It Had to Be You (Lucky Harbor, #7)

by Jill Shalvis

[Rowena]

Jill Shalvis has delivered another Lucky Harbor book that delivered the laughs and introduces a bunch of new characters that wormed their way into my heart. This book follows Luke Hanover and Ali Winters. Ali has just found out that her boyfriend is cheating on her and has moved out of the house that they share together, leaving Ali stranded and when her landlord’s grandson comes to town and finds her in the house that was supposed to be vacated already, things get really interesting…really fast.

Luke Hanover lives in San Francisco but is in Lucky Harbor to take a break from his life. He’s in some hot water thanks to a case that went oh so horribly wrong and he needs to take a step back from it all and drown himself in the guilt that comes from a casualty from his last case. He wants to come back to Lucky Harbor and be left alone for as long as he can before heading back to San Francisco and his life. Luke carries around a lot of guilt with him and he needs a break from the guilt, the grief and Lucky Harbor was a safe haven for him when he was a kid so he’s hoping he will be the same for him, now.

He inherited his grandmother’s house when she died and his plan was to move in there while he was in town but he wasn’t counting on his ex-tenant’s ex-girlfriend to still be living there. Despite not wanting to form any attachments while he was in Lucky Harbor, Luke finds that he can’t help himself.

Ali Winters just can’t catch a break. The day that she finds out that her boyfriend is a cheating bastard, is the same day that she finds out she’s homeless and that her new landlord is in town and wants to take up residence in the home that she’s currently living in. She has no other living arrangements and she has no clue what she’s going to do but because Luke is a surly, sexy softie at heart, he lets her stay.

The relationship between Luke and Ali kind of felt like it was happening pretty fast and in hindsight, it really did happen fast but I was enjoying the book so much that I didn’t care. I really liked the interactions between Luke and Ali and I loved how they took care of each other. Ali was Luke’s buffer against the outside world (most specifically, the reporters that kept hounding him for interviews about his last case) and Luke was Ali’s ally against..the world. The chemistry between them was cute and the romance was steamy.

I liked both Luke and Ali together but more importantly, I liked them a part as well. Their story was another great addition to the Lucky Harbor series and if you haven’ t read this book yet, you’re in for a treat.

This book was also a great set up into Jack’s (Luke’s best friend and fellow Lucky Harbor Firefighter) book. I can’t wait for more!