Head Over Heels by Jill Shalvis

Lucky Harbor, Book 3

Synopsis: Breaking rules and breaking hearts.

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?

Review: I enjoyed the first two volumes where Tara, Maddie and Chloe appeared, but after following the story of the first two ones I confess that I was impatient to know Chloe’s.

We follow the story of our young heroine with Sawyer, the sheriff of the city. It was very funny to see their verbal jousts, as they are often at the opposite of the law. Yet when you look closer, the two look much alike than they might believe.

Chloe is very touching to follow, with her insecurities and her desire to master her asthma that seems to dictate her life. We will see her evolution, she will realize that she is no longer the lonely girl she thought she was and that many people are there for her. Sawyer is the handyman of the city and helps as much as possible the inhabitants of the city. It was pretty impressive to see his typical day for that matter! Of course we can see the previous characters, as well as Lance, although I admit that his story is quite sad.

In the background, there is also a light inquiry that Sawyer leads on some residents who are mingled with his past. It was once again a lovely romance and I confess that I am curious to see what the author proposes afterwards since the stories of the three sisters are now over. I hope we will see them again as secondary characters!

4 

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Eperdument de Jill Shalvis

Lucky Harbor, Tome 3

Résumé : Shérif, fais-moi rêver…
Chloe Traeger aime vivre dangereusement et ne s’en prive pas. Évidemment, son attitude rebelle ne manque pas d’attirer l’attention du très sexy shérif de Lucky Harbor. Sawyer Thompson fait régner l’ordre dans cette petite ville côtière pour racheter ses écarts d’adolescent. Décidé à rester dans le droit chemin, il tente de résister à l’attirance qu’il éprouve pour Chloe, cette adorable sauvageonne. À moins que l’amour soit le seul moyen pour ces deux caractères si opposés de trouver un équilibre salvateur.

Avis : J’ai beaucoup apprécié les deux premiers tomes où apparaissaient Tara, Maddie et Chloe mais après avoir suivi plus particulièrement l’histoire des deux premières j’avoue que j’étais impatiente de connaitre celle de Chloe.

On suit ainsi l’histoire de notre jeune héroïne avec Sawyer, le shérif de la ville. C’était très drôle de voir leurs joutes verbales, les deux se retrouvant souvent à l’opposé au niveau de la loi. Pourtant, quand on y regarde de plus près, les deux se ressemblent bien plus qu’ils ne pourraient le croire.

Chloe est très touchante à suivre, avec ses insécurités et son envie de maitrise par rapport à son asthme qui semble dicter sa vie. On va assister à son évolution, elle va se rendre compte qu’elle n’est plus la fille solitaire qu’elle pensait être et que bien des personnes sont là pour elle. Sawyer est l’homme à tout faire de la ville et aide autant qu’il le peut les habitants de la ville. C’était assez impressionnant de voir sa journée type d’ailleurs ! Nous apercevons bien sûr les personnages précédents, ainsi que Lance, bien que j’avoue que son histoire fait mal au cœur.

En arrière-plan, on suit aussi une enquête légère que Sawyer mène sur certains habitants qui sont mêlés à son passé. C’était encore une fois une jolie romance et j’avoue que je suis curieuse de voir ce que l’auteure propose par la suite étant donné que les histoires des trois sœurs sont maintenant finies. J’espère que nous les reverrons aussi très vite en tant que personnages secondaires !

4 

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Heart Recaptured by Tillie Cole

Hades Hangmen, Book 2

Synopsis: Even salvation can be delivered through the love of the damned…

Beauty can be a curse.

Faith can be a cage.

Only love can set you free.

A few long weeks after being reluctantly ripped from the comforting embrace of her sacred prophet’s religious commune—the only life she has ever known—a terrified Delilah is thrust into a world enveloped by evil and swimming in sin.

Steadfastly devout in her faith, and retaining the deep belief that her soul is innately tarnished as a branded ‘Cursed woman of Eve’, Delilah is determined to find her way home to her people in The Order and away from the corrupt and damned outlaw motorcycle club—The Hades Hangmen—who hold her at their secluded compound for her protection—a ‘protection’ she strongly resents.

Delilah yearns to return home, convinced that only amongst her own people, and under the holy guidance of the Lord’s revealed prophet, can her Satan-spawned soul be truly saved. Conditioned her entire life to believe she is a witch… a life-long temptress… the devil’s whore… Delilah increasingly resents her beautiful face, her shapely body and her sensuous effect on men. But when a man of the motorcycle club—a deeply sinful yet stunningly beautiful man—is charged with her care, Delilah begins to see that this dangerous and moralless sinner from the ‘outside’ may offer her something she did not know could truly exist: unconditional love.

