Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis

Simply Irresistible (Lucky Harbor, #1)

by Jill Shalvis

Maddie Moore's whole life needs a makeover.

In one fell swoop, Maddie loses her boyfriend (her decision) and her job (so not her decision) but rather than drowning her sorrows in bags of potato chips, Maddie leaves L.A. to claim the inheritance left by her free-spirited mother-a ramshackle inn nestled in the little coastal town of Lucky Harbor, Washington. Starting over won't be easy. Yet Maddie sees the potential for a new home and a new career, if only she can convince her two half-sisters to join her in the adventure. But convincing Tara and Chloe will be difficult because the inn needs a big makeover too.

The contractor Maddie hires is a tall, dark-haired hottie whose eyes - and mouth - are making it hard for her to remember that she's sworn off men. Even harder will be Maddie's struggles to overcome the past, though she's about to discover that there's no better place to call home than Lucky Harbor.

Reviewed by Angie on

3 of 5 stars

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Simply Irresistible was a pretty cute, if predictable, small town Romance. Maddie is fresh out of an abusive relationship, lost her job, and just inherited a seaside inn from her free-spirited, mostly absent mother. She's looking to get her life together and do something for her. So of course, she's upset when her sisters want to sell the inn rather than fixing it up and running it like their late mother wanted. She has nothing to go back to if this doesn't work out. Plus, there's Jax, the sexy handyman she almost killed on her way into town.

Simply Irresistible is a pretty standard Contemporary Romance complete with a clumsy heroine, too perfect hero, family secrets, and quirky neighbors. I did enjoy the insta-lust. Maddie and Jax constantly getting interrupted was pretty funny too. You never knew if they would be getting it on or not! I also enjoyed seeing Maddie's relationship with her half-sisters grow. They're each very different and have their own reasons for staying or going. I loved their Charlie Brown Christmas tree! Although that ends up being not such a good idea later on.

As for the side plots, they were simply predictable. Jax is keeping a secret from Maddie, which I didn't entirely guess, but I did figure out what it was in relation to. It becomes obvious early on that Maddie's older sister Tara is also hiding something, which I did guess. Her book is next, but I'm not at all interested in reading it. Her secret isn't one that I tend to care about, and I'm sure it'll be brought up as she falls in love herself. However, I did believe Maddie's hesitation in officially being with Jax. She's still healing from being abused by her previous boyfriend and that's not something you can just shut off. This does cause a "break up" but one that I wasn't irritated by.

In the end, I liked Simply Irresistible. There's nothing special about it, but it was a quick read with a dose of holiday cheer. I didn't fall in love with the setting or the other characters though, so it's not likely that I'll invest anymore time into this series.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 18 March, 2017: Finished reading
  • 18 March, 2017: Reviewed