Who needs mistletoe?
Most people wouldn’t think of a bad Santa case as the perfect Christmas gift. Then again, Molly Malone, office manager at Hunt Investigations, isn’t most people, and she could really use a distraction from the fantasies she’s been having since spending the night with her very secret crush, Lucas Knight. Nothing happened, not that Lucas knows that—but Molly just wants to enjoy being a little naughty for once . . .
Whiskey and pain meds for almost-healed bullet wounds don’t mix. Lucas needs to remember that next time he’s shot on the job, which may be sooner rather than later if Molly’s brother, Joe, finds out about them. Lucas can’t believe he’s drawing a blank on his (supposedly) passionate tryst with Molly, who’s the hottest, smartest, strongest woman he’s ever known. Strong enough to kick his butt if she discovers he’s been assigned to babysit her on her first case. And hot enough to melt his cold heart this Christmas.
About the Book
Hot Winter Nightsby Jill Shalvis
SeriesThe Heartbreaker Bay Series
GenreAdult
Contemporary Romance
PublisherAvon Books
Publication DateSeptember 25, 2018
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Review
OK, so I'm going to be up front and admit that a part of my medium/low-ish rating for this book is that I don't really love mystery/suspense in my romance novels. And since Molly and Lucas both work for Hunt Investigations, I bet you can guess what brings them together... They're investigating a Bad Santa that some elderly elves are concerned about, convinced that he's swindling them out of their share of the profits of the local Christmas village. It is absolutely up to Jill Shalvis' normal great standards of writing, I'm just not thrilled with romantic suspense.I really appreciate how Molly and Lucas aren't perfect people and struggle with their pasts and how those pasts mess up the people they are in the present. The chemistry between Molly and Lucas is great, and I love that Lucas sees almost right off the bat that Molly 1) is going to do what she wants and the people trying to baby her be damned and 2) can handle herself, so he is just THERE for her, and instead of trying to stop her (I mean, he does at first but he figures it out relatively quickly, for a guy) he bites his tongue and stands back and has her six, like a partner and not a protector.
I kind of want to punch all the men at Hunt Investigations in the face, because I get that they're looking out for Molly, but clearly she can handle herself. I also adore their families, especially Molly's relationship with her dad and how she and her brother Joe take care of him. Lucas' family is awesome as well, and I wish we'd gotten to see more of them in this book, though I did really love the little holiday getaway scene with them. (I especially loved the little router fixing scene with Molly and Lucas' mom!)
This is the sixth book in the Hearthbreaker Bay series, and while it can be read as a stand alone, frankly there are so many side characters at this point that you're really probably better off if you've read the other books in the series just purely so you already know who the other players are and aren't confused by the massive cast of side characters at Hunt Investigations and in the little "small town" feeling work/apartment complex area they work/live in.
Excerpt
“Tell me about your night. You know you want to.”
“Actually, it was over so fast, I can’t really remember.”
He gave a low, rather triumphant laugh and turned her to face him. “You haven’t yet once managed to look me in the eyes and tell me how bad I was. Here’s your chance, Molly. Give it to me.”
See, that was the thing. She did want to give it to him, quite badly. Naked . . . Gah. She really hadn’t seen this coming, but she deserved fun like anyone else, right? She looked at his mouth, desperately wanting it on hers. And then her body somehow mistook the fantasy for reality because she went up on tiptoes and . . . kissed him. Just a soft brush of her lips across his, gently and a little hesitant, but it was most definitely a kiss.
Tour Wide Giveaway
To celebrate the release of HOW WINTER NIGHTS by Jill Shalvis, we’re giving away a paperback copy of the book!
GIVEAWAY TERMS & CONDITIONS: Open to US shipping addresses only. One winner will receive a paperback copy of Hot Winter Nights by Jill Shalvis. This giveaway is administered by Pure Textuality PR on behalf of Avon Romance. Giveaway ends 10/9/2018 @ 11:59pm EST. Avon Romance will send the winning copies out to the winner directly. Limit one entry per reader and mailing address. Duplicates will be deleted. CLICK HERE TO ENTER!
About the Author
New York Times bestselling author JILL SHALVIS lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventure.
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I am sort of a super-fan of Shavlis and I love this series. I am glad you gave your reason for the lower rating, because I am ok with romantic suspense, and it is something Shavlis has done in the past.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! I try to especially explain WHY I gave a book a lower star rating (though I don't include my star-rating in blog tour posts, I did include it in my review for this book on Goodreads) because just because it wasn't MY cup of tea doesn't mean it won't necessarily be someone else's. That's especially true when the reason for it is because of genre and stylistic preferences, rather than any actual deficiency in the writing itself. :)
DeleteShe has so many book covers where the guy is holding the girl up, and all I think is sigh, that just doesn't work for everyone.
ReplyDelete