Welcome to my Den of Delights! Please make yourselves comfortable.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

REVIEW AND INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY: Head Over Heels (#3, Lucky Harbor) by Jill Shalvis

INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY DETAILS AFTER THE REVIEW

5 + Stars!!!

HEAD OVER HEELS?? HECK, I’M OVER THE MOON!!!

I loved this book so much that I read it twice in a row, since I wasn't ready to let Lucky Harbor go.

I've been thinking about this book a lot... about Chloe "The Wild One", who has trouble saying "I love you", and about Sawyer, the sexy, stoic and badass Sheriff, who is falling... Big. Time. I've also been listening to a lot of Ed Sheeran - Amazing Album! - and this song has become my Chloe and Sawyer song:


In the third Lucky Harbor book, Head Over Heels, Chloe “The Wild One”, the youngest of the three half-sisters and daughters of the free-spirited Phoebe Traeger, and the only one raised by their nomadic mother, has a “Home” for the first time. She’s making a go at helping her sisters run the beachside inn at Lucky Harbor that their mother left them upon her death. But Chloe has never felt truly settled and she is frustrated with her sisters for telling her that she needs to “settle down”.

Chloe "The Wild One" needs to run wild and free and dance
...and wants to have sex without needing an inhaler
 




Chloe rides a Vespa and has a "See ya later, Authorities!"-attitude
‘She understood that, from the outside looking in, it might seem like she had a death wish, but she didn’t. It was just that when she was in the midst of an asthma attack, she often felt so close to death that she, well, dared it. But she just wanted to run or dance or laugh hard, or have sex without needing an inhaler and possibly an ambulance.
Not exactly a common problem, but one that often had her straddling a fine line between socially acceptable behavior and the wild yearnings her mother had always encouraged. Her sisters wanted her to stop pushing those boundaries and settle down a little. And it was that which bothered Chloe more than anything. The message was simple: If she wanted to be accepted, she’d need to change. But dammit, she wanted to be accepted just as she was, imperfections and all.’
I really connected with Chloe, even though I was known to be a “goodie-two-shoes”, not a “wild one”. Because all of us yearn to be loved for who we are, imperfections and all, and Chloe is no different. But Chloe’s thoughts reminded me of a time when I had had a discussion with an ex-boyfriend about his materialistic attitude and snobbery towards certain people, and when I questioned him on it, he said, “Hey, this is just me. People should accept that.” Suffice it to say that he wasn’t “The One”, and I remember saying to him, once, “Yes, we all deserve to be loved for who we are, but we should NEVER use that as an excuse to be rude to people, to not seek to change, and to avoid growing and becoming the best “you” that you can be”.

So while Jill Shalvis’ books have been a great source of sexy fun for me, this book, in particular, was so much more. Through this theme in Chloe’s life, it had me thinking, again:  Do we need to change to be loved? How does one balance being true to one’s self against the expectations of others? On the flipside, when is being “true to self” just really an excuse to not deal… to not grow? When is being “true to self” actually a prison rather than the freedom we think it is?

Hmm…it’s getting a bit too “deep” in here…Let’s move on to some man-candy! LOL

Aaahh…Sheriff Sawyer Thompson, the ruggedly gorgeous, big, badass, brooding and oh-so-serious Sheriff, with the implacable calm, tough exterior, melting chocolate eyes, and who moves with a fluid grace. I BLAME THANK Tammy (Ms Tom Selleck) from Goodreads for putting the image of the delectable Timothy Olyphant, in my head, as my Sawyer, through our discussions yesterday unrelated to this book. This made for EXTRA DELICIOUS reading!! He was the PERFECT image of Sawyer, for me. ^_^

Timothy Olyphant can’t be BIG as well as badass, you say? Hmm…^_^
But he's so gosh-darned HAWT, no? ^_^
Chloe puts this Sheriff through the wringer... LOL


















Chloe drives this dedicated Sheriff up the wall… and drives him to some wild thoughts, too. She pushes Sawyer’s buttons, as she brings out his wild side that he’s fought so long to subdue. They shared a passionate kiss…kisses… that both tried to forget, but couldn’t.    
 ‘He looked down into her eyes. “What are you up to?”

“No good.”

He shook his head and ran a finger along her temple and down her jaw. A little startled by the power of his touch, she covered his hand with hers and held it in place against her. Something flashed in his eyes, an aching hunger that held her captive.

Because it matched hers. She was shocked at the strength of it, at how difficult it suddenly was to breathe. But she wasn’t shocked when he nudged her backward until she bumped against the door. His mouth skimmed her jaw, then her throat, his teeth grazing her skin as he pressed a thigh between hers.

Heat skittered along her belly, then directly south.

“Sawyer.”

In answer, he brought his head up and kissed her. Deep, hungry, tasting her in a purposely slow, thorough manner before pulling back to once again look into her eyes.

Oh, God. “Sawyer, what are we doing?” she whispered.

He shook his head. “No fucking clue.”
She let out a low laugh. "Maybe we should do it some more."'
OMG, THAT KISS!!!!
(Thank you to Buggy for reminding me of it! ^_^) 

SAWYER AND CHLOE BURN UP THE PAGES TOGETHER!!!

I LOVE Sawyer! I mean, all the Lucky Harbor heroes are delicious, but Sawyer truly stole my heart. As well as my panties. ^_^  Sawyer is a caring and creative lover, as he and Chloe find ways to deal with her asthma issues during their lovemaking. *SHIVERS*

Sawyer puts a huge smile on Chloe's face...and MINE!!! LOL

I LOVED how Jill Shalvis developed Sawyer and Chloe’s relationship! Yes, they were HOT for each other, despite themselves, but what I loved most about them was how SWEET and CUTE they were together. Sawyer would totally hate me describing him, and them, as “sweet” or "cute" *LOL*... but they were! HE was! I loved their conversations as they got to know each other, loved their cuddling and playing (the paint scene *giggles*), and loved the scenes when they were “there” for each other... Just…AWWW!!!
‘Chloe sat, too, and slipped her arm around him, resting her head on his shoulder. She didn’t speak, she just gave him a moment. Which was another surprise. She was always in such perpetual motion, always working so hard at driving him up the wall. Or hell, maybe it wasn’t hard work at all, maybe it came easy to her.

But now, right this very minute, she was here. For him. Soft and warm and caring. What the hell was she doing here anyway? And why did it feel so damn right?’
 *SIGHS*

I LOVE spending time at Lucky Harbor. Jill Shalvis makes the beautiful, small beachside setting of Lucky Harbor come alive and I loved seeing Maddie and Jax, and Tara and Ford settled into their relationships, and the ever developing relationships between the three sisters. I also loved Lance, Chloe’s best friend, who has Cystic Fibrosis. *sniffles*

THIS WAS SUCH A WONDERFUL READ! JUST AWESOME! I LOVED IT!!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, JILL SHALVIS!!! NO WONDER IT’S NOW ON THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERS LIST!!!

Wait… wait up! MORE sexy Sawyer images, you say???ALRIGHT THEN!!! LOL
*GULP*
*SWOONS* Sawyer… I can’t breathe when you look at me that way!

‘“Chloe?”

“Yeah?”

“I’d be worth the inhaler,” he said, then forced himself to walk away into the night.’


VERY EXCITED FOR MORE LUCKY HARBOR BOOKS NEXT YEAR!!!  (See below)

The Lucky Harbor Series:

1.Simply Irresistible – My Review Here
2. The Sweetest Thing - My Review Here
3. Head Over Heels
4. Lucky in Love – Release May 22, 2012
5. At Last - Release July 2012
6. Forever and a Day – Release August 2012

eBooks:
Anthology: “Kissing Santa Claus” in the anthology A Small Town Christmas (Logan, Tara’s ex-husband’s story)
Heating Up the Kitchen: Recipes With Love from Lucky Harbor (Recipes by Tara)

Credits: 
My Chloe - Rachelle Lefevre
My Sawyer - Timothy Olyphant 


I’m having another “Season For Giving Giveaway”!

Christmas is a time for giving, and what better gift to give my members than a book by one of my other favourite authors, Jill Shalvis. And Head Over Heels is one my favourite new releases this year! 

If you haven't read Jill Shalvis then I'll also give the Lucky Winner a paperback copy of the first two Lucky Harbor books, Simply Irresistible and The Sweetest Thing. If the Lucky Winner already has these books, then depending on the cost (the "Wilder Brothers" books are more expensive), I'll throw in one/two of Jill Shalvis other books.

Sounds good? Spread the word!

Entries close on 16 December 2011 and randomly drawn Lucky Winner will be announced on 17 December 2011 here at Lady Jayne's Reading Den and will also be advised via email.

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Share about this Giveaway and about Head Over Heels and the Lucky Harbor series by Jill Shalvis on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads or your Blogs.

