4 out of 5 stars
For backcover info visit Jill Shalvis' website-- Christmas in Lucky Harbor
First up is Simply Irresistible, the first book in the Lucky Harbor Series. When Maddie arrives in Lucky Harbor, unemployed and recovering from a break-up, she’s hoping to make the best of the inn willed to her and her sisters. She doesn’t expect to find herself intimately drawn to Jax, a local contractor that seems to read her mind. Maddie doesn’t know what to think of this handsome man that desires to help her, and her heart’s falling fast.
Followed by The Sweetest Thing— the story of Maddie’s older sister, Tara. She ran away from Lucky Harbor years ago on the heels of the biggest mistake of her life, only to return to help her sister with their inherited inn. Tara’s using the project as a way to move beyond her failed marriage, and focus on finding herself again. Unfortunately, a sexy sailor wants to join her on the soul-searching journey, and ignites a sensual passion Tara hasn’t felt in years. Too bad her ex-husband has shown up wanting to win her back. The competition is on and Tara has one more life changing decision to make.
I was hooked from the first pages, and I can’t wait for the additional books in this series. Shalvis does an amazing job of building a town and characters that you can’t help but love. The focus of these stories is healing and relationships with a ton of sensual tension and action thrown in. Humor plays a big role too. There were multiple instances in both books where the lead females found themselves in awkward positions, and I was laughing aloud.
My favorite of the two books was the first. Maddie and Jax were phenomenal, even the emotional baggage that both characters carried held appeal. I enjoyed the back stories of both characters and how the weakness they had were supported by the opposite strengths. The second story is good in its own right. I had a little trouble getting moved by sub-plots, and felt that both Tara and her hunk of sailor made some odd decisions at times. Also, Tara’s character is also a little harder to love because she kept fighting what she wanted instead of grabbing a hold of it with both hands.
The secondary characters are phenomenal, and without them the stories wouldn’t have been as entertaining. Of course stories based in small towns rarely leave their characters separate from the community, and private knowledge is quickly public. As far as villains go there are a couple, but most of the villainy comes from the personal demons each of the main characters suffer from.
Overall, if you’re looking for a little humor, romance, and a great cast Christmas in Lucky Harbor should be the top of your buy list.
No comments:
Post a Comment