Once in a Lifetime by Jill Shalvis
Rating: 3 Stars
Description: Aubrey was a bit of a wild child in high school but is trying to get her act together and make her about to be opened bookstore a success. That is until she learns her jerk of an ex-boyfriend is about to publish a tell-all book. The tell-all portion being a tell-all about her. Giving into impulse she tries to throw a drink in his face but misses and hits town golden boy Ben McDaniel. Ben's been trying to recover from the death of his wife for the last 5 years. After spending most of that time bouncing from one war zone to
the next he decides to come home for a bit which is when he gets a drink tossed in his face. Neither of them want a relationship and no one thinks they should be together but sparks start to fly after Aubrey's uncle hires Ben to help fix up her bookstore.
Genre: Romance
My Impression: Shalvis's Lucky Harbor is one of the most consistently enjoyable contemporary series. I really liked Aubrey even though I thought she beat herself up way too much. She was smart, tough and completely self-reliant. I also enjoyed seeing Jack, Leah, Luke and Ali again and I'm now looking forward to Sam's book. Ben was okay. I liked his willingness to get involved when he thinks people need help. I like that falling for Aubrey was a challenge for him but his reaction to her secret and the length and strength of his anger kind of took the book down a notch for me. I was kind of annoyed by Aubrey's feeling so guilty and so many people holding such big grudges against her. She really didn't do anything worse than what most of the guys did and their mistakes are more considered teenage fun and laughed off.. I also wish she could have gotten some sympathy for being written off as an idiot for most of her life because she was pretty. Overall, this is a fun read full of likable characters and in a lovely setting. I'm looking forward to reading the books I've missed and can't wait to see where the series goes next.
Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Yes definitely
Would I Recommend this Book?: Yes though not my favorite in the series.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing a copy for review purposes!
I read my first Shalvis book recently and enjoyed it. These aren't my usual reading fare, but they are nice fits in between my darker reads, I think. I look forward to reading more by this author.
ReplyDeleteI've found Shalvis to be a pretty reliable fun read especially when my brain is too tired to process heavier books. Sitcom in book form I guess! They're definitely nice in between darker books Thanks so much for visiting!
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