2. Leave a comment here to let me know how you shared this (and so I know who has entered), and also please share about your favourite Jill Shalvis book, or if you haven't read her (what are you waiting for?! ^_^), your favourite Contemporary Romance book.

3. If you are not comfortable to share your email details here, please email me those details so that I can let you know when the winner is announced. 
My email is: ladyjaynesreadingden@yahoo.com 

CONDITIONS:

1. Must be a member of Lady Jayne's Reading Den.

2. Must be from one of the ~100 countries that The Book Depository ships free to. See list of eligible countries here:


 GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY UPCOMING HOLIDAYS!!!! 

PRIVACY: Your privacy is very important to me. When you enter a giveaway and give your personal information, be assured that this information is not shared with anyone else and will not be used to contact you in any other way than to notify you if you win or to deliver your prize. 

25 comments:

  1. Loved this review, Jayne! I love Jill Shalvis' books and need to catch up!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you, Pamela! It's lovely to see you here. Oh, you love Jill Shalvis' books, too? How awesome! Yes, you really must catch up on this series! It will put a big smile on your face. Sawyer and Chloe are just delicious together. ^_^ *Hugs*

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jayne, Thanks for bringing this book to my attention. I have it on my bookshelf at home waiting to be read. Bought it months ago. Will need to dust it off and start reading. Have you heard if any of Pamela's other books will be rereleased?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Lisarenee! Nice to see you here! Do you mean the first book in Jill Shalvis' Lucky Harboe series? Since this third book was just released in late November. But this is an amazing series, so do bump it up you TBR! You won't regret it, Lisa. ^_^

    Re. Pamela Clare's other historicals, the second Mackinnon Rangers book, UNTAMED, will be re-released on January 3rd, 2012. She is currently writing the 3rd Mackinnon Rangers book, DEFIANT, and it is slated for release on 3 July 2012.

    And I understand that SWEET RELEASE and CARNAL GIFT have been re-released as e-books. Here are some details on Pamela Clare's blog:

    http://pamelaclare.blogspot.com/search/label/Sweet%20Release

    ReplyDelete
  5. You know I accidentally posted this under the wrong book review. lol I think I saw Pamela's comment and got confused. It was Surrender I was talking about already having. I did love Jill's Head Over Heels too and envy your ability to choose actors and actresses whom you see playing the parts if they were cast. :) Thanks for answering my question.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ah, I see. No worries, Lisarenee! ^_^

    Oh, so glad to see you loved Head Over Heels, too!

    Don't envy me, Lisa, my brain works funny. It just can't help but visualise how the characters look and try to match it with an image of someone in real life. Sort of like a facial recognition software! LOL But all my time visualising makes me such a SLOW reader. I could never read nearly as many books, as you, per year. ^_^ What are you up to this year? Over 300 again?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi, Jayne! I'd loved to be considered for Head Over Heels as I love the Lucky Harbor series. I posted a link to this on Facebook. (I have a Twitter account, but never use it.) I'll also post it to my review on GoodReads on the first in the series right after I log off here.

    My favorite Jill Shalvis? That's a tough one! I guess I'd have to say my first: Aussie Rules

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hello, Jayne!!!!! :) Yep, `tis me again roaming around your blog. Great review and yum pictures!! You really know how to spoil us. ^_^.

    I TWITTED THIS GIVEAWAY @SWEETIENENA

    My favorite Jill book? mmm.. I really liked Maddy and Jax.. :) Jax is tha man!!!!!

    ps: The quotes on the right of this page are really neat!! Love that concept.

    Keep it up, girlfriend!

    xoxoxoxoxo much love from the apple.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great review, Jayne!

    I posted on twitter so everyone can see it!

    I hope to read the Wilder series! I may go out and buy those today IF I can find them. But my fave book of Shalvis is HEAD OVER HEELS. I think she did an incredible job with Chloe and Sawyer, so sooo goood!!

    Funny thing is, we have Jill on my blog RIGHT NOW! So if you get the time, come by and say hello! Here's the link so you don't have to go looking :)

    http://underthecoversbookblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/author-override-jill-shalvis.html

    Annie

    ReplyDelete
  10. Yes, yes, yesssss, I want this book!!! Another great giveaway, Jayne! I shared it on my FB.

    I love Jill Shalvis' writing, it's got the right balance between romance and humor. My favorite book (so far) is Storm Watch.

    Oh, and before I forget... Awesome review as always, Jayne!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oooh, Lady Jayne! You always have the most tempting reviews! I am dying to read this book!!

