Read Humane With Jill Shalvis

This May, I’m pleased to support Penguin Group (USA)’s Read Humane® 2013 campaign to fight animal cruelty.  We would like to welcome spokesperson and bestselling author Jill Shalvis to our blog today, where she is sharing with us her family’s animal rescue story discusses her Animal Magnetism series with a piece entitled “Why Dogs Make Great Sidekicks!”

 

Read Humane® is an initiative created by Penguin Group (USA) in 2012 to support our furry friends in honor of National Pet Month (May).  As part of the Read Humane® 2013 campaign, six special edition, animal-themed mass market paperbacks have been reissued featuring the official Read Humane® seal.  Penguin supports the fight against animal cruelty with a $25,000 donation, regardless of sales, to The Humane Society of the United States’ Animal Rescue Team.

 

For more information, and complete lists of the six participating authors and book retailers, please visit Penguin Group (USA) or view the official Read Humane® Prezi here.

 

And remember to join the conversation on Twitter with @BerkleyRomance and @HSUS throughout May by using the hashtag #readHumane.  Followers are encouraged to Tweet about Penguin’s animal friendly books, share their own rescue stories, and join in other pet themed conversations.

 

Jill Shalvis is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over four dozen romance novels, including her fun contemporary Animal Magnetism series, which promotes animal rescue dogs. Jill is a 3-time National Readers Choice winner, and lover of animals! More information about Jill and her collection of fabulous romance titles can be found at www.JillShalvis.com.

 

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My Rescue Story, by Jill Shalvis…

 

At any point, on any day in the Shalvis abode, there are animals.  All of them rescued, always.  It’s become somewhat of a family tradition, rescuing animals in need, and we’ve found that not only is it a nice thing to do, we get a really great pet out of the deal.

 

A couple of years ago, our house was fairly full.  Okay, so it was straining at the wall joints.  We had Ashes — our rescue Border Collie/Australian Blue Heeler.  Sadie – our cat who thinks she’s a dog.  Micky – a field mouse rescued from the high school science lab.  And four teenage girls.

 

Actually, it wasn’t a house.  It was a zoo.

 

But a year before we’d lost Izzie, our beloved brown lab.  And we missed having two dogs.  Yes, we’re crazy.  Anyway, on that fated day I’m about to tell you about, Alpha Man (my husband) had heard about a yellow lab puppy who needed rescue.

 

No.  No way.  I was adamant.  I had enough on my plate.  But Alpha Man just wanted to go make sure the lab was okay.

 

So we left the mountain…

 

 

And drove…

 

 

And drove…

 

 

We were following the sketch directions from a guy who knew a guy who had told us about a woman who lived out in the middle of nowhere, and I mean NOWHERE, and she rescues animals.

 

The landscape was like something out of a Criminal Minds episode, so we were wary at first.  We had no idea what we were going to find.  A box of puppies, or a meth lab … nothing would have surprised me.  I was a little worried because the kids were with us, but it turned out the place was fifty acres of love.

 

Any animal in need is welcome.

 

 

Even the funny looking ones…

 

 

The woman had goats, horses, turtles, geese, snakes, angry chickens … you name it and she had it.  She was rehabbing it, doctoring it, loving it … whatever the animal needed.

 

We’d gone because of the rumor of the puppies, the yellow labs.  And she did have two puppies.  She’d rescued them out of a horrible situation.

 

 

But the yellow lab wasn’t the one who stole our hearts.  Nope, it was her little baby brother.  The runt.

 

 

He was filthy and living in a hovel. And the minute he saw us, he came alive. Wriggling, happy, loving. All you had to do was touch him and he writhed in joy and dropped to the floor for a belly rub.

 

 

And once he was picked up by the teenagers and loved up by them, he didn’t want to get down.  I tried.  I tried hard.  But the thing had wriggled his way right into my heart.  I remember looking at Alpha Man, laughing and crying at the same time.

 

“You didn’t want another dog,” he reminded me.

 

I told him to zip it.  We were taking this dog and that was that.  Besides, there was the little matter of him being in my arms and refusing to be put down.

 

So we never put him down again.  Meet Frat Boy…

 

 

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Why Dogs Make Great Sidekicks, by Jill Shalvis…

 

Now that you know a little bit about my rescue story, I want to share with you some of the inspiration for my Animal Magnetism series.  One of the fun things about writing this series is developing complex and lovable characters… that just happen to be adorable dogs!  Here’s why dogs make great sidekicks…

 

1. Because when you’re on the mountain trail and you come across an angry mama bear and her baby cubs, your dog will run like hell.  This will warn you to run like hell as well.  Just be careful because if your dog is like my dog, he will throw you under the bus (or in this case bear) to get home before you do.

 

2. Because when all the cookies are gone you can totally blame your cookie loving dog.  No one has to know that you ate all the cookies yourself.  And your dog can give you dirty looks for blaming him but he can’t actually talk and dispute your story.  Solid alibi.

