Sandy M’s review of It’s in His Kiss (Lucky Harbor, Book 10) by Jill Shalvis
Contemporary Romance published by Grand Central Publishing 26 Aug 14

I worried just a bit about reading this book since it’s so far into the series. I needn’t have wasted my brain power with that worry. Now all I want to do is crack open the first book and start from the beginning getting to know all these folks in Lucky Harbor, because I had such fun with Sam, Cole, and Tanner. Then when Becca shows up? Life will never be the same.

Becca has just gotten into town and is looking for a cheap place to live. And she needs a job to pay for the cheap place. Needing directions in the industrial area she’s looking in, she finds Sam Brody instead, Mr. Grumpy Surfer Dude who heard her crazy ramblings as she watched the ocean and ate her favored ranch-flavored popcorn. That first meeting between them is great, but this next meeting is even  better. Sam likes his solitude in his warehouse where he builds boats, as his very prominent sign tells anyone entering. But Becca needs help. I laughed out loud when she doesn’t let his grouchiness get to her; her solution to getting his attention is terrific.

Happy with his life of tourist charters and his best friends, ladies when he wants, Sam is in no hurry to make any changes, especially where one particular woman is concerned. But he can’t help himself. He spies her spying on him on the beach, she calls when something frightens her, and he’s taken to making sure she’s fine even when taking out the trash. When Becca applies for a  job with his company, he says no – he can’t have a relationship with an employee. He’s outvoted, and Becca is a godsend keeping their schedule and everything else organized and running on time. And Sam tries to keep his distance.

But that first kiss gives them both something to think about. I love Becca. She’s carefree and spirited, despite what she’s left behind in her old life. Her family – especially her very talented brother – has agreed to give her space to come to terms with what Becca needs for Becca and no one else. Sam is one of the sexiest heroes I’ve read in a long time. He’s the money man, making loads for him and his partners, but he too has his share of family issues, specifically with his father, who has never really been a father at all. It’s Cole’s family who took him in and gave him the love he so desperately needed. So as Sam and Becca get closer, their feelings for each other begin to change, it’s family who intervenes at the most inopportune times.

Of course, Cole and Tanner are terrific secondary characters, and thank goodness their books will be available over the next several months. The three men share a tragic event in their past and love is what they’re lacking in an otherwise good life. I also like Cole’s and Sam’s mother. She’s the typical mother of boys, takes no grief from them and smothers them in love. Even Sam’s father, irresponsible man that he is, has his moments. Becca’s next door neighbor, Olivia, is a lot of fun and we’re definitely going to see more of her if Cole has his way. The banter between characters is one of the best things in the book, aside from all the steamy lovin’ Sam and Becca can’t seem to curtail.

As much as I wish I could pick up the first nine books in this series sometime soon, at least I can now stay on track with it as it grows from here, and I’m bound and determined to do that. Jill Shalvis has never once let this reader down. Her stories are fun, serious, romantic, and true to life. I’m a fan till the end of my days.

Grade: A

Summary:

Becca Thorpe has uprooted her life and escaped to the beach. Now’s her chance to get away from city living, throw caution to the ocean winds, and live in the moment. Especially if the moment includes the deliciously sexy surfer she meets shortly after arriving in Lucky Harbor. Something about the dark intensity of Sam’s eyes and the thrill she gets at his touch convinces her to stay awhile.

Boatbuilder and investment genius Sam Brody is a self-made man who knows how dangerous it can be to mix business and pleasure. But he can’t resist offering Becca a job just to hear her laugh and have her near. Yet when her brother comes to town asking for help, will he tempt her back to her glamorous life in the city? Or do Sam and little Lucky Harbor have a chance to win Becca’s heart?

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series: