Publisher: William Morrow / Harper Audio
Published: January 11, 2022
Source: Paperback via GetRedPR / Audio via Library
Summary:
Beloved New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis begins a new series–Sunrise Cove–set near beautiful Lake Tahoe, with a heartwarming story of found family and love.
During the snowstorm of the century Levi Cutler is stranded on a ski lift with a beautiful stranger named Jane. After strong winds hurl the gondola in front of them into the ground, Levi calls his parents to prepare them for the worst…but can’t bring himself to say goodbye. Instead, wanting to fulfill his mother’s lifelong wish, he impulsively tells her he’s happily settled and Jane is his girlfriend–right before his phone dies.
But Levi and Jane do not.
Now Levi’s family is desperate to meet “The One.” Though Jane agrees to be his pretend girlfriend for just one dinner, she’s nervous. After a traumatic childhood, Jane isn’t sure she knows how to be around a tight-knit family that cherishes one another. She’s terrified, and a little jealous. But an unexpected series of events and a host of new friends soon show Jane that perhaps this is the life she was always meant to have.
As Jane and Levi spend more time together, pretend feelings quickly turn into real ones. Now all Jane has to do is admit to herself she can’t live without the man she’s fallen in love with and the family she has always dreamed of.
My thoughts:
I’m not quite sure how I’ve never read this prolific author yet, but that is definitely going to change. I’m so glad I ended up saying yes to this book because I really enjoyed it and lucky for me that it’s the start of a new series!
As soon as I read the summary for this book, I just knew I would enjoy it but little did I know how much! I don’t tend to read a lot of romance anymore, but I loved how this book had substance to it. There was definitely more going on here than just the characters finding a happily-ever-after. I loved the different themes that the author explored here – that family is not always just the ones you are born into, and also how past hurts really play a factor into trust moving forward.
The characters really come alive on the page and I felt so invested in their lives. I loved that not only is there the romance brewing between the two main characters, but there are also fully developed secondary characters and another romance that blossoms. As I haven’t read this author before, I’m not sure how her series tend to work, so I don’t know what to expect with book 2, but I’d love to explore these other characters more fully.
I’m so glad I read this one. It reminded me a little of some of the Susan Mallery books I’ve read in the past and now I am eager to check out some of Jill Shalvis’ books…and lucky for me she has quite an extensive backlist! I’ll have to read some while I wait for book two of this new series.
Audio thoughts:
This is the type of book I love to listen to and it really translates so well onto audio. The narrator, Erin Mallon, really makes the story come alive and I just love listening to her. Her pacing and intonation are spot on and she does such a great job giving each of the characters their own unique voices and personalities. I don’t know what is coming next in this series, but I do hope Erin is the narrator!
Books in this series:
- The Family You Make
- The Friendship Pact – due out June 14th!
