Customer Reviews

Head Over Heels (A Lucky Harbor Novel)

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Lucky Harbor series has become one of my favorite contemporary series, and Head Over Heels didn't disappoint.

Over the past year, Chloe has moved to the small northern town of Lucky Harbor, has come to know her two half-sisters Tara and Maddie, and together, they have renovated and opened their own bed and breakfast. While Chloe helps out with all the chores around the B&B, she is an aesthetician and loves to create natural products for spa treatments. She is known as the "wild child," always doing impulsive things. Having grown up with a mom who traveled with the Grateful Dead and having no idea who her father is, she is more of a free spirit. She also suffers from severe asthma attacks, and because that limits her physical activity so much, she tries to push limits elsewhere. Lately, though, she has been working on being more responsible to prove to her sisters that she can be a productive partner of the B&B.

During her time in Lucky Harbor, she has come to know the town's beloved sheriff, Sawyer. Although, he's not so beloved by her, because they are at each other's throats most of the time. Sawyer is a very straight-laced, serious (and totally gorgeous!) sheriff. Having spent his youth getting into some serious trouble, he has completely turned his life around and now works to make his town as safe as it can be. He has a huge heart but is a little shyer when it comes to romance. He is totally attracted to Chloe but has tried to keep his distance from this woman who is always surrounded by drama. But that isn't going to last for long.

Head Over Heels is such a fun, sexy book. We've met both Chloe and Sawyer in the first two books, and I couldn't wait to see how the crazy Chloe paired up with the more serious Sawyer would play out. And it is so cute. Their sexual tension just builds and builds with every conversation and heated look they share. Being sheriff, Sawyer has this innate calm and protective aura, and it is fun to watch him try to keep his composure as he frequently pulls Chloe out of her self-made tangles. Whether she is rescuing dogs or trying out the natural mud up in the woods, she seems to always get in trouble, and he seems to always be there to pull her out. He is such a cop through-and-through that I love watching him try to loosen up around Chloe.

With Chloe's asthma, they can't just fall into bed together. Chloe must prepare her body for stimulation, or she goes into an asthma attack. So spontaneous sex is out for them. But with how thoughtful Sawyer is, their romance scenes become a very quiet, sensual affair, and are really well done.

*****
"So I have this thing I do before sex. A test. An 'Is He Inhaler Worthy?' test."

He just stared at her. "There's a test. Before sex."

"Yes. And I should tell you, not many pass."
*****

And then after a few passionate kisses:

*****
"Chloe?"

"Yeah?"

"I'd be worth the inhaler," he said, then forced himself to walk away into the night.
*****

Besides the great relationship, we get really nice scenes with other members of Lucky Harbor. Some heartwarming scenes from Chloe's best friend, Lance, who suffers from cystic fibrosis, and hilarious scenes from the elderly Lucille, who obsessively posts town gossip on Facebook.

I think this one can be read as a stand-alone book, but I encourage you to try the first two in the series, where you meet all the characters of this really fun town.

First I have to start by saying I have a new book boyfriend crush, and his name is Sawyer. He's been in the background during the first 2 books in this series as we watched his best friends, Jax and Ford, fall in love, and Sawyer found himself still single yet drawn to Chloe, the half-sister of Maddie and Tara, the women his best friends fell for. Chloe is a bit of a wild child, not in a bad way, but she has a hard time settling down, having grown up in a van traveling around with her mom. She is also very resistant to letting Maddie and Tara in, she's convinced that people will just come and go, and getting attached or even worse, loving someone, will only lead to disappointment and heartbreak. But the sisters are all now committed to making their inn a success and Chloe finds herself wanting to stick around more and more and starts having plans of her own in Lucky Harbor.

Sawyer is the kind of hero that I absolutely love reading about. He had a bit of a troubled past, causing problems as a teen and on one horrible night was involved in a crash that killed his 2 friends and ended a friendship with another. It was a wake-up call for him, and with no support from his dad, he turned his life around and now as the town sheriff, he tries so hard to be the perfect person for Lucky Harbor. He goes above and beyond in his job and it's wearing him down. He tries to be everything to everyone and he stops having fun and doesn't have a reason to enjoy life, until Chloe comes around. He's a strong, silent hero that is always there for his friends and family, even when said family doesn't want him there, and on top of all that, he's damn sexy. How can you not love a guy like this?

**********
Chloe stood there, her back to their little circle, lit by the glow of the flames as she squinted to see into the woods. She was waiting, the concern etched on her face.

For him.

That was different. He's always been the one to look after people and wasn't used to it going the other way. And yet he could see it plain as day. Tough as she was, she let her emotions show, every single one of them.

