carolesrandomlife

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.

This was another great read from Jill Shalvis. I have been with the Heartbreaker Bay series since it started and have looked forward to each installment. Each book in the series can be read as a stand-alone but readers of the series will enjoy catching up with well-loved characters. This series has been consistently good so I went into it with rather high expectations and it was just as good as I hoped it would be.

This book is Ivy and Kel's story. Ivy is part of the friend group that is at the core of this series. She runs the taco truck and has finally started to put down some roots. She moved around a lot growing up and learned how to take care of herself. She is really hesitant to think about anything long term since her plans don't usually work out. Kel is Cal's cousin from Idaho. He works as a sheriff and runs the family ranch but is helping his cousin out while he takes a bit of a break. Kel also is bothered by things from his past which is having a big impact on his present.

I loved these two together. They had wonderful chemistry with each other and I felt like they had a lot in common. They both just seemed to be a little bit better when they were together. I loved the way that Kel watched out for Ivy and felt protective towards her. Ivy was able to help Kel make progress with the demons from his past. They were both hesitant to think long term but the pull towards each other was so great they couldn't stay away from each other.

I would highly recommend this book to fans of contemporary romance. This was a fantastic romance with fantastic characters and just the right amount of heat. While this is a Christmas story, the festive details were extremely minor so it would be a great book to pick up at any time of the year. I can't wait to read more in this wonderful series.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Tasty Book PR via Book Funnel.

Initial Thoughts
This was another solid read from Jill Shalvis. Kel and Ivy were great together and I thought that they had a lot in common with each other with their family issues. I was really happy to see an epilogue that showed us how things would work out for them. An all-around great read!