Review Courtesy of netGalley

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.
If the sisters are lucky, they might just find that everything their hearts desire is right here in Lucky Harbor.

My thoughts:

Simply Irresistible

I don't think there is a better name that describes this book- it's SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE. From the first chapter, I was hooked. Humor, romance, and plenty of hot sex- three ingredients to make this a WINNER!!!

Tara, Maddie and Chloe, three half sisters who are strangers, but stay together as family. Growing up apart from one another, each with a different father, they reunite after their mom's death. They are brought together to deal with the "inn" they inherited from their mom. Each sister has their own quirks, Chloe, the youngest is "wild child", Maddie, the "mouse" is the middle child- the approval seeker, and Tara the "steel magnolia", the southern, snobby perfectionist. Each struggling with their own demons, and together they create a bond that can't be unbroken. It was a hoot reading the interaction between the sisters.

This is Maddie's story. Maddie comes to Lucky Harbor to start her life over. Not only has she lost her mother, she has lost her job, her self confidence and self-esteem. As she moves forward to get her life back on track after an abusive relationship, she finds the courage to trust and to risk her heart.

Jax is not flawless, he comes with his own secrets, and even superhero has their own demons to fight. Her first few encounters with Jax were hilarious. Their relationship is built first on friendship, then lovers, and finally as equals. You can't help but fall in love with him. He is patient and caring when Maddie needs him to be, but he pushes her when she needs the extra nudge.

Another added bonus - Phoebe's Recipes Cards. Instead of recipes of food, these were recipes for Life.

"Men are like parking spots. All the good ones are taken, and those that aren't are inaccessible."

"Men are like roses. You have to watch out for the pricks."

You always feel welcome in the small towns that Jill Shalvis creates, Lucky Harbor, Washington is a town that embraces you immediately, and you feel that you belong there rather than a visitor.


The Sweetest Thing

The book title is right on for this storyline. It was AMAZING!!. Young love lost and the journey back to recapture it.

This is Tara's and Ford's story. In the first book, ‘Simply Irresistible', readers learned Tara was keeping a few secrets of her own. When visiting Lucky Harbor as a wild and stubborn teenager, Tara and Ford had a world wind romance and she ended up pregnant. Now she returns seventeen years later, while still helping her half sisters turn an inn into a B & B, she is also trying to "find" herself. Somewhere along the way, she'd lost herself. She no longer is the scared teenager or the wife proving that she has everything under control.

Ford still lives in Lucky Harbor, becoming a very successful business owner and a world class sailing expert. Plenty of hot steamy romance to keep you fanning yourself, and if that wasn't enough, how about having two sexy men fighting for you. Tara's ex-husband, Logan, shows up wanting her back. And if that wasn't enough, there is a visitor who shows up and rattles things up for Tara and Ford. You could not help for cheering for Ford and hoping that he would win the heart of Tara.

There were so many touching moments in this story, my heart ached when Ford remembered going to the hospital when Tara was in labor.

‘Although she never known he was there. He'd sat in the waiting room by himself staring at the walls, agonizing over the hell she was going through for all those hours, terrified for her. Afterward, he'd spent more long hours just staring at their daughter through the nursery glass....'

I loved the way Jill Shalvis captured the moment between mother and daughter it was beautiful. I lost myself again in Lucky Harbor, reacquainting myself with friends from the first book, and getting a hint of what may lay ahead for Chloe and Sawyer. If I chuckle and cry reading the same book, you know it is a keeper.

No matter if you buy each book individually or in this special edition, it is a must read and a must have. I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review

My Rating:

              

Author:

New York Times and USA Today bestseller Jill Shalvis is the author of over four dozen romance novels, so you'd think she knew what she was doing. She doesn't. But stick around and visit, she likes the company.