Book Review: The Summer Deal (Wildstone #5) by Jill Shalvis

The Summer Deal
Wildstone #5
By: Jill Shalvis
Release Date: June 2, 2020
Publisher: William Morrow
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Source: eARC from the publisher in exchange for a honest review

Book Summary:

From New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis comes a friends-to-frenemies-to-sisters story… And then add in a love story (okay, two love stories). Shake. Stir. Read on a lazy summer day at the beach. 

Brynn Turner desperately wishes she had it together, but her personal life is like a ping-pong match that’s left her scared and hurt after so many attempts to get it right. In search of a place to lick her wounds and get a fresh start, she heads back home to Wildstone. 

And then there’s Kinsey Davis, who after battling serious health issues her entire twenty-nine years of life, is tired of hoping for . . . well, anything. She's fierce, tough, and pretty much the opposite of Brynn except for one thing: they're half-sisters. Kinsey is keeping this bombshell, and a few others as well. Long time frenemies from summer camp, there’s no way she’s going to tell Brynn they’re related. 

But then Brynn runs into Kinsey's lifelong best friend, Eli, renewing a childhood crush. He’s still easy-going and funny and sexy as hell. When he gets her to agree to a summer-time deal to trust him to do right by her, no matter what, she never dreams it’ll result in finding a piece of herself she didn’t even know was missing. She could have a sister, love, and a future―if she can only learn to let go of the past. 

As the long days of summer wind down, the three of them must discover if forgiveness is enough to grasp the unconditional love that’s right in front of them.

My Thoughts:

The Summer Deal was such a great read!  Jill Shalvis is a master storyteller, and every time I read a story of hers, I'm reminded of why I love her books so much.  Her characters are real, relatable, and likable!

We get the stories of Brynn Turner and Kinsey Davis.  The story toggles between the past (in diary entries,) and the present, in which we learn these two attended the same summer camp every year, and did not get along.  

Brynn leaves Long Beach for Wildstone when things go south with her boyfriend.  She needs a new start, and to have the support and love of her nurturing mothers, Olive and Raina.  However, she doesn't want to live with them, and prefers to have her own space.  Unfortunately, rent in Wildstone is too high for this substitute kindergarten school teacher.  So when Eli,  (her adolescent crush,) offers her a room for rent at a reasonable price in his home, she accepts.  What she doesn't realize is that Eli had a huge crush on her too, and is excited to have her back in Wildstone.  Bryn becomes upset when she learns that Kinsey is one of his roommates, and even though she decides she's going to back out of the arrangement, they convince her to stay.  

Eli and Kinsey have been best friends since they were young, and bonded over having families that abandoned them.  Eli wants to bring Brynn and Kinsey together, because he knows an important secret.  So Eli, his fun-loving half-brother Max, Brynn, and Kinsey all end up becoming roommates.

Kinsey is very sick.  She has Kidney Disease, and unfortunately transplant rejection has been a problem for her. She has a friends with benefits arrangement with Deck, a single father and nurse at the dialysis center.  Kinsey insists on keeping everyone she cares about at arms length, because she has resigned herself to death, and doesn't want to hurt anyone.  

The Summer Deal was a fantastic read!  I loved getting to know sweet, sensitive, quirky Brynn.  Kinsey was a character with many layers,  At times she could appear cold, but she had suffered so much since a young age, and we realize she is trying to protect herself, as much as she's trying to protect those around her.   Eli and Deck were both wonderful love interests that had me swooning!  They were patient, kind, caring, and compassionate.  They had their work cut out for them with Brynn, (who had major trust issues,) and Kinsey. 

I loved so much about this story!  I loved how realistic the main characters were.  Jill Shalvis brought them to life, and they felt so real to me, that they could have walked right off of the page.  They were flawed, like any person is, but had so many great qualities to them as well.  Brynn's mothers and Kindergartner’s charmed me, made me smile, and laugh.  My heart broke for the individual hurt and pain they all suffered along their unique journeys.  I was rooting the whole way through for Brynn and Kinsey to make peace with one another, and get close.  I was holding my breath hoping that Brynn and Kinsey would take a chance on love, and was ecstatic when Ms. Shalvis delivered the perfect ending!

Purchase At:

Amazon | Audible | Barnes and Noble | iBooks 

About the Author:

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.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Blog Tour: Almost Just Friends (Wildstone #4) by Jill Shalvis

Almost Just Friends
Wildstone #4
By: Jill Shelves
Published: January 21, 2020
Publisher: William Morrow
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Source: eARC from the publisher in exchange for a honest review

Book Summary:
New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis returns to Wildstone with the touching story of finding your place in the world—and the people who make it home. 

