Second Chance Summer by Jill Shalvis (Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads)Also by this author: One in a Million, Still the One, My Kind of Wonderful, Sweet Little Lies, The Good Luck Sister, Rainy Day Friends, Playing For Keeps: Heartbreaker Bay
Published by Headline Publishing Group on July 28th 2015
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Fans of Jill Mansell, Debbie Macomber, Nora Roberts and Marie Force will fall head over heels for the new Cedar Ridge series from New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis, featuring her trademark gift for humour, warmth and romance. What do you do when you run into the man who broke your heart? Lily's been back in Cedar Ridge for less than ten minutes when she bumps into Aiden, the former love of her life. So much for sneaking back into town unnoticed. And thanks to frizzy hair and armfuls of junk food, she's turning his head for all the wrong reasons.No one knows why Lily is home after ten years, and she's determined to stay no longer than the summer. But Cedar Ridge and Aiden have other ideas. As they set about persuading Lily to give them a second chance, she finds herself falling under the spell of the Colorado mountains ... and the one man she could never forget. Want more warm, funny romance? Visit spellbinding Lucky Harbor or experience some Animal Magnetism in Sunshine, Idaho in Jill's other unforgettable series.
Basically Jill Shalvis can do no wrong in my book… but I’ll be honest, I was on the fence with this one after a few chapters in. I just didn’t find myself getting invested in the town, the characters or the story.
Let’s just chalk that up to a slow start shall we? By the end of the book, I found myself totally hooked.
In Shalvis’ new series, we meet the Kincaids. These brothers are a testament to how well Jill Shalvis knows her audience. These guys are sexy and rugged and so hard to resist. Aiden, a firefighter and search and rescue worker, has only ever regretted one thing and that was watching the woman he loved walk away. He’s determined to help save the family resort despite the shape his father left it in when he left.
Lily has had a pretty rough time of it… Born and raised in Cedar Ridge, she loved the area as it offered her the adventure she loved. But several tragedies brought about the desire to get away and the one thing that could have helped her decision to stay, just never happened. After Cedar Ridge she found a job she loved and a place she thought she belonged. Until she didn’t. Heading back was never in the plans, but she needs a place to lay low for a bit and the perfect opportunity has presented itself. As long as she can avoid Aidan, she’ll make it just fine until a new position shows up.
Of course nothing goes as she expects.
I’ve said it before, Shalvis creates some of the swooniest guys around and Aidan is no exception. You know you’re going to get lots of tension and chemistry between her characters but you’re also always guaranteed sweet moments and tons of romance.
“I…” Her gaze dipped to his chest and then back to his eyes. “I do feel things for you,” she whispered. “Big things. I just…”
He pushed her hair from her face. “You’ll get there when you get there. There’s no rush, Lily.”
Her eyes were big on his. Uncertain. Wary. “I’m just…”
“I know. And I’m not going anywhere,” he promised. “And neither are my feelings for you.”
Another thing Shalvis always seems to get right are the wonderful families and friendships. Aidan’s family is fun and messy and I loved every second of getting to know them in this first book. I’m incredibly excited to learn more about each of his brothers and even his mom is a blast!
It’s true that Shalvis has a certain formula to her stories, but you won’t find me complaining. I know when I pick up her books I’m guaranteed to find a guy I’d fall for and a heartwarming story that will make me want to find these imaginary places she creates. Overall Second Chance Summer is a wonderful start to what I for one hopes will be a long running, fun new series. I’m definitely looking forward to more of the characters in Cedar Ridge!
Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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