Once in a Lifetime

Very good book. Ben is back in Lucky Harbor after years away, trying to outrun his grief. He had lost his wife and losing himself in work seemed the best way to go. When he runs into Aubrey he can't believe he's attracted to her. He remembers her from high school as the girl with the wild reputation. Aubrey is trying to live down that reputation. She's opening a bookstore that she'd like to have become a local gathering place. She's also trying to make amends to various people she feels she has wronged in the past.I really liked Aubrey. First, I loved her plans for the bookstore. She loves books, but she also wants to use those books and her store to give a place for other people to connect with each other. She's also trying to repair her own reputation. While she was in high school she was rather wild and not a very nice person. Having recently stumbled into an AA meeting by accident, she is intrigued by the idea of making amends to people you have hurt in the past. She makes a list and begins going through it. Ben has been asked by a friend to help Aubrey with the renovations to her bookstore. As he spends time with her, he realizes that her reputation may have been somewhat exaggerated. He likes spending time with her, but when he stumbles on her list he wonders why he is on it. I loved watching him help her with her list and seeing him getting closer to her. The attraction is strong, but she is definitely not his type, being nothing like his late wife. Even various people around town tell him that she's not the woman for him. The romance that develops between them is pretty sweet. Aubrey knows she's falling for Ben, but the guilt of what she did to him tells her that there is no future for her with him. She knows she needs to tell him, especially once they start acting on their attraction, but she knows she'll lose him when she does. Being with Aubrey eases Ben's pain, but he's not ready to think of a relationship with anyone. I got a bit frustrated with Ben and the way he had put his wife and their marriage up on a pedestal, looking at it as the perfect life. It made it harder for him to move on with his life. I did like seeing the way that he got to know Aubrey and see that she wasn't as bad as people said. His resistance to his feelings made him a great target for his friends Jack and Luke to point out when he was being an idiot. Considering they had had their own moments of stupidity in their romances, I loved seeing them try to share their experiences.I thought Aubrey had done a terrific job of getting her life back together. She had been involved in a scandal that wasn't her fault, but people are still down on her because of it. Her reputation in high school had come about because of the way she dealt with her family life. Her parents' divorce and splitting up of she and her sister had had a terrible effect on her. I thought she was pretty brave to be facing people she had hurt in the past, not knowing how they were going to react to her apologies. It was interesting to see some of those reactions. Her biggest fear was falling for Ben, knowing that he would probably not react well to what she had to tell him. I couldn't blame her for putting it off as long as she could. She also had another secret from her past that reared its ugly head, putting her new life at risk of failing before it even got started.When the big reveal came, Aubrey's fears were realized. I felt so bad for her when Ben was so horrible. I wanted to shake him, or hit him with something, when he walked away from her. I liked seeing Lucille take him to task and point out some things he didn't know and that made a difference to what he thought he knew. His appearance at her grand opening and his "go big" moment was really sweet. Loved watching him grovel.*copy received in exchange for honest review.

A good story with some humanitarian aspects while the heroine tries to atone for her past and I really liked her strength of character in doing so. I also enjoyed visiting previous characters in the series. Ben is hired by Aubrey's uncle to remodel the family book store she is determined to re-establish.

Having never really gotten over the loss of his HS sweetheart, Ben throws himself into working in war-torn places. After a near-death experience, he returns home to Lucky Harbor. Aubrey is ready to make a change, better herself. She meets Ben when he comes to help her rehab the bookstore she has opened and the sparks fly! What starts as a fling, quickly becomes more complicated (as they always do - yay!)As always, Jill Shalvis doesn't disappoint. Little bit of steam, little bit of love and a whole town full of characters. Great read!I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

I know when I pick up a Lucky Harbor novel by Jill Shalvis I will get: strong, smart, likable characters, a glimpse of characters from other books in the series (without getting bogged down in backstory, which is harder than it looks judging by many books I've read), laugh-out-loud humor, hot smexy action, and a satisfying romance. I want to live in Lucky Harbor!

That said, I didn't connect as strongly with these characters as I have with others in this series. I did love Aubrey, the once-bad girl trying to make good, and especially liked her reconnecting with her sister. But some parts of Ben's background, especially his work in war-torn [fill in the blank], I felt like I was being told backstory, rather than FEELING it. And the ending was a bit too about-face for me, in terms of Ben's actions, from denying his deeper feelings to a marriage proposal.

But how can you not enjoy a novel that centers around a woman trying to resurrect the town BOOKSTORE? Featuring an alpha male in a toolbelt?

I wasn't sure if Aubrey was gonna be a decent person in this book or if I would even like her after the peeks of her we've had in other books, but surprisingly she was a pretty decent, if not heartbreaking at times. Of course Ben was great. All brooding alpha man that wants the fun stuff but not the relationship. Everyone else in Lucky Harbor was as nosey as ever, which is always great. This is a town that you either want to live in or visit often and be friends with everyone from the sexy mysterious boat builder, Sam, to the incredibly entertaining senior citizens. I definitely look forward to each installment of this light hearted romantic series. Totally recommend to anyone who likes their romance on the sweet side.Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

In my opinion, Jill Shalvis is the only person that can compete successfully with Lucille when it comes to matchmaking. Given the wide-variety of characters that reside in Lucky Harbor her ability to detect the perfect counterpart for each protagonist is unsurpassed. I’ll admit I was slightly surprised that she matched Ben and Aubrey but, after reading Once in a Lifetime there is no doubt that she made the correct choice.The dialogue is lip-smacking -“…his mouth closing over hers. Soft, then sure and demanding, and the hunger consumed her, hot and terrifying.”This is a wonderful story about owning your mistakes, making amends, and gaining forgiveness. One of my favorite aspects of the Lucky Harbor series is resilient relationships. The author builds in-depth supporting characters that are known for rally around the underdog. Up next is, It's in His Kiss, which features Ben’s running partner Sam Brody.Disclosure: This book was provided to me free of charge for the sole purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments, and ratings are my own.

