Always on My Mind: Number 8 in series (Lucky Harbor, #8)

by Jill Shalvis

Zoe issmart, funny, and ... directionless. She's a brilliant pastry chef who didn't finish her fancy French school. Was in the running for a reality show chef position but screwed it up. She comes home when her Grandma Eli has knee surgery and needs someone to run her bakery. Except Grandma Eli is a sly, old, mischievous fox who didn't really have knee surgery.

Jack is an ex-hotshot wildlife firefighter now working as a captain for this small-town fire department, wondering why his easy-going, laid-back lifestyle suddenly isn't as much fun as it used to be.

Zoe and Jack are old friends. You tell things to friends that you would never tell a lover. You allow friends to see your faults... Can you fall for a person who knows you better than anyone else? Do you dare?

• ISBN10: 1455521108
• ISBN13: 9781455521104
• Publish Date: 26 September 2013 (first published 1 January 2013)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 6 August 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Grand Central Publishing
• Format: Paperback (A-Format (178x111 mm))
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

I now consider myself a full-fledged Jill Shalvis fan. This is my 3rd Lucky Harbor book, and I love getting exactly what I need: a cute rom-com with plenty of heat. Every time I pick up a Lucky Harbor book, I escape into this charming town filled with nutty, but lovable characters. Once again, we get more than a romance. I like that Shalvis put a little mystery in there. This one was one of my favorite type of romances, in that the MCs shared a past. Another great Lucky Harbor book!

[Rowena]

Jack and Leah have known each other since they were kids and even though Jack is two years older than Leah, they’re still pretty close. He’s had a thing for her for so long but knows that nothing will come of it because he’s not a relationship type of guy and she ran off on him a long time ago. Now that she’s back and around, it’s hard not to notice just how smoking hot she is but she’s his friend…and that’s where she’s going to stay. At least that was the plan until Leah tells his Mom that they’re a couple and grudgingly, he agrees to the shenanigans.

Jill Shalvis did a great job of bringing these two together. Of course there were times when I wanted to smack them both upside their heads but for the most part, I adored seeing them fumble their way to that happy ending. It was Leah, more than Jack that made me want to smack her because there were times when I just couldn’t understand where she was coming from with the things that she thought and the insecurities she had. But everything works out the way that they’re supposed to and I enjoyed being along for the ride.

Jack was one smoking hot stud. You could see what the ladies saw in him and his hero complex was swoonworthy. I adored the way that he was with Leah, the way that he was with Leah’s grandmother and with his own mother. He was such an all around sexy good guy that I wanted to hold him close and never let go. Toward the end when he’s got the bad guy up against the wall, choking him out? I nearly swooned with delight. He was everything that I love in a man and everything that I love reading about in my books.

I’m really looking forward to reading Ben and Aubrey’s book. I adored the way that Ben and Jack were in this book and I’m looking forward to seeing more of the same in the next book. I really like that Aubrey is going to open up the bookstore and that she’s become such good friends with both Leah and Ali. I’m really looking forward to seeing what fireworks spark up between Ben and Aubrey. I just know that it’s going to be good.

This was another great contemporary read by Shalvis and if you’ve read and loved her other books then I have every faith that you’ll love this one too.

[leelu92]

Um... It was good. I had a hard time with Leah, she was hard to like at times. I understood why she was the way she was but I just wasn't able to connect with her character. LOVED Jack....*sigh*.