CR Review: Lucky in Love by Jill Shalvis

Lucky in Love 
by Jill Shalvis 
Book #4 in the Lucky Harbor Series
Contemporary Romance
★★★★

Mallory Quinn has had enough of playing it safe. As a nurse and devoted daughter, she takes care of everyone but herself. And as the local good girl, she's expected to date Mr. Right. But for once, she'd like to take a risk on Mr. Wrong. And who could be more wrong than Ty Garrison? The mysterious new guy in town has made it clear that he's only passing through, which suits Mallory just fine. Besides, his lean, hard body and sexy smile will give her plenty to remember once he's gone . . .
For the first time in his life, Ty can't bear to leave. Helping this sexy seductress-in-training walk on the wild side is making him desire things he shouldn't including leaving the military for good. As their just-for-fun fling becomes something more, Mallory and Ty wonder if they could really be this lucky in love. After all . . . anything can happen in a town called Lucky Harbor.

REVIEW:

Mallory Quinn has always been known as "the good girl" by her family and the residents of Lucky Harbor. She's an ER nurse, taking care of not only her patients but everyone around her. There's a new man in town that they all refer to as Mysterious Cute Guy and when Ty Garrison happens to cross paths with Mallory, he ends up on her Mr. Wrong list. It just so happens that Mallory decides it's time to stop playing it safe and explore her wild side and Ty's just the one for her supposed one-time experiment.

The first books in this series focused on the romances of the Traeger sisters. These next three involve three friends who call themselves the Chocoholics. Mallory's is the first story and it's so much fun. She really doesn't know how to explore her wild side but she puts everything into it. She has a steamy, impromptu encounter with Ty that she thinks is going to be a one-time affair. However, both of them find they just can't seem to stay away from each other, every subsequent encounter intended to be the last.

You cannot help but adore Mallory. Yes, she's nice and everyone's go-to girl but she truly has a good heart and a wicked sense of humor. Ty is really a mysterious guy but only because he chooses to be. He's got a troubled past stemming from his career as a Navy SEAL and then a paid security consultant. He's in Lucky Harbor to recuperate from an injury and has no plans to establish roots there. Ty's gorgeous and can have his pick of eligible women but he's drawn to Mallory because he knows her heart.

Both Ty and Mallory have to come to terms with their own truths, that their relationship isn't a fling and they've come to mean much more to each other. But it's their journey to get to this realization that's the appeal of this story. Combined with Mallory's friends, Amy and Grace, and the quirky folks of Lucky Harbor, the secondary characters provide lots of laughs and support to a well written story and a really good romance.

This series is two separate trilogies in one. You don't need to read the first three to enjoy this book. While there are a few characters from the earlier books that appear here, their backgrounds are sufficiently explained for appropriate context. This is the first book in the beginning of the second trilogy and it's a winner.