The Summer Escape (Sunrise Cove #6)

Jill Shalvis

Blurb:

Anna Moore didn’t just wake up one day and decide to go on a wild quest—especially since her life no longer lends itself to wild anything—so how in the world does she end up racing against the clock with Owen Harris, a sexy, enigmatic adventurist, to prove her beloved dad innocent of stealing a million-dollar necklace?

It’s all Wendy’s fault. Her older, bossy sister, who’s seven months pregnant and on bed rest in their small Lake Tahoe hometown, is desperate to clear their departed dad’s name. Owen, though, is convinced he’s guilty as hell and wants to return the jewelry back to its rightful owner—his elderly great aunt. Together Anna and Owen go on a scavenger hunt for clues to the past (with Wendy remotely along for the ride via an earbud, supplying a running wry commentary to boot).

On opposing sides and suspicious of each other as they are, Anna and Owen still can’t deny the inexplicable and explosive chemistry between them on this heart-stopping adventure, the outcome of which will prove the necklace isn’t the only thing stolen—their hearts have been as well.

Themes: Contemporary

Rating: 4.5 stars

Heat Rating: 4

Review:

The hilarity and romance continue as Jill Shalvis takes us back to Sunrise Cove and into an intriguing decade old mystery, along with two people so obviously sure they are in the right, but that slowly come to understand that sometime the truth lies in the middle between two sides of the story. This series continues to surprise me with bother the level of heart and romance, but I can honestly say that the mystery in this one was a whole different ball of wax than any of the others in the series. Anna Moore is an investigator just trying to get through each day, while supporting her slightly insane sister who is currently stuck on bedrest under, she gives birth to triplets, and she has no idea that when she makes a discovery it will change the landscape of her father’s past, her family’s present, and possibly her entire future. When she is confronted with her sister’s anger and a new opponent in the sexy Owen Harris, Anna has to decide if it will be worth it to dig into the past or to try to convince the others to let the past go. Owen is determined to convince Anna that, despite her faith in her father, she doesn’t know everything, and she needs to look into his past and help Owen to find a missing family heirloom for Owen’s great-aunt. But the more time they spend together the more the passion between them leads to interesting encounters and deeper emotional connections, ones that could leave them both wondering if the true treasure at the end of their adventure might be a chance at an HEA. I loved the romance between Owen and Anna as they both fought their feelings, each with so many hangups and fears, but such strong chemistry that they could stay away from one another. Owen was a snarky, sweet, and loving guy with an adventurous streak that more often than not scared the hell out of Anna, but in the end showed her the true meaning of safety. Anna was a sassy, loving, protective, but terrified woman that needed to come to terms with her past in order to move forward and I loved watching her find healing in her faith in Owen. Together, along with the sweet love story between Wendy and her husband, the old heartstrings were tugged constantly as Jill Shalvis took us on a wild ride all over the Tahoe area and into the high wilderness. I cannot wait for the next story in this series to see what comes next.

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