by Jill Shalvis
Series: Heartbreaker Bay #1
Genres: Contemporary
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: June 28th 2016
Source: ARC received for review
Rating: ★★★★
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Choose the one guy you can’t have . . .
As captain of a San Francisco Bay tour boat, Pru can handle rough seas—the hard part is life on dry land. Pru loves her new apartment and her neighbors; problem is, she’s in danger of stumbling into love with Mr. Right for Anybody But Her.
Fall for him—hard . . .
Pub owner Finn O’Riley is six-foot-plus of hard-working hottie who always makes time for his friends. When Pru becomes one of them, she discovers how amazing it feels to be on the receiving end of that deep green gaze. But when a freak accident involving darts (don’t ask) leads to shirtless first aid, things rush way past the friend zone. Fast.
And then tell him the truth.
Pru only wants Finn to be happy; it’s what she wishes for at the historic fountain that’s supposed to grant her heart’s desire. But wanting him for herself is a different story—because Pru’s been keeping a secret that could change everything. . . .
Jill Shalvis' books are always a blast to read. With their familiarity, her books are endearing and utterly charming. I'm always left with a giant smile, and lots of warm and fuzzy feelings when I'm done reading one of her books. Sweet Little Lies had everything that I wanted out of it.
The characters in this book were so much fun. I loved them all! Pru, the main character, was really great. Her bubbly personality, her selfless nature and her sweetness truly made this book a highlight for me. After her parents were killed in a drunk driving accident that also left many others dead, she makes it her life goal to help those affected by her parents' reckless driving. She sells her house and even cashes out her parent's life insurance to do everything she can to help ease the financial troubles that the victim's families were put through as a result of the accident. She has a huge heart and you can't help but adore this girl for just how thoughtful she was all throughout the book. She was the perfect heroine for Finn. Finn, himself, was a very drool-worthy hero, who had my heart fluttering because of how swoony he was. Finn and his brother Sean lost their alcoholic father to the accident, but for them the loss was a boon because he was abusive. Finn was very loveable. He was so driven and hardworking and cared so much for his brother. He did everything that he could in order to make sure he and his brother had a good life and he did a fantastic job at it. Because he's so busy though, he doesn't think he has time for a woman. Enter Pru.
These two together were adorable! I had lots of shippy feels whenever they were around. Neither of them intends to fall in love, but oh boy, does fate have other plans for them. Pru wanted nothing more than for Finn to be happy, and she started out a friendship with him to help him loosen up and have some fun. Things heat up between them though, as expected, and neither could have even begun to expect the intensity of their feelings for each other. I just loved them so much. There was a lot of playful banter and super sweet moments that had me melting into a puddle. There was one scene in particular when Pru gets ill and Finn takes care of her that's one of my favorite! It was very very cute! The steamy scenes were also written really well, especially with the chemistry they had for each other. I was a bit worried about how Finn would deal with Pru keeping the fact that it was her parents who caused his dad's death, but the misunderstanding part of Sweet Little Lies wasn't dragged out too much and was resolved swiftly, which I appreciated.
I also loved the large secondary cast. They all pretty much welcomed Pru, a newcomer to their friend group, with open arms and were so incredibly supportive of her. I think they were even bigger Pru & Finn shippers than I was! The friendship between these guys was fun to read about! Then there was Pru's elderly neighbor who would salivate over Finn and who made me laugh out loud with her brazenness and lack of filter. Thor, Pru's dog, was another fabulous furry addition to Sweet Little Lies who cracked me up with his personality and how possessive he was of Finn. I seriously can't stop gushing about how good this book made me feel. There's just something about Jill Shalvis' writing that's so heartwarming and pleasant. You've definitely got to read her books to experience it.
Sweet Little Lies was a fantastic start to the Heartbreaker Bay series. It's quintessentially Jill Shalvis with its lovely and swoony romance, quirky cast of characters and with the happy feels that it left me in. I seriously can't wait to read more from this series.
Have you read any books by Jill Shalvis? Are you excited for this new series?
Let me know in the comments below!