Piper Manning’s about as tough as they come, she’s had to be. She raised her siblings and they’ve thankfully flown the coop. All she has to do is finish fixing up the lake house her grandparents left her, sell it, and then she’s free. 

When a massive storm hits, she runs into a tall, dark and brooding stranger, Camden Reid. There’s a spark there, one that shocks her. Surprising her further, her sister and brother return, each of them holding their own secrets. The smart move would be for Piper to ignore them all but Cam unleashes emotions deep inside of her that she can’t deny, making her yearn for something she doesn’t understand. And her siblings…well, they need each other. 

Only when the secrets come out, it changes everything Piper thinks she knows about her family, herself…and Cam. Can she find a way to outrun the demons? The answer is closer than she thinks—just as the new life she craves may have already begun.

My Thoughts:

Almost Just friends was a wonderful story about friendship, family, love, and life.  Piper Manning lost her parents at the tender age of thirteen, and came with her younger siblings, Gavin and Winnie, to live with her grandparents in Wildstone.  She took on the burdens and responsibilities of raising them and was more like a mother than a sibling.  Piper is looking forward to selling the house and cottages on Rainbow Lake; that her family inherited from her grandparents, so that she can move away to Colorado, and go to college to become a P.A.  Piper longs for adventure and a life of her own, now that both of her siblings flew the nest many years ago.

However all of Piper's plans are interrupted when Gavin and Winnie show up, and plan on staying as a family at their grandparents house.  Both have heavy burdens to bare, and secrets that they are keeping from their older sister.  To top it off, Piper meets the sexy, handsome, and caring, Cam who happens to be on leave from the Coast Guard, and is visiting his father, and Piper's neighbor, Emmitt, after the loss of Cam's younger brother.  Things have now gotten complicated for Piper, and she just might discover there is plenty of adventure to be had in her small little hometown of Wildstone...

I loved Piper.  She reminded me of myself.  She carried her bullet journal/planner everywhere, and was obsessed with making lists for everything.  She cracked me up with her bucket list, and secret secret bucket list!  She loved her siblings more than anything, but she could come off a little bossy and judgemental, as far as they were concerned.   

Cam rarely smiled when Piper first met him, but she made him happy.  He saw what a treasure Piper was, and he made her feel wanted, appreciated, and seen.   Cam was such a sexy manly man.  He looked out for Piper, and was an excellent listener.  He helped her to have fun, and relax.  These two connected, because they had both had challenges in their lives, where they could relate to one another.   Plus the chemistry between them was sizzling!

I loved the secondary cast of characters as well.  Emmitt, Cam's father, was hilarious!  I loved learning about Gavin, and he had his own romance as well.  Winnie was going through a lot, but I loved her strength, resilience, and courage to pick herself up, and become the mature adult that she wanted to be.

My favorite aspects of this story were the humor that was infused all the way throughout the story, as well as being able to relate to it when it came to loss, mourning, and learning how to live again.  The two romances were fun, but my absolute favorite moments were when everyone was together, whether they were bickering or having a good time!  If you are looking for a story that will have you laughing aloud, make you happy, and is real and relatable to life, and experiencing loss, and love; as well as needing to learn resilience, you should pick up Almost Just Friends by Jill Shalvis!

Book Excerpt:

The last time a woman had ordered Cam to strip had been a very different scene altogether, and it’d been a while. Generally speaking, he liked to be behind the wheel in most situations, but he’d never had any complaints about a woman driving in his bed. “Interesting bedside manner.” 

“Okay,” she said. “How about strip, please.” 

He laughed, and he realized that until tonight, it’d been a damn long time for that too.  “Well, since you asked so 
nicely . . .” But still he hesitated. 

“Trust me, I’ve seen it all before.” 
He pulled off his shirt, wincing when the cotton stuck to the deepest slice across his chest. 
Piper blinked, and for the first time all night, appeared short of words. 

It was pretty damn cute, especially with the mud on her nose. “Thought you’ve seen it all before.” She bit her lower lip, eyes suddenly hooded, and he couldn’t resist teasing her. “So, how do I stack up?” 

That got her, and she rolled her eyes. “Like you don’t know. Sit.” 

The couch seemed too . . . personal, so he sat on her coffee table. She dropped to her knees at his side and doctored up first the cut on his left palm from where he’d nicked himself in his dad’s kitchen, and then the two slices on his left biceps, and then the biggest one across his chest, during which time he did his best to ignore the feel of her soft breath on his skin and failed. 

