Wrapped Up in You: A Heartbreaker Bay Novel (Heartbreaker Bay, #8)

by Jill Shalvis

It’s love. Trust me.

After a lifetime on the move, Ivy Snow is an expert in all things temporary—schools, friends, and way too many Mr. Wrongs. Now that she owns a successful taco truck in San Francisco and an apartment to call home, Ivy’s reinvented life is on solid ground. And she’s guarded against anything that can rock it. Like the realities of a past she’s worked hard to cover up. And especially Kel O’Donnell. Too hot not to set off alarms, he screams temporary. If only his whispers weren’t so delightfully naughty and irresistible.

Kel, an Idaho sheriff and ranch owner, is on vacay, but Ivy’s a spicy reason to give his short-terms plans a second thought. Best of all, she’s a tonic for his untrusting heart, burned once and still in repair. But when Ivy’s past intrudes on a perfect romance, Kel fears that everything she’s told him has been a perfect lie. Now, if only Ivy’s willing to share, Kel will fight for a true love story.

• ISBN10: 0062897780
• ISBN13: 9780062897787
• Publish Date: 14 November 2019 (first published 24 September 2019)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 14 May 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Avon Books
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[nitzan_schwarz]

I don't know whether I had grown more cynical with age, this book caught me in a cynical mood, or it was objectively not As Good as Shalvis's usual fare, but either way, I had to literally force myself to finish this one.

My main issue is all those grand speeches everyone in this book makes. People don't talk like that--at least not people I know. They don't break into long sentences of how much of life you've missed and sacrificed for them in the middle of a diner, especially not in a drop of the hat. These just grate on my nerves so freaking much--I don't even know why, exactly.

Then, there was the whole two weeks thing. Why are all the people in this series required to fall in love and propose in less than a month? Like, what's UP with that? Why can't these people be together for a while, learn of each other's quirks and faults, and fall in love like that? Why must it be this instant 'connection' and 'understanding' that they share with no one else?

And why must you beat us over the head with each others' good qualities? If you feel the need to tell us 10,000 times how witty and smart and tough a character is, or have seven different characters tell us how x is so protective and strong and etc, that means you don't trust in your portrayal of your characters enough. Because only if you feel like we, the readers, won't get it, will you go to such length to 'remind us'. It drives me crazy.

At the end of the day, all these things together made me fell nothing toward these characters and their emotional moments. I found myself rolling my eyes, grunting or urg-ing whenever a 'touching' moment came because I just wasn't having any of it.

And lastly, there were many repetitive sentences in this one... Like 'lit within an inch of its life' or 'squeezed her/his heart'. It was enough that I noticed it. Which is weird.

I usually really love Shalvis's books, so I don't know what was the presence cause of this flop, but the facts unfortunately remain.

[Romance Schmomance]

Why in the world did I wait so long to read a book by Jill Shalvis?! Wrapped Up in You has easily made my 2019 favorites and I'm excited that there's so many books to read in this series.

With this being book 8 in the Heartbreaker Bay series, I was pleasantly surprised that I wasn't confused at all with the many characters that were mentioned. I'd say that's pretty rare when you decide to drop in a series so late.

I loved that you get two completely different characters, each with their own personal hang-ups and certain things that they'd rather keep to themselves.

CHECK OUT THE REST OF MY REVIEW | HERE

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[thebookdisciple]

Wrapped Up in You by Jill Shalvis brings readers back to Heartbreaker Bay and I am here for it!! This time, its Kel (Caleb's cousin) and Ivy (the Taco Truck owner). These two are quite opposites-Kel is a cop and Ivy is a free bird of sorts. Ivy has trust issues with law enforcement so she is wary of Kel right away.

Ivy has been raised in a rolling stone environment-never staying in one place. Now, she is putting down roots in San Francisco with her truck and, hopefully, a new condo. She has kept her family secrets from her new friends though and they don't know about her con artist brother. Kel is also dealing with his dysfunctional family drama too. Both Kel and Ivy are keeping secrets from the people in their lives, but Ivy's brother is potential dangerous.

The back and forth between Ivy and Kel is light on the outside, but both are playing things close to the vest. Neither has had success in love in the past and neither seem willing to fully trust anyone. So they banter around their feelings and avoid heavy conversations for a while. But, it turns out, the best person to share your struggles with is someone who has similar struggles!

I think September might be a little early for holiday books, but it plays a background role so its not a "holiday book". Wrapped Up in You is surprisingly emotional despite its fun and light looking cover, but I think that is true of all the Heartbreaker Bay novels! I enjoyed Ivy and Kel because they are both disheartened and manage to power through and find a happy life.

