Rumor Has It by Jill Shalvis

Rumor Has It (Animal Magnetism, #4)

by Jill Shalvis

An injured soldier returns home and finds a surprising connection with a woman from his past in this Animal Magnetism romance.
 
Special Ops soldier Griffin Reid doesn’t exactly have happy memories of growing up in Sunshine, Idaho. He’s only come back to recover from a war injury, and while he refuses to admit he’s in a weakened state, he finds comfort in the last person he’d expect.
 
Kate Evans teaches second grade science in Sunshine, the place she’s always called home. Dreaming of graduate school and a happily-ever-after, she’s desperate to break out of the monotony of Sunshine. Luckily, a certain sexy man has just come back into her life.
 
To Griffin, Kate as always been his little sister’s friend, but now he’s finding her to be so much more. As both attempt to forge their paths, they must decide if their passionate connection can turn into something lasting...

Reviewed by Sam@WLABB on

4 of 5 stars

Share
After discovering Lucky Harbor, I wanted to read ALL Shalvis' books. Animal Magnetism, like Shalvis' other series, is set in a lovely location (Sunshine, Idaho) with many fun and interesting inhabitants. Once again, Shalvis gave me a new destination I want to live in .

I have grown to depend on this author for fun and sweet romances, with just he right amount of heat and drama to keep it interesting. She always creates these characters whom I would love to befriend, and constructs a story that is interesting and entertaining.

This book focuses on Grif, who has returned from the military to Sunshine for his sister's wedding, and Kate, who is a self-sacrificing teacher with lots of family responsibilities. Kate has always had a little crush on her best friend's brother (Grif), and finally, Grif has noticed that Katie has grown up and become Kate.
"The first contraceptive was crocodile dung," she whispered. "The Egyptians used it in 2000 BC."


Kate is so wonderful. She cares for EVERYONE - her brother, her sister, her father, her students, her ex-boyfriend, the bum in the park, everyone. She is smart and witty and know to spout random science facts when nervous (BTW - I loved all those facts).

I think you do everything for everyone except yourself.


Grif is a man of few words, who let's his actions speak for him instead. He is returning to civilian life, and a little lost. He is also trying to build a bridge between him and his father, and attempting to establish a home base for himself. His pain and confusion is well illustrated in this book, but so is his big heart. The banter between Grif and Kate was so much fun, and the chemistry was extreme.

"What?"
"It's still here. Our chemistry problem."


I swooned and laughed and fanned myself as their relationship unfolded. The way the two of them needed each other and completed each other. It was beautiful, and I loved every second of it.

She'd picked him, and then she'd added color to the black and white that was his world. She'd added dimension. She'd added...life.


"And second, I don't necessarily dream of children and a white picket fence." She paused, waiting for him to look at her. "But I dream of you, Griffin."


As with any Shalvis book, we get to know quite a bit about the secondary characters that fill the town. Tommy was just the cutest little brother ever! I loved how he was quirky, just like his big sis, and how his heart was so HUGE.

Shalvis has solidified her place as one of my go-to authors when I was a fun romance. She writes the perfect books to read after something sad or just if you need a little pick-me-up.

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 8 June, 2016: Finished reading
  • 8 June, 2016: Reviewed