 

3. Because if you’ve eaten in a way that disagrees with your stomach, there are never any worries.  Your dog will always, ALWAYS, out stink you.  And if he doesn’t, you can still point the finger at him.  Again, he can’t talk and dispute your story.

 

4. Dogs are not just great sidekicks but they also make great a really great wingman.  If you’re single, you can totally put your dog to work at charming the person you’re interested in.  Just make sure that person likes dog drool and dog hair all over everything first.

 

5. There is never a need for a pillow or extra blanket because your dog will always be willing to get into bed with you and share body heat.  Always.  Just be forewarned.  Being a great sidekick is not the same thing as a good bed partner.  They have a habit of being a total bed hog.

 

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Thank you so much, Jill for sharing your stories with us!  If you have enjoyed Jill’s stories please feel free to show your support in our comments section below and by visiting the other participating websites/blogs…

 

Read Humane® Blog Tour 2013!

For more information on Read Humane® please visit Penguin Group (USA).  To view more special features from spokesperson Jill Shalvis, please visit the following websites/blogs; each website/blog will feature a unique perspective on Read Humane, so be sure to stop by each for a new and exciting experience!

 

4/29/2013            USA Today’s Happy Ever After                   Special Feature!

4/29/2013            Fresh Fiction                                                      Spotlight

4/30/2013            RT Book Reviews Online                              Special Feature!

5/1/2013              Happily Ever After Reads                              Spotlight

5/2/2013              Teresa’s Reading Corner                                               Spotlight

5/3/2013              The Book Reading Gals                                  Spotlight

5/4/2013              Book Crack                                                          Spotlight

5/5/2013              Love Romances & More                                                Spotlight

5/6/2013              Books-N-Kisses                                                 Spotlight

5/7/2013              RT Book Reviews Online                                               Spotlight

5/8/2013              Cocktails & Books                                             Spotlight

5/9/2013              The Book Pushers                                            Spotlight

5/10/2013            Kindles & Wine                                                 Spotlight

5/11/2013            My Book Addiction & More                         Spotlight

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5/13/2013            eBook Obsessed                                              Spotlight

5/14/2013            My Friend Amy                                                 Spotlight

5/14/2013            Pretty Fluffy                                                       Spotlight

5/16/2013            The Romance Dish                                           Spotlight

5/16/2013            Pretty Fluffy                                                       Spotlight

5/17/2013            Ramblings from a Chaotic Mind                 Spotlight

5/18/2013            Romantic Book Affairs                                   Spotlight

5/19/2013            Ramblings from This Chick                            Spotlight

5/20/2013            Under the Covers Book Blog                       Spotlight

5/20/2013            The Romance Studio                                      Spotlight

5/21/2013            Chick Lit Reviews                                              Spotlight

5/26/2013            The Reading Café                                             Spotlight

5/27/2013            Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews            Spotlight

5/28/2013            Stuff and Nonsense                                        Spotlight

5/29/2013            Thoughts in Progress                                      Spotlight

 

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Publisher: Berkley

My Review

After a tragic stint in the National Guards, Adam Connelly returns to Idaho and to Belle Haven, the animal shelter he owns with his brothers. All Adam wants is to be alone. Then he opens the door to the past—the woman whose heart he once broke. Still gorgeous, still tough-as-nails, but this time, unusually vulnerable.

Holly Reid learned the hard way to never depend on a man for anything. Now, of all men, it’s the last one she wants to see, and the only one she needs. Her father has gone missing in the Bitterroot Mountains and she could use someone with tracking skills to help find him.

For Holly and Adam, each with their ghosts, a trek this desperate, this unpredictable, and this intimate, will have its share of risks—including opening their hearts one more time

Wilder Brothers Series by Jill Shalvis and GIVEAWAY

Over the next couple of months Kensington Brava is re-releasing one of my favorite series by Jill Shalvis! The Wilder Brothers series is a trilogy about three rugged, adventure men, the Wilder Brothers. Cameron, TJ and Stone are wildly entertaining along with 100% sexy. Each book delves a bit deeper into the dynamics of these three men and the family ties that bind them closely together emotionally as well as professionally. Jill Shalvis delivers with witty writing, great stories and wonderful comedic timing! Contemporary romance at it’s finest, Shalvis is a go to author for me no matter what mood I’m in.

Check out this incredible series! I am going to give away one copy of each book to ONE winner. I will open this up to anyone that can have things shipped by The Book Depository (they do international free shipping to most countries). Open till 10/31/ 12 @ 11:59pm EST. Simply comment to enter and answer these questions:

Are you an indoor or outdoor person? Could you work for an adventure company?

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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…

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The Doctor Is In Deep

Wishful, California, is 3000 miles from Dr. Emma Sinclair’s last job in a New York City ER. It may as well be another galaxy. Here, running her father’s clinic for a summer, Emma treats bee stings, stomach flu, and the occasional pet cat. Plus, she has to contend with patients like Stone Wilder: gorgeous, laid-back, and irritating beyond belief. The man laughs at her. A lot. And Emma loathes him. All except that tiny part of her that wants to throw him on her examining table and break every doctor-patient rule in the book. . .