He wasn't good at that and didn't want to be. He hadn't managed to stay alive on the job by being an open book. Anything he felt, he kept to himself. And actually, sometimes he wasn't sure he even had any emotions to hide.

But all he had to do was look at Chloe and know that he did. He had way too many feelings. It'd been a damn long time since he'd let anything penetrate, but she'd gotten through. In fact, what he felt for her had invaded his life.
**********

Chloe has been struggling to fit in to the family her sisters are trying to make in Lucky Harbor. She's always been a wanderer and actually having roots somewhere and staying for the long haul is a horribly scary prospect for her and she fights it initially. She helps out at the inn, still travels as she builds up her spa business, but she starts to have these crazy plans, crazy for her, of opening up a spa at the inn and making a long term commitment. The sisters aren't too sure at first, they're not convinced that Chloe will really stick around, but she sets out to prove that this is something she can commit to. It's really the start of her looking at her life differently and she begins to let people in a little bit more when she had been so used to keeping everyone at arms length.

Chloe is sarcastic, uses humor to lighten any situation and she had me laughing through the whole book. She brings fun and energy into Sawyer's life and together they were such an enjoyable, sexy couple to read about. Chloe battles with severe asthma, and one of the sweetest scenes was when they were in bed and Sawyer tells her that he researched asthma and learned about ways they could still be together without compromising her health and breathing. It was beyond sweet and it was nice to see that her asthma isn't something that's pushed aside in the story, it's a big issue for Chloe and with Sawyer's help, she's able to enjoy moments that she had never thought possible.

Jill Shalvis writes couples so well, and the humor and love between Sawyer and Chloe grabbed me from the beginning, but I also love the way the sisters are written. They have some touching and hilarious scenes, and even as they get closer as the book goes on, Chloe doesn't lose that sarcastic edge. While we can see that Chloe is changing, wanting things that she's never wanted before with regards to her family and the inn, she's still Chloe deep down and doesn't think twice about giving a wet willy to someone or driving her drunk sisters up to the mud springs for a little midnight dip.

This is a wonderful addition to the Lucky Harbor series and while I'm sad to see the sisters stories come to an end, I'm so happy that Shalvis is keeping the small town series going with more books coming next year. There are a few characters that show up in HEAD OVER HEELS that I'd love to know more about. Amy, who works at Eat Me, the local diner and "Cute Guy"...who wouldn't be curious about a guy who's only known in the town as "Cute Guy"?! This book is going on the keeper shelf and I already can't wait to reread and enjoy it again.

Blog Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Jill Shalvis has done it yet again. With a cast of heartwarming and sometimes quirky characters, she has done a splendid job in bringing to life the story of my two favorite protagonists from the Lucky Harbor series. Jax Cullen and his toolbelt (yep, still talking about that one every chance I get), just might have to move over and make room for the big, brawny and hotter-than-sin-in-uniform, bad-boy turned Sheriff of Lucky Harbor Sawyer Thompson.

If the reaction of fellow readers of the Lucky Harbor series is anything to go by, the story of Chloe Traeger aka the wild one and the youngest of the siblings and the stoic Sawyer is the one story that has been anticipated by fans ever since the publication of the first book in the series. There is nothing like the sparks that fly between two direct opposites, who somehow eventually find that amongst the differences lie similarities between them which bind them together, especially with the hotter than fire sexual tension that ALWAYS seems a constant whenever they are together.

Sawyer is a man with a tainted past; a fact for which he has been trying to atone for, for a long time. Curbing the wild side which had gotten him into more trouble than he would rather remember, it is no wonder that Chloe with her free spirited nature clash more than once, with enough sparks flying between the two of them to singe a passerby. Sawyer might not like to admit the fact that when it comes to Chloe, his legendary cool is a distant memory, and for Chloe whose gypsy-style upbringing makes it hard for her to curb the wild streak which forever seems to land her in trouble with the sexy Sheriff, saying no is not even an option.

With her sisters Tara and Maddie, for the very first time ever, Chloe feels the stirrings of belonging and makes her long for the stability that comes with being rooted to one place. But her wild adventures makes her have to work hard to turn the image around, to win the trust of her sisters and in the process falls hard and fast for Sawyer who just makes her panties melt with one well placed scorching glance.

I loved every single thing about the 3rd book in the Lucky Harbor series. It was so much fun to see how Tara and Maddie are faring, especially Maddie who always seems to be caught in one clandestine position or the other with her fiance Jax. The most heartwarming factor of these novels of course is the relationship that seems to develop and foster right in front of your eyes when it comes to the three sisters who would never have come together if it wasn't for their mother's will.