 

•   POV: 3rd


•   Tears: no


•   Trope: dysfunctional families


•   Triggers: none


•   Series/Standalone: stand alone


•   Cliffhanger: no


•   HEA: yes

Bayside Romance by Melissa Foster, All It Takes by Kristen Proby, Unbroken by Jay Crownover ...then you will probably like Wrapped Up in You!

 

Wrapped Up in You

See full review on The Book Disciple

[stacey_is_sassy]

The good kind of trouble…

How embarrassing is it when you walk up to a stranger and ask them *Do I know you* and they look back at you with a blank and slightly horrified look, before scurrying away. Well, I’ve done that to myself numerous times. What makes it even worse is I later work out that he’s the guy who gets on the same train carriage as me, or I walked past him while doing the grocery shopping. Well, meeting Kel felt a little like that. I know that I know him, but for the life of me, I can’t remember the details of our meeting. At least, this time I know I’ve legitimately met him, because, Jill told me so.

[kimbacaffeinate]

Aside from some mentions of holly, Christmas Eve and food banks this didn’t really feel like a holiday romance, but I loved it all the same. It’s the story of two souls leary of trusting their hearts or setting down roots.

Both Ivy and Kel have baggage stemming from childhood trust issues. When the story opens Ivy is finally setting down roots and is in a much better place. It’s her setbacks during the story that allow Kel to face his own. I love how it unfolded blending suspense, trust, family, and romance.

The romance was a combination of combustible attraction, awkward banter, humor and whispered confessions. It felt genuine and something about them together clicked. Shalvis did a great job of sharing their backstories and bringing those issues into the present story. Shalvis wraps things up with an epilogue that left me grinning and wiping a tear. Yeah, I am a sap. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

[Sam@WLABB]

I had hastily picked up this book after DNFing two in a row. I was thinking, if anyone would be able to fend off this book slump, it would be Jill Shalvis, and I was right!

I am ALWAYS excited to read a new Shalvis book, but when I saw that Kel from the Animal Magnetism books was joining the Heartbreaker Bay gang, I was bouncing up and down. Kel was a character we fans were clamoring about. We wanted the sexy sheriff to get his HEA, and not only did Shalvis deliver that, via a wonderful romance, she also gave him that "home" he had previously thought was gone forever.

I thought this was a rather brilliant pairing, too. Kel had been hesitant to form any real emotional ties. He had lost his father and grandparents, been abandoned by his mother, and was betrayed by someone he considered a very close friend.

Ivy was in a similar situation. She grew up with a neglectful mother and a brother who constantly put her in precarious situations. Both had let her down, time and again, and she grew to think she could only count on herself. Cow's Hollow was the first place she established roots, but she still kept everyone at arm's length.

It was rather wonderful watching these two chip away at each other's walls. They both had so much baggage and pain in their pasts, and I was eager for each of them to, in the immortal words of Lenny Kravitz, let love rule. They also seemed really well suited for each other. There was chemistry, connection, and something special, which just made me want them to ride off into the sunset together.

Besides their fantastic romance, we had all those stupendous elements of friendship, that I know will be present, when I pick up a Jill Shalvis book. Many members of the "gang" made an appearance, as they went on outings, worked out, and shared many heart-to-hearts. I always enjoy the ease these characters have with each other, as well as the heartfelt and humorous times they share together.

On top of all that, we had quite a bit of family involvement. Not only were Kel and Ivy opening their hearts to love, they were re-opening them to their families, and allowing themselves to heal their pasts. There's a lot of lovely moments and much forgiveness to go around, and I was a big fan of these elements.

Overall: A beautiful story of the power of love, friendship, and forgiveness and opening yourself up to possibilities. I hope there will be many more books in the Heartbreaker Bay series, because I am far from ready to leave this world.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS

[Linda]

*I received a free copy of Wrapped Up in You. This has in no way influenced my review which is honest and unbiased.*

Wrapped Up in You brought me back to the merry gang of Heartbreaker Bay, and it was so good! Ivy had always been in the background when it came to the group of friends. And now, I understand that so very well.

Kel is a new addition, he's Caleb's hot cousin, and he started out just as big an enigma as Ivy was. Closed off, a little bit stand-offish, but with a soft, strong heart.

I enjoyed the chemistry between the main characters, and I have several quotes I can use for my TT&HH on the blog, as well as for my Safe & Sexy. I may have to wait a while to use them, though, as it's still a while until this novel is released.

If you're looking for a story where there's hot romance, strong friendships, and a big dilemma that could break everything that had just started to be built, this novel is for you!