When Stone tries to help Emma learn to loosen up a bit, he pictures white-water rafting or scenic mountain hikes. Not a mind-blowing affair that shakes them both to the core. Emma’s sure she has no place in a town like Wishful, but Stone knows different. Emma belongs here – in this town, in his life. And convincing this strong-minded, stubborn, sexy woman of that fact will be a challenge no Wilder man could resist. . .

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To Harley, the landscape around Wishful, California, is exhilarating, untamed, and more than a little dangerous. The same could be said for T.J. Wilder, who’s invited himself along on her trek to study a rare coyote. Harley’s career is riding on this trip, and she doesn’t need a stubborn, incredibly sexy distraction. But T.J. is a professional guide who knows when to stay back and when to provide invaluable expertise – just like he’s done since they were in high school. And Harley, as usual, is torn between throttling him and giving in to the raw attraction that’s been smoldering all these years. T.J. knows how proud and capable Harley is, but he’s damned sure not letting her put herself at risk when there are illegal hunters in the area. She needs him, with the same soul-stirring urgency that he’s always craved her. And here, in this beautiful place days from civilization, he’ll finally have a chance to prove it – over and over again…

*Thank you to Kensington for sending me copies of the book!! If the winner is US they will get those, international will come from The Book Depository* 

Rescue My Heart by Jill Shalvis (Animal Magnetism #3)

 

Available: November 6 2012 Amazon/B&N

Type: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Berkley

My Copy: NetGalley

After a tragic stint in the National Guards, Adam Connelly returns to Idaho and to Belle Haven, the animal shelter he owns with his brothers. All Adam wants is to be alone. Then he opens the door to the past—the woman whose heart he once broke. Still gorgeous, still tough-as-nails, but this time, unusually vulnerable.

Holly learned the hard way to never depend on a man for anything. Now, of all men, it’s the last one she wants to see, and the only one she needs. Her father has gone missing in the Bitterroot Mountains and she could use someone with tracking skills to help find him.

For Holly and Adam, each with their ghosts, a trek this desperate, this unpredictable, and this intimate, will have its share of risks—including opening their hearts one more time.

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Oh Jill Shalvis, wonderful weaver of words, how I love you so….Rescue My Heart is adorably good and as normal, Jill’s superb writing skills broke me out of a horrible writing slump in which I had turned into the HULK with my review pile. AKA “NIKKI NO LIKE! NIKKI SMASH!!!”

I have been impatiently waiting for Adam’s story to be told since picking up the first book a long time ago. Ok, not THAT long ago but in fanantical reader land it was EONS ago. Adam was a mystery, suffering from some PTSD and grieving his fallen comrades on his last mission that wiped over half of them out. Training search and rescue dogs is his life now along with helping run the vet clinic his brother owns. Years ago he ran from the one woman who ever turned his head in an attempt to get his life in order. Holly never really forgave him but now that she needs him to help find her father, she has to swallow her pride and acknowledge their past.

I enjoyed these two and their fumbling around each other. Each wanting to keep their relationship semi professional and each having their own set of character flaws that kept them apart. Poor Adam just broke my heart with his grieving and inability to fully cope and move on with his life. I just wanted to give him a hug. Ok, and then maybe jump his bones but that would be way more for me and less about him lol. His love for animals including his own dog ( and when Jill said Frat Boy, her own dog, I about lost it) was such a great aspect of his character. His drive to train the best of the best was spurned on by his tragic past but it made him even more determined to achieve the best results from his dogs.

I loved Holly’s sense of pride and her ramrod straight appeal when it came to her personal life. The woman was so straight laced I just knew her unraveling would be messy and wrought with emotions she wasn’t wanting to face. She tells herself that Adam is her past but her career is her future, never taking into account that being alone with him on their search for her father would make her fall for the man he was and is now all over again. She was a tough cookie. Refusing to give in while they searched tiredly for her father and giving Adam a much needed rock when he crumbled under a panic attack.

Past characters rounded out Rescue My Heart making it an enjoyable read from start to finish! I loved revisiting Adam’s brothers Dell and Brady and reading the role they played in the healing process for him. Great book!

 

 I give Rescue My Heart by Jill Shalvis 4.50 stars! 

Firefighter Series by Jill Shalvis

I just finished some old school reading. How I managed to fit it into my reading schedule is beyond me. Ok, well technically now I’M behind but whatever, this is a hard to find series. A few years ago I read book one in this delightful series but my local library didn’t have books 2 or 3 in the system. They claimed they were “lost”. I claim some person couldn’t handle the responsibility of returning a library book. Fast forward a few years to where I found myself a friend that works at a library. I’m so smart, I know. Anyway she ordered the book from another county and voila, I could finally finish this yummy series. If you love Jill Shalvis then check out her older books. These are out of print so you’ll have to search used sources (and no e-book either, WHAT), but trust me…her older work is worth it.