Kyler ‘Ky’ Willis loves his life: a daily abundance of brotherhood, liquor, the freedom of the open-road and—best of all—his pick of hot women. Raised a biker brat and now VP of the most notorious MC in the States, Ky has no shortage of club sluts warming his bed; a situation he takes full advantage of… until a certain blonde enters his life… a gorgeous pilgrim-blonde he can’t get out of his head… a pilgrim-blonde he and his club recently-rescued from some backward religious cult… and a pilgrim-blonde he’s been ordered to keep the hell away from and his whorish hands off.

When yet another in a lengthy line of drunken blunders forces Ky to reluctantly take charge of the pilgrim-blonde’s care, he realizes that there could be more to this woman than just supermodel looks and a stacked set of tits. He begins to see that she could be the woman who could do the impossible—tame his wild ways and capture his reluctant heart.

But the unyielding bonds of Lilah’s past are strong, her ‘people’ determined and, with a new Prophet in charge and hell bent on revenge, they are mightily reluctant to let her go…

Review: I liked the first book although a certain barrier remained between me and the story. Yet I thought the theme was really interesting and original. It is not often that we find a mixture of bikers and sect. But, knowing the universe, I was curious to discover this second novel while following two other characters already encountered in the story and I must say that I had a great time.

We saw Kyler a lot in the first volume as he is Styx’s right-hand man and now it’s his turn to get to the front of the stage. We thus discover the adaptation of the Mae’s two sisters to everyday life, which is really not easy. It must be said that going from a very and framed strict sect to a club of bikers is quite extreme! Yet, the one who seems to have the most difficulty to put her faith into account is none other than Lila, the sister of Mae and Maddie.

It hurts enough to see that she can not believe that what she suffered was nothing but a terrible abuse of her. And despite the signs that shake her faith, she can not give up the ideas that have been taught her. Yet, little by little, she will open herself to the world, although with great difficulty, with Ky’s help. This man, who passed from one girl to another without taking a closer look at the girls, will also change at her touch, he will realize that he cares of Lila more than he thought.

It was very touching to see their relationship evolving little by little and yet a thin barrier still exists between them, on his side Ky does not believe that he can attach himself to another person and that they can’t have a real relationship together. It is also terrible to learn all the abuse she has endured since childhood. I already thought that the things Mae had gone through were unnamable but those of Lila? I will not even dare to say what it was. I wonder as Maddie is the one who was affected the most, what she had to endure …

In short, we follow the consequences of the first volume that will not necessarily be very simple and of course we will meet Mae and Styx while observing the evolution of their relationship within the club. It was a very good sequel and I am really curious to discover the story of Maddie and Flame now.

4 

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Sans foi Ni loi de Tillie Cole

Hades Hangmen, Tome 2

Résumé : La beauté peut être une malédiction ; la foi une prison.

Seul l’amour peut vous délivrer.

Chaque jour, Kyler Willis savoure la liberté des grands espaces sur sa moto, boit sans limite, et s’envoie en l’air avec les femmes les plus sexy. Désormais vice-président d’un gang de bikers, il ne se prive de rien… jusqu’à ce qu’une blonde torride entre dans sa vie. Celle que son club et lui ont récemment tirée d’une secte sordide. Contraint de s’occuper d’elle, il s’aperçoit qu’outre un corps de rêve, elle serait peut-être la seule à pouvoir lui offrir l’impossible : un amour inconditionnel. Mais le nouveau prophète qui guide la secte est bien décidé à ne pas abandonner la jeune femme aussi vite.

Avis : J’avais bien aimé le premier tome bien qu’une certaine barrière soit restée entre moi et l’histoire. Pourtant, je trouvais que le thème abordé était vraiment intéressant et original. Ce n’est pas souvent que l’on retrouve un mélange bikers/secte. Mais voilà, en connaissant l’univers, j’étais curieuse de découvrir ce second roman qui suivait d’autres personnages déjà rencontrés dans l’histoire et je dois dire que j’ai passé un très bon moment.

Nous avions beaucoup vu Kyler dans le premier tome en tant que bras droit de Styx et c’est maintenant à son tour de se retrouver sur le devant de la scène. On découvre ainsi l’adaptation des deux sœurs de Mae à la vie de tous les jours, chose qui n’est vraiment pas facile. Il faut dire que passer d’une secte très stricte et cadrée à un club de bikers passe d’un extrême à l’autre ! Pourtant, celle qui semble avoir le plus de mal à remettre sa foi en compte n’est autre que Lila, la sœur de Mae et Maddie.