When she’d finished, she looked down at his cargoes and saw the blood seeping through from his thigh. Rising to her feet, she stepped back, gesturing for him to lose the pants too. 

“Seriously,” he said. “Doesn’t even have to be dinner. An appetizer would work.” 

“If you’re real good, I’ll give you a sticker.” “How about letting me look at your secret secret bucket list instead?” 

Her eyes narrowed. 

“How about we stop talking now?” 

“Wait.” He cocked his head. “Does this mean you also have a secret bucket list? And possibly a not-so- secret bucket list?” 

She had hands on hips; a fresh, clean gauze in one hand, antibiotic ointment in the other, her expression dialed to Not Feeling Playful. 

With a rough laugh, he stood and took the gauze and ointment from her. “I got this one, Doc.” And then he gestured for her to turn around. 

She did with a smirk, and then spoke over her shoulder. “Didn’t peg you for the shy type.” 

“Oh, I’m not shy.” He shoved his icy, muddy, wet cargoes to his thighs, and yeah, the cat had come within two inches of de-manning him. “Just didn’t want to have to fight you off.” 

“Don’t worry,” she said. “I always get verbal consent first. And I bet you didn’t want me to see your tighty-whities.” 

He gritted his teeth as he cleaned out the cut. Son of a bitch, that cat had gone deep. “They’re not tight and they’re not white.” 

“Batman undies?”

“Commando,” he said, and that shut her up. When he’d finished and pulled his pants back up, he lifted his head and found her facing him. His brows went up. “See anything you like?” 

Instead of answering, she blushed. And he grinned because, yeah. She’d definitely seen something she liked. 

From Almost Just Friends by Jill Shalvis, published by William Morrow. Copyright © 2020 by Jill Shalvis. Reprinted courtesy of HarperCollinsPublishers https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062897800/almost-just-friends/

Purchase At:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks 
Google | IndieBound | BAM

About the Author:

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.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter 

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Giveaway:

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Almost Just Friends

Wildstone #4

By: Jill Shalvis

Release Date: January 21, 2020

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

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Book Synopsis:

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis returns to Wildstone with the touching story of finding your place in the world—and the people who make it home. 

Piper Manning’s about as tough as they come, she’s had to be. She raised her siblings and they’ve thankfully flown the coop. All she has to do is finish fixing up the lake house her grandparents left her, sell it, and then she’s free. When a massive storm hits, she runs into a tall, dark and brooding stranger, Camden Reid. There’s a spark there, one that shocks her. Surprising her further, her sister and brother return, each of them holding their own secrets. The smart move would be for Piper to ignore them all but Cam unleashes emotions deep inside of her that she can’t deny, making her yearn for something she doesn’t understand. And her siblings…well, they need each other. Only when the secrets come out, it changes everything Piper thinks she knows about her family, herself…and Cam. Can she find a way to outrun the demons? The answer is closer than she thinks—just as the new life she craves may have already begun.

Why I'm Eagerly Waiting:

I'm a fan of Jill Shalvis' books.  I love the way she gives us sweet romance, and a sense of family and/or community in her stories.  She is the queen of second chance romance, and I'm looking forward to this upcoming story, because it sounds like a cute read, with some mystery, and a lot of emotion. 

What Are You Waiting On?

Book Review: Nobody But You (Cedar Ridge #3) by Jill Shalvis

Nobody But You
Cedar Ridge #3

By:
Jill Shalvis

Release Date:
March 29, 2016

Publisher:
Forever Romance

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Goodreads

Source:
eARC from publisher in exchange for a honest review

GR's Summary:

SOMETIMES YOU CAN GO HOME AGAIN… 

After an overseas mission goes wrong, Army Special Forces officer Jacob Kincaid knows where he must go to make things right: back home to the tiny town of Cedar Ridge, Colorado. All he needs to scrub away his painful past is fresh mountain air, a lakeside cabin, and quiet solitude. But what he discovers is a gorgeous woman living on a boat at his dock. 

Sophie Marren has nowhere else to go. She’s broke, intermittently seasick, and fighting a serious attraction to the brooding, dishy, I’m-too-sexy-for-myself guy who’s now claiming her dock. Something about Jacob’s dark intensity makes her want to tease—and tempt—him beyond measure. Neither one wants to give any ground
 . . . until they realize the only true home they have is with each other.

