I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
Head Over Heels
by
Jill Shalvis
It is part of the Lucky Harbor #3 series and is a contemporary romance in Paperback edition that was published by Forever on December 1, 2011 and has 350 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books in this series include [books_series]
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Beach Blanket Bad Boys, Instant Attraction, Instant Gratification, Instant Temptation, The Night Before Christmas, "Under the Mistletoe", Animal Magnetism, It Had to Be You, Simply Irresistible, The Sweetest Thing, Animal Attraction, Rumor Has It, Rescue My Heart, It’s in His Kiss, Lucky in Love, , He's So Fine, At Last, One in a Million, Forever and a Day, Second Chance Summer, My Kind of Wonderful, "Wrapped in You", Get A Clue, The Trouble with Mistletoe, Chasing Christmas Eve, “One Snowy Night”, Rainy Day Friends, Merry and Bright, Always on My Mind
Third in the Lucky Harbor romance series and revolving around three sisters who have inherited an old B&B. The couple focus is on Chloe Traeger and Sawyer Thompson.
It’s been a year since they inherited.
My Take
It’s a fun, cozy, escapist kind of romance with that small-town feel and people who care about each other.
It’s pretty funny how bad these two have it. They want and don’t want with want rapidly gaining the ascendancy. It’s a battle of avoidance, “the whole he-wears-a-badge and your whole hate-authority thing”, and it ain’t workin’. It can be a bit tedious to read since we know they’re going to end up together, but it’s also a bit fun to read as Shalvis gives it a bit of a twist with both of them having to do some thinking about where they came from and what they truly want now.
Lol, curious how so many law enforcement people have had a checkered youth.
This story is about maturity. Growing up. It’s Chloe’s free spiritedness finding an anchor. Her sisters see her as irresponsible, and Chloe wants them to take her seriously. Most of it is past perception, past experience, and none of them have noticed how much Chloe has grown up. It’s especially hard because Chloe wants to be taken seriously. She wants her ideas taken seriously. And yet I can’t blame Maddie or Tara for expressing doubts.
It’s also about a father–son relationship. The past perceptions of both about the other. Coming to terms with that past history.
I dunno. I’m a conflicted over that scene in which Sawyer misses a big chance with the DEA because he’s checking on the girls. It could have been anything that caught his attention and time. A 9-1-1 call. A road accident. Someone, ahem, entering a closed park. Then again, where the conflict comes in for me, Sawyer isn’t even mad at the girls. Seems like a missed opportunity for drama.
If you’re looking for a sweet romance with a bit of a twist, you won’t go wrong with Head Over Heels…other than you might get hooked on the series…*grin*…
The Story
Yet another criminal action on Chloe’s part brings Sawyer to her door. Breaking-and-entering to steal dogs. Sawyer can’t decide if he wants to strangle her or kiss her.
The Characters
A free spirit who suffers from a debilitating asthma, Chloe Traeger creates her own beauty products and treats people at spas across the country. Tara Daniels and Maddie Moore are her two half-sisters who have found their romantic bliss. Tara’s with Ford Walker, a sailing enthusiast, (see The Sweetest Thing, 2) and Maddie’s with Jax Cullen, a lawyer-turned-contractor, (see Simply Irresistible, 1). Together, they’re trying to find a happy medium with their Lucky Harbor Beach B&B, the place they inherited from their free-spirited mother, Phoebe. Tara and Maddie lived with their fathers. Chloe never learned who her father was and roamed the U.S. with her mom.
Sawyer Thompson is the sheriff for Lucky Harbor, and he’s been a pain in Chloe’s backside forever. Nolan Thompson is his retired dad with issues. Former Sheriff Allen Coburn took an interest in the young Sawyer. Suzie Tierman works in dispatch. Sammy is her eight-year-old whom Sawyer stepped up for. Tony Sanchez is Sawyer’s counterpart, but his new twins are taking it out of him.
Agent Reed Morris is with the DEA and working with Sawyer on a special task force. Matt Bowers is a friend, a sparring partner, and a district supervisor forest ranger.
Lance is Chloe’s best friend and dying of cystic fibrosis. He runs an ice cream shop on the pier with his brother, Tucker. Jamie Robinson and the jerky Todd (he can get quite stupid if he’s drinking) who has focused on Chloe are Tucker’s friends. Mitch Tyson and Dan are friends of theirs as well. Dr. Josh Scott is an ER doctor. Cute Guy is an object of interest in town. Ms. Bunyan is the librarian. Mrs. Abbott is the recipient of some of Sawyer’s attention. Lucille is ancient and the town gossip who runs the town’s Facebook page. Uh-huh… Mallory Quinn is a nurse at the hospital now and an old friend of Sawyer’s. Joe Quinn, her brother, works at an auto shop. Renee is the cute blonde nurse Lance has a crush on.
Nick Raybo has some isolated land up at Eagle’s Bluff and a bad rep. Ric Alfonso won’t be a problem anymore.
“Monica”, a.k.a., Allie, is a surprise guest at the B&B.
Mia is Tara’s teenage daughter (see The Sweetest Thing). She’s in Spain for this story. The Love Shack is a bar Jax and Ford own. The Eat Me Café is a diner in town where Tara used to work. That girl does love to cook. Jan owns the diner, and Amy is a waitress there.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a blue gradated to a blue so pale as to appear white. I’m thinking fall with all those golden leaves on the ground as well as the heavy jackets Chloe and Sawyer are wearing.
The title could go two ways and still apply, for it’s obvious that Chloe and Sawyer are Head Over Heels in love, and that they’ve realized this only when their lives are turned upside-down in the process.
