Good evening, bookworms and happy Wednesday! I’m not sure why, but it just feels like forever since I’ve updated (even though it’s only been a week). I think the holiday on Thursday threw me completely off balance, and I’ve been out of whack ever since. Anyway, I have a book review for you, so let’s get to it!
As I’ve stated plenty of times prior to this, when I read series, I try so hard to wait until I’m done with the whole batch and then put the reviews into one post. That won’t be happening today. Recently, I began the Heartbreaker Bay novels by Jill Shalvis, and there’s too many installments for me to properly display them in one post the way I’d like. Also, I’m dragging my feet reading them because I just have a lot going on right now. I’m nowhere near meeting my goals for my goodreads challenge, but I need to focus more on savoring the books I have going and enjoy the moment.
Now that I have my usual series disclaimer out of the way, let’s really talk Sweet Little Lies, book one in this awesome series. I’m admitting now that I’ve never read anything by Shalvis before, and I feel like I should’ve been introduced sooner. I initially found out about her books because book two in Heartbreaker Bay, The Trouble With Mistletoe, is coming to passionflix come December. I’m not the kind of person who can just jump into the middle of a series (even if each book involves different characters), so I started from the beginning, and was not disappointed!
Pru is a boat captain for a tourism company, SF Bay Tours, and Finn O’Riley is the owner of the local pub, O’Riley’s. She has her mutt of a dog, Thor, to keep her company, while he not only operates his own business, but is trying to raise his party-brother, Sean, as well. Both Pru and Finn have had to deal with certain tragic incidents that they coped with in their own way, but when their paths cross, she knows she has to step in. Striking up a conversation while she cozied up to the bar one night seems to get the ball rolling.
While flying solo at O’Riley’s, she notices how lonely he seems and how hard he works, she feels obligated to get him to have fun. Detected immediately by Finn’s group of close friends, Pru can’t help but warm up to each of them immediately (and there seem to be quite a few), and catching Finn’s eye. Once the two get to talking, an unlikely friendship begins to develop. It’s on another night, when they have a bad encounter with some darts, that things take a turn into new and interesting territory.
Pru wants Finn to open up and live life, she’s even labeled herself the “Fun Whisperer”. She plans on doing exactly that…without somehow falling for him in the process. Pru has too much baggage that carries its weight in the form of a huge secret she doesn’t talk to anyone about. Not even Finn; especially not Finn. All she can hope to do is right the wrongs she’d lived among prior and keep her fingers crossed for the best.
When I think “contemporary romance”, this is the kind of story I envision. The story of Finn, Pru, and the whole rowdy, San Fran crew played out like a fun romantic comedy. I adored the way this entire story unfolded. It had such a lovely and balanced mix of angst and sexy fun. Finn and Pru were such a good yin and yang situation. He was serious, practical, and focused on his business while helping his brother, Sean mature and get serious about his life. Pru took a bad time in her life and did what she could to turn her present and future into positivity and fun. She might’ve known from the start how impossible it would be to resist Finn, but she puts up a valiant effort.
Needless to say, I’ve already purchased books one through four, and I’m sure I’ll run to my local bookstore and grab the rest in the series when I get time. Each installment may involve a different member of the SF family, but I’m anxious to to meet every single one of them and know their story.
If you haven’t met Finn and Pru yet, or you’re looking forward to Willa and Keane’s debut on Passionflix, go meet them now!
My Final Rating: four out of five stars
Read This Book:
