Once in a Lifetime (Lucky Harbor #9)
by Jill Shalvis
Blurb:
SOMETIMES WRONG IS OH-SO-RIGHT
After
a wrenching loss, Ben McDaniel tried to escape his grief by working in
dangerous, war-torn places like Africa and the Middle East. Now he's back in
his hometown and face-to-face with Aubrey Wellington, the hot-as-hell woman who
is trouble with a capital T. Family and friends insist she's not the one to
ease his pain, but Aubrey sparks an intense desire that gives Ben hope for the
future.
Determined
to right the wrongs of her past, Aubrey is working hard to make amends. But by
far, the toughest challenge to her plan is sexy, brooding Ben - even though he
has absolutely no idea what she's done . . .
Can
this unlikely couple defy the odds and win over the little town of Lucky
Harbor?
Themes: Contemporary
Rating: 4.75 stars
Heat Rating: 
Review:
Understanding
the past, exploring the present, and discovering the possibilities for the
future, Shalvis takes us on a journey to find love and forgiveness in her newest
trip to Lucky Harbor. Returning to Lucky Harbor for me is like going to visit
your favorite crazy aunt for the summer and getting to enjoy the antics of her
small town crazy neighbors. There is
never a shortage of the hilarious, ridiculous, and outlandish, and even though
there is never an intention too, someone always gets hurt by the gossip. If you haven’t followed the Lucky Harbor
series to this point you will still enjoy the book, I guarantee, though you
will not be as invested as us loyal followers. I have been looking forward to
Aubrey’s story for a while now as her friends and cohorts found love in the last
two books. I also wanted to get to know Ben more and finally find out all his
secrets. This story, aptly named Once in a Lifetime, is a book that you should read at least once
and a tale of love that only comes around once, one that is meant to be and not
to be missed,
Ben
has returned to his hometown in Lucky Harbor with only one goal, finding his
place in life now, without his late wife and without the entanglements of
relationships. But the ever present Aubrey is impossible to ignore, even though
she spells trouble in huge capital letters.
When he finds himself working side-by-side to bring her dreams of a
successful business to life, he learns more about the sexy blonde who has
haunted his nights since he returned. Aubrey is trying to earn herself some
good karma, trying to make up for her bad decisions in the past, but things aren't going quite as she imagined. When
Ben pushes himself into her life—and her bed—she finds him irresistible and
decides she can have a bit of fun with him without feelings or entanglements
getting in the way. The more time they
spend together, however, the deeper her emotions become for Ben, something
neither of them wants. So how does a
woman that has never depended on anyone find her balance with a man who not
only doesn’t need her, but doesn’t seem to want anything she has to offer? Only
Ben can show her her true value and give her the one thing she’s always wanted—a
partner in life.
Oh
man where to start with these two… Aubrey is a prickly, sarcastic, guarded and
vulnerable young woman who has never had anyone in her life appreciate her for
anything beyond her looks. She’s been in
trouble numerous times in her life, but has always found a way to pull herself
back up after each hit. I respected her
for the way she never let anyone’s barbs outwardly affect her, but it is
obvious that the hurt she feels is felt deeply and has made her fearful of having a happy life. She is a hard worker and clearly intelligent,
though most disregard that aspect of her personality and when she sees
something she wants, she goes after it with all she has inside her. Enter Ben. The shortsighted, grumpy, withdrawn man that
is allowing his grief and anger at his past to affect not only his present, but
any chance at the future. He initially sees
only the sexy blonde that is Aubrey, but as he begins to dig deeper into her
personality, her wit, charm, and sensuality become more than obvious too him,
not to mention her fears and vulnerabilities. Though he is unwilling to open
himself up to her, he pushes and pushes for her to open to him, falling deeper
in the process himself. Sadly when it
comes time to forgive and move on, so that he and Aubrey can be together, he
balks and uses the opportunity to pull away, back into his shell. I was so angry at him for doing that to her,
but I can say I was thrilled when he finally pulled his head out of his butt
and decided to step back into the land of the living and give them a chance at
a future.
Lucky
Harbor is the kind of place everyone should experience at least once for themselves.
The characters that support—or sometimes tear down—the main characters in each
story are well-written, side-splitting, and provide perfect counterpoints to
the deep emotional storms that always brew in a Shalvis romance. Ben and Aubrey
have a rocky relationship, one they both deny they are in until the very end,
and they both have enormous amounts of issues to contend with. It is obvious from the beginning they are a
good fit though; Ben’s quiet and solemn
nature perfectly tempers Aubrey’s impulsiveness and bossy assertiveness. Seeing them interacting reminds us that sometimes
not only do opposites attract, but they can make the most colorful and grandiose
explosions. When acceptance finally allows them to embrace one another, Ben and
Aubrey find that life together is way better than anything they can build
apart. That type of love really does
come only Once in a Lifetime (pun
intended) and knowing that they were able to overcome all the problems that
could have kept them apart, gives me hope that a love like this can be found
for us all. Another hit out of the park
for Jill Shalvis, a best-selling author that never lets me down and keeps her
fans coming back for more of the small town antics of Lucky Harbor, WA. I’m dying for the next in the series
already, because just the hints we've gotten of Sam make me think he’ll make an awesome Hero. Keep up the great work, Jill.
p.s. Let it not be forgotten that Aubrey, like many of us romance lovers, is a bit of a bibliophile and a good bit of the story is set inside her beautifully renovated, newly reopened family bookstore! :) Just saying.
*eARC provided by publisher (via
netgalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review. No
compensation was provided.
No comments:
Post a Comment