The Sweetest Thing by Jill Shalvis

Captivating continuation of the series
5 stars

Southern belle, Tara, doesn’t particularly want to be back in the town of Lucky Harbour – there are too many bad memories there. But with her life crashing down around her, she’s decided to stay to help her sister’s with the inn they have inherited.

But now sexy blast from her past, Ford, is once again making Tara hot and bothered, despite her desire to start afresh. Add to that her ex-husband who has decided he wants Tara back and she’s got herself in a right pickle. So now it’s up to Tara to decide what she wants and perhaps she’ll find it in the last place she ever expected.


This is the second book in the Lucky Harbour trilogy (after Jax and Maddie’s book, Simply Irresistibleand before Sawyer and Chloe’s book, Head Over Heels). While I suppose you could probably read this book as a stand alone, I really think that you’d get a better grip on the characters and their previous interactions if you read the books in order.

Tara is the grumpy, bossy sister and although we know and understand why, I was worried that I wasn’t going to like her or root for her. That turned out not to be a problem as yes, Tara was bossy, but she was also self-deprecating and only ever wanted the best for people – I ended up really liking her. Not only that but Ford’s laid back nature really complemented Tara and it was a case of opposites attract. The pair had sizzling chemistry and although there was no huge conflict, peril or drama – I was really rooting for the pair.

The cast of supporting characters were really rich but never overpowered the main characters or love story. As well as Maddie, Jax, Chloe and Sawyer there’s the meddling townsfolk who aren’t nearly as overpowering or stereotypical as in other novels I’ve read. There’s also Tara’s ex-husband, Logan. He’s not a bad guy but clearly not the right guy for Tara but I loved his interactions/battles with Ford. Like another reviewer said, it would be nice if Logan gets his own story in the future. There’s also the adopted daughter storyline which was more sweet than heavy and added a little extra to Tara and Ford’s story.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was part of a series that I’m really enjoying and I can’t wait until Chloe and Sawyer’s story comes out in December. If you like fun and sexy romances with characters you’ll love then I would recommend this book, and the rest of the Lucky Harbour series, to you. 5 stars.