While these are all part of a series, they can be read as stand alones if you aren’t as anal as I am about reading things in order. Yummy firemen and strong women make these three solid romances that I really enjoyed. I miss the suspense element that some of her older books wove through them.

Great reads!!!

Available: June 2004

Publisher: Onyx

Bush pilot Lyndie Anderson lives only for her plane and the open sky. But when she’s hired to fly a brooding-but-gorgeous fireman to a forest fire, suddenly she’s struggling to douse a burning desire. And although it doesn’t show, Griffin Moore starts having feelings for her, too. But he’s suffered too much lately to open his heart. So when the two set off sparks, he wonders if Lyndie could be worth the risk…

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Available: December 2004

Pubisher: Onyx

After San Diego firefighter Jake Rawlins is injured in a heroic, high-profile rescue, he decides to hide from the media and recover in solitude. So he retreats to the Blue Flame, the Arizona guest ranch he inherited from his father. The remote oasis under a clear azure sky might seem like a bit of heaven, but Jake finds himself longing to return to the city, where he can be lost in a crowd instead of alone with his thoughts–or-his spread’s tempestuous manager.

Callie Hayes has put into the Blue Flame her heart and soul–both of which are shaken when her wildly sexy employer returns, rekindling memories of the stormy past they shared. But Jake’s a different man, and soon he’s setting off sparks that could lead to a love hot enough to change both their lives.

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Available: May 2005

Publisher: Signet Eclipse

Summer Abrams nearly died trying to save her father from a warehouse fire that, in the end, took his life. Consumed by guilt, she never set foot back in the town where her world fell apart. But now, twelve years later, another fire has ripped through that very warehouse, drawing Summer back to Ocean Beach–and to the man who was once her best friend…and is now a wildly sexy fire marshal who ignites her deepest desires.

Walker Montana has spent most of his life keeping people at bay. Summer was the only person he’d ever let in, but she’d broken his heart–and then took off without a word. After all these years, she’s back–and she won’t leave until they track down the arsonist responsible for this latest fire. Now Walker, who swore he’d never fall for Summer again, discovers he can’t resist the scorching heat between them–and suddenly he’s wondering if all these hot nights could be become something more lasting…

At Last & Forever And A Day by Jill Shalvis (Lucky Harbor #5 & #6 ) and GIVEAWAY

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Contemporary Romance

Publisher:Grand Central/ Forever

My Copy: Sent

HER LOVE HAS COME ALONG . . .
Amy Michaels loves her new life in Lucky Harbor. A waitress in the local diner, she’s looking forward to her first weekend hike through the mountains. But when a wrong turn takes her off the trail, she finds herself up close and personal with forest ranger Matt Bowers. And even though she’s tempted to kiss that sexy smile right off his face, she won’t make the mistake of getting involved with the town heartthrob.

A former cop whose life went south, Matt doesn’t let anyone get too close. But something about the feisty beauty caught his eye the moment he first saw her in the diner. After a hot night under a starry sky, Matt can’t deny their attraction-or the fact that for the first time in a long time, he feels the stirrings of something more. Now it’s up to Matt to help Amy see that, no matter what is in their past, together they can build a future in Lucky Harbor.

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What can I say about Jill Shalvis that hasn’t already been said? I mean, everyone loves these books and it isn’t like I can tell you in words any better then anyone else right? At Last is my fifth return to the quaint town of Lucky Harbor, where small town living is every day living and your neighbors are larger then life.

Amy blew into town years ago with nothing to her name. A run away, a screw up, she needed to start over and armed with her grandmother’s journal she’s determined to find whatever gave her grandmother hope and peace in the small town and surrounding woods. Problem is that  the journal can be confusing and a city girl like Amy doesn’t really know her way around the mountains in Lucky Harbor. Pride stops her from asking for help which often leads to her stumbling into situations which force her to depend on someone. That someone being Matt, local forest ranger and eligible bachelor.

I adored Amy! She was just so adorably….wrong. She may have thought she was content but she spends a lot of the book running from her past. Using sex as a teenager was great until it got her some attention she’d rather not have. Now as a adult she tries her best to not want/need anything from Matt. Especially since Matt doesn’t seem to want a relationship any more then she does. She follows her grandmothers journal like it holds the secret to life. When all she really needed to do was look within herself and see what she had been running from and finally just let someone in. With her best friends Mallory and Grace helping to lead the way, Amy finally starts to see that putting down roots may be exactly what she needs to finally feel at home.

Matt has his own relationship problems that mainly stem from him feeling inadequate. Not able to keep his ex safe he has taken the stance that he is unworthy of taking care of anyone but himself. His connection with Amy is immediate and even though she tries to fight it there are just some things that are meant to be. His job as ranger means everything to him and he is completely over working himself. He’s devoted to the people of Lucky Harbor but his personal relationship suffer as a result. Strong and with so much to give, Matt spends a lot of time selling himself short.

