Hot Biker looked at Maddie and smiled. "Trying to impress a woman here, Ford."
Ford turned to Maddie speculatively. "I suppose you already know that this guy here has got some charm. But did he tell you that in our freshman year we nicknamed him Hugh because his stash of porn was legendary? Yea, he had more back issues than eBay. And maybe he mentioned that he can't pee his name in the snow anymore because the last time he did, he gave himself a hernia trying to cross the X at the end of his name?" Ford turned back to Hot Biker and slapped him on the back. "There. Now you have no hope of impressing her, so get cranking on that puzzle--you owe me."
Hot Biker grimaced, and Maddie did something she hadn't in weeks.
She laughed.
And I laughed too. Out loud.
Jill Shalvis is an author I've been curious about for some time now. I've read one book of hers to completion already, Room Service, which was steamy and cute and breezy, but a little bit 'meh' even though I DID get hooked to it. The other book I tried to read was Get a Clue, which had an interesting premise, a promising romance, but fell short because I didn't like the way the female main character was being treated... nor did I like that she was letting herself be treated like a doormat.
Anyway, Lucky Harbor has been on my radar for some time now, because, for all that Contemporary Romances aren't my favorite genre in the world, they ARE my go-to genre if I'm feeling like I need something light, breezy, and fun.
And so far Simply Irresistible is proving to be very much so the light, breezy, fun type of book I'd love to curl up in front of a fireplace with a cup of tea or a glass of wine to read all day on a snowy afternoon. And do nothing but read this book. (Except that it is the beginning of May, I don't have a fireplace, and I don't have all day long to do nothing but read, though I'd love to.)
We've already met the three half-sisters and they seem down-to-earth enough for my interest to pique.
Maddie is described as socially awkward and mousy, with an obsessive organization compulsion borne from years of being an assistant to five different producers at a production company in L.A. I'm not sure she's quite shy, but she's also not the type who would willingly jump onto the dance floor without first being dragged... though she would go willingly because she seems a bit of a pushover and readily persuaded.
So I'm interested to see where this story takes her.
There's a nice spark going for the romance already with two chance encounters with Jax Cullen wherein Maddie accidentally to pulverize his motorcycle by knocking it over. It's a good "Meet Cute".
But mostly, I like that we've established a pretty good air of friendships and relationships between characters already. The three half-sisters seem estranged, but there's an underlying hint of caring between them.
And the Hot Biker, Jax, can't be too bad if his friends are anything like Ford (see above quote).
Anyway, between some amusing quips and some potentially good character interactions, I think I'm going to really enjoy this book. If anything, it'll at least be a breezy Contemporary to pass the time in enjoyment.
3
0
