Second Chance Summer (Cedar Ridge #1)

by Jill Shalvis (Goodreads Author)

RESCUE MECedar Ridge, Colorado, is famous for crisp mountain air, clear blue skies, and pine-scented breezes. And it's the last place Lily Danville wants to be. But she needs a job, and there's an opening at the hottest resort in her hometown. What has her concerned is the other hot property in Cedar Ridge: Aidan Kincaid-firefighter, rescue worker, and heartbreaker. She never could resist that devastating smile . . .

The Kincaid brothers are as rough and rugged as the Rocky Mountains they call home. Aidan has always done things his own way, by his own rules. And never has he regretted anything more than letting Lily walk out of his life ten years ago. If anyone has ever been in need of rescuing, she has. What she needs more than anything are long hikes, slow dances, and sizzling kisses. But that can only happen if he can get her to give Cedar Ridge-and this bad boy-a second chance . . .

ADD TO GOODREADS

PRE:ORDER FOR JUNE 30/15:

“How did you fall?” he asked.

“Backward. Fast,” she quipped, not about to admit she’d been startled by a bunny. A baby bunny.

“Smartass.” He began to check her over. As in he put his hands all over her and ran them over her body. “You’re bleeding,” he said.

“I’ll buy you new sheets.”

“Shut up.” He frowned at her wrist and found another problem at her ankle, all while she attempted to keep her T-shirt covering as much as of her as possible.

Then he pointed to her shirt. “Lose it.”

“Bite me.”

“Later,” he said. “I want to see your ribs.”

“How about my foot up your ass?”

He met her gaze, his own stubborn and unbending. “Me or a doctor, Lily.”

He’d do it too, she had no doubt. He’d drag her kicking and screaming out of here if need be. So she sighed and very carefully lifted the T-shirt to just beneath her breasts. “See? I’m fine—”

She broke off, the air backing up in her lungs when he ran his hands very lightly over her ribcage, stopping when she managed to suck in a breath.

“Bruised, not broken I don’t think,” he said, his voice quiet and calm and clinically dispassionate, in direct opposition to his eyes. “Turn over.”

She bit out a harsh laugh. “Yeah, that’s going to happen nev—”

He rolled her over and pinned her there with a hand low on her back.

She sputtered and fought him, but then went utterly still when he ran his fingers up the back of one thigh, scooping the edge of her boy cut panties up a cheek.

“Also bruised,” he said.

“That’s where I landed. No worries, I’m padded nicely.”

“Nicely is right,” he said, and he removed his hands from her.

She leapt off the bed, tugged down her shirt, and had to tighten her lips not to whimper at the fast movement. “Okay, thanks. Be sure to lock the door on your way—”

“Did you hit your head or lose consciousness at any time?”

“No!” She didn’t want to need his help, wanted to lick her wounds in private rather than get turned on by his gentle touch. But she was stupid light-headed from getting up too fast and knew she wasn’t in the greatest shape.

And must as she didn’t want to like it, she did like how he always seemed to be there for her, even if her brain kept telling her heart she didn’t want him to be.

He still wasn’t leaving. “Tell me what really happened.”

“I loaded up some wood and was making my way up the stairs when”—she broke off and grimaced —“something popped out of the wood. I nearly had heart failure and fell down the stairs. The end.”

He never took his eyes off of her. “What popped out at you?”

“A spider,” she said, because hey, that could’ve totally happened. Just because she’d freaked out over the baby bunny didn’t mean that there wasn’t also a spider. Maybe she’d been so busy falling down the stairs she just hadn’t seen the spider.

“A spider made you fall down the stairs?” he asked in disbelief.

“A big one.” She lifted her hands so that they were about a foot apart.

His lips twitched.

Her hands spread apart even wider. “It might have been a mutant spider.”

“Or a baby bunny,” he said.

She stared at him while he grinned wide.

“You knew the whole time,” she accused.

“Yep. Lenny told me.”

