Nobody But You (Cedar Ridge, #3)

by Jill Shalvis

Fans of Jill Mansell, Debbie Macomber, Nora Roberts and Marie Force will fall head over heels for the Cedar Ridge series from New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis, featuring her trademark gift for humour, warmth and romance.

What the best way to heal a broken heart?

Finally free of her cheating ex-husband, Sophie's escaped with his most precious possession - his boat - and not much else. It's the perfect revenge...if only she wasn't quite so seasick all the time.

What she really needs is a free place to moor so she can start getting on with her life, and by an empty lakeside cabin seems just the spot. Only it's no longer uninhabited. Jacob Kincaid, Army Special Forces officer, has returned, craving Cedar Ridge's tranquillity to help him make peace with his own past.

Sophie and Jacob agree they aren't looking for anything but comfort as long as their mutual desire lasts. Yet as their bond deepens, might it be that their attraction is the kind that actually lasts for ever?

Want more warm, funny romance? Don't miss the other delightful Cedar Ridge novels, Second Chance Summer and My Kind of Wonderful, visit spellbinding Lucky Harbor or experience some Animal Magnetism in Sunshine, Idaho in Jill's other unforgettable series.

• ISBN10: 1538715562
• ISBN13: 9781538715567
• Publish Date: 10 March 2020 (first published 29 March 2016)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Forever
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[Amanda]

Nobody But You was my first Jill Shalvis book, but it definitely won't be the last.

[kimbacaffeinate]

Nobody But You takes place in Cedar Ridge Montana and introduces us to Army Special Forces officer Jacob Kincaid and local resident Sophie Marren.

Sophie has recently divorced her cheating, controlling husband and is living on his boat. She only has a few problems. 1. She hates boats and suffers from seasickness. 2. She is broke and working a string of temporary jobs from dog grooming to organizing events. 3. She has no place to dock her boat, so each night she tries to outrun the Lake Patrol by parking her boat at vacant lakeside homes. 4. She is never ever going to fall in love again.

Jacob Kincaid left Cedar Ridge as soon as he turned eighteen eager to put distance between himself and folks in town. This involved not seeing his twin brother. He went off and joined the Special Forces, sneaking back once a year to visit his Momma. When he loses his brother in arms, he realizes that he misses his brother and half-siblings. He comes home on leave to set things right. Jacob is hurting, suffering survivors’ guilt and not at all looking for love.

The story that unfolds while predictable offered a romance filled with delicious chemistry, laughable moments, wicked banter and two characters you cannot help but fall in love with. Sophie is funny, determined and scared to trust anyone especially with her heart. Therefore, when it is obvious she is attracted to Jacob she makes him agree not to fall in love with her. I thoroughly enjoyed watching their romance unfold and lost myself within the story.

While I missed the earlier romances between some of the Kincaid siblings, Shalvis did a wonder job bring me up to speed and I love the threads surrounding the siblings, Jacob’s mother, and even Sophie’s nasty ex. Annd of course you know I now want to read the first two books in the Cedar Ridge series!

Copy provided by publisher. This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[stacey_is_sassy]

Famous last words…

Nobody But You gave me the warm and fuzzies...eventually…with a little heartburn, nausea and fire in the hole first. Do you know one thing that makes me smirk the most in romance novels? When both the hero and heroine start up a relationship stating that they aren’t looking for love, don’t want love or the dreaded - don’t fall for me…I’m bad news. Do you know why it makes me smirk? Because I know these suckers will be eating their words. You can’t help who you fall in love with. Well, you could…but why would you? Love is brilliant and wonderful, shiny and happy, snugly and sexy, warm and supportive. Look, I know it’s not ALWAYS that way, but even in the bad times love is, or it should be, something you can always count on. Don’t run from love, but be careful who you give it to.

I started Nobody But You knowing I’d like it. I mean I’m a dedicated Jill Shalvis fan and have been for yonky donks, so I know I’ll like whatever she puts out. I wasn’t convinced I’d love it though. The teaser I’d read months ago didn’t really pull me in. Plus I knew Jacob already. Well, I knew one side of the story. So, I thought I’d be getting a broken man, with his heart closed off and he’d be a completely selfish jerk. I also met Sophie in the teaser and I thought she was a little silly and a lot vulnerable and needy. Once I got into the story, there was a lot more to these characters. Both Jacob and Sophie had lived through a lot. Jacob is in the army and lost his best mate in a roadside bombing. He also cut himself off from his family including his twin brother. Sophie had lived with a depressed father who stopped being a dad to her. Looking for someone to love her she marries a ratbag, cheating butthead, Lucas. Jacob and Sophie are at the stage in their lives where they realise they need to reassess and change course to find happiness in their lives.

