Blog Tour: Once in a Lifetime by Jill Shalvis

Today as part of Jill Shalvis's Once in a Lifetime blog tour, we have a fun top 5 list of favorite quotes from the book as well as a pretty steamy excerpt.  Enjoy them after my thoughts on the book.  Also make sure to check out the publisher's giveaway below!

Author:Jill Shalvis 

Publisher: Forever Mass Market (Grand Central Publishing)

Date of publication: February 18, 2014

SOMETIMES WRONG IS OH-SO-RIGHT

After 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 . . .

My Thoughts:

Once in a Lifetime is the 9th book in the Lucky Harbor series, but it is the first one I have read. While there were times that I wish I had a bit more back story, I found myself  not caring so much about that since I was enjoying the story so much.  This book was hilarious, endearing and heart wrenching all at the same time.  I loved Ben and Aubrey together.  Their HEA in the end had me a little teary-eyed.  

I really felt for Aubrey because people in town think she is kind of a bitch.  The town seems to have a long memory and gossip doesn't allow it to forget the past very easily.  She stumbles into an AA meeting and is struck by the step about making amends.  She decides to try to balance out karma by righting wrongs from her past. I think we all have things that we regret doing in our past.  I thought Ben was good for her and she for him.  She helped him to realize that some excitement in life is good and helps him to open his heart to love again.  

The peripheral characters in the town rounded out the story nicely.  I really want to go back to the beginning and start at the beginning of Lucky Harbor's journey.  I especially want to see how Jack and Leah and Luke and Ali got together.  

Top 5 Favorite Quotes from ONCE IN A LIFETIME

1. He was in jeans, wearing a tool belt slung low on his hips, his T-shirt clinging to him. He seemed a little irritated, a little sweaty, and just looking at him Aubrey got a whole lot hot and bothered in places that had no business being hot and bothered by this man at all.

 2.  He was back in his tool belt, which was made of leather and crinkled all male-like when he moved. Plus, it forced his jeans a little low on his hips. She couldn’t stop staring, because there was something about the way he wore his clothes that suggested he’d look even better without them.

3.  She had no idea how long they kissed—and kissed—but she didn’t think about stopping until she ran out of air. Breathing hard, she slowly opened her eyes and stared directly into his.

     They’d heated. Darkened. And something else. He wasn’t looking so relaxed now. In fact, he was looking the opposite of relaxed. He looked…feral.

     And she was his prey.

 4. “You’d better say it again,” he said very quietly.

     “What?”

     “That you don’t want me.” He gave a slow shake of his head. “Because you’re looking at me like I’m dinner and you haven’t eaten all day.”

5.  His mouth should be illegal in all fifty states, but she bet he could do things with it. Things she wanted.

     Bad.

Excerpt:

“You’re incredible, Ben, you know that? You’re an insensitive, first-class jerk, and–”
He leaned in. “And what?” he asked, voice dangerously low.
“And…” Stymied at her ridiculous and constant reaction to him, Aubrey put her hands to his chest to give him another shove, but somehow got her wires crossed and she fisted his shirt instead.
“Dare me,” he said softly.

Oh, how she hated how well he knew her. “I dare you to kiss me,” she whispered, and then to make sure he did, she put her mouth on his first… 


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About the author:

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill's bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

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