My Rating: 4.5 stars!Release Date: February 11, 2014Genre: Contemporary RomanceABOUT THE BOOK:SOMETIMES WRONG IS OH-SO-RIGHTAfter a wrenching loss, Ben McDaniel tried to escape his grief by working in dangerous, war-torn places like Africa and the Middle East. Now he's back in his hometown and face-to-face with Aubrey Wellington, the hot-as-hell woman who is trouble with a capital T. Family and friends insist she's not the one to ease his pain, but Aubrey sparks an intense desire that gives Ben hope for the future.Determined to right the wrongs of her past, Aubrey is working hard to make amends. But by far, the toughest challenge to her plan is sexy, brooding Ben - even though he has absolutely no idea what she's done . . .Can this unlikely couple defy the odds and win over the little town of Lucky Harbor?MY REVIEW:Holy crow, anyone who knows me knows I went on a totally splurge of Lucky Harbor not too long ago, and it was a result of discovering Ms. Shalvis through NetGalley. I gotta say, getting this in my ARC list on NG made me squeal like a two year old little girl who just uncovered a never ending supply of chocolate. Ben is the brooding, hot alpha man everyone loves to see in a story. And Aubrey is just the chink to throw into the mix that makes this story one you won’t want to put down. He likes quiet. Aubrey doesn’t know the meaning of low-key. He wants peace. Aubrey wants wild parties. And yet, their match up is so perfect, it’s downright scary. I loved watching these two dance around one another, and the whole redemption list was a hilarity—yet very serious—ingredient that made me want to—and actually did—laugh aloud. The bedroom scenes weren’t overdone and didn’t detract from the story, and to be completely honest, in a world of craziness, this addition to the Lucky Harbor series was just what I needed. I loved seeing previous characters, and I’m looking forward to many more to come. Ms. Shalvis has hit the mark for a great recipe again.

Honestly I have no idea where Once in a Lifetime by Jill Shalvis, falls number-wise in the Lucky Harbor series. Wait, I looked it up. Number nine. I’ve read them all, but they seem to fall into groups.For instance ,this is Ben’s book. Ben is part of a trio of guys who have been friends since childhood. The others are :Jack (Always on My Mind) andLuke (It Had to Be You).I enjoyed both of those books, but I’ve been waiting for Ben’s story. I expected that this would be my favorite of the three and I was right.I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about Aubrey. Another honestly? I didn’t reread the previous books before starting this one and while I remember Ben, Aubrey was sort of very dim memory. Thankfully, you don’t need to have read the previous books to enjoy this one, though it definitely helps. Shalvis does an admirable job of recapping without making you feel as though the Exposition Fairy has landed and set up semi-permanent camp.Ben and Aubrey’s love story was… complicated. They both have their own issues. Aubrey’s stem from her parents’ sort of unique way of deciding custody of their kids. Is splitting two kids between the parents a common thing? I thought that only happened in movies like The Parent Trap. Anyways, Aubrey has long felt somewhat worthless.Meanwhile, in the land of Mr. don’t-you-dare-get-too-close-Ben (I’m pretty sure it says that on his birth certificate), he’s still emotionally scarred from the loss of his wife, whom he loved dearly. He has, of course, decided to never allow anyone to get that close again, because it hurts too much. And that always works, right?I know the premise of the heart-wounded hero who has vowed never to love again has been played out again and again. And again. But it works here, I swear. I can’t say there weren’t moments where I didn’t want to kick Ben in the shins. And it’s winter. My boots can do some damage. But there are things that save him from being one-dimensional or completely unlikeable. Like his reluctant relationship with the twin girls he nearly hits with his truck. He is so sweet with them. The scene in the bakery where he basically orders them to get whatever they want? Serious swoonage.Thankfully, Aubrey is a tough cookie. She’s made some changes in her life and is trying to improve herself. And her karma. After being shanghaied into an AA meeting, she decides to make a list of people she’s wronged and make amends. The various encounters are heartbreaking and sort of funny in turn. Along with her amends-making, she’s taken over her uncles bookshop, the adorably named Book and Bean. Of course, Ben gets roped by her uncle into doing the renovations.The sparks fly, but there’s one major obstacle – Ben is on the list.By the time the big reveal came along, I was fully in Aubrey’s corner. Despite my earlier reservations I ended up liking her a lot more than I did Ben, though I’m not sure if that’s because we get a larger window into her past. By the end of the book I really wanted to give her a giant hug.Once in a Lifetime is definitely worth a read. As I said, you don’t have to read the previous books, though it does help. The two couples pop up and it’s always nice to get that catching up with old friends feeling.* I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.