Review: Lucky in Love by Jill Shalvis

Title: Lucky in Love (Lucky Harbor #4)
Author: Jill Shalvis
Published: May 2012 (Grand Central Publishing)
Disclosure: Received for review from Netgalley.
Summary: Mallory Quinn has had enough of playing it safe. As a nurse and devoted daughter, she takes care of everyone but herself. And as the local good girl, she's expected to date Mr. Right. But for once, she'd like to take a risk on Mr. Wrong. And who could be more wrong than Ty Garrison? The mysterious new guy in town has made it clear that he's only passing through, which suits Mallory just fine. Besides, his lean, hard body and sexy smile will give her plenty to remember once he's gone... For the first time in his life, Ty can't bear to leave. Helping this sexy seductress-in-training walk on the wild side is making him desire things he shouldn't -- including leaving the military for good. As their just-for-fun fling becomes something more, Mallory and Ty wonder if they could really be this lucky in love. After all...anything can happen in a town called Lucky Harbor.

My Review: If you are a regular around this blog at all, you know that Jill Shalvis is a favorite of mine. I discovered the Lucky Harbor series (that I thought was just a trilogy, but lo and behold, THERE ARE MORE!) this past January on a whim, and I am SO GLAD I did! It is, without a doubt, one of the best contemporary series I've read. Lucky Harbor is a fantastic place; I'd love to visit, or even live there. If, you know, it weren't just a figment of a brilliant author's imagination.

I was somewhat afraid that after Head Over Heels, my favorite of the series so far and the last of the three sisters, the next installments might not quite measure up. Oh, how wrong I was! I adored the three new ladies to whom we were introduced - collectively known as the Chocoholics (obviously, I can relate). This meant that the quotes starting each chapter were all about chocolate, and what a fantastic opportunity this provided for Shalvis. Some of them made me laugh out loud! This one was probably my favorite; it's just perfect:

❝It’s not that chocolate is a substitute for love. Love is a substitute for chocolate. Chocolate is far more reliable than a man.❞

The Chocoholics meetings were hilarious, and I loved watching the friendship between these wonderful women bloom. Mallory Quinn, the quintessential Town Good Girl, was the first of the Chocoholics to have her story told. And boy, what a story! Ty Garrison - formerly known to us Lucky Harbor fans as Mysterious Cute Guy - played opposite her lead, and the story of the Good Girl and Not-Quite-So-Bad Boy never felt so good. They had a uniquely perfect Meet Cute, and lots of things ensued that were not exactly as expected. They set the pages aflame several times, and their story overall was just wonderful. They were so great for each other, and the end left me with a giant smile on my face.

When reading a Shalvis book, you can be pretty much guaranteed a laugh or two or twenty. Lucky in Love definitely did not disappoint on this front! Even when I was reading while working out on the elliptical at the gym, I just kept cracking up. There were so many fun characters and one-liners. Lucky Harbor was still magnificent, and although none of the former leads were heavily featured, there were still several mentions and cameos. Lucille, the Facebook-addicted town gossip, was as hilarious as always. Along with the humor, the book still had plenty of substance and lots of heart. Lucky in Love could easily be read as a standalone, but Lucky Harbor fans absolutely will not be disappointed.

❝But her secret inner bad girl was screaming oh please, can’t we have him? Just once?❞

❝Some secrets are toxic if you try to keep them inside. You know that, right? Some secrets are meant to be told, before they eat you up.❞

❝He knew he had no right to touch her, crave her like air, but he did both. And when he put his mouth on hers, he recognized the taste of her, like she'd been made just for him.❞

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