Review: Forever and a Day by Jill Shalvis
Title: Forever and a Day (Lucky Harbor #6)
Author: Jill Shalvis
Publication Date: July 31, 2012
Publisher: Grand Central
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Find It: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, Book Depository. Bookshop
Source: e-ARC via Netgalley
Rating: 4 stars – stay up late
Grace never thought she’d be starting her life over from scratch. Losing everything has landed her in Lucky Harbor, working as a dog walker for overwhelmed ER doctor Josh Scott. But the day his nanny fails to show up, Grace goes from caring for Josh’s loveable mutt to caring for his rambunctious kids. Soon Grace is playing house with the sexy single dad…
With so many people depending on him, Josh has no time for anything outside of his clinic and family–until Grace arrives in town. Now this brainy blonde is turning his life inside out and giving a whole new meaning to the phrase “good bedside manner.” Josh and Grace don’t know if what they have can last. But in a town like Lucky Harbor, a lifetime of love starts with just one day.
Grace lands in Lucky Harbor after a freak storm trapped her in town for the night. Having just left a new job because of a lecherous boss, she doesn’t have any immediate prospects and decides to stay until she finds a new job elsewhere. Having never really felt like she belonged anywhere, Grace is surprised to feel so at home in Lucky Harbor and makes fast friends in town. When the sexy town doctor, Josh Scott, dials the wrong number and mistakes Grace for an experienced dog walker, she does what anyone in dire need of a job does, she says yes and proceeds to lose his dog in the ocean (don’t worry, he’s fine). Josh can’t help the zing of chemistry he feels when he meets Grace and she can’t help the pull she feels for Josh even though she knows that intense workaholic doctor types are not for her. Even though Grace’s first day as a dog walker ended up with her soaked in the ocean, Josh needs all the help he can get and hires her on as a dog walker/nanny for his young son.
I forgot how much I love small town romances. I’ve read a couple of books in the Lucky Harbor series but it has been a while since I revisited the town and Forever and a Day was a great reintroduction to the series.
This was a delightful read! It’s one of those books that is fun and easy to read and leaves you with a smile on your face. The romance between Josh and Grace is sweet but also super sexy. The two have amazing chemistry in and out of bed and I loved watching them banter and get under each other’s skin.
There is also an amazing cast of secondary characters, like Grace’s younger sister Anna, a paraplegic with an attitude, the town gossip Lucille, and Josh’s adorable Star Wars obsessed son Toby. Did I mention that there’s a pug, too? Even though he’s the Antichrist in the book, pugs are my favorite dog so it gets extra points for having him. I also loved all of the small town details like everyone knowing your business, summer festivals, and good friends.
Sometimes with romances I am left feeling like the relationship was rushed or that it doesn’t have much substance. Happily that wasn’t the case there. Even though Grace and Josh have amazing chemistry form the get go, the romance between them is a slow burn with many sweet, sexy, and hilarious moments. I really believed that they were falling in love even if they were both too stubborn to admit it.
As you can probably tell, I really enjoyed this book. It has all the elements of a great romance and I loved the small town setting. This makes me want to go back and read the other books in the series that I have missed. Looks like there are currently 12 books in the series so that means I have some catching up to do. If you’re looking for a feel good romance, I would definitely recommend Forever and a Day and the Lucky Harbor series.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my review or opinion of the book.
