Just Finished:
Synopsis: The first in a sensational new series, Jill Shalvis introduces Cameron, Stone, and T.J. Wilder – three bad-boy heroes who effortlessly mix breathtaking adventure and scorching sex appeal . . .

GET WILD . .. AND THEN GET WILDER . . .

Accountant Katie Kramer is a quintessential good girl – working hard, recycling diligently, all the while trying to ignore the feeling that she doesn’t fit in anywhere. That’s all she wants. Well, that – and amazing sex, and the kind of daredevil escapade she can look back on when she’s crunching numbers in a dusty cubicle. Which explains why she just took a job in Wishful, California, working for Wilder Adventures and Expeditions. Waking up to find a magnificently built stranger towering over her bed – that part defies explanation . . .

After wandering the planet for months following a life-changing accident, Cameron Wilder has come back to the only home he knows. Under other circumstances, he might be thrilled to find a gorgeous woman sleeping in his cabin, but now, while he’ll risk his body taking clients on adrenaline-drenched excursions, his heart is off limits. Still, Katie’s killer smile triggers something deep in his gut . . . among other places. Showing her how exhilarating it can be to stop balancing her life as if it was a checkbook is the biggest rush he’s ever felt – and an adventure Katie’s wishing would never end.

My Thoughts: Once in a great while, a book comes along that is so perfect, it touches the core of who you are as a person. This book is that for me. I enjoyed it thoroughly from beginning to end.

Katie and Cam had a rather unique way of meeting. From that first meeting, I was hooked. Cam had just returned home after a year of wandering, and Katie was trying to mentally recover from a horrifying accident. There were fireworks from the beginning of this book that continued to the very end.

I laughed a lot. Katie has spunk, that’s for sure. And sometimes, I think Cam was completely dumbfounded by her. Their story held everything that I the reader look for in a good book. I cared about the characters and actually felt like I was there the whole time. I knew Katie. I knew Cam. There was a lot of heart in this story, amazing chemistry, and it was hot. Really hot.

Then there’s Annie, the aunt that raised Cam who is trying to fight for her marriage to Nick. Loved her. And every apron she wore had some kind of zinger on them. Loved that too. Poor Annie. She went through a lot of embarrassment to try and get her man. But, when he finally got it, he got it and it was completely rewarding for me as the reader.

No to mention, Jill has laid a beautiful groundwork for more stories. Stone, the middle Wilder, and Emma Sinclair, the new town doctor; Harley, the mechanic, and TJ, the eldest Wilder brother. Then there’s Serena, Cam’s ex. I like her. I’m hoping for more of her in the next Wilder book.

Take my word for it. Get this. You will not be sorry.

Verdict: The story was Excellent. I loved it from the very beginning and was sorry to see it end. I became submerged in this story and fell in love with the town of Wishful and everyone in it. I am now impatiently waiting for July when Stone's story is published. I cannot wait.

Labels: Contemporary Romance, Excellent, Jill Shalvis

Just Finished:
Synopsis: For Hannah Novak, running a bed-and-breakfast with her two best friends was adventure enough. But they didn’t feel that way. They wanted to devote the summer to serious manhunting — loser cleans toilets! Fine for them, but Hannah was, uh...inexperienced. How could she seduce anyone?

Then out of the blue came Zach Thomas, looking for a bed...and breakfast. Hannah had always thought the rugged cop was the sexiest man alive, and, bet or no bet, she wanted him. So she checked him in — to her own room — with every intention of checking him out!

My Thoughts: Anyone who reads my blog regularly knows that I’m a new fan of Jill Shalvis and am now trying to get my hands on her entire backlist. Out of the Blue is a Harlequin Temptation from 2000 that I’m glad to have discovered.

I enjoyed Zach and Hannah right from the beginning of this story. Even better, for me at least, is that Zach is the older brother of Hannah’s best friend so it had the element of childhood crush in it as well. If you know me at all, you know that unrequited/lost love stories are my favorite things to read. I think the couple had great chemistry from their first meeting in the kitchen of Hannah’s B&B to the very last page.

Verdict: This was Good. This was a quick, enjoyable read and I’d recommend it to anyone that wanted something light to read.

Labels: Contemporary Romance, Good, Harlequin, Jill Shalvis

Just Finished:
Synopsis: When Dorie Anderson meets a cute guy, she becomes a huge klutz. But one phone call has turned her dead-end dating life into an adventure: she's won a trip on a singles' cruise to Fiji. On board, she soon meets pro baseball player Andy, and the ship's hunky French doctor. She's sure she'll fall head-over-heels in no time. Unfortunately, she's right: soon, she trips over her luggage right in front of them. Mortifying. But a bigger disaster is just on the horizon. Dorie finds a man murdered in his bunk the same night a storm wrecks the ship, stranding everyone on a deserted shore. It'd be a perfect setting for romance-if it weren't for the fact that there's a killer among them.

My Thoughts: I don’t even know where to start. I loved this story. Dorie and Christian? Amazing! From their first meeting before the start of the cruise, was hooked. Poor accident-prone Dorie, and smoldering Dr. Christian, who can’t keep his eyes off her. And the two just seemed to come together from there, in spite of themselves.

