Lucky in Love by Jill Shalvis

Lucky in Love is the first book from Jill Shalvis' Lucky Harbor series that continues past the story of the three sisters. Mallory, Amy and Grace meet at Eat Me, Lucky Harbor's diner, on the night of an intense storm. Mallory is an ER nurse who tries to save everyone she meets. For her, this means starting a community health center for people who can't afford health care. Due to a tragedy in her past, it's very important to Mallory not to let anyone slip through the cracks.  Ty is the "Mysterious Cute Guy" who lives outside of town and keeps to himself. Through a chance meeting, Ty ends up meeting Mallory and finds himself interested in getting to know another person for the first time in years.

Lucky in Love holds true to form. Ty is big and strong and handsome and rich.  I found that he differed a bit from the other men in that his past really was heartbreaking, and recent enough that he wasn't just using it as an excuse. I loved that he struggled with real demons, both mental and physical. Mallory doesn't set out to save Ty, but with the urging of her friends she does set out to HAVE him. I love that she is willing to finally enjoy herself with someone without ever expecting more, even when she started wanting more.

As with the other Lucky Harbor novels, the town itself becomes a character, with Lucille and her Facebook page leading the action. There is a shift in supporting characters with this book- while the innkeepers from the first three are mentioned, this time we see more of the people at the diner and the ones who work with Mallory. I appreciate that Shalvis didn't try to jam everyone we ever met into the book in a meaningful way (like Robyn Carr seems to do with her Virgin River series.)  The focus of the books stays with the main characters, with just enough town interaction to make a cohesive series. Lucky in Love is believable as well, it doesn't happen completely overnight and you can believe that they fall in love.

I requested this one from NetGalley and was awfully exited to have both it and the final book in the series waiting for me on my Nook.

(For those of you who aren't romance fans, only two more Jill Shalvis posts to go, for now. )