Be Chic Literate: The Trouble With Mistletoe {Book Review}

An eARC of the book was provided by the publisher for review considerati

The Trouble with Mistletoe
Author: Jill Shalvis
Series: Book 2 in The Heartbreaker Bay Series
Pages: 384 Pages
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Avon Books, September 27, 2016

Links: Goodreads // Amazon
Overall Rating: 4.5/5

eARC provided by publisher
Plot Summary:

If she has her way . . .

Willa Davis is wrangling puppies when Keane Winters stalks into her pet shop with frustration in his chocolate-brown eyes and a pink bedazzled cat carrier in his hand. He needs a kitty sitter, stat. But the last thing Willa needs is to rescue a guy who doesn’t even remember her . . .

He’ll get nothing but coal in his stocking.

Saddled with his great-aunt’s Feline from Hell, Keane is desperate to leave her in someone else’s capable hands. But in spite of the fact that he’s sure he’s never seen the drop-dead-gorgeous pet shop owner before, she seems to be mad at him . . .

Unless he tempers “naughty” with a special kind of nice . . .

Willa can’t deny that Keane’s changed since high school: he’s less arrogant, for one thing—but can she trust him not to break her heart again? It’s time to throw a coin in the fountain, make a Christmas wish—and let the mistletoe do its work . . .

My thoughts:

I LOVED the characters - they were each so flawed and relatable - and I really enjoyed the bit of role reversal with the female being more wary and hesitant of entering a relationship than the man. All of the side characters were FANTASTIC - I totally want to be a member of their squad! This is the 2nd book in the series, and though it works perfectly as a standalone, the writing and characters were so good that I definitely want to read the first book {Sweet Little Lies} and I'll be picking up the 3rd book {Accidentally On Purpose} when it comes out in January. 

I loved the author's use of hashtags in the title headings - it was cute and current and a great way to whet the reader's appetite for what was to come. The series is set in San Francisco and the details were so vivid, I considered the city its own character in the book as well. 

In general, the story was well-paced and there were enough ups & downs in the plots before you get to the happily ever after that it really is a page turner. The steamy bits were also well-written - hot but not crass and well placed within the story. 

Rating

Plot: 4.5/5
Characters: 5/5
Writing Style: 4.5/5
Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Final Thoughts:

I loved this book so much more than I had expected. I've been reading so much YA lately {though I'm not complaining} that it was fun to try something different. This book was such a great and fun read and I fell head over heels for this plot and the characters. Overall, I definitely recommend this book, especially to fans of chick lit and contemporary romance. 

I really hope you enjoyed my review {there will be many, many more}, if you haven’t picked up this book yet, you definitely should! Until next time...