At Last by Jill Shalvis

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Lucky Harbour #5
Publication Date: 1st July 2012
Pages: 400
Book Source: Grand Central Publishing & NetGalley

Synopsis: HER LOVE HAS COME ALONG . . . 

Amy Michaels loves her new life in Lucky Harbor. A waitress in the local diner, she's looking forward to her first weekend hike through the mountains. But when a wrong turn takes her off the trail, she finds herself up close and personal with forest ranger Matt Bowers. And even though she's tempted to kiss that sexy smile right off his face, she won't make the mistake of getting involved with the town heartthrob.

A former cop whose life went south, Matt doesn't let anyone get too close. But something about the feisty beauty caught his eye the moment he first saw her in the diner. After a hot night under a starry sky, Matt can't deny their attraction-or the fact that for the first time in a long time, he feels the stirrings of something more. Now it's up to Matt to help Amy see that, no matter what is in their past, together they can build a future in Lucky Harbor.


Karen's Thoughts:
Personally I love it when authors write books that have connecting characters or centres around the same town.   I adored the first four books in Jill Shalvis’ Lucky Harbour series and am pleased to say that the fifth book in this series, At Last, is just as wonderful as the others.

I can always rely on Jill to deliver a gorgeous, reliable, hot guy and Ranger ‘Hot Buns’ aka Matt Bower might just be one of the hottest guys Jill has ever created.  I think he certainly gives Sawyer a run for his money.

Matt is a former military man and has settled in as the local Forest Ranger in Lucky Harbour looking for life to be a little more peaceful than it was for him in Chicago.   There has been an attraction between Matt and Amy since we first met them in this series.

Amy Michaels is a waitress in the local diner Eat Me.  She makes up one third of the Chocoholics trio alongside Mallory (Lucky in Love) and Grace (Forever and Day). She’s also a very talented artist.

Amy is trying to follow a journey taken by her Grandmother that has been documented in a journal that was left to Amy.  This journey takes Amy into the wilderness surrounding Lucky Harbour and also just happens to take her repeatedly into Matt’s path.  Amy has certainly put some emotional walls up around herself and I loved the way she slowly began to let them slip and open up to Matt.

The chemistry between Matt and Amy was absolutely off the charts and I’m thinking this may just be the hottest romance Jill has written to date ... and trust me, she’s written some hot stuff.

At Last also introduces us to Riley, a young girl both Matt and Amy come across who seems to be hiding from something (or someone) quite sinister.  She has been illegally camping in the forest and Amy takes her under her wing and tries to help her see a way around her problems, problems that Amy seems to understand all too well.

One thing I would have liked to have seen more of in this latest series is the characters we met and loved in the first three Lucky Harbour novels.  We see small glimpses but I would have liked them to be more interwoven into the story and see where they are now as couples.  It certainly didn’t take away from this wonderful read and indeed if the author had done that it may have taken away from this story.  Its just I love Jill’s characters so much that I just can't get enough of them.

If you’re on Facebook you really should become a fan of Jill’s and also fellow author Kristan Higgins…because occasionally they embark on what they refer to as “man wars” and OMG that will really plaster a smile on your face for the day.

 

Another wonderful story from author Jill Shalvis and I’m certainly looking forward to the last in this trilogy, Forever and A Day due out in August.

Review by Karen Barr