The comedy Shalvis incorporates really makes her books pop for me. I find myself laughing through out the book and, for me, it always makes me love them more. The snarkiness between characters just feels so right. Friends making fun of each other. This works both in the relationship of the women as well as the men of the series. Shalvis then adds in all kinds of secondary town characters who make it their lives to embarrass the main characters on Facebook and it’s just golden writing…love love love when I get a dose of romance with my romance.

When these two polar opposite people get together sparks flying is the least that happens. Fireworks on a grand scale is more like it. Jill Shalvis makes you care about these characters and this town. She makes you believe. She weaves the written word so well you will be sucked into the book until the last page. Contemporary romance at it’s ultimate best this series is one of my all time favorites!

At Last needs to be on your reading list! It can be read on its own without any problems but I recommend the entire series. Jill Shalvis has been and will always be an auto buy for me!

I give At Last by Jill Shalvis 5 stars! 

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Available: July 31, 2012 Amazon/B&N

Type: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Grand Central/ Forever

My Copy: Sent

 LOVE CAN HAPPEN IN A HEARTBEAT.

Grace never thought she’d be starting her life over from scratch. Losing everything has landed her in Lucky Harbor, working as a dog walker for overwhelmed ER doctor Josh Scott. But the day his nanny fails to show up, Grace goes from caring for Josh’s loveable mutt to caring for his rambunctious kids. Soon Grace is playing house with the sexy single dad…

With so many people depending on him, Josh has no time for anything outside of his clinic and family–until Grace arrives in town. Now this brainy blonde is turning his life inside out and giving a whole new meaning to the phrase “good bedside manner.” Josh and Grace don’t know if what they have can last. But in a town like Lucky Harbor, a lifetime of love starts with just one day…

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Forever And A Day is the 6th and final book in the series, at least for a while. Nothing is out of the question I suppose and there are always more characters to write about. At least I’m hoping for more but as of now Jill has no plans to write more.

We finally get to see sexy town doctor Josh in this one and I do believe Jill Shalvis saved the best for last! I adored Josh and his completely crazy family!  From his bratty but misunderstood wheelchair bound sister to his hyper active son, Josh has his hands full and he constantly work works himself. When someone is strung that tight it seems everything in their life suffers and that was truly the case with Josh and his family. Each member rebelled his work-a-holic nature in their own ways. His son insisted of acting like a dog and his sister was continually acting out by openly defying him. Though in her defense Josh treated her like a child incapable of making her own life choices and as a 21 year old woman she needed to be able to make her own mistakes. I loved that they played such a integral part in the book.

Grace was only supposed to be in Lucky Harbor temporarily. Taking odd jobs to help her dwindling savings account she ends up dog walking for Josh who owns a demon dog that is completely untrainable. Once there she finds herself perfectly integrating into the craziness which is exactly what she doesn’t want. Grace is driven by trying to impress her extremely intellectual adoptive family. She thinks that to be happy she needs to live up to her parents high expectations. As her feelings for the cute doctor grow she keeps telling herself she only wants something fun…something temporary. Lucky Harbor is the only place she’s ever felt at home and it scares her to not have path in life that she feels secure in.

There was some serious sexual tension in this book as each character fights their attraction. Josh and Grace together felt so natural and the sex…holy smokes the sex. Jill Shalvis can write a love scene that will knock your socks off! She somehow makes you feel the emotions without getting erotic and I think that takes incredible talent. Her writing is a constant mood lifter for me. I seem to always pick up a book of hers when I want to laugh and become totally engrossed in a world.

Once again the secondary characters make for some incredibly funny moments. Everyone needs friends like Mallory, Amy, Matt and Ty. People who always have your back but who aren’t afraid to tell you when you’re being incredibly stupid and hard headed. Without them the book wouldn’t have been nearly as funny. They make even the hardest parts seem lighter.

Jill is my favorite contemporary romance author hands down. There is no one that writes like her and no one I connect to more! I love her work and she has  life long reader in me! I could never say enough amazing things about her books, you just need to experience them for yourself and find out!

I give Forever And A Day by Jill Shalvis 5 stars! 

* Because the people at Grand Central ROCK, I have one copy of each to give away to a US winner (one winner, two books)! All you have to do to enter is tell me if you read any of Jill Shalvis’ books and which has been your favorite so far. Please make sure to leave me a way to find you if you win. Contest open until 7-22-12 at 11:59pm EST with winner announced the next day*

Winner!

The winner of Lucky In Love by Jill Shalvis is: 

LaTanya! 

Please respond to the email you will be receiving shortly within 48 hrs or I will have to pick a new winner! 