Ça fait assez mal au cœur de voir qu’elle n’arrive pas à croire que ce qu’elle a subi n’était rien d’autre qu’un abus terrible à son encontre. Et malgré les signes qui ébranlent sa foi, elle n’arrive pas à abandonner les idées qu’on lui a enseignées. Pourtant, petit à petit, elle va s’ouvrir au monde, bien que très difficilement, avec l’aide de Ky. Cet homme, qui passait d’une fille à l’autre sans y regarder de plus près, va lui aussi changer à son contact, et va se rendre compte qu’il tient à Lila plus qu’il ne le pensait.

C’était très touchant de voir leur relation naitre doucement et pourtant une barrière ténue existe toujours entre eux, de son côté Ky ne croit pas pouvoir s’attacher à une personne réellement et Lila reste accrochée à sa foi et à sa conviction qu’elle est une tentatrice maudite et qu’il ne peut y avoir une réelle relation avec elle. C’est aussi terrible d’apprendre tous les sévices qu’elle a endurés depuis toute petite. Je pensais déjà que les choses que Mae avaient traversées étaient innommables mais celles de Lila ? Je n’oserai même pas le dire. Je me demande si Maddie est celle qui a été le plus touchée, ce qu’elle a dû endurer…

Bref, nous suivons la suite et les conséquences du premier tome qui ne seront pas forcément très simples et bien sûr nous retrouverons Mae et Styx tout en observant l’évolution de leur relation au sein du club. C’était une très bonne suite et je suis vraiment curieuse de découvrir l’histoire de Maddie et Flamme à présent.

4 

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The Sweetest Thing by Jill Shalvis

Lucky Harbor, Book 2

Synopsis: Two Men Are One Too Many . . .
Tara has a thousand good reasons not to return to the little coastal town of Lucky Harbor, Washington. Yet with her life doing a major crash-and-burn, anywhere away from her unfulfilled dreams and sexy ex-husband will do. As Tara helps her two sisters get their newly renovated inn up and running, she finally has a chance to get things under control and come up with a new plan for her life.
But a certain tanned, green-eyed sailor has his own ideas, such as keeping Tara hot, bothered . . . and in his bed. And when her ex wants Tara back, three is a crowd she can’t control-especially when her deepest secret reappears out of the blue. Now Tara must confront her past and discover what she really wants. If she’s lucky, she might just find that everything her heart desires is right here in Lucky Harbor.

Review: I have not read many Jill Shalvis novels yet, but I have always heard a lot of good things about them. I had a really good time with the first volume of the Lucky Harbor series following Maddie and I was looking forward to following Tara this time.

We could have had a little glimpse of this character in the first novel and I was curious to discover her story. Tara and Ford did not necessarily have an easy story 17 years ago and with the fear of being hurt once again, our heroine prefers to avoid him and tries to live her life by managing her business with her sisters. Yet, nothing happens as expected, when finally her ex-husband arrives in town to win her back and that she tries to give Ford another chance. What to say when two men are fighting for her while the city has fun by making bets and polls to find out which one she will choose. It is not easy and yet Tara could be carried away by her feelings. But that’s not all, as her heart is moved when her daughter, Mia, whom she had abandoned younger, arrives in town to reconnect with her two parents whom she never met.

It was really touching to see Tara with her daughter and to make her understand that abandoning her was not easy. Their exchanges are initially awkward but a link is finally created between the two for our greatest pleasure. We will also follow, as I said, the choices of our heroine in relation to the man she would like to have in her life even if we understand her mistrust after all that she has endured.

We find Chloe and Maddie to our delight as we discover what they had become in this second volume and I really enjoyed learning more about them. This volume begins to tell us the story of the next novel between Chloe and Sawyer and I confess that I am curious to see what will happen for both. The three sisters are very different but they have all been hurt by life and I really want to see how Chloe will get away with it! A very good second volume to the height of the first!

4 

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Tendrement de Jill Shalvis

Lucky Harbor, Tome 2

Résumé : La plus belle erreur qu’ils aient jamais faite…

Dix-sept ans après un été mémorable passé à Lucky Harbor, Tara est de retour dans cette petite station balnéaire, où sa mère lui a légué, ainsi qu’à ses soeurs, un hôtel qu’elles ont décidé de retaper. Alors qu’elle tente de résister à son attirance pour le beau Ford Walker, son amour de jeunesse, leur passé ressurgit. Pour mieux les réunir ?

