Sweet Little Lies (Heartbreaker Bay, #1)

by Jill Shalvis

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

Received a complimentary from the publisher via Edelweiss.

First of all, I must confess, I have never read anything written by Jill Shalvis prior to this. I heard about her but was never inclined to read her work. But then I was offered an ARC of her latest release, Sweet Little Lies, and I thought why not give it a try. This is book one in the Heartbreaker Bay series.  In my opinion, it is a great start to the series.
 
Sweet Little Lies is a story about selflessness, sacrifices, and love. Although this was fiction, reading this story reminded me that there are people like Pru living in the real world. I have had the privilege to meet a few persons with similar characteristics. My initial reaction was that her actions were solely motivated by guilt. However, as I got deeper into the story I realise that by nature, she is a selfless person. She had no reason to be guilty, but she felt responsible for the lives were destroyed because of her parents’ carelessness. Her actions were genuine, and she helped expecting nothing in return.  Currently, she works as a boat captain for a San Francisco tour boat company. It so happened that it was in this same area that one of the victims of her parents’ mistake, Finn O’Riley, resided. Pru was on a mission to help him find happiness, what she never expected was her growing feelings for him.
 
Finn O’Riley is the co-owner of O’Riley’s pub.  He did not have loving memories of his childhood. He was abandoned by his mother and abused by his father.  When his father died in a motor vehicle accident, he was left with the responsibility of caring for his younger brother. This meant giving up his dreams of a career in baseball and forcing him to grow up real fast. He poured himself into fending for his brother and himself, leaving no time for him to have fun. For Finn, life was about work and nothing else. However, all this would change, the day Pru walked into his life.  From that moment he would come to realise that there was more to life than work. 
 
Jill Shalvis’ characters were authentic. I had no problem relating to them. I felt all that they went through, especially Pru. She has been shouldering the guilt of her parents’ actions for eight years. That is indeed a heavy burden for anyone to bear. In spite of this, she was strong and compassionate. She is the kind of person that will give up her happiness if it means that someone else will be happy. As such I wanted her to experience her own happiness and to find someone who would treat her as she deserved. The secondary characters were a riot. They were a close circle of friends who did not have a problem telling you like it is. They were funny and they helped to make the story that more enjoyable.  I can’t wait to read their stories.  
 
The story, although predictable, was well written. From the moment I started, I knew I was going to enjoy this book.  The secret that Pru was keeping was evident from early.  I knew based on how the story was progressing that this secret would come out, but not in the way that she would have wanted.  I knew that when it was revealed the effects would have been devastating, therefore I was not surprised when it happened. What I did not expect was the effect it would have on me. My heart instantly went out to Pru when Finn reacted so negatively.
 
The story had all the feels. It was funny, warm and tender. There were certain aspects that left me feeling warm and tingly inside.
 
Verdict: 
This was a beautiful and heartwarming story, and I would recommend it to fans of contemporary romance. I have found another author that I will be adding to my must read list.