I got to know Jacob and Sophie and I was on board for these two to hurry up and get happy. Of course, these things take time. There were waves to ride, feeling to maneuver around and trust to be earned. We get to see their whole journey from when they first meet, to them setting up boundaries, to them realising the boundaries fencing isn’t always impenetrable.

Sophie is a little vulnerable in the beginning, but as time goes on you see her strength and courage come through. Words from her ex no longer had the same effect. Yes, Lucas still knew the right buttons to push to put her over the edge, but her recovery got quicker and quicker and she started to believe in herself instead of the insults. Her lack of direction was replaced with a confidence in seeing the happiness when she did her job well. Sophie was like a butterfly and her cocoon had been the boat she tied herself to and it kept her happiness from bursting free.

Jacob’s journey was a little different. His burdens are family orientated. He felt like he lost his family when he ran away from them to join the army. When his best mate died he realised that he needed to make amends with his family and returns home to Cedar Ridge. Instead of warning them, he sneaks in hoping to work up his courage before facing the firing squad. In some ways, it was easy for him to come home and fit in, but when it came to his twin, it would take more than a sorry to fix things.

I really enjoyed Nobody But You and visiting with the Kincaid’s again. Jacob, Hudson, Kenna, Aidan and Gray love each other. Sometimes they needed reminding, but deep down they know they always have a support team if they ever need it. Carrie, Jacob and Hudson’s mum, is an absolute sweetheart. Whenever she is involved, you know you’ll probably be laughing. Seeing the boys struggle with her memory problems and dementia is a little heartbreaking but also heartwarming. While she hasn’t always been the best mum in a traditional sense, she always loved her boys and they knew it.

I love the Cedar Ridge series. Jacob and Sophie’s story wasn’t smooth sailing but I knew from the beginning that I wanted things to work for them. I needed Sophie to bring Jacob out of his emotional shell. I also needed Jacob to show Sophie that he would always make it safe for Sophie to spread her wings. Luckily, Jill Shalvis has a magic wand and created me a story that had all my wishes granted. I can’t wait for more and hopefully, Jill Shalvis heard my other wish that Kenna and Mitch’s story is up next.

I received a complimentary ARC of Nobody But You via Netgalley for an honest review.

I’m an Aussie chick who loves to read and review romance, drink coffee, be a Style Setter and stalk David Gandy. To see more of my reviews, fashion, food and pervathons -

[Rowena]

Easily my favorite book in the series. Full review to come soon.

[Linda]

This review was originally posted on (un)Conventional Bookviews
WOW - Shalvis has outdone herself with Nobody But You! Jacob and Sophie are such great characters, even if they were both pretty closed off to the world at the beginning of the story. Sweet, tender, sexy, humourous and sometimes a little sad, I couldn't stop reading, and I loved every moment.



I really didn't think any of the Kincaid siblings would appeal to me more than Hud did, but Jacob managed to steal the first place in my reading heart! Because he was a little bit broken from the war, but also because he was very sensitive and straight-forward, I fell for him even faster than Sophie did! Nobody But You is a beautiful love story, and I have to say the romance Gods must have been with Shalvis while she wrote this. The two main characters are flawed, but they are also strong and wonderful in many ways. I loved Sophie's sassiness, and the way that made Jacob laugh, especially because he could hardly remember what it was like to laugh anymore.

While Nobody But You is part of the Cedar Ridge series, it can be read as a stand-alone, because Sophie and Jacob manage to keep the story moving forward on their own, even if there is plenty of interactions with other characters as well. Sophie impressed me in many ways, but most of all because she was stubborn. About making it after her ugly divorce, about living on a boat even though it made her sea-sick. About finding her way when it came to her profession, and also because while she kept telling herself she wasn't made for love, she realized that having a fling with Jacob might very well involve her heart. Jacob touched me deeply as well, between being on leave because he lost the soldier who was closest to him to coming home and dealing with Hud's hostility, I felt so bad for him! And at the same time, it was very easy to see where Hud was coming from as well.

Written in third person point of view, past tense, but with dialogues that are both witty and hot, Nobody But You is the kind of contemporary romance I love to find myself reading. And one of the very few I am likely to re-read as well. If you haven't read Shalvis yet, this just might be the perfect book to start with, and if you have, you will fall into step with Sophie and Jacob as if you already know them, and they will take you on a tender and romantic ride.



"Fan-fricking-tastic. Only way today could get better is if I were scheduled for an appendectomy. Without drugs. In a third-world country."
Snark and a bad 'tude, like she wouldn't hesitate to kick someone's ass if needed to. Didn't get hotter than that.

Not that she'd run here from the lake. Nope, the only time Sophie did any running was if a bear was chasing her, and that hardly ever happened.

When he'd walked away all those years ago, he'd been a self-righteous, selfish prick. He didn't want to be that guy anymore. He had no idea what kind of a man he'd be instead, but it was past time to find out.