Lucky in Love

Lucky in Love - Jill Shalvis 4.5 starsYet another solid, swoony romance from the fabulous Jill Shalvis. When I'm in a rut with reading, I know that I can always count on her books to pull me out of mediocrity, and Lucky in Love was no different.As the fourth book in the Lucky Harbor series, I wasn't quite sure where Jill was going to go with the last three in the series. The first three were all in my top five favorite books of hers, so there were definitely some big shoes to fill.Though Lucky in Love takes place in Lucky Harbor, the small town the first three books are set in, we don't really see any of the characters from those books. There was mention here and there, but it was almost like we started all over with a whole new set of characters in this book. That was one of the very few qualms I had with Lucky in Love. I love, love, loved Maddie, Tara, Chloe, Jax, Ford & Sawyer, and I would have loved to see them continued through these books. That's one of the bonuses of reading companion books, in my opinion, that you get to see glimpses of your favorite couples after their Happily Ever After. Unfortunately, we didn't get that in book four, and I was sorely disappointed because of that. However, I quickly got over my disappointment because Jill once again gave us a new set of wonderful, relatable characters that were funny, heartwarming, and, in the case of the heroes, big, bad romantic tough guys. Ty ranked right up there for me with the likes of Jax and Brady, and that is a tall order. His protective nature, his charm, his huge heart (not to mention the fact that he was a SEAL...) all completely won me over. Mallory's story was a wonderful one to watch unfold, and it was great to see her grow and develop as a character. The only other qualm I had with this book was the predictability of it. Jill has a definite formula to her writing, and I wish, just once, she'd surprise me and throw me for a loop.Even with the predictable ending, this was a good, solid read. It gave me my fix of swoony fluff, and sometimes you just need a feel good book. Jill delivers once again.