Series: Heartbreaker Bay (Page 2 of 2)

Synopsis:

It’s Christmastime again in Heartbreaker Bay!

When Sean O’Riley shows up at the Hartford Bed & Breakfast for his older brother’s bachelor weekend, he’s just hoping to make it through the weekend. What he’s not expecting is to come face to face with the woman he lost his virginity to a decade ago—a woman he’s never really forgotten.

The last time Lotti Hartford saw Sean, she told him she loved him while he said nothing. Now, ten years later, she’s just looking for a good time. For once, she wants to be the wild and free one, and Sean – the good time guy – is the perfect candidate.

But as the weekend continues, Sean realizes that after a lifetime of being the hook-up king, he’s ready to find happily-ever-after, and he wants it with Lotti. But will she open her heart to him again? As Christmas sweeps through the little B&B, he can only hope love and magic are in the air.

Review:

Holiday Wishes was sweet, heartwarming, and had an oh so perfect ending!  I was surprised with how much was packed into this second chance novella!  And I was surprised again with how quickly I connected to the characters and was invested in this story-line.  So I definitely wasn’t ready to say goodbye to them, but thankfully I’ll get to see them in the future books of this series.

He had to laugh. “Lotti, when I first met you, you were in PE class wearing a baggy T-shirt and sweats and I wanted you.”
“I’m being serious, Sean.”
“So am I.”

Sean is Finn’s younger brother, and he’s in charge of his brother’s joint bachelor/bachelorette party.  They’re going to spend the weekend in Napa, and the group is in tow.  So Sean ended up renting out a whole B&B, just for them.  But when they get there, he didn’t expect to see the girl that was behind the check-in counter.  Lotti was the first girl Sean ever slept with, and then he proceeded to break her heart.  And Lotti doesn’t want anything to do with Sean.  

“Okay, tough girl,” he said softly, nuzzling at her throat. “No questions. No talking. You go ahead and give ignoring what’s still between us your best shot. I’ll wait right here.”

Sean is determined to make amends for how he treated Lotti ten years ago.  And he wants to prove how much he’s changed.  Lotti was rightfully stubborn and didn’t want to see how much Sean has grown up.  But it was beyond obvious how much he had changed in every single one of their interactions.  And Lotti also saw how much he had grown up when he was interacting with his friends.  But the best part?  Sean made it impossible for her to ignore him.  He was persistent and everywhere Lotti seemed to turn.  I love when a man knows what he wants and tries his hardest to win the girl.  So I easily fell for Sean, especially since he was cocky, seductive, sweet, and thoughtful.

His smile was badass wicked and filled with trouble as he put a knee on the bed and began to crawl toward her with nefarious intent in his sharp gaze.

This novella can easily be read as a standalone. And if you’re a fan of novellas that pull you in quickly, or a fan of this series or author then I definitely recommend it!  You can’t help but laugh and smile at Sean and Lotti’s interactions and there were a few fun, sexy scenes!  The only thing I could wish for, was that it was longer.  I would have loved more peeks into their past when they were younger.  But at least we will get peeks into their future, with this series future releases.

*ARC kindly provided by Random House Publishing in exchange for an honest review*

Synopsis:

Meet cute...

Run for the hills—temporarily. That’s Colbie Albright’s plan when she flees New York for San Francisco. Wrangling her crazy family by day and writing a bestselling YA fantasy series by night has taken its toll. In short, Colbie’s so over it that she’s under it. She’s also under the waters of a historic San Francisco fountain within an hour of arrival. Fortunately, the guy who fishes Colbie out has her looking forward to Christmas among strangers. But she’s pretty sure Spencer Baldwin won’t be a stranger for long.

Make merry...

Spence’s commitment to hiding from the Ghosts of Relationships Past means he doesn’t have to worry about the powerful—okay, crazy hot—chemistry he’s got with Colbie. Just because she can laugh at anything, especially herself... just because she’s gorgeous and a great listener…just because she “gets” Spence immediately doesn’t mean he won’t be able to let Colbie go. Does it?

…and hope for a miracle.

Now the clock’s ticking for Colbie and Spence: Two weeks to cut loose. Two weeks to fall hard. Two weeks to figure out how to make this Christmas last a lifetime.

Review:

Chasing Christmas Eve was such a charming story!  While it can read as a standalone, it did leave me wanting to go back and see how the coupled friends ended up together.  Especially since this is my first Jill Shalvis book and I was a little obsessed with another couple Elle and Archer.  So while I had a lot of names to learn, I’m so glad that they all came easily and that each of them were unique and stood out.  And when I closed the book, I was left with the same feeling after I watch a Hallmark movie.  It was just so adorable, not too much drama, I quickly liked all the characters, and the HEA was just what I was looking for.  This was such a feel good book.

“So you’re saying…you’re going to disappoint me?”
He felt his smile fade. “I have no doubt.”
She stared at him for another beat and  then nodded. “Good to know.”

Colbie Albright and Spence Baldwin were such a great match.  They’re both famous in their own ways, neither of them want to be in the spotlight, and they also both have some family drama.  They were kindred spirits in my eyes.  Yet neither one of them wants to let the other one know exactly who they are.  So it was fun watching them work towards a friendship, when they had so much attraction and chemistry between the two of them.  And while I’m one of those that loves some drama, it was actually refreshing that there truly wasn’t that much of it in Chasing Christmas Eve.  What I found in it’s place was this amazing dynamic of friendships between the people that lived or worked near Spence.

He was watching her. “So if there was a Santa Claus, what would you ask him for?” he asked.
You, she nearly said. She’d want him for Christmas and no take-backs. “I’d like my book to write itself,” she said instead.
He smiled.

My favorite thing about Spence’s world was all of the beautiful friendships that existed.  His group of friends created their own family within one another.  And it warmed my heart watching all of their interactions.   Especially with girls night out….. oh my gosh, it was hilarious and left me wanting to go back to the previous books and read the instance that they talked about.  Especially after witnessing what happened just in this book!  But I loved how the friendships helped show who Spence was, and I loved watching Colbie interact with all of them too.  It gave such a homey and more personal feel to the book.

“Colbie.”
His voice.  Low.  Sexy.  Perfect.  Was she really going to be able to walk away?  And even if she managed that, how was she going to move on and forget?

So if you adore books with a Harmark feel, a group of great friends, and a love story without a lot of drama, then you should give Chasing Christmas Eve a try.  There’s a few cheesy lines sprinkled in the first half of the book, but I’m definitely looking forward to trying more books by this author!

*ARC kindly provided by Random House Publishing in exchange for an honest review*

Purchase Links:

Amazon ✮ IndieBound ✮ Barnes & Noble ✮ Books-A-Million ✮ iBooks ✮ GooglePlay

About Jill Shalvis:

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website, www.jillshalvis.com, for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

Connect with Jill

Website ✩ Facebook ✩ Twitter ✩ Instagram ✩ Pinterest ✩ Tumblr ✩ Goodreads

Save