Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis (Lucky Harbor #1)
Contemporary Romance
October 1, 2010
Paperback, 336 Pages
Forever

Reviewed by Mandi

Favorite Quote: Note to self: always choose sex over physical labor!

Maddie is ready for a new beginning. After breaking up with her abusive boyfriend and losing her job, she is down in the dumps. Her mother passed away recently, and although she grew up with her father and never had a close relationship with her grateful dead worshipping mom, she is still grieving the loss. Her mother left Maddie and her two half-sisters an inn in the coastal town of Lucky Harbor, Washington. Deciding to leave the big city life behind in LA, she packs up and heads out.

Maddie soon has many new people in her life to deal with. First are her sisters Tara, nicknamed The Steel Magnolia, and Chloe, The Wild child, both with strong personalities. Tara herself is nicknamed the The Mouse, and wants to change that perception. Having not seen them for the past five years, they have a lot of catching up to do. The first issue on the agenda is what to do with the dilapidated inn their mother left them. Maddie wants a new start in life, although that scares her witless, but in an effort to be this new person, she really wants to keep the inn. Convincing her sisters is another battle.

Before she can even contemplate doing that, she also has a new male friend,  by the name of Jax. Jax left his high-powered lawyer career behind many years ago and is now a carpenter in Lucky Harbor. He has a reputation for collecting the needy, although he sees much more in Maddie than just a frightened girl. After running into Maddie when she first arrives into town, Jax is very interested in her. Since Maddie is coming off of an abusive relationship, he has to take things very slow. But Jax has lots of time, patience, and very sexy charm to win her over.

Simply Irresistible features a hot dude who wears a low slung tool belt. HELLO. Do you need another reason to read this one? This the first book by Jill Shalvis I have read, and also the first in her new Lucky Harbor series. The word cute comes to mind when I think of this book. I liked Maddie and Jax from the start. They have some really great chemistry between them and their sexual tension is really hot throughout this book. They both have some yuck in their past that they have to deal with before they can move forward in this relationship. By the end of the book I was SO READY for Maddie to accept the fact that Jax is NOT her abusive ex boyfriend and move on with her bad self. So that part frustrated me a little bit. But Jill Shalvis works in some really sexy scenes throughout and Jax is just a really endearing hero.

When I first started and we are introduced to Tara and Chloe, Maddie’s sisters, I wasn’t sure about them. Tara is very defensive and tough (on the outside) and Chloe is more the hippie sister who is into making organic skin products and has really bad asthma. They are both really strong characters and I didn’t know what to make of them. But, once I got to know them better, I thought they added really great stuff to this book. They form this fun sisterly bond, with many funny moments. For example, they wanted to decorate a tree for Christmas, but all they could find was a Charlie Brown tree – and they had no ornaments. So they improvised with kitchen utensils and magazine hottie cut-outs:

Above her, she could see a set of barbecue tongs dangling off the branches next to a picture of Jon Bon Jovi, a whisk, a Tupperware lid, and a near-naked shot of a very young Johnny Depp.

“I’ve never had a more beautiful tree,” she (Maddie) whispered reverently.

“That’s because you’re drunk, sugar.”

Especially Tara (who is the heroine in book two.) She has a big, bad secret that isn’t revealed until the end of the book. There is also much mystery surrounding her and one of Jax’s close friends, Ford. I am really looking forward to their book.

Simply Irresistible is a great contemporary romance and the beginning of a fun new series.

Rating: 4/5

Recent Reviews:
Stacy’s Place on Earth – 5/5
Fiction Vixen – 4/5
Book Addict – 3.5/5
Smokin’ Hot Books– 4.5/5
Book Binge – 4/5
All About Romance – B+
Goodreads

This series includes
Simply Irresistible
The Sweetest Thing – April 2011

Author’s Website.