Lucky In Love by Jill Shalvis (Lucky Harbor #4) and GIVEAWAY

Available: May 22, 2012 Amazon/B&N

Type: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Grand Central

My Copy: Sent- Blog Tour

Mallory Quinn has had enough of playing it safe. As a nurse and devoted daughter, she takes care of everyone but herself. And as the local good girl, she’s expected to date Mr. Right. But for once, she’d like to take a risk on Mr. Wrong. And who could be more wrong than Ty Garrison? The mysterious new guy in town has made it clear that he’s only passing through, which suits Mallory just fine. Besides, his lean, hard body and sexy smile will give her plenty to remember once he’s gone…

For the first time in his life, Ty can’t bear to leave. Helping this sexy seductress-in-training walk on the wild side is making him desire things he shouldn’t — including leaving the military for good. As their just-for-fun fling becomes something more, Mallory and Ty wonder if they could really be this lucky in love. After all…anything can happen in a town called Lucky Harbor.

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After years of being the safe one in her family, Mallory has decided to walk on the wild side. That wild side happens to come in the package of the new hot and mysterious guy in town, Ty. One quick time with Ty isn’t nearly enough for her and soon she’s finding that she is falling for him. But Ty has problems and he’s not staying in Lucky Harbor forever. He’s just passing through and when he leaves, it’s sure to be with Mallory’s heart.

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Lucky Harbor…..any small town, USA and a place I would love to live myself. Oh wait….I kinda already do. I moved to a small town last year and I now know what the small town mentality is. It’s knowing what is going on everywhere in town, it’s seeing the same people day in and day out driving through town and it’s actually caring about your neighbors lives and trying to help each other out. Lucky Harbor is my town, in a way. Lucky Harbor is every town in a way. Jill Shalvis is a remarkable author. One who will make you snort with laughter and then make you cry with happiness. I have read nearly everything Jill has wrote and they all have this funny vein running through them. Her characters are real and make real mistakes.

Lucky In Love took the emotional connection to a all new level. Ty is a wounded veteran, and the depth of his injuries don’t stop at the physical damage. His soul is hurting after witnessing the deaths of his four best friends and going back to his job as a Seal Medic just isn’t in the cards. He can’t even handle a bandaid let alone patch up major injuries. Coupled with his recent leg injury at this new job that landed him with some unexpected time off and his arrival in Lucky Harbor to stay at a local rental house. Of course that means that every resident in town is out to uncover his secrets. That includes Mallory though she has her plate already brimming to the edges. Full of her own guilt for not noticing her sisters descent into depression when she was a teen, she now is obsessed with stopping it from happening to another family. She has her sights set on opening a care clinic but the local residents her meeting her with resistance.

After a chance encounter at the local diner, Ty finds himself with a date to a town fundraiser that ends with a steamy tryst in a attic. Mallory and Ty together is just hot! They feed off each others emotions so well and the way they connected so deeply was touching. Mallory manages to chip away at the wall Ty has had up since his buddies deaths. I loved the evolution of their story. How they both learned that they could be happy but only if they were truthful with themselves on what was holding them back.

Lucky In Love is an emotional read that makes you stop and think about veterans and what they may be dealing with that you can’t see on the outside. The book is also a great opening to the next two books in the series that all revolve around a diner and some wonderful cake eating ladies. The next book, At Last comes out in June and Forever And A day in July, so it’s looking like a Jill Shalvis summer at my house!! Loved Lucky In Love!

I give Lucky In Love by Jill Shalvis 4.50 stars!

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Since I am part of the official blog tour, Grand Central is allowing me to giveaway 1 paperback copy of Lucky In Love to a US winner! I will leave the contest open till May 28th at 11:59 EST and announce the winner the next day. Good Luck!

Time Out by Jill Shalvis

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Harlequin

My Copy: NetGalley

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Class: How to Drive Him Crazy

Instructional program for women unexpectedly facing the totally dishy guy from their past. Everyone Welcome!

NHL coach Mark Diego’s plan to spend his off-season volunteering in his hometown goes awry when he learns that not only is he coaching teenage girls, but that the program is coordinated by energetic (and five feet two inches of trouble) coordinator Rainey Saunders, his childhood friend–and the woman he could never stand to see dating any other guy…

When their tempers flare, Mark and Rainey discover their fireworks don’t just burn angry–they burn very, very, hot! But that’ll just sweeten the victory. Because Mark always plays to win. And with Rainey, he’s planning on playing very dirty too…

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Trying to work some magically good PR, Mark, coach of a NHL Hockey team, goes home to help his brother and his struggling local recreation center. He never expected to run into the one woman who has haunted him for years. Rainey threw herself at him at a very delicate time and even though he wanted her it just wasn’t the right time. Now he gets another chance at convincing her that now is the right time…if only for a few days.

Rainey cut all ties with Mark after she embarrassed herself and ran out on him. After all these years just a look from him can still make her heart stutter and she knows she’s in deep trouble. Having a “sex only” relationship starts out as a good plan until she suddenly finds herself falling for him again. Mark isn’t a forever kind of guy and he’s made himself clear that he can only offer a few days. Can Rainey stop her heart from falling for the only guy she has ever truly loved?

