Holiday Wishes (a Heartbreaker Bay novella)
by Jill Shalvis
Publication Date: November 7, 2017
It’s Christmastime again in Heartbreaker Bay!
When Sean O’Riley shows up at the Hartford Bed & Breakfast for his older brother’s bachelor weekend, he’s just hoping to make it through the weekend. What he’s not expecting is to come face to face with the woman he lost his virginity to a decade ago—a woman he’s never really forgotten.
The last time Lotti Hartford saw Sean, she told him she loved him while he said nothing. Now, ten years later, she’s just looking for a good time. For once, she wants to be the wild and free one, and Sean – the good time guy – is the perfect candidate.
But as the weekend continues, Sean realizes that after a lifetime of being the hook-up king, he’s ready to find happily-ever-after, and he wants it with Lotti. But will she open her heart to him again? As Christmas sweeps through the little B&B, he can only hope love and magic are in the air.
BUY LINKS for HOLIDAY WISHES
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2yorIgs
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/2f8P15h
iBooks: http://apple.co/2f8MeJo
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2xuInAO
GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/2wwcV64
ABOUT JILL SHALVIS
New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website, www.jillshalvis.com, for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.
Connect with Jill
Website: http://jillshalvis.com/
Facebook: @JillShalvis
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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22370.Jill_Shalvis?from_search=true
Excerpt
At the empathetic tone in Sean’s voice, Lotti’s heart and stomach and head all clenched in unison. “What do you mean you can’t give me what I want?” she asked. “All you have to do is walk away.”
“Tried that already,” he said. “And it was the biggest mistake of my life.” He brought her hand up to his mouth and met her gaze over their entwined hands.
He was looking at her like . . . well, she wasn’t sure what was going on in his head, but her thoughts were racing along with her pulse.
“You’re incredible, Lotti. I hope you know that.” Very slowly, clearly giving her time to object, he pulled her into him.
Her breath caught at the connection and his eyes heated in response as he slid a hand up her spine and then back down again, pressing her in tight to him from chest to thighs and everywhere in between. His nose was cold at the crook of her neck, but his breath was warm against her skin. She felt his lips press against the sensitive spot just behind her ear and she shivered. “You’re trembling,” he said, his voice low. “Are you cold?”
“No,” she whispered. Try the opposite of cold . . .
“Nervous?”
“No.” Not even close. The way his mouth moved across her skin was making her warm all over. Not that she could articulate that with his body pressed to hers and his fingers dancing over her skin. She was literally quivering as the memories of what it felt like to be touched by him washed over her, as if no time at all had gone by.
Yes, she’d let him think that their time together had sucked for her. But it hadn’t. Not even close. That long-ago night he’d evoked feelings and a hunger in her that she’d never forgotten. “I’ve just had a long day,” she said.
“I know. I’m going to make it better.” He pressed a kiss at the juncture of her jaw and ear before he made his way to her lips for a slow, hot kiss, his mouth both familiar and yet somehow brand-new. She was so far gone that when he pulled back she protested with a moan, but he held her tight, staring down at her with heated eyes. “Just checking,” he murmured.
“Checking what?”
“That you want this as badly as I do.”
Ah, Heartbreaker Bay how I have missed you. Even though it’s only been about a month since my last read in this series, I was so excited to get back into this world. And it is Christmastime at the Bay, which makes it that much better since Christmas is my FAVORITE time of the year. Who wouldn’t want to fall in love during Christmastime? Or, fall in love again, perhaps.
Sean O’Riley and the gang have traveled to Napa Valley for Pru and Finn’s (Sean’s older brother) bachelor/bachelorette celebration at a bed and breakfast. Wine tours, spa treatments, and so much more are in store for them and Sean is in charge of making sure it all goes smoothly as part of his best man responsibilities. The only thing he didn’t anticipate is to run into Lotti Hartford who just so happens to run the bed and breakfast they are staying at. Nothing like seeing the girl who gave her virginity to you in high school after ten years of silence to get the festivities started, right?
This was such a cute novella and a great addition to the series but it wasn’t my absolute favorite of the bunch. It took me over halfway through the book to really get into Sean and Lotti as a couple. When they meet for the first time again, I didn’t really feel the connection. I think this might have to do with the fact that Sean never stood out to me in the other books, not in the same way that Rory and Max did who was the couple in the other novella in the series, One Snowy Night. Sean and Lotti were definitely cute together in the beginning, but it wasn’t until a certain moment happens that my heart kind of caught up and really became invested.
Overall, I enjoyed Holiday Wishes despite the hesitations I had in the beginning. It was a sweet, with a touch of sexy mixed in, holiday romance that I would recommend if you are looking for a quick read this upcoming holiday season.
The Hopeless Romantic Bookworm 