“Well isn’t that just like a man,” she said in disgust.

Aidan tipped his head back and laughed out loud.

“Fine. Whatever,” she said. “I’m taking a shower. Alone.”

“Make it lukewarm, not hot,” he said. “I’m going to the truck for my first aid kit.”

“Aidan, I’m so not in the mood to play doctor.”

“Good,” he said. “I’ll play doctor and you play the nice, sweet, passive patient.”

Source: eARC for Honest Review Courtesy from Author and Bocci PR

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Part 1 in a new series

My Second Chance Summer Review ...

I have only read one Jill Shalvis short story as part of an anthology before this (insert gasp), so after hearing and reading such great things about her and her writing I jumped at this chance to read this book.

Aidan Kincaid is a bit of a player but he has tons of heart. He's a firefighter, rescuer, and loyal. He once loved but she left without an explanation ten years ago.

Even though he's content in his life it all changes once Lily Danville steps back into Cedar Ridge. Lily is always running. Running from her past. Running from her present. Running from her guilt. Running from everything. But after another bad choice she has to return home with her tail between her legs.

Fate has brought these two back together but Lily is determined to keep them apart.

I have to admit I was a bit grump going into this book as I was looking for a book to get me out of it. I thought this could be the ticket as it was a fun read with heart, sweetness, humor and love but it unfortunately had a heroine who annoyed me, so instead of taking me out of my grumpy mood it made me a bit worse. Which sucked because it was fun read, but Lily did NOT win me over at all.

~The past belongs in the past, the past belongs in the past ... ~ (if only Lily actually lived by that mantra)

~Because once upon a time you wanted him and he ... wanted your sister. ~ (Why? Why must heroines always assume without actually talking to the person involved. Why?)

"He doesn't like me like that," (No he just kisses everyone he doesn't like. *insert eye roll here*)

"Tell me you didn't leave and then not talk to me for ten years because you thought I had something going on with your sister." (No that would be stupid. Of course she did. Argh! )

"This is my battle to fight," she said. "Alone." (Argh! )

~ But though she could forgive, she couldn't quite forget. Not this. ~ (For fuck sakes. LET IT GO already)

"Let me get this straight. I have a question, I come to you, you get pissed about it and you what, just walk away? Is that it? Is that how this is going to work, Lily?" (Sadly yes with Lily this is her way of things.)

"Well, I'm not an expert on the good guys, " she said. "But I am somewhat of an expert on the rotten ones. And they never ask. They tell, or worse yet, they don't ever call or text. They take what they want and then they vanish. No talking at all. Seems to me if Aidan was asking, that's better than nothing, right? Maybe he wanted to make sure. Or maybe he just wanted to hear how you reel about him. I mean, I know we think we're obvious with our feelings, but we're not." (Good advice maybe Lily could get her head out of her ass to see this)

Aidan had never made it a secret how he felt for her. He'd been open and frank. Always. And in return she'd . . . been neither of those things. . . . "It's me," Lily said, turning to look at Jonathan. "It's all me," (Yes it is you Lily. Argh!)

Here's the thing that sucks for me. Lily ruined this story for me. As for the rest of the characters, I loved them.

"Now I know that you and your brother are so full of poo your eyes are brown, so you listen up good. If you screw this night up for me, I'm going to put an ad in the paper saying you're ready to get married and have kids and that all singles should apply. Especially the criers, the stage-five clingers, and the poetry lovers."

Did I love the writing style? Yes. It had charm and humor. Did I like Aidan? Hell Yes! He had heart and wore it on his sleeve even though he was stubborn as an ox. Will I read another Jill Shalvis book? Definitely. Just because I didn't like this heroine doesn't mean I won't like other books. If it was only the writing style and the majority of the other characters I would have given this book a 4, but Lily dragged it down to a 3. As I'm not a fan at all at whiny females who are stubborn and assume, assume and assume which leads to miscommunications and unnecessary bullshit.

3 Didn't love Lily Thumbs up!