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Time Out is a short, stand alone Harlequin romance from their Blaze line. Blaze meaning spicier then their run of the mill romances. Time Out, being wrote by Jill Shalvis was a definite read for me on the authors name alone. I generally love a good Shalvis romance. As a whole I did enjoy this short book. It was hot and steamy with enough push and pull that I found myself eager to turn the page. I *may* have a slight thing with Latino men…ok ok , I do. I wanted to climb up Mark’s body and wrap my legs around his head like a vise. He was yummyrific! Too bad he spends the majority of the book totally going against everything his body is telling him. He thought way to much and didn’t feel what his heart was trying to tell him. He spent every turn trying to convince people that he was a normal, average guy but he spent a ton of money every time he needed something done. So while I understood that he was trying to project a certain image, it didn’t really come across in his actions.

I really enjoyed Rainey. She wore her heart on her sleeve. She constantly tried to tell herself a relationship with Mark could be just for the sex but even I could see early on she was fooling herself. She has been hopelessly in love with Mark since she was sixteen years old. Comparing every guy with her larger then life image of him. Now he has rippling man muscles that she wants to lick every square inch of and is constantly trying to talk herself out of doing so. Rainey was heartfelt and even when helping the kids at the rec center she gave it her all. Stepping in to help kids in need takes a special type of person and Rainey was that person.

What made the book slip a notch was the ending. It was just over. Nothing. I just didn’t get it. You ever watch a tv cliffhanger and then the show never come back from the break? That’s what this felt like. So much tension. So much drama. Then BAM! It’s over. The ending felt forced and with no epilogue, I just felt cut off.

So…in summery…I like Rainey and Mark. I like the story. The ending wasn’t enough for me.

I give Time Out by Jill Shalvis 3.75 stars! 

Head Over Heels by Jill Shalvis (Lucky Harbor #3)

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Grand Central

My copy: Netgalley

Breaking rules and breaking hearts

Free-spirited Chloe lives life on the edge. Unlike her soon-to-be married sisters, she isn’t ready to settle into a quiet life running their family’s newly renovated inn. But soon her love of trouble–and trouble with love-draws the attention of the very stern, very sexy sheriff who’d like nothing better than to tame her wild ways.

Suddenly Chloe can’t take a misstep without the sheriff hot on her heels. His rugged swagger and his enigmatic smile are enough to make a girl beg to be handcuffed. For the first time, instead of avoiding the law, Chloe dreams of surrender. Can this rebel find a way to keep the peace with the straitlaced sheriff? Or will Chloe’s colorful past keep her from a love that lasts . . . and the safe haven she truly wants in a town called Lucky Harbor?

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Chloe is used to living her life safely, well…mainly. Her ambitious nature taken down by her severe asthma. She gets her kicks by daring herself to do things no asthma sufferer should be doing. Thrills from these adventures are what gets her through the days. That and her travels as a in demand spa treatments across the country.

Running the local inn they inherited, Chloe and her sisters are laying down their own roots in the small town of Lucky Harbor. Soon she is staying behind more often than traveling. Her thrills are coming in the form of the hard muscled town sheriff , Sawyer. The man ignites a breathlessness in her that has nothing to do with her medical condition.

Sawyer has no business falling for the reckless redhead, but unfortunately he can’t seem to get her out of his head. She is integrating herself into his stony emotional state and there is nothing he seems to be able to do about it. Suddenly the sheriff needs to not only worry about the criminals, but the state of his heart as well.

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It’s no secret I am a huge fan of Jill Shalvis. I try and read everything I can get my hands on by her and I find her writing to be highly engaging and realistic. Her characters often find themselves in funny moments and the conversation is often laced with wit and sarcasm.

I enjoyed Chloe because she wasn’t your typical heroine. She has some limitations that she certainly tries her best to make up for in other areas. Being severely asthmatic prevents her from  being as reckless as she wants to be. She definitely makes up for it in other areas though. She is a Vespa riding, adventure seeking, out spoken female that takes nothing from no one. In doing so though she has erected these emotional walls that not even her sisters have been able to breach. Having been raised be a free spirit mother who shied away from laying any roots down has had a affect on Chloe in her adult life. She has been unable to connect long term. Always wanting to continue with her out of state spa jobs and only sticking around home when absolutely needed. Chloe finds herself referring to Lucky Harbor as home and realizes that she has been running from the life she has wanted for years, but was scared to commit to.

Sawyer is a straitlaced Sheriff who has counted on his job to define him after his tumultuous teenage years. He has been trying to make up for his mistakes for years. Living only for the job. I rooted for him to make amends with his father after so many years. I wanted him to let Chloe in even before she realized that was what she wanted. They had a slow simmer that was based on friendship with mutual lust. He was portrayed as a hulking kind of man though I pictured more of the teddy bear variety. His readiness to take her asthma into account was so sweet, I melted just a little.

