Chasing Christmas Eve: A Heartbreaker Bay Novel (Heartbreaker Bay, 4)

3 stars -- Hmmm...this is going to be a hard review to write, b/c I just wasn't that sucked into this book, but I'm not entirely sure what didn't work for me.  I'll try, but it might have been that my mood exacerbated things, kwim?  Also, I think I *wanted* to like this one more than I actually did.  Now, I haven't read all the previous books in this series, only Willa's and the two Christmas novellas.  So perhaps that might have bumped it up a bit, but it also might have disappointed me even more...who's to say.OK, I'm going to warn right at the beginning that this is going to sound like a negative review, but it really was a cute romance...solid, easy, with some fun interactions and a great cast of secondary characters.  And I did give this 3 stars, so it's a solid book.  It just didn't wow me, and that's probably what's going to come across most strongly in the rest of this review.  I just wanted to caveat that so people take my thoughts with a grain of salt.So, hmmm...  Well, I was pretty excited about Spence, even if I've only seen him in brief in Willa's book.  I'm a sucker for a geek, as I married my own hot geek.  And Spence was a cutie, though I could have used a bit more awkwardness.  I will admit I read another review that talked about how he was perfectly carved, just like all the other heroes, even though we never see him exercise in this book, and I will admit that bugged me too.  Not every hero has to have the perfect body to be swoonworthy, I think I was kind of hoping he would be more normal...  Kind of a weird thing to be disappointed in, but there you go.  Maybe I just want a bit more variety in my heroes, and I was disappointed because I thought Spence would give me that.  I also really expected to learn more about his upbringing that led him to buy the Pacific Pier Building and populate it with his own little small town.  And it's not that we didn't get any of his past, it just was kind of underwhelming I guess.  He was poor.  Huh.  But he had loving parents...I expected him to be neglected or something with the way he shied away from love and built his own little family.  So that was...disappointing.  And yeah, we get bits with his Grandpa and all, and then a bit about his attempted love life, but I guess it just felt like bare bones, and not enough to really suck me in and empathize with him.  He was so mysterious in Willa's book, keeping a lot about who he was hidden (owner of the building, rich, etc).  So I was expecting a lot more.  But maybe that was me.  And I was initially excited about Eddie, but then that kind of fizzled, and we never got any closure with that.  *sigh*Then we get Colbie.  Some of her story bugged me because the author employed the "keep secrets from the reader" thing that I really dislike...in this case about what happened with Jackson.  I expected something really huge because it was kept secret for so much of the book, and then it was like oh.  That's it?  Which just flared my pet peeve again.  I guess I want a big payoff if I'm going to put up with the reader secret stuff.  I did love seeing all the little writer quirks about her, and she had such a good nature in general...she seemed really sweet and eager for affection.  But as with Spence, her background disappointed me.  Her family sounded atrocious, just a big bunch of users who didn't respect and appreciate her at all.  But then we get to the ending, and it was like an about face in a teeny amount of time, and it was NOT believable at all.  Though at least I still hated her Mom, even though apparently she didn't.  The ending to Colbie's family story was MEGA disappointing basically.And then we get to the two of them together.  They could be really cute, and had some really great moments (I loved his failed picnic on the boat, and when he took her flying drones).  But in reality, I didn't really get enough of them together that wasn't about the sex.  Which is fine, I like steamy scenes.  But I didn't really understand their emotional connection I guess.  It was infatuation at first sight for both of them, but without much explanation for why, for example, Colbie was different from other women.  There was a bit, but not enough for me.  It all just felt very basic to me...I wasn't captured.  And for the short amount of time they had together, they didn't actually spend a whole lot of time together...they both worked quite a bit.  Which was good for their personal stories I guess, but then I kind of wanted to know more there...like why didn't Spence ponder why Colbie was different from other women, and he was suddenly able to balance.  *sigh*  I'm so freaking picky you guys...it's annoying sometimes.  I wasn't even that excited with the epilogue, it felt fast too.I did love the moments with our secondary cast...they were delightful as usual.  In some ways, those were the highlights of the book.  I'm going to go back and catch up on the books I missed (Finn/Pru and Archer/Elle), and depending on how I like those, I can see wanting to read about Joe and Kylie as well.So see what I mean?  That was a totally negative sounding review.  *sigh*  I'm not good at balance I don't think.  Oh well.

