Blog Tour + Book Review: Hot Winter Nights (Heartbreaker Bay #6) by Jill Shalvis

Title: Hot Winter Nights (Heartbreaker Bay #6)

Author: Jill Shalvis
Release Date: September 25, 2018
Pages: 384
Format: ARC Paperback
Publisher: Avon
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance

           

Most people wouldn't think of a bad Santa case as the perfect Christmas gift. Then again, Molly Malone, office manager at Hunt Investigations, isn't most people, and she could really use a distraction from the fantasies she's been having since spending the night with her very secret crush, Lucas Knight. Nothing happened, not that Lucas knows that — but Molly just wants to enjoy being a little naughty for once...
Whiskey and pain meds for almost-healed bullet wounds don't mix. Lucas needs to remember that next time he's shot on the job, which may be sooner rather than later if Molly's brother, Joe, finds out about them. Lucas can't believe he's drawing a blank on his (supposedly) passionate tryst with Molly, who's the hottest, smartest, strongest woman he's ever known. Strong enough to kick his butt if she discovers he's been assigned to babysit her on her first case. And hot enough to melt his cold heart this Christmas.

I love Jill Shalvis. She's so good at writing swoony, slow-burning romance, witty banter, and her books are just so much fun. I especially love anything Christmas themed when it comes to books. Give me a good holiday story, and I'm all in. And although I love most of her books, this one just didn't hit the mark for me. It was still entertaining and I loved Molly and Luke's character, but some of the tropes used in the story are so overdone, that I felt disconnected from the story at times.

Molly Malone is the office manager at Hunt Investigations. It's a firm that takes on cases for corporations to help them save money and close in on fraudulent activities. Molly is the only woman at the firm and her brother Joe also works there, so between that combination, everyone does everything in their power to protect her. But she longs for more - she's smart, a risk-taker, and an overall good-hearted person, and everyone already secretly thinks she'd make a good investigator.

From the first page, we meet Luke, in a hungover-fogged state, as a woman is rolled into his sheets in his bed. He doesn't remember what happened the night before after mixing strong pills with a bit of alcohol. Since he lives in the same building of the firm, he immediately texts Molly so she can fix him his coffee but she doesn't respond. He leaves but when he finally gets to the office, Molly reminds him that they "spent the night" and since he doesn't remember, she makes him think they slept together.

It is the perfect foundation for a slow-burning romance to ensue yet I felt disconnected from these two characters. I liked them both individually but together, I just wasn't emotionally invested. And then Molly uncovers her own case to solve as the story develops and it's a case that I didn't very much care about since it was simplistic and not very interesting.

Although what happens after they slowly start to solve the case really piqued my interest because there's a lot of action, concern over Luke's conflict of protecting Molly versus letting her secretly work on the case, and we also have them both falling in love (as is typical with Shalvis's narratives).

Overall, it was a fast and fun read but there were parts that I skimmed over - which is usually a sign that the book isn't quite hitting the mark for me. I still recommend this to anyone looking for a holiday romance - as you may end up loving it. Unfortunately, for me, this one wasn't a favorite of hers but I am looking forward to the next Heartbreaker Bay installment which comes out February 2019!

As always, happy reading!

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras with her family and far too many assorted quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental.
Look for Jill's latest, LOST AND FOUND SISTERS on shelves and e-readers now, and get all her bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold.

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