Next comes my absolute favorite part of the novel to talk about. And you get 3 lucky guesses, which I am betting with everything I have that it wouldn't be hard for anyone to guess. The uber sexy Sawyer of course who just manages to melt me on the spot with his gruff and tough nature beneath which lies a heart of gold that just made me fall head over heels in love with him right from the very beginning. And Jill has certainly achieved her goal of giving Gena the big, tough and stoic hero whom she asked for; because I for one loved every big, tough and stoic inch of him to pieces. I am telling you, there were moments in the novel that I thought if Sawyer were to get any more sexier, spontaneous human combustion wouldn't remain a myth much longer!

Chloe is not one to be missed out on either. She is the type of hero who would just melt your heart because she is this endearing mix of wildness together with a deep yearning in her heart to belong, to be needed and to feel. With Sawyer she finds that she feels much, much more than she has ever felt with anyone, that explosive orgasm in the shower one of the best parts of the novel. How Sawyer and Chloe take care of each other with those little things that mean so darn much; needless to say Jill completely won me over with their story.

Heartwarming, toe-curlingly sexy, endearing and a whole lot of fun in between, Head Over Heels is a must read for any fan of contemporary romance and of course for the fans of Lucky Harbor series.

Blog Rating=5/5

Reviewed by Maldivian Book Reviewer (MBR)

Head over Heels is my fav book in the Lucky Harbor series!!

I absolutely LOVED Chloe and Sawyer story- it was funny, emotional and totally hot love story.

I found myself laughing out loud while reading and I just couldn't put the book down!

Jill has a way of making you fall in love with all the characters in her books- I loved all the secondary characters, especially reading more about Chloe's sisters and Ford and Jax.

I can't wait to read Lucky in Love!

BTW- One of the reasons I wrote a review for Head Over Heel was seeing the 1 start review that the book got only because the Kindle edition is not out yet- if you are mad at the publisher there is no need to give a book you didn't even read a 1 star review!!! It's not the author's fault that the book isn't out on Kindle yet- for me a 1 star review is for a book I really really didn't enjoy so since I really loved the story I wrote a review.

I've heard quite a bit about Jill Shalvis and her Lucky Harbor series from others but never managed to read any of her books till now. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers there for giving me a copy of my first Jill Shalvis book. (Note : I received a free copy to review from the publishers in exchange for an honest review, nothing else.)

Romance always makes my heart flutter. *sigh* Head Over Heels did just that. Chloe's someone I could relate to. She's a feisty and free spirited woman who hasn't had the best luck in her love life - that's mostly because she always picks the wrong guys. One day she gets a visit from Sawyer, the unfriendly local sheriff, for a cup of coffee and she feels an instant attraction but pushes it away assuming that they weren't right for each other.

I don't know where to begin. Chloe is a character I really liked from the start and could even relate to. She's got asthma but instead of letting it get to her, she's always making jokes about it - even in relation to her love life by trying to decide if the guy is 'inhaler-worthy'. Ha ha.

Chloe and Sawyer were perfect for each other. They balance each other out. Like I said, there were moments when my heart fluttered while reading this book. Sawyer's so so different from Chloe.
He's got his ways and he sticks to them. He's not very impulsive or flexible and yet, Chloe and him match like two pieces of a jig-saw puzzle. For someone who thinks he's incapable of love, he sure does fall head over heels for Chloe.

"Chloe?"
"Yeah?"
"I'd be worth the inhaler," he said, then forced himself to walk away into the night.

I'm a sucker for good lines and I've found a treasure trove of quotes that I love in Head Over Heels. This alone is enough for me to add Jill Shalvis to my 'favorite-authors' list. I'm so excited that this is my first Lucky Harbor book and I have more of Jill Shalvis to last till May, when her next book releases!

This is just as good as the two earlier books in the series. I was looking forward to reading it. A terrific guilty pleasure read.

MY THOUGHTS
LOVED IT

Chloe is a free spirit whose love life leaves her wanting but it seems that she just wants the wrong guys. When the not-so-friendly local sheriff stops by for his morning coffee, she feels an instant attraction that she pushes away since she knows the guy is probably not right for her. She immediately knows that he might have feelings for her when he doesn't arrest her when she admits she broke into a yard to save two puppies from a life of fighting and at that point Chloe has my heart! The two keep meeting unexpectedly which it turns out are a bit planned by the other and the tension that develops between the two is so dynamic and well done that you will actually get angry that it takes them so long to finally get together and admit that they love each other.

