Title: A Stroke of Luck – 2 novels: At Last and Forever and a Day
Author: Jill Shalvis
Publisher: Forever
Format: paperback
Published On: November 30, 2021 $9.99/US
Set In: Lucky Harbor, a small coastal town in Washington
Pages: 646
“At Last”
Amy, a local waitress, is on a mission to find hope, peace and love, instead of running away. This is what her Grandmother Rose had found and she needed.
She begins her journey on a hike at the North District Ranger Station and makes a right at Eagle Rock. If she follows the sound of the ocean, she’ll be heading toward a beautiful meadow. The directions were simple, but unfortunately she got lost on the Sierra Meadows Trail. After calling her friend, Mallory, a ranger, named Matt, arrives to guide her off the trail. Because it was getting late and there was a 3-mile hike, Matt thought it would be wiser to stay put and camp overnight.
They wanted to sleep apart, but her injury from falling, and her body not handling the cold forces them together. Attraction heats them up and keeps her safe from whoever is stalking them.
Shortly after, Matt discovers a teenage girl who appears to be on the run. To keep her safe, she stays with Amy. As if they didn’t have a enough to deal with, Matt and his friend, Josh, see climbers at Widow’s Peak and they are positive the kids took a closed-off trail to get there. The leader is a rich punk who thinks he and his friends can do whatever they want and not get in trouble.
That’s only the beginning of Matt and Amy’s adventure together. Matt has a complicated past with military and Chicago SWAT experiences. What’s holding him back from a real relationship with Amy is his fear of messing up and their relationship falling apart. Amy, at first, doesn’t want a relationship. She’s only interested in sex, but her heart says differently. She’s falling in love with Matt.
AT LAST is about trust, friendship, the fear of doing the wrong thing and finally accepting love and believing in it. Amy and Matt’s backgrounds were both about survival and the same can be said for Riley, the young runaway Amy tries to protect. Until all of them face their fears and let go of their pasts, they won’t be able to move on. What I love is their friends pushing them together and helping them to see more clearly. Loved the Chocoholics frequent need for anything chocolate, oh, and the chocolate quotes.
four Dr. Pepper’s out of five
Denise Fleischer
gottawritenetwork.wordpress.com
Feb. 5, 2022
“Forever and a Day”
Reading a 2-in-1 edition has its advantages. After reading the first book, you can dive into the next with the same characters you’ve come to love. This novel is about Grace, Amy’s friend, and one of the Chocoholic Club members. Having met at a diner where Amy works, the three women: Amy, Grace and Mallory, are inseparable and a wonderful support system for each other.
Amy was short on money as she turned down a new financial job opportunity, she was a bit surprised to receive a phone call, probably a wrong number, trying to hire her as a dog walker. How could Grace refuse since there were no other job offers down the road. Unable to pass it up, she goes to the home and finds one rambunctious puppy, who runs out the door and gives her the biggest scare of her life. After a phone call, Dr. Scott, the dog’s owner, comes to the rescue. Josh is Matt’s friend and his life is beyond difficult. Not only does he work in a E.R. and is continuing his father’s practice, but he’s living with his younger sister who is disabled because of a car crash and his son, Toby, who has behavior issues (he barks instead of talks) because he doesn’t have a mother. His son thinks if he can be a great Jedi his mother will come home. His sister, Anna, wants to be independent and travel to Europe with her boyfriend. She knows nothing about intimacy and has a habit of taking her frustration out on her older brother.
Day after day, Josh becomes more dependent on Grace to care for his son and sister, as well as the dog. Their casual relationship is also growing, though they don’t want to admit it. Soon, they are at a crossroads with Grace determined to find a full-time job that can financially support her and Josh having to make a decision to ease the stress in his life.
With FOREVER AND A DAY, there is so much responsibility on Josh’s plate that you can’t help but feel for the poor guy. I found myself making out lists on ways he could handle the challenge. If anything, his son and sister were hurting and frustrated. One was desperate for a mother’s love and the other needed independence and the opportunity to explore and grow. Grace didn’t accept a job because of the expectation of having sex with her boss, yet she had sex with Josh. Though, the difference was being intimate with Josh was her choice. It was an attraction that couldn’t be denied and a possibility of a future with the man she was beginning to love.
four light sabers out of five
Denise Fleischer
gottawritenetwork.wordpress.com
Feb. 12, 2022