Today's Special - Jill Shalvis

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 for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

As Andrea noted in her recent review of One in a Million, she and readers the world over are mourning the end of Jill Shalvis's Lucky Harbor series. And they aren't alone. Jill, herself, is having a hard time saying goodbye to these beloved characters. In fact, she's having such a difficult time that she's embarked on a Lucky Harbor blog tour with a Rafflecopter giveaway of the full Lucky Harbor set of books and also has a special surprise for fans of the series.  (Be sure to read all the way to the end of this blog!) 

Social Networking Links

Website - http://www.JillShalvis.com    

Facebook - http://www.Facebook.com/jillshalvis    

Twitter - https://twitter.com/JillShalvis

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22370.Jill_Shalvis

Guest Post - Jill Shalvis' Lucky Harbor Series Wrap Up

Lucky Harbor started with three estranged sisters inheriting a dilapidated inn on the Pacific Northwest coast. It was supposed to be all one book, in fact. But I never could manage to contain it in one story so I split it into three, one love story for each sister. My goodness that was fun. It was so much fun, I came up with another trilogy idea. Three strangers stuck alone in a storm in a diner with nothing readily available except a chocolate cake. Hello, chocoholics. I thought it would end there but I’ve never been so happy to be wrong. And so, unbelievably, here I am twelve books later, still as much in love with Lucky Harbor as I ever was. Oh the fun I had coming up with characters and figuring out how to torture them.:) Seriously, I have the best job on the planet.

To celebrate the end of the series, today I'm answering some fan questions about Lucky Harbor.

The free spirited Chloe and by-the-books Sawyer from Head Over Heels are quite the pair! Do you have a favorite scene with this couple?

Oh, most definitely the painting scene where the paint that should have been on Sawyer’s walls ended up on some body parts instead… and then they fall asleep like that and Ford and Jax find them in the morning and take pics.

What is your favorite spot in the town of Lucky Harbor?

The secret cove where more than a few of the couples of Lucky Harbor found their way to for some seriously sexy times. :)

Which book was the most difficult to write?

Luke and Ali’s story in It Had To Be You. I had to rewrite that story four times for my editor. It nearly killed me dead. I have no idea why either because I loved Luke.

Nicknames! Which nickname from the series do you like the best?

Officer Hottie! (Sawyer from Head Over Heels)

Saying goodbye to Lucky Harbor was far more difficult than I imagined. I mean I thought I was ready to leave but as I wrote this last trilogy, It's In His Kiss, He's So Fine, and One In A Million, it really hit me. It was over. I was so sad that I wrote a holiday novella. :) I couldn’t help myself! Merry Christmas, Baby (12/2) is my love letter to the Lucky Harbor readers (and a surprise revisit with one of my fave couples) who enjoyed the series and stuck with me for twelve books.  TWELVE books. I still can’t believe it. I’m not sure I’ll ever forget Jax, Ford, Sawyer, Ty, Matt, Josh, Luke, Jack, Ben, Sam, Cole, and Tanner…  Sob!  But I have plenty of new stories to tell, so no worries. I’m still writing the animal series and for those of you who read and loved Then Came You this past summer, Still The One comes out 4/15. And … drum roll please … I’ll have a brand new series coming out in 2015. The first book is written and I’m keeping it under my hat a little bit longer but let’s just say there’s some hot alpha brothers coming your way soon.

***

Title: Merry Christmas, Baby

Author: Jill Shalvis

Release Date: December 2, 2014

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Summary

Wild child Chloe Thompson can't believe how much things have changed. She still can't get enough of her sexy husband Sawyer, but he seems to prefer working to thinking about impending fatherhood. So tonight, a very pregnant Chloe is escaping her troubles at the town Christmas party.

Sheriff Sawyer Thompson hopes surprising Chloe at the party will give him a chance to set things right. But as the snow begins to fall and the wind rages, he wonders whether he can make it back in time. While mother nature conspires to keep Sawyer and Chloe apart, an unexpected arrival will require them to kiss and make up . . . and ring in the happiest holiday Lucky Harbor has ever seen.

Goodreads Link

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22553481-merry-christmas-baby 

Readers, do you have trouble saying goodbye to beloved characters? 

When you finished a much loved series does it take a while before you can pick up a new book?

Do you have a favorite book or character in the Lucky Harbor series?

Do you revisit your favorites?

Are you as excited about the Merry Christmas, Baby short story as we are?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review -- One in a Million

One in a Million

Lucky Harbor—Book 12

By Jill Shalvis

Publisher: Grand Central

Release Date: October 14, 2014

Reviewing this book is bittersweet for me. It was just over four years ago when I reviewed Simply Irresistible here at The Romance Dish and first fell in love with the small coastal town of Lucky Harbor, Washington, where you can leave your front door unlocked and no one would ever touch your stuff, but you can’t keep a secret. I have since reviewed several of the other books in Shalvis’s popular Lucky Harbor series. Simply Irresistible is the first book of the series, so it has come full circle as One in a Million is the last. As with any series, some books stand out to readers more than others. One in a Million is one of those stand-out books for me.

