Just before Christmas my friend Kim introduced me to a romance series called
Lucky Harbor by Jill Shalvis. Normally it takes me about two weeks to read one book,
but in just over two weeks I have read THREE of these books! And that is
read
read folks, not audio books! So, anyways, the series is basically centered
around this town called Lucky Harbor but each book is its own
relationship story. The first three are focused on the three sisters; Maddie,
Tara, and Chloe. I figured since I read them each so quickly I would review them
all together.
THE HEADLINE: Three sisters come together to rebuild their lives and find
love in the process!
THE ABDUCTOR: In the first book, Simply
Irresistible, we are abducted by Maddie and Jax. In The Sweetest thing it is
Tara and Ford. And in Head Over Heels (my favorite) it is Chloe and
Sawyer!
TIME IN CAPTIVITY: I loved the relationships between each of the
sisters. When they first come to Lucky Harbor they hardly know each other. Their
mom was a wanderer and Maddie and Tara were each raised by their dads. Chloe was
the only one that was raised by their mom, but because her mom never wanted to
stay in one place she was never able to have any stability and she didn't even know
who her dad was.
After their mom dies she leaves them a run down inn in Lucky Harbor and the
three come together to decide if they should
sell or try to make a go at running the inn themselves. Maddie is recovering
from a bad relationship, Tara has just ended an unhappy marriage, and Chloe,
though she doesn't even realize it herself, is just looking for a family.
Each of the girls end up finding love in unexpected places, but they also
come together and find themselves in the process. Yes, these are romance novels
so there are some sexy sexy scenes! But they are also just gushy stories about
falling in love and are fun to read!
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I have a talent for falling in love with side characters when I read a book, so when I read Simply Irresistible,
even though the main guy was Jax, I was interested in one of his best friends, Sawyer. Once I realized that the third book was about him and Chloe I got really excited and rushed through the second book just to get to their story!
And that is kind of the fun thing about the Lucky Harbor series. As you are reading the books you can find all these side characters that you get to watch fall in love later. It is fun to try and spot which girls will become lucky ladies in future books, and which guys they just might get paired with.
PICK UP LINE: All of these books had
great lines but I read them so fast I didn't get the chance to take notes. I
remember that Simply Irresistible had a great line about over coming past
failures. But at this point the only line I can really remember was when Chloe
said “It is always darkest before the dawn, so if you are going to steal your
neighbors newspaper that is the best time to do it!”
POINT OF ABDUCTION:
I was abducted by each of these books pretty much from the word
Go! But I’m
trying to remember what got me in each one.
In Simply Irresistible it was
after Jax kissed Maddie by his truck. Maddie was abused by her last boyfriend
and would sometimes flinch involuntarily when Jax would reach for her. Realizing
this, when Jax was kissing her by the truck he very softly warned her before he
put his hand up to her face and it was really sexy!
The beginning of the Sweetest Thing did feel
kind of shaky to me but I think the turning point was when Ford had a drinking
competition with Tara’s ex, Logan. He ends up drunk dialing Tara and admitting
to his insecurities and it is really sweet.
In Head Over Heels I was so excited to finally read about Chloe and Sawyer
that I really was abducted from the very beginning! But my favorite part was
when Sawyer had a really bad day at work and Chloe went to comfort him. It was
sweet to see Chloe putting Sawyer first and being aware of his feelings.
ABDUCTION RATING: My abduction ratings shouldn't come as that big of a
surprise but they are…
Simply Irresistible
I loved this book because it was the first book so it is when we are introduced to everyone, to the town to the locals, to the men! I was frustrated that people kept telling Maddie she wasn't ready for a relationship with Jax and I didn't like that he expected her to get over her issues from her last relationship so quickly. But watching Jax and Maddie fall in love was fun and watching the sisters come together was great!
The Sweetest Thing
I felt like the beginning was a little shaky but the book eventually evened out. There was a great story about Tara forgiving herself for a past mistake and facing her past. I kept getting a little bit frustrated that Tara and Ford found it so hard to talk to each other. But when you are dealing with those kinds of levels of shame and regret I can see where it is hard to face those you fear you hurt.
Head Over Heels
WHOO HOO Chloe and Sawyer!!! What else can I say! I waited through two other books to get these two together and when it finally happened I was not disappointed! My heart really went out to Sawyer for all the insecurities that he was dealing from his past. And not only did this book have the love story, but it also had a great resolution to the sister story and a very mild crime drama thrown in!