Cedar Ridge Series:

Review on Second Chance Summer Here

Review on My Kind of Wonderful Here

*Add this series to Goodreads Here

Lindy's Thoughts:

The Cedar Ridge Series is the kind that brings you lots of warm fuzzies.  It is a small town romance about the Kincaid siblings, their relationships with one another, as well as their adventures when it comes to finding love.  The Kincaid family is extremely close, and reminds me of my own family.  They are there for one another through thick and thin, enjoy joking around, and share a loyalty and extreme closeness that is beautiful to watch.

Nobody but You is identical twin and Army Special Forces Officer, Jacob Kincaid's story.  Jacob left home when he was eighteen to join the army.  He had a falling out with his twin brother Hudson, and has been away from his family for nine years.  After his best friend dies, he realizes that he needs to make amends with his family, because life is too short.

When Jacob returns to Cedar Ridge Lake, Colorado, he meets the beautiful, gutsy, and feisty, Sophie Marren.  Sophie is living on her cheating ex-husband's luxury boat.  After her marriage ended, she took the only item that meant anything to him, and now she's miserable.  She's sea sick, uncomfortable in the small living space, penniless, and trying to get her life back on track.  

When Jacob meets Sophie, she makes him feel alive.  He is highly amused, entertained, and turned on by her fiery little temper, and is drawn to her like a moth to a flame.  Sophie thinks Jacob is gorgeous, and can feel the combustible chemistry between them, but doesn't think that she can love anyone.  She got her heart broken by her philandering ex-husband, and never wants to be hurt like that again.  However, as she tries to make a new beginning for herself, Jacob finds a way to insert himself in to her life, and permanently in to her heart.

I always enjoy returning to the charming and quaint town of Cedar Ridge.  I felt right at home, as I was reunited with Gray, Aiden, Hudson, and Kenna Kincaid, and their significant others.  Nobody But You was an extremely pleasurable read, and I looked forward to reading Jacob and Sophie's story every chance I got.  It was a great reading escape, that was full of laughs, tender moments, emotional times, as well as joyful and sexy moments.

My Rating:

I give, Nobody But You, by Jill Shalvis, 4 A Family Reunited, Fiery Adventure, The Forever Kind of Love Filled Stars!  Ms. Shalvis, please give Kenna and Mitch a story, and go back and tell us Gray and Penny's story!  I love the Kincaid Family, and am not ready to say goodbye to them!  I love all of Jill Shalvis' books, but the Cedar Ridge Series is my absolute favorite!  I highly recommend these books to readers who love books about small town romance, close-knit families, and super hot sexy times!!! 

Mikki's Review:

This is my first time reading a book by Jill Shalvis. I am so happy that I got a chance to finally break the ice and discover her amazing talent. She's such a wonderful storyteller! I have been reading amazing things about her work from my co-blogger. We have similar tastes in books so I knew that I would fall in love with Jill Shalvis' writing style just like she did. Nobody But You was an enjoyable and sweet reading escape! Nobody But You is the third installment of the Cedar Ridge Series by Jill Shalvis. It can be read as a standalone and it follows Sophie Marren and Army Special Forces officer Jacob Kincaid. 

Both Sophie and Jacob are going through some rough times. Jacob is coming back home after an oversea mission that left him broken. Picking up the pieces of his past will be a big challenge. Sophie is ready to turn the page and start a new journey. Even if it starts by stealing her ex-husband's boat. She has nowhere to go so she goes with the flow when it comes to taking her next decision. What she never expected was to meet Jacob Kincaid. His intensity leaves her breathless. She can't deny that she is attracted to him and after what happened with her husband a temporary distraction is exactly what she needs. No strings attached. As days go by, Sophie and Jacob grow closer together and can't deny that this is more than a fling. What happens when feelings start to grow and the only thing you think you did not need is everything you want?

Sophie and Jacob's love story was romantic, sweet and heart melting. I love when an author brings the characters to life in when writing their story and that is exactly what she did in Nobody But You. The chemistry between the main characters was sizzling and their banter was simply irresistible! They both were fun and easy to relate to. 

Sophie and Jacob had a slow building romance that touched my heart and through many ups and down they made their relationship work. It was hard for Sophie to trust a man after what happened with her ex-husband, but Jacob swept her off her feet with his irresistible charm and fun personality. Sophie's arrival was like a soothing balm to Jacob's emotional scars. She was the person he turned to for comfort without knowing that she would own his heart in a flash.

