Friday, August 10, 2012

"Forever And A Day" by Jill Shalvis

4.5 - 5 stars

Story:
Dr. Josh Scott isn't desperate. Well, not exactly. He's just in desperate need of... something. He's working crazy hours in the ER and his own practice, his son that he is raising on his own, stopped talking and took up barking instead and then there's his paralyzed, angry sister living with him. And to top it all off his house is now harboring the most ill-behaved pug on the planet, also known as the Antichrist.
What he really needs is help, so hiring Grace to babysit and walk the satanic canine seemed like a good idea at the time.
Grace is still trying to figure out what to do with her life because pleasing her parents just might not be good enough anymore. She figures that walking a little dog can't be too hard, but by accepting the dog she's taking on way more than she bargained for. Because risking her heart was never part of the plan... 

"[...] And I love them all." Grace heard the words, then clapped a hand over her mouth. "What is that? Why does that word keep slipping out?"
"It's because love is one of those really bossy bitches," Amy said. "There's no telling it what to do."

Well, they do say that three's the charm, but due to the fact that the main character was a doctor I never thought that this would come true for me with Jill Shalvis's third book in her "Lucky Harbor/Chocoholics" series. I was wrong. "Forever And A Day" was simply irresistable. ;) I loved "Lucky In Love" and enjoyed "At Last", but it was the last installment of the series that took the (cup)cake for me.
This was a lovely, sexy story with an enjoyably relaxed pace, despite all the entertaining chaos that happens in the small town of Lucky Harbor. What made this book so special were the two main characters and the incredible chemistry between them.

Grace was such a likeable character. Her interactions with Toby, Josh's son were truly touching, but it was the way Grace handled Josh's rebellious, paralyzed sister that made her my favorite Shalvis heroine so far.
Then there's Josh. Sexy, wonderful, adorably stressed Josh. Talk about favorite characters. He and Sawyer are fighting for the number one spot in my heart and although Sawyer is a badass cop with a gun, it actually might be the hunky doctor that will come out on top. And that's quite a feat because I don't think I've ever actually liked a doctor as a hero. And I didn't just like Josh - I completely adored him.
He was a compelling main character. He genuinely wanted to help people, but despite his crazy work hours you never doubted that his family came first, even if it took him some time to figure it out himself. But the best (or at least most amusing) thing about him was how clueless he was about what to do about the energetic bundle called Grace. Oh, he thought he had her all figured out, but he could do nothing to stop her from charming her way into his slightly cynic heart. Watching those two stumble along was priceless.

Hands down, this was my favorite Shalvis love story. I enjoyed myself from the get-go. And a very big plus (for me) was the slower build up. At least it was slow for Jill Shalvis. It was still sexy as hell because the attraction and heat was coming off every page, but the way she strung those two along was a delicious reading experience in itself!

I'm delighted that this isn't the end of the "Lucky Harbor" series and I'm really looking forward to the next installments. I would recommend this book to everyone who enjoys a quick, sexy and sweet story about finding your place in life and discovering love in unexpected places. 

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