Tanner Riggs and his two best friends own and run Lucky Harbor Charters. As a team, they offer boat tours, scuba diving lessons, take people deep-sea fishing, etc. These activities are tame compared to what Tanner did in the past: going into the military right after high school and becoming a Navy SEAL and later being in charge of setting explosives on an oil rig. When his teenage son, Troy, comes to live with him, Tanner is thrown for a loop but is definitely up for the challenge.

Callie Sharpe grew up in Lucky Harbor but moved away after her fiancé left her standing at the altar. So it’s a bit ironic that she now runs an Internet wedding site promoting happily-ever-afters. She may have a cynical viewpoint of what happens in the years following the wedding, but she sure is good at preparing for one. She returns to Lucky Harbor to check on her grandmother, who Callie’s parents believe is losing her mind. (Obviously they don’t know Lucille as well as readers do! Ha!) Callie wasn’t prepared for her reaction when she lays eyes on her high school crush, Tanner Riggs. How do you bring together two people who have given up on the idea of true love? With doughnuts, coffee, a hot-headed teenager, and a matchmaking grandmother, of course!

I. Love. This. Book. I do, I love this book. I love Tanner. I love Callie. I love their hilarious meet-cute in the bakery. I love Tanner’s son and Callie’s grandmother, and I love Tanner’s and Callie’s sweet romance. Tanner was a bit of an adrenaline-junkie in the past, but an explosion on the oil rig changed him both physically (his leg was badly injured) and mentally (his good friend died). This causes Tanner to appreciate what he has and I love this about him. He was so real to me. And the scenes between him and his son were heartfelt and completely genuine. I have a teenage son, and while mine isn’t as wild and obstinate as Troy, I connected with Troy. Ms. Shalvis did a great job with his character.

I also connected with Callie. She is a total introvert, who is clumsy and a bit socially awkward at times. I can so relate! I really enjoyed her reactions to the things Tanner would say when they shared coffee and doughnuts. Because she was left at the altar, I can totally understand her hesitation at her and Tanner’s friendship becoming something more serious. She doesn’t want to take the chance on having her heart broken again. Thank goodness for her grandma’s sage advice! Callie’s unconditional love for Lucille and their interactions was something that really grabbed me. Lucille is one of those truly unforgettable characters. I will miss her and her crazy antics! I could go on and on and on, but I want you to enjoy this book. I’m telling you, I loved it.

As I said at the beginning, I’m sad that this is the last Lucky Harbor book. But, then again, if Ms. Shalvis wrote too many more books in the series, it wouldn’t be a “small town” anymore! So if you’re looking for a great contemporary series/romance, I heartily recommend the entire series, and, especially, One in a Million!

~Andrea

Sunday Sneak Peek

(Luke's Story)
A Lucky Harbor Novel
Book Seven
Grand Central
May 28, 2013
ISBN 978-1455521128

Ali Winters is not having a good day. Her boyfriend left her, everyone in town thinks she’s a thief, and now she’s about to be kicked out of her home. Her only shot at keeping a roof over her head and clearing her name is to beg for help from a police detective who’s as sexy as he is stern….

After a high-profile case goes wrong, Luke Hanover returns to his hometown for some peace and quiet. Instead he finds a bombshell brunette in a heap of trouble. As he helps Ali put her world back together, the pieces of Luke’s own life finally seem to fall into place. Is this the start of a sizzling fling? Or are Luke and Ali on the brink of something big in a little town called Lucky Harbor?

EXCERPT:

She did her best to appear as though she hadn’t just been sitting in an interrogation room for hours being questioned about a crime she hadn’t committed.  But as it turned out, the pretense was far too much for her overloaded emotions, and she closed her eyes, trying to disappear into the seat.  If she disappeared, then he couldn’t see her fall apart.

          “You okay?” he asked.

          Her throat tightened further, and she shook her head.  Nope.  Not okay.  Not even close.  “Don’t,” she said.

          “Don’t what?”

          “Don’t be nice to me right now.  I’ll lose it.”

          With surprising gentleness, he pushed the hair from her face, then clicked open her seatbelt.

          It was all the invitation she was going to get, and all the invitation she needed.  Turning to him, she burrowed in as steady, strong arms closed around her.  He stroked a hand down her back, and she pressed her face into the crook of his neck, soaking in the warm comfort he offered.

          It was the safest and most secure she’d felt in far too long and she wasn’t sure she was going to be able to let go. 

          “Ali.”

          Afraid he was going to pull away before she was done soaking him in, she squirmed a little closer.  “Please not yet.”

          He tightened his grip.  “It’s okay.  I’ve got you.”

          Thank God.  For just this one second, someone had her.  

The Dishes are very excited that It Had To Be You will be released in just nine days!  Are you reading the Lucky Harbor series?  Do you like sneak peeks of upcoming books?  What are you looking forward to this month?  

Grand Central Publishing is giving away a copy of It Had to Be You to one randomly chosen person who leaves a comment on today's blog!