What keeps this book out of the normal love-hate relationship is that Chloe is a bit feisty yet has a problem admitting to herself that she is lovable. There is a bit of a mystery worked in her as well with a local boy convinced that they belong together and he has some secrets that put Chloe in a bit of danger. Much of the danger is because of Chloe's asthma which is also a point of humor for her. She always wants to know if the guy is "inhaler worthy" much like Seinfeld's Elaine wondering if a guy is "sponge-worthy". Stoic Sawyer, the Sheriff, is that perfect immovable man, seeming set in his ways and at first you think he is incapable of love and especially falling in love with someone like Chloe who is almost his polar opposite. It is kind of like a rock falling in love with a bird, but this works!

This book is the third in the Lucky Harbor series and it can easily stand alone, but you will want to pick up the other two since the characters cross over into the other books and you get more of Chloe's story for background. Again, Shalvis writes a completely believed romance with real characters and dialogue that just shines. I am huge fan of witty remarks and this one has some real quote worthy gems. Each chapter starts out with a Chloe Quote and here are some of my favorites:

If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.
Just when you think you have a handle on life, it breaks.
Women don't like to admit their age, but men don't like to act theirs.

USA Today and NY Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis has penned more than three dozen romance novels. She is a three-time RITA nominee and three-time Readers Choice winner. Other titles include Animal Attraction and Animal Magnetism. She resides in Lake Tahoe.

This is the third book in the Lucky Harbor series with Simply Irresistible and The Sweetest Thing preceding it. Though it is part of a series, these are stand alone reads. I highly recommend reading in order though.

BLURB: Free-spirited Chloe lives life on the edge. Unlike her soon-to-be married sisters, she isn't ready to settle into a quiet life running their family's newly renovated inn. But soon her love of trouble--and trouble with love-draws the attention of the very stern, very sexy sheriff who'd like nothing better than to tame her wild ways. Suddenly Chloe can't take a misstep without the sheriff hot on her heels. His rugged swagger and his enigmatic smile are enough to make a girl beg to be handcuffed. For the first time, instead of avoiding the law, Chloe dreams of surrender. Can this rebel find a way to keep the peace with the straitlaced sheriff? Or will Chloe's colorful past keep her from a love that lasts... and the safe haven she truly wants in a town called Lucky Harbor?

I've come to the conclusion that there's not a book Jill will write that I wouldn't insist on reading. Seriously. It's so rare to find an author who can write quirky humor and deep-seeded emotions like she can. I reviewed the first two books in this series, but couldn't wait for Chloe's tale. I wasn't disappointed. The wild child with asthma and the former bad boy turned cop. These two were quite a sight. And hot. As in the previous books, Lucky Harbor and its residents were not only the perfect setting, but the perfect secondary cast. If you don't fall in love with this series there's something wrong with you. Bravo.

Kelly Moran,
author of Summer's Road

I was anxiously waiting for this book in the series because the two main characters of the story Chloe and Sawyer have had this simmering attraction to one another that has been slowly building. Chloe is the free spirited sister of the series and I have to say that she surprised me in this book. She becomes much more grounded and realizes that she doesn't want to have the gypsy life that she once had. She loves the town of Lucky Harbor and feels at home with her sisters. I was so happy to see her character finally realize that she's very talented in what she does. She hasn't had luck with finding the right guy but fans of the series know that if there was one man who could tame her it would be Sawyer. He's the sheriff in the town and has had his eye on Chloe since she's always trying to break the law for a good reason such as rescuing animals that are being abused. We get to know more about him and his past in this book and I was glad to learn more about him since he's kind of a quiet, understated character. He's really a great guy and is well loved by the people in the town.

As much as I enjoyed the characters I felt that there just wasn't enough heat in this book between the two characters. I wanted more and was a little disappointed that I just didn't feel the passion between the two of them since you could tell that these two have been attracted to each other for a while. Overall, I still enjoyed the book and love this series! I'm looking forward to reading the rest that are in it as well as revisiting the characters of the previous books.

Chloe Traeger was always the sister that moved to her own beat. She had been raised by an eclectic mother that showed her dreams and chased fantasies in life. Chloe tries to fit in with her sisters and the new B&B they are running but it is not an easy task to be assigned. When Sheriff Sawyer Thompson shows an unnerving attraction to her, the only thought Chloe could think of was "seriously."

While Sawyer and Chloe do a dance of seduction and mystery, the rest of the town is watching and posting pictures on Facebook. Sawyer is not amused as he has gotten over being the reason for trouble in town and wants Chloe to realize she is loved regardless of her antics. Sawyer tries to give Chloe the opportunity to have it all and still have a great time, hopefully with him. Sawyer is efficient on the job and Chloe is helping to expand the family business but in the end will the war of words between them pull them together or tear them apart?

This book hits on all cylinders for me with a fast paced, intense story of love and freedom colliding. There are great characters, secondary characters that are unique and well rounded, and enough drama to keep every mama happy! There were some spots which repeated themselves but did not deter from the story.