I enjoyed the friendships Dorie made with the other passengers on the boat as well. Cadence, Brandy, and Andy were all great additions to this story, as were the other members of the yacht crew: Denny, Ethan, and Bobby. I also enjoyed the fact that there was a bit of a mystery involved in the read, and I literally didn’t know who did it until it was revealed. JS gave each of the characters just enough of an edge, that even though I as the reader liked the character, he/she very well could have been the guilty party.

Going back to the reason I read this: Dorie and Christian. Let me sum it up. Dorie and Christian in the cabin, trying not to succumb to their attraction? Hot. Lagoon Sex? Hot! Shower Sex? Hot.

If you haven’t read Jill Shalvis before, start with this one. JS has written a fun, witty, humorous, romantic read that was a wonderful thing for me to curl up with on a cold, blistery day.

Verdict: This was Excellent. I could not stop reading this story and looked forward to every breathtaking page. Keeper, definitely.

Labels: Berkley, Contemporary Romance, Excellent, Jill Shalvis

Just Finished:
Synopsis: These men are heroes — strong, fearless…and impossible to resist!

Fireman Ethan Winters ran headlong into a burning building to find Rosie Carrington. Rescue worker Brett Gannon defied the aftershocks of a San Francisco earthquake to prevent Haley Brubaker from entering her collapsing home. And emergency-room doctor Matt Walker braved gale force winds and rising floodwater to rescue scientist Molly Stanton.

For Rosie, the heat in Ethan's eyes was enough to start a three-alarm blaze! As for Haley, being trapped amidst the rubble with Brett meant heightened tension — and heightened passion. And sheltering together from the storm, Molly needed Matt to make love to her. It was the only way for her to know she was still alive…and that she'd stay that way.

My Thoughts: Recently, the ladies at Book Binge had Jill Shalvis as their guest author and after reading her interview, I admit to developing a major girl-crush on the woman. Anybody that witty had to translate that humor into her stories right??? Luckily, I had one Jill Shalvis in my TBR pile ~ part of the Men of Courage anthology that I won from Melody’s Reading Corner a few (okay, more than a few) months ago.

The book consisted of three short stories by three authors I’ve never read before: Lori Foster, Donna Kauffman, and Jill Shalvis. Now, short stories are hit-or-miss with me. Sometimes, they’re just too rushed; sometimes, they’re the perfect read when you’re between books and have no idea what to read next.

Stranded! by Jill Shalvis: I read the stories somewhat out of order, but the stories weren’t connected so I wasn’t turning my back to series-order karma. Remember, I read this just because of the Jill Shalvis factor. Her story was the last in the anthology: Stranded! Stranded is the story of Matt, an emergency room doctor who has no time for a life out of the ER, and Molly, a scientist who loses touch with the outside world when she starts working. Molly and Matt are trapped together in Matt’s home due to a vicious storm that would have killed Molly, if Matt hadn’t rescued her.

The story was the shortest in the anthology, only 92 pages. I wish it would have been longer, I really do. I’m not sure if the publisher only allowed her so many pages or not.

The chemistry between Matt and Molly was great and this story could have easily been longer in order to allow for the development of the relationship between the two main characters. In the end, I enjoyed the story but the ended was rushed. I didn’t like that, but even though I was disappointed that the story was too short, it was a great sampling of Jill Shalvis work. I’ll definitely read more of her in the future. Verdict: Good

Trapped! by Lori Foster: The second story I read was the first in the anthology. Ethan and Rosie are long-time friends. Actually, Rosie is the younger sister of the man that used to be Ethan’s best friend. Rosie has held an unrequited torch for Ethan for years. Rosie finally lets Ethan know how she feels, forcing him to re-evaluate his feelings and his relationship with the woman he’d always thought of as just a friend. Ethan’s alpha came out full-force, I have to say. It made for a great reading.

The story was 139 pages and I think Ms. Foster did a great job in telling a complete story in the short amount of pages allowed. Although, I will forewarn you, the summary for this one is a bit misleading. Ethan never ran into a burning building in order to rescue Rosie. That’s okay, though. This was by far my favorite in the anthology. Verdict: Very Good

Buried! by Donna Kauffman: I initially wasn’t going to read this one, but I didn’t feel right posting about the book if I hadn’t read it in it’s entirety. Haley’s home was destroyed by an earthquake. Brett is the Search & Rescue worker who comes to her aid to try and rescue her dog who was in the house. Turns out, Haley dated Brett’s older brother in college and Brett has been carrying a torch for her ever since. However, things go south after Brett rescues the dog and an aftershock leads to injuries. However, as Haley nurses him back to health, she begins to nurse something else as well.

The story was 140 pages and was my least favorite of the anthology. Something just was missing for me on this. That being said, I do have to say I enjoyed the last two pages immensely. Great end to the story. Verdict: Okay

Labels: Contemporary Romance, Donna Kauffman, Good, Harlequin, Jill Shalvis, Lori Foster, Okay, Very Good