Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Review: Nobody But You (Cedar Ridge #3)

Nobody But You (Cedar Ridge #3)

by Jill Shalvis 

Blurb:
After an overseas mission goes wrong, Army Special Forces officer Jacob Kincaid knows where he must go to make things right: back home to the tiny town of Cedar Ridge, Colorado. All he needs to scrub away his painful past is fresh mountain air, a lakeside cabin, and quiet solitude. But what he discovers is a gorgeous woman living on a boat at his dock.
Sophie Marren has nowhere else to go. She’s broke, intermittently seasick, and fighting a serious attraction to the brooding, dishy, I’m-too-sexy-for-myself guy who’s now claiming her dock. Something about Jacob’s dark intensity makes her want to tease—and tempt—him beyond measure. Neither one wants to give any ground . . . until they realize the only true home they have is with each other.
Themes:  Contemporary   
Rating: 4.5 stars
Heat Rating: 


Review:
 Is it really over? *tear* Fans of Ms. Shalvis will be sad to know that the Cedar Ridge series has come to an end.  I was so hoping for another story but alas it seems that everything was wrapped up in Sophie and Jacob’s tale of love, acceptance, and forgiveness.  If you have followed this series, as I have, you were anxious to finally meet the missing Kincaid sibling, Jacob, and get to know him as he returns to the family fold.  Jacob has been one of those intriguing characters that we hear about but never get to meet, until this moment.  Jacob has returned from war—a wounded warrior, though his scars seem to be mostly on his heart and soul—and he has to find a way to find acceptance with his family and, most especially within himself. What he never expected was to run into Sophie on almost his first day back in town; she rocks his world and changes him irrevocably from almost that first meeting.  Sophie has been dealing with a lot of disasters lately and just can’t handle anymore drama, but when Jacob walks into her life she is impossibly drawn to this sweet and sexy alpha man.  The more she is forced into his presence the harder it is to resist his draw and soon the fight is over.  I loved seeing Jacob and Sophie work through fears and find a way to have the HEA they each deserved.  While Jacob was obviously in need of serious help with regaining his balance and finding a way to live his life as a civilian, his love for his family, and eventually Sophie, are the pieces of his life he really needed to make himself whole.  His determination, sweetness, and willingness to do whatever it takes for his woman and family make him the perfect hero to me, even though I cried for him every time he was wracked with guilt over his past.  Sophie teaches him that, while having the forgiveness of others is important, the only way he will truly find peace is by forgiving himself for the mistakes in his past. Sophie was a whirlwind, the kind of woman that usually drives me crazy with her neuroses, but she finds her center with Jacob, even as she tries to keep him out of her heart, and becomes a better woman for having him in her life.  Accepting the things she cannot change about herself and deciding to embrace her differences and abilities was the true gift Jacob gave her in their relationship.  These two needed one another to heal their hearts and in one another they find that one person that can love them heart and soul, despite their problems or shortcomings. As always this novel was full of laughter, familial love, and the love of community, though the love between Jacob and Sophie flares hotly in the beginning, it’s when the fire settles to a soft ember that I truly began to fall for these characters.  I was sad to see the end of the series, however, I look forward to seeing whatever project comes next for Jill and will definitely be one of the first in line for whatever is released next. Another masterful series, Jill, and I can’t wait to see where you take us next.

*eARC provided by publisher (via netgalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.

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