Christmas in Lucky Harbor (Lucky Harbor #1 - #2) by Jill Shalvis

Christmas in Lucky Harbor - Jill Shalvis

I have always loved Jill Shalvis and jumped at the chance to start her Lucky Harbor series. This is a great book to get started in it as well since it includes books 1, 2, and 2.5 - but the final short story (#6.5) jumped way out in the future a couple years and didn't quite fit with the flow of it all.

In book one, Simply Irresistible, we meet the three sisters that kick off the series, Maddie, Chloe, and Tara. While they may all share the same mother, they grew up very different lives and haven't really connected with each other in a very long time. When they show up at the inn that has been left to them after their mother's death, they all have different ideas on what to do with it. Maddie alone wants to keep it and make a new life - create a new family with her sisters. But she will have an uphill battle in this one - as Tara and Chloe both want to sell, but they do agree to a trial run. Enter Jax, the sure hot contractor/bartender/jack of all trades. When the sparks fly between him and Maddie they will both need to overcome some heavy personal obstacles to make things work. This was a wonderful introduction to Lucky Harbor, the sisters, and the many unique characters that live along side them.

In book two, The Sweetest Thing, Tara gets her spotlight with an old flame. Tara is my favorite sister so far. Known as the "Steel Magnolia" she prides herself in keeping her control no matter what, but when she's around Ford things never seem to stay calm at all. Their attraction is impossible for her to resist to matter how hard she tries. But in this case, they have a history together along with lots of baggage they've built up since the last time they saw each other. This was a very heart-felt story and my favorite in the bundle.

The short story, Kissing Santa Claus, wraps up a few loose ends from book two, and we get to see the man not chosen find his love. It was a cute wrap up with a very nice Christmas theme - just perfect for this time of year. The second short story is the only one that didn't really fit for me. It was also a Christmas story, but it happens several years in the future. It references things that I didn't know had happened yet in between books 2 and 6. It was cute, but hard to follow sometimes.