Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
My Kind of Wonderful by Jill Shalvis Series: Cedar Ridge #2
Published by Grand Central Publishing on December 22, 2015
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
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Amazon, Libro.fm, Barnes & Noble
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.
These small town, big family romances are some of my favorites and Jill Shalvis is definitely My Kind of Wonderful. This book continues my love affair with Jill.
Hud is from a big, messy family with a tough upbringing. He is a guy who feels guilty, works hard and tries to take care of everyone. I think he feels he doesn’t really deserve anyone in his life and that he doesn’t have time for a relationship with all his current, huge responsibilities, anyway. He’s a heart-stopping, amazing ball of angst.
Bailey is bursting with a renewed lease on life and wants to do it all. She wants to try everything, go out and do new things. She hasn’t had things easy, but she has great compassion for others.
I love skiing, the dynamics of this couple, the family aspects. It was a little silly the way they thought they could just jump into each others’ lives and then separate, easy as can be. That was never going to happen. That is just not who they are. Neither Bailey nor Hud has had the time to have or enjoy a real relationship. Until now.
The one thing that really bothered me though was the family has a big issue with money for the family business and the loan coming due. They mention it, but they don’t seem to be working on this problem enough. They sometimes spend big money on things and particularly in the epilogue, expensive things are happening and I couldn’t help wondering how they got the money. This incongruity nagged me a bit.
Overall, My Kind of Wonderful is a fun, sexy romance in a beautiful, mountain resort area with interesting, messy family developments. I enjoyed it, more than the first book, and recommend anything by Jill Shalvis.
Giggle worthy quote:
“Nope. One night after he’d gone to bed, I stole his keys and took it for a joy ride. It was snowing.”
Hud grimaced. Gray was notoriously, ridiculously attached to his vehicles. “You had a death wish?”
Aidan grinned. “Yeah, pretty much.” The driveway out of the complex we lived in – you remember it from when you came a few years later.”
“That driveway was a sheet of ice in the winter,” Hud said.
“Yep. I slid all the way down the thing and hit the mailboxes at the other end. Which of course saved my life because it meant I didn’t slide into the street and oncoming traffic.” Aidan let out a breath. “Which didn’t save me from Gray’s wrath, by the way.”
“A little pissed, was he?”
Aidan laughed. “Beyond pissed. I’d never seen him so furious before, or since actually. Luckily, I had a concussion and had to go to the hospital. I fully expected to be arrested for grand theft auto when I was released, but instead Gray was waiting for me.” Aidan shook his head. “I saw him and thought, well, it was a good run, I’d managed to keep myself alive for fourteen years, and had a good time while I was at it.”
Q&A with Jill:
Q: Regular followers of your Facebook page know that you are a cookie fiend. Do you have a favorite flavor or recipe that you’d like to share?
A: I’m not a cookie snob. I eat them all, love them all. I’ll make them if I have to, but I’ll eat too much raw dough so I tend to buy them.
Q: Where do you do most of your writing?
A: I write on a laptop and I migrate. At the lake, on the deck, in bed … wherever I can be alone.
Q: Some authors draft meticulous outlines before starting a novel while others just sit down and start at the beginning. What’s your writing style?
A: Right in the middle. I draft a vague outline before starting and then … I tend to ignore it.
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, um, 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.
I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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I love Jill Shalvis’ romances! And the small town big family is part of that for sure. Her characters are so realistic, too. Great review, Anne 🙂