Blog Tour Review - - The Good Luck Sister

The Good Luck Sister

By Jill Shalvis

Publisher: Avon Impulse

Release Date: May 1, 2018

Reviewed by Janga

Jill Shalvis returns her readers to Wildstone, California, ten years after Lost and Found Sisters for the story of Tilly Adams, the teenage sibling who almost stole the earlier book. Life has not turned out exactly as the teenage Tilly dreamed. Instead of creating a sensation in the art world, she has made a small splash at local art fairs and is beginning her career as a teacher of art at the local community college. Instead of being with her best friend turned love of her life, Dylan Scott, she is single, and the main male in her life is Leo, her six-pound “possible Maltipoo.”

Dylan left town eight years ago because he thought his leaving was best for Tilly. He joined the marines, and having survived some close calls in Afghanistan, although not without scars—physical and psychic—he has returned to Wildstone where he and his buddies Penn and Ric are the proud owners of Wildstone Air Tours. He has also registered for one of Tilly’s art classes.

Tilly is shocked to see Dylan in her class, and she insists that all she has to say to him is goodbye. But Dylan is tenacious, and he is committed to persuading Tilly that they deserve a second chance. The volatile chemistry between them helps to make his argument. This is a novella, so the reward of the HEA is not long delayed.

Although Quinn and Mick (who are about to become parents for the second time) provide a link to The Lost and Found Sisters and Penn and Ric tease readers with the possibility of new stories, the focus in this novella is solidly on Tilly and Dylan. Shalvis shifts between their past as best friends/first loves and their present. Readers who have not read the earlier book can follow their story without difficulty, but the novella will be a special treat for those whose hearts were won by the teens in the first Wildstone story.

No one is better than Jill Shalvis at creating characters with smart mouths and tender hearts. I can pay her no greater compliment than to say Tilly and Dylan as adults fulfilled their promise as teens, both as individuals and as a couple. They are likable, sympathetic characters with enough baggage to be interesting and enough living to be credible as adults.

I was pleased to see that the excerpts from “The Mixed-Up Files of Tilly Adams’s Journal” continued for their cleverness, for what they reveal about Tilly, and for the continuity with the novel. If you are a Shalvis fan, you will not want to miss this novella. If you like contemporary romance with humor, heart, and heat, The Good Luck Sister is a great appetizer for the books of an author with an extraordinary backlist. Add this one to your TBR.

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Excerpt from The Good Luck Sister

Chapter 1

“I’ve finished my free trial of adulthood and am no longer interested, so please cancel my subscription.” From The Mixed Up Files of Tilly’s journal. 

     Tilly Adams sat in the vet’s office staring at the doctor in shock. “Say that again?”

     Dr. Janet Lyons smiled. “I think Leo faked being sick. Probably so you’d stay home from work today.”

     Tilly looked down at Leo. “You do know he’s a dog, right?”

     All six pounds of him smiled up at her. About a month ago, she found him on a street corner hiding beneath a bus bench; wet, dirty, cold, hungry and matted. He’d been Dobby meets Gremlin meets neglected, abused Care Bear. Tilly had looked around for an adult, and then had to remind herself that at twenty-five years old, she was legal herself. So then she’d searched for an adultier adult, but she’d been the only one in sight.

     So she’d scooped the little guy up and had brought him to the SPCA, who’d said he was about five weeks old, a possible Maltipoo, which meant he came by his care bear look naturally. He was malnutritioned and suffering from mange. They’d said they’d do what they could, and Tilly had turned to go. That had been when she’d seen all the eyes on her from an endless row of cages … and she’d realized her care bear would soon be sitting in one too. Then she’d heard herself offer to foster him until they found him a forever home.

     They’d found him one too. Tilly had signed the adoption papers last weekend in spite of the fact that just that morning he’d escaped his crate, eaten her favorite sneakers, destroyed her favorite pillow, and then yakked up the stuffing from the pillow.

     He was a destructo of the highest magnitude, and something else too. He had no idea how small he was. He went after her sister Quinn’s twenty-plus pound cat and her neighbor’s hundred pound black lab with the same fierce, fearless gusto. Turned out, the little guy had a bad case of small-man syndrome, which was how he’d earned his name.

     Leo, short for Napoleon.

     And now on top of Leo’s impressive chewing skills, his escape artist skills, and his ability to get up on her bed and yet still not understand why stepping in his own poop was annoying, he had a new skill.

     He’d faked being sick.

     Proud of himself, Leo smiled up at her. Smiled. An hour ago he’d been coughing and limping and acting all sorts of odd. Now he just kept smiling up at her while sending her meaningful glances at the open dog biscuit bin between her and the doctor.

     Dr. Lyons laughed and gave him one.

     “Dogs can’t fake sick,” Tilly said while Leo inhaled the biscuit whole before licking the floor to make sure he got all the crumbs. “Can they?”

     Dr. Lyons scooped him up and gave him a kiss on his adorable snout. “Yours did.”
     Tilly sighed. It was too early for this. She’d had a crazy late night. Not hanging at Whiskey River, the local bar and grill. Not at a club with friends. Not working on her designs for he upcoming graphic art showing.

     Nope, she’d been on a serious stress bender -- a marathon of Game Of Thrones. She hadn’t fallen asleep until after two and her alarm had interrupted her in the middle of a really great dream starring Jon Snow.

     Dr. Lyons handed Leo over. He immediately snuggled into the crook of Tilly’s neck and dammit, her cold heart melted on the spot and she hugged him close. “You’re sure he’s okay? He was coughing. And then he limped funny. And then he wouldn’t eat.”

     “But he hasn’t coughed once that I’ve seen. And he’s not limping either. And you said all his food vanished while you took a quick shower.”

     “Yes,” Tilly said.

     Dr. Lyons waited for her to catch up.

     Tilly sighed. “He really did fake me out.”

Have you read any Jill Shalvis books?

Tell us about your favorite Shalvis book or couple.

One randomly chosen person leaving a comment before 11:00 PM (eastern), May 16 will receive an e-book copy of The Good Luck Sister from the publisher. (U.S. / Canada only)

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website, www.jillshalvis.com, for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

Connect with Jill

Website: http://jillshalvis.com/

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BUY LINKS for THE GOOD LUCK SISTER

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2qOBwgM

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