Review: Head Over Heels by Jill Shalvis

Source: we received an e-ARC of the book through NetGalley for review purposes.

Jill Shalvis writes the type of contemporary romance that I love to read, she gives us sexy, funny, charming and entertaining stories that leave you wanting more and Head Over Heels is no exception to the rule.

This is the third book in the Lucky Harbor series and if you are not familiar with the books you should know that the series is about three sisters who shared the same mother but different fathers and grew up apart from each other. When their mother died they inherited her house in a small town called Lucky Harbor. Despite having clashing personalities they decided to work together in order to restore the house and turn it into an inn, and because this is a romance, they find their soul mates in the process.

Head Over Heels is Chloe’s book. She is the youngest and wildest of the sisters. A very spirited and adventurous woman whose severe asthma plays a huge part in her life by limiting the things she can do and making her push herself almost to the breaking point. When we first met her she was impulsive, immature and reckless, but throughout the books she’s made a huge, albeit subtle, change. She is still wild and a bit reckless, but for the first time she feels like she belongs and wants to prove to herself and her sisters that there’s more than meets the eye and that she can be responsible and reliable.

Sawyer Thompson used to be a wild child as well, but now he’s the town’s sheriff and following rules is what he does for a living. Ever since he first met Chloe he’s been attracted to her, but she drives him crazy with her antics and he’s having a hard time deciding whether he should kiss her or arrest her. Maybe he ends up doing both, but you have to read the book to find out.

This book has been on my wish list since last year. Chloe was my favorite sister because even though she was a bit obnoxious it was obvious to me that she was more than a crazy girl, and Ms. Shalvis did a great job with her character because I could see her changing and maturing a little bit more in each book, so by the time her book came along she wasn’t the same woman she was in Simply Irresistible. Lately it seems like all contemporary romances must come in threes, everywhere I look there’s a new trilogy, and I admit that it’s become annoying, especially when we have to wait so much between books. But in this particular series not only does it make sense, but it also works perfectly, because we can actually see how the characters develop through the whole series, and it makes perfect sense that Chloe’s is the last book, because she was the character that needed more time to grow.

Sawyer was a wonderful hero and a perfect match for Chloe. The best part about him (besides his name *drools*, and that he wears a uniform *drools*, and that he is built like a linebacker *drools* *drools* *drools*) was that he didn’t want to change who Chloe was. He loved her just as she was and because of who she was, yes, she drove him crazy, but his biggest worry wasn’t that he didn’t know how to tame her, but that she was a free spirit and he was afraid that she wouldn’t be happy staying in one place.

The fact that Chloe suffered from asthma wasn’t a gimmick to move the plot forward and just forget that she’s sick once the plot device was no longer needed. Her condition was an important part of her life and it definitely affected her as well as everyone around her.

As usual there’s a great cast of secondary characters including Chloe’s sisters: Maddie and Tara, and their respective better halves. I always enjoy books were the male characters are friends so I can sit and enjoy the bromance, and there’s a lot of that in these books. This is a small town story so the usual quirky characters are present and the atmosphere is charming.

Part of the book felt slow and this story wasn’t as dramatic as the last one. I don’t think this book stands alone well because it’s harder to appreciate Chloe’s journey without having read the first two books, lucky for you the whole series is fantastic so you will have a great time reading the previous books as well.

Despite some shortcomings I enjoyed it a lot. There was a bit of mystery, love, comedy and the main couple had a ton of chemistry. I think if you are a fan of contemporary romance then you probably already know Ms. Shalvis’ books, but if you don’t, the Lucky Harbor books are a great place to start.

And as a side note I wanted to say that we are getting more Lucky Harbor books (yep, that awful noise you hear is me screaming like a tween in a Justin Bieber concert), I’ve got three suspects as possible heroes: mysterious cute guy, Matt the hunky park ranger and Josh the hot doctor. If you have inside info about this and want to let me know if I'm right or wrong, or if you have your own theories on who might be the next leads, then let me know in the comments!

Review by Brie

Grade: 4

Sensuality: McSteamy

Synopsis:

Breaking rules and breaking hearts

Free-spirited Chloe lives life on the edge. Unlike her soon-to-be married sisters, she isn't ready to settle into a quiet life running their family's newly renovated inn. But soon her love of trouble--and trouble with love-draws the attention of the very stern, very sexy sheriff who'd like nothing better than to tame her wild ways.  

Suddenly Chloe can't take a misstep without the sheriff hot on her heels. His rugged swagger and his enigmatic smile are enough to make a girl beg to be handcuffed. For the first time, instead of avoiding the law, Chloe dreams of surrender. Can this rebel find a way to keep the peace with the straitlaced sheriff? Or will Chloe's colorful past keep her from a love that lasts . . . and the safe haven she truly wants in a town called Lucky Harbor?

Head Over Heels (A Lucky Harbor Novel) by Jill Shalvis

Forever, Original Edition; November 22, 2011.