While I enjoyed the plot of Head Over Heels, I never felt the emotion I believe Shalvis was trying to get across. Sure, it was cute. I did find some parts to be long winded and easily skimable. I also didn’t think there was as much witty banter as I have found in her past work. I simply “liked” the characters and the book. I didn’t love it. Those who enjoy her past work will probably find this one ,if not love it. I simply wanted a bit more in the connection, banter and even the action. I did enjoy the criminal sub-plot and thought it was well played at the climax.

Head Over Heels is an easy going contemporary romance. Light hearted romance is a Shalvis specialty and those that love the Lucky Harbor series will undoubtedly enjoy Chloe and Sawyer’s story.

I give Head Over Heels by Jill Shalvis 3.50 stars!

Animal Attraction by Jill Shalvis (Animal #2)

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Berkley

My Copy: Bought

Jade Bennett couldn’t be happier to escape her past for the quiet ranching town of Sunshine, Idaho. Plus, there’s nothing like working for veterinarian Dell Connelly. And though Dell has no intention of settling down, Jade’s strength and sass are enticements no red-blooded male can resist.

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Town vet Dell Connelly is content with his womanizing ways. If he is always the one who leaves, no one can ever leave him first. He has his brothers Adam and Brady, he really doesn’t need anything else. Dell has never been tempted to want anything more. Until the day he hired Jade a year and a half ago to run his front desk. She swept into his life with next to nothing to her name and the resolve to only be temporary. Sure was elusive and challenging and Dell instantly craved her. Now she has told him she’ll be going home soon. Faced with her leaving, Dell will need to face what he’s been running from for months. His feelings for Jade.

Jade knows she needs to get over the past and on with her life. An attack 18 months ago sent her running straight into Sunshine and essentially into Dell’s arms. But it’s time to go home. Leaving the place she has found to be her home is hard enough without suffering the debilitating flashbacks shes been having lately. Leaning on someone for support is something she has never done before and definitely not with her man candy boss, Dell. Something about him is slowly wearing down her resolve to be distant, to hide behind her snarky exterior and she is coming to find, alone is not always the safest solution.

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I enjoyed Animal Attraction just as much as I enjoyed the first book in the series, Animal Magnetism. Jill Shalvis is one of my go to authors when I want to read a fun, quirky, contemporary romance. Animal Attraction was no exception to this. I found the slow simmer of Dell and Jades love to be exquisitely wrote and the story line to be excellently completed. I love the setting of a veterinary hospital, partly because I love animals and also because it’s a place where townspeople go..where we, as the reader, can meet all kinds of different people.

The camaraderie between the characters, mainly the brothers Brady, Dell and Adam, has an excellent emotional connection. These brothers love each other immensely and they are constantly not only looking out for each other, but also telling each other when to get their heads out of their asses. I loved their dialogue with each other…loving and yet snarky. But you know they will have each other if they have no one else. In the last book we met Lilah and she makes appearances throughout this one as well. I really liked her ability to weasel into Jades defenses and finally break her down a bit.

Dell has issues with abandonment and those make his relationship abilities very short lived. He wants to be the one to do any leaving. That way he can protect his heart behind an unseen wall. Being left by his and Adams own mother has been something he could never get over. Not that I blame him really. He doesn’t want to live like a monk though so he engages in relationships that mean nothing…until Jade. Jade has been something he couldn’t understand. She has seemed immune to his flirtatious behavior. And recently she has been on edge, taunt with worry he doesn’t understand. Yet he can’t get her to trust him…to confide. I wanted him to give into his emotional attachment to Jade sooner then he did. To confide in her a bit in order to gain her trust in him.

I really felt for Jade. Being attacked has got to be a terrible thing, and something a person doesn’t just “get over”. I totally understood her need to flee Chicago. To try and find a sense of normalcy, even though 18 months later she was still looking over her shoulder all the time. I wanted her to be able to trust this man she’d worked for. She knew him, his family, his friends, she even felt “at home” and yet she couldn’t get herself to open up. Her flashbacks were horrible and I can only imagine the anguish they produced for her. Her need to feel strong was completely justified. Dell’s ability to teach her how to feel safe was well timed and I thought it really helped to break down those social walls she had built around herself.

The only thing I would have to say about Animal Attraction is that I thought, having built up the story of vet clinics being broken into, that something dealing with that would have happened. It seemed silly to me to keep talking about it only to tie it up in a neat bow without ever dealing first hand with it. Especially taking into account Jade having issues with break ins and attacks. I was a bit disappointed that that got wrapped up without any action.

Can I also say Jill Shalvis manages to make me crack up with each book she writes. Her comedic timing is spot on and her characters feel as real as you and me. At Dell’s animal clinic there is a parrot…a parrot that mimics saying heard around the office. One that has learned the word “boner” and says it as often as possible. I loved it! Couple with the comedy peppered throughout the characters dialogue and you have a winner each and every time for me. When I read contemporary the biggest thing for me is to feel like I cold be there, in the thick of it. I haven’t been let down by Shalvis yet!

I give Animal Attraction by Jill Shalvis 4.50 stars!