Avis : Je n’ai pas encore lu beaucoup de romans de Jill Shalvis mais j’ai toujours entendu énormément de bien. J’avais d’ailleurs passé un très bon moment avec le premier tome de la série Lucky Harbor en suivant Maddie et j’étais impatiente de suivre Tara cette fois-ci.

Nous avions pu avoir un petit aperçu de ce personnage dans le premier roman et je dois que j’étais curieuse de découvrir son histoire. Tara et Ford n’ont pas forcément eu une histoire facile il y a dix-sept ans et de peur d’être blessée une fois encore, notre héroïne préfère l’éviter et essayer de vivre sa vie en montant son affaire avec ses sœurs. Pourtant, rien ne se passe comme prévu, quand finalement son ex-mari arrive en ville pour la reconquérir et qu’elle essaie de laisser sa chance à Ford. Que dire quand deux hommes se battent pour elle et que la ville s’amuse à faire des paris et des sondages pour savoir lequel elle choisira. Ce n’est pas chose aisée et pourtant, Tara pourrait bien se faire emporter par ses sentiments. Mais ce n’est pas tout, car son cœur est mis à rude épreuve quand sa fille, Mia, qu’elle avait abandonnée plus jeune, arrive en ville pour renouer avec ses deux parents qu’elle n’a jamais rencontrés.

C’était vraiment touchant de voir Tara renouer avec sa fille et lui faire comprendre que l’abandonner n’a pas été chose facile. Leurs échanges sont tout d’abord maladroits mais un lien se crée finalement entre les deux pour notre plus grand plaisir. Nous suivrons aussi comme je le disais les choix de notre héroïne par rapport à l’homme qu’elle désirerait avoir dans sa vie même si on comprend sa méfiance après tout ce qu’elle a enduré.

Nous retrouvons bien sur Chloe et Maddie pour notre plus grand plaisir en découvrant ce qu’elles deviennent dans ce second tome et j’ai beaucoup apprécié en apprendre plus à leur sujet. Ce tome commence à nous annoncer l’histoire du prochain roman entre Chloe et Sawyer et j’avoue que je suis assez curieuse de voir ce qu’il se passera pour les deux. Les trois sœurs sont très différentes mais elles ont toutes été malmenées par la vie et j’ai très envie de voir comment Chloe s’en sortira ! Un très bon second tome à la hauteur du premier !

4 

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Reaper’s Stand by Joanna Wylde

Reapers Motorcycle Club, Book 4

Synopsis: As Reapers Motorcycle Club president, Reese “Picnic” Hayes has given his entire life to the club. After losing his wife, he knew he’d never love another woman. And with two daughters to raise and a club to manage, that was just fine with him. These days, Reese keeps his relationships free and easy—he definitely doesn’t want to waste his time on a glorified cleaning lady like London Armstrong.

Too bad he’s completely obsessed with her.

Besides running her own business, London’s got her junkie cousin’s daughter to look after—a more reckless than average eighteen-year-old. Sure she’s attracted to the Reapers’ president, but she’s not stupid. Reese Hayes is a criminal and a thug. But when her young cousin gets caught up with a ruthless drug cartel, Reese might be the only man who can help her. Now London has to make the hardest decision of her life—how far will she go to save her family?

Review: I tried the first volume when it was released in French. Indeed, having read very few novels approaching the bikers topic, I was very curious to discover this series. It had not been the blow of heart that I had expected and even if I had a good time globally, something was missing for me. However, several people told me very quickly that the following volumes were largely better and my curiosity once again manifested. So here I am launched in this fourth volume (which you can easily read without the others) and it is true that I had a very good time.

We discover in this story London Armstrong, owner of a cleaning company and who looks after Jessica, her rebellious but also sick niece. But her excesses place her in very uncomfortable situations that London must often unravel. Indeed, Jessica’s latest stupidity in the biker’s club forced London to work more intimately for Reese, the leader of the band. Indeed, to solve the problems regarding Jessica, London must come to clean the house of our hero but she also must avoid at the same time to fall under his spell. But here, Reese does not have the same ideas and he is determined to make this woman succumb as he fantasizes about her since their first encounter.

The relationship between the two characters is very touching but the two are also suspicious towards each other and they learn to discover the other little by little. In addition to their story, we find Jessica and the problems she causes and that will directly affect the two heroes. This situation places London in a very unpleasant situation and it is quite difficult to see how she will manage all this. Besides, the novel begins with the end of the story and we spend the whole book trying to understand how it all happened. What’s also touching is seeing this epilogue which makes us want once more to discover the sequel!

You will understand that I had a good time with this novel and I confess that I am curious to read more. It was a nice discovery and a good bikers novel!

4

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