My review: 2 stars (in fact, I didn't even finish it)
Oh my. Not sure where to begin with this one.
I couldn't read all this. I tried. I really, really did. By page 101 I'd simply had enough.
The hero and heroine are supposed to be childhood friends but I found the more I read about them, the more awkward and really uncomfortable it was for me. I'm sorry. I'm definitely not one of the hundreds of Goodreads and Amazon reviewers that liked this. Not even a little bit. It was a total yawn fest for me.
To quote another reviewer: "The whole premise of the story where a lie is told to his sick mother in order to make her happy about their relationship also felt off." 100% agree with this.
I don't know if I'll read another Jill Shalvis book for a while.
Leah is back in Lucky Harbor working in her Grandmothers bakery while her hometown watches her on Reality TV every week in a cooking show. She is under contractual obligation not to reveal the results of the show but has promised herself that she will be out of Lucky Harbor before the season finale comes on television.
Jack is following in his late fathers footsteps as a hometown hero, aka fireman. Hes been juggling his job while trying to make his mom his number one priority while she is undergoing treatment for cancer. Having his best friend, Leah, back in town has been great. Until she tells his mom that they are dating and he is forced to give up his real love life to make his mom happy.
Leah did what she thought she had to in order to make his mother smile again. And so far her plan is working, although things are feeling a hell of a lot more real than she is prepared for.
This is one of those books where you laugh out loud, sigh out loud, and cry out loud. Kevin the dog and the senior citizens of this town kept me giggling. While the sweetness and the sincerity between Leah and Jack had me sighing and sobbing. Their friendship alone was brilliant, adding the romance to it made it spectacular.
When I read the last sentence in this book, I wanted to immediately flip back to chapter one and start over. I fricken love this series and with each new book I find myself loving it more and more. I could happily live in the pages of Lucky Harbor, forever.
Cherise Everhard, August 2013
I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.