Even if I did not read the previous books in the Cedar Ridge Series, I did not feel lost. I really hope I get a chance to read them pretty soon and embark on another great reading journey. Jacob's siblings were great and I really hope that this series will continue. I loved the moments that they shared has a family. Things were pretty intense at the beginning between Jacob and his siblings, but as time went by he got closer to them. I highly recommend this book if you want to read your first Jill Shalvis book. It will get you hooked! 

My Rating:

I give, Nobody But You, by Jill Shalvis, 4 romantic, sweet, we're in this together, heart and soul stars!

Book Teaser:

Purchase At:

Amazon | B&N | iBooks 
 Google Play | Kobo | BAM

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 mostly coincidental. Look for Jill's bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

Blog Tour: My Kind of Wonderful (Cedar Ridge #2) by Jill Shalvis

My Kind of Wonderful
Cedar Ridge #2

By:
Jill Shalvis

Published:
December 22, 2015

Publisher:
Forever Romance

Add to
Goodreads

Source:
eARC from publisher in exchange for a honest review

Book Summary:

UNEXPECTED AND UNDENIABLE . . . 

Bailey Moore has an agenda: skiing in the Rockies, exploring castles in Europe, ballroom dancing in Argentina. Now that she has a second lease on life, she's determined not to miss a thing. What she doesn't realize is that item #1 comes with a six-foot-one ski god hot enough to melt a polar ice cap. She doesn't want to miss out on him either, but Hudson Kincaid isn't the type of guy to love and let go. And as gorgeous as Cedar Ridge is, she's not planning to stick around. 

As head of ski patrol at his family's resort, Hud thinks he's seen it all. But never has he run into someone like Bailey. She might look delicate, but her attitude is all firecracker. And her infectious joy touches something deep within him that he's been missing far too long. Now he'll just have to convince Bailey to take a chance on her biggest adventure yet . . . something rare and all kinds of wonderful.

Cedar Ridge Series:

My Review of Second Chance Summer Here

 

*Add this Series to Goodreads Here

My Thoughts:

Are you looking for a slow-burning romance to warm up your bones this winter?  Yes?  Well, look no further!  My Kind of Wonderful is the kind of story you want to get lost in, while curled up by the fire, sipping your hot cocoa or coffee.  This was a book that I enjoyed every moment of reading!  While I love Ms. Shalvis' small town romances, and know that I am guaranteed a good read with every book she writes; My Kind of Wonderful, blew away my expectations.

First off, the Cedar Ridge series, has extremely lovable, well-developed, fun, and humorous characters.  I mean, each and every one of them has found a place in my heart after reading, Second Chance Summer.  However, my love for the Kincaid Family has grown ten-fold after reading this sequel.  Here is the type of family that is always full of love, laughter, crazy shenanigans, comfort, support, and yes, even a kick in the behind, when it's needed.

Hudson Kincaid is a workaholic.  He loves his family deeply, but is the type of person that carries multiple burdens on his shoulders.  While his family is willing to help him out, he is always looking out for everyone else, at the expense of himself.  Hudson doesn't have a personal life.  His heart is closed off from finding love, and he carries a lot of guilt for the long standing separation between himself, and his twin brother, Jacob.  Hudson cares for his mother who is ailing from severe dementia, works crazy hours at his family's ski resort, and is a part time cop in Cedar Ridge.

Bailey Moore gets hired to paint a mural at the Cedar Ridge ski resort.  She is recovering from Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and has a list of activities that she wants to complete, now that she can finally live a full life.  Bailey has only had one boyfriend, Aaron, and her relationship lacked passion.  To top it off, everyone has always treated her like she is fragile.  She wants the type of love that she's never had, and someone to treat her as an equal.  

When she meets Hudson, there is an enticing spark between them.  As Bailey continues to travel to Cedar Ridge every weekend to work on her mural, she gets swept away in a passionate love affair.  However, Hudson is known for pushing people away that he cares about.  Can she get him to open his heart, and realize that what they have is special?

My Kind of Wonderful was a beautiful story.  It touched my heart, and made me feel good.  It was low in angst, and the perfect story for the reader who is looking to get lost in a story that will make them feel happy, and good inside.  I highly recommend this book, as well as Second Chance Summer, the first book in the series.

My Rating:

I give, My Kind of Wonderful, by Jill Shalvis, 4.5 Electrically Charged, Warm, Sweet, Passionate, Beautiful Love Story filled stars!  I am in love with the Cedar Ridge Series, and can't wait to read the next book in the series, Nobody But You, which will be Jacob Kincaid's story!

Book Teasers:

Purchase At:

Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | Google Play | BAM

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 mostly coincidental. Look for Jill's bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter