Hot Winter Nights (Heartbreaker Bay, #6)

by Jill Shalvis

[stacey_is_sassy]

I knew there would be sparks…

I live with three males and at times I think my life is TOUGH!! Poor Molly, her whole office is male and what I thought was tough is nothing compared to what she puts up with. My guys are hubby, teen and pre-teen, while Molly’s are MEN of the Alpha, Badass, Scary, Fit and Bossy variety. Now, I’m thinking, I love my boys, but geez, I wouldn’t mind swapping for a couple of hours. Only a couple of hours mind you. That much testosterone, sweat, and gross boy stuff could get OLD…and disgusting, but boy would they LOOK good.

I loved Hot Winter Nights, and Jill Shalvis has again left me with a big goofy grin at the end. I knew a little about Molly and Lucas before I started but I enjoyed getting to know them better. These two have dealt with heartbreak and loss, injuries and challenges that left them a little wary of looking for love. Molly keeps everyone at arm’s length to avoid being disappointed and Lucas has shut down his heart to protect what’s left. Neither wants what is happening between them, but they can’t deny there are sizzle and sparks.

Molly walks with a limp after a serious accident when she was 14. She suffers from extreme pain that is exacerbated in the cold. But, Molly is a determined lady and refuses to be seen as weak or looked on with pity. Her brother and close friends try to protect her, but that protection makes her feel useless and undervalued. Even in her job, she knows that Archer, her boss, is hesitant to let her take risks. Molly just wants to show everyone she’s capable of more than what they think and prove that she’s smart and fit enough to work in their world and be an investigator.

Lucas is recovering from a gunshot wound and not allowed to head back to active duty until he’s fully recovered. He’s bored and will do anything to get back to work. After making the mistake of mixing alcohol and pain meds, Lucas wakes up next to a brunette. That particular brunette is on a mission to help a few Christmas Elves catch Bad Santa. Thanks to Archer and Joe (Molly’s over-protective brother), Lucas is tasked with keeping an eye on Molly as she delves deeper. This should be fairly easy…he just has to keep his hands to himself if he wants to stay alive.

The pacing was excellent in this one. I wasn’t getting impatient waiting for things to happen. There were intense scenes that were nicely balanced with some extremely funny ones. The connection between Lucas and Molly was easy to see and I was convinced that they were perfect for each other. I loved that Lucas understood Molly’s insecurities, and though he got frustrated at times, he never gave up. Completely oblivious as to why, Molly always managed to know when Lucas was suffering or needed a helping hand. They were together before they were even together. The sexy times were HOT but didn’t overtake the storyline.

Hot Winter Nights was an excellent instalment to the Heartbreaker Bay series. I LOVE all the people we meet in this one, especially Lucas’s loving big family. I know I say this with every new instalment, but I think this was THE ONE!! The best one, funniest one, sexiest one…since the last one. 😉

Oh my lordy, that snippet at the end, I have never fallen so hard for a hero in such a short time. If you read that snippet and don’t think Caleb Parker is THE BEST, I’ll be very surprised.

Stacey is Sassy, received a complimentary copy of this story. The copy provided is not the final copy and may be subject to edits and changes.