    What a great contest! Please enter me for a chance to win, too!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi Lisa Kay, Autumn, Annie from Under the Covers, Dina and UM! ^_^

    It's so lovely to see the Jill Shalvis love! Thanks for your lovely comments about the review (I aim to entice! LOL I enjoy sharing the love for my fave books and authors ^_^). And thanks for entering and also sharing your fave books.

    ALL THE BEST to all of you for the Giveaway!!!

    To read a letter from Jill Shalvis, a chance to leave her a message, and double your chances of winning Head Over Heels, head over to Under the Covers Blog as they are also having a Giveaway (open to US Residents only). The lovely Annie *Leather Lust* from Goodreads is one of the reviewers on there. ^_^

    http://underthecoversbookblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/author-override-jill-shalvis.html

    ReplyDelete
  13. I've been dying to read Chloe and Sawyer's story. I loved the first 2 books on the Lucky Harbor series, but my favourite Jill Shalvis book probably is Animal Magnetism.

    I shared this on twitter: http://twitter.com/Sparima/status/146061296033464320

    spav05(AT)gmail(DOT)com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Jayne, you write the most awesome reviews! You could make me want to read anything. Of course, I already love Jill Shalvis books, but still... ;)

    Thanks for the great giveaway and good luck to all!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi Spav and Nissie! Good luck for the Giveaway!!!

    @Spav, Head Over Heels is the best Lucky Harbor book, IMHO. I loved the first two but this 3rd one of my favourite.

    @Nissie: You are so sweet! You always wish everyone good luck. And thanks for your always kind comments about my reviews. Well, since you already love Jill Shalvis' books I didn't need to do much to entice you then! LOL Head Over Heels is AMAZING!

    ReplyDelete
  16. @Autumn: Re. the quotes on the side, they are my absolute favourite quotes and great reminders for me about keeping perspective. ^_^

    ReplyDelete
  17. I haven't read any books by Jill Shalvis. Can't wait to check them out! Thanks for the chance to win.
    I tweeted about the giveaway at http://twitter.com/#!/laurasatori/status/147187618789072896

    lauras67@juno.com

    ReplyDelete
  18. She understood now why her friend Elizabeth, with her near-genius, analytical mind gave wide berth to murder mysteries, psychological thrillers, and horror stories, and read only romance novels. Because, by God, when a woman picked up one of those steamy books, she had a firm guarantee that there would be a Happily-Ever-After. That though the world outside those covers could bring such sorrow and disappointment and loneliness, between those covers, the world was a splendid place to
    be." ~ Karen Marie Moning, Darkfever

    I love,love this quote, but I cant remember reading it. **scrambles brain** In my defense,I devoured this series like crack!! ^_~.

    I always make a habit of stopping by, if just to read a couple of quotes. I`m a quote collector of all sorts.!

    Keep it up!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hi Autumn, I actually haven't read the Fever series, but I saw someone at Goodreads had added this quote and I just completely related to it (that's me! ^_^) and absolutely loved it. I need to read the Fever series... next year!

    Aww...Thanks for letting me know, Autumn. Yes, I'm a quote collector, too. I love the really insightful and profound ones...and the romantic ones...and I know you do, too.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hi Laura, Thanks for spreading the word and good luck for the Giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Jayne, not sure if you or anyone else is interested, but Darkfever is on sale at Amazon for $1.99.

    http://www.amazon.com/Darkfever-The-Fever-Series-ebook/dp/B000MAH7SQ/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1323937919&sr=8-10

    ReplyDelete
  22. On Kindle? I've already got all the paperbacks, Nissie, but thanks so much for letting me and others know!! As I said, you're a sweetie! ^_^ xx

    ReplyDelete
  23. You have the books sitting at home?? For the love of God, woman! Do yourself a favor, and start reading them ASAP! I waited until Shadowfever was released because the cliffhangers were nasty.

    I have many quotes from this series. Mackayla has some growing up to do, so she sheds some thoughtful stuff along the way. It was really nice.

    ReplyDelete
  24. LOL! Weeelll....I WAS waiting until Shadowfever was released but then I was in the middle of Psy-Changeling (I still need to get up-to-date with that! I'm on Book 7!)... and then had some other books I wanted to read... I do want to get to these soon though. In the new year! ^_^

    Oooohhh...good quotes! You do know how to entice me, Autumn! LOL

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hi Jayne! I can't believe I still haven't read this series! I loved all the Wilder books and I have no doubt this series is fabulous as well. I added an update to GR (http://www.goodreads.com/user_status/show/9879368) - my fingers and toes are crossed!

    ReplyDelete