I am loving this series! Archer and Elle, Finn and Pru, and my personal fave, Keane and Willa, are amazing couples with fantastic stories, But Spence the sexy nerd leaves them in the dust! Spence is brilliant and sexy (did I mention sexy? Can I mention it again??), and he is struggling with a drone project he's been working on. While he's out walking a dog as a favor, he runs into Colbie, literally, and the dog knocks her into the magic fountain. Colbie is a best selling author running away from family responsibilities and writer's block. Maybe it was their quirky, creative personalities but I really loved watching Spence and Colbie circle each other then go for it! Spence learning to balance work and a personal life and Colbie learning to step away from responsibility now and then made for great story. With only two weeks together before Colbie has to be home on the east coast for Christmas, they don't have a lot of time to discover if their connection is something that can last long term, or to discover if they want it to.The only think I didn't love, and that brought my review down by half a star, was a slightly rushed ending. **SLIGHT SPOILER** Colbie's problems with her family and agent were solved so quickly and cleanly, it was hard to believe she ever really thought they were problems. I felt like there should have been a bit more difficulty in their resolution, which would have made their happy ending even sweeter!But that being said, this is another fantastic read from Jill Shalvis, funny and sweet, intense and real, all at the same time. Don't miss the sexy nerd finding a sexy nerd of his own!I received an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review, and I can honestly recommend it!

If you need a vacation or just need to get away from your family, head west to San Francisco and don't stand too close to the fountain, unless of course a very handsome geek like Spencer Baldwin is close enough to help you out. In the newest Heartbreaker Bay release, Colbie Albright flees to get away from her family, her writing, her everything and as curious as she was about the fountain, I don't think she had any clue how up close and personnel she would become with it.A once in a lifetime meeting of Colbie and Spencer at the fountain sprouts a friendship that soon turns into a deeper relationship with no chance of surviving her Christmas Eve deadline, when she has to return to "her life" in New York. But as the couple spends more time together and bonds you find yourself hoping that they find a resolution to the problem.Spence gets unwanted relationship assistance from his protective friends, especially Elle, who actually grows to like Colbie. Spence is a great guy, whose been take advantage of too many times and hasn't been able to find the right balance between work and play, but he finds himself seeking it with Colbie. She brings out a side of him that we've yet to see in any of the earlier books and you will find yourself wanting to see Spence get his "happy ever after."This honest review is written after finishing an ARC of Chasing Christmas Eve. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Jill Shalvis is my spirit animal - she’s just so funny and that completely translates into her books. She writes people you want to know and worlds that you want to jump into and live there. For me, her books are a happy place.This is the 4th full-length story (5th if you include short stories) in the Heartbreaker Bay series. These have a continuing cast of characters, a group of friends, who find their perfect match thanks to a wish made into a fountain. This story, however, completely stands alone. Having said that - I highly recommend that you read the books in order because you’ll love the characters even more having done so, and you’ll understand the background characters a bit better, too.Having read the previous books, I was already half in love with Spence. A sexy geek? Yes, please. But from the first, I fell all the way in love and he’s my new book boyfriend. He’s still a sexy geek but he’s also so much more - he’s sweet, kind, damaged and seeing him fall in love was just wonderful.I also fell in love with Colbie, too. She is a little bit of an introvert, a little bit frazzled but 100% sweet, kind and positive. She was Spence’s other half and they couldn’t have been more perfect for each other if they tried. Perfectly imperfect soulmates.As I mentioned above, I’m a huge fan of Jill Shalvis’s writing style. It’s funny - I laughed out loud on many an occasion, upbeat and, without sounding cheesy - it was really a inspiring tale of how to be yourself and live for yourself. And it was a great advert for San Francisco, too - I want to go now!Oh and yes, this has Christmas in the title and yes, there is a slight sprinkling of Christmas in it - but I would never call this a Christmas book. So long as you don’t pick it up thinking that you’re in for snowflakes and Santa and mistletoe, you’ll be alright. And I’m saying all that as someone who loves Christmas.If you’re looking for love, laughs and positivity then I would recommend that you read this book. And all the other books in the series, too. 5 stars.

Jill Shalvis has managed to deliver once again with a fun and witty book about a sexy geek and an author. This book is about Spence the intelligent inventor who shys away from riomance due to him being an entrepenuer and expecting women to only want him for his money and for him not having time for a relationship and about Colbie who's family rely on her to do everything for them and her losing her writing muse as she is a successful author who has hit a brick wall.The story starts with Colbie being knocked into the magic fountain - it is meant to have magic powers to grant true love and Spence rescuing her and there was instant attraction between them both. Spence generally tries to stay clear of the fountain because of the reputation of it but he can not stay away from Colbie so the story evolves with them knowing there is an expiration date on their relationship which suits Spence due to his reservations and suits Colbie because of her responsibilities too. This book has a twist that I did not know was coming and I loved it as it answered alot of questions.This story is about friendship, family, friends and of course love, this book is a definite MUST READ for romance lovers but I recommend reading this series in sequence so you learn about all the other characters in this great series

Loved it. Loved it. Loved it.It's got a great storey line, with wonderful characters.Couldn't put this book down, it's definitely one of my favourites.

Lovely book to read. Romantic funny and gripping. I have enjoyed all the heartbreaker books so far. Very easy read.

You know you get a great read with Jill Shalvis