Review: Just Try Me..., by Jill Shalvis

jill shalvis, just try me, book review


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Adrenaline junkie Lily is no stranger to taking chances. But that was before an accident nearly took her life. Now she has a new motto: look before you leap! And her new low-risk job, as a guide for hikers in the Sierra mountains, fits her new attitude perfectly.
That is, until she meets breathtakingly gorgeous hiker Jared Skye – and wants to leap straight into his bed! Tall, dark Jared has set Lily’s pulse racing. Can she remain cautious or is now the time to succumb to her smouldering-hot fantasies?


Genre: contemporary romance

Publishing date: July 2019

Offensive content: a few sex scenes, graphic enough to be potentially offensive. Starting right with the cover. Note to the editors: please create book covers that I can keep around my kids!

Review: 
Just Try Me...I tried, I really tried, but I couldn't make myself like this book, not the way I wanted anyway. Which is a first in what Jill Shalvis is concerned, because she's one of my favorite authors, as I've said here before. Granted, this is one of her earlier works, but it is still rated 4 stars over at Amazon and for that reason I decided to give it a try. 

This book has hilarious moments, serious moments, laughter, love, great sex, adventure, romance, all the ingredients of a wonderful romance novel. But it doesn't work, the ingredients don't mesh together and most of the story (and the romance) just sounds fake. 

I loved the prologue, loved Jared and Lily's first meeting, but it sort of went downhill form there. Jared is a computer geek that halfway through the book turns into a muscle rippled alpha male. Lily is a bit more consistent, but not entirely convincing also, and frankly, the secondary characters all sound like idiots. Everything else in the book just seems to be convenient, exactly enough available people to form three happy couples in the end, a few accidents and unexpected events to throw in action and suspense and allow the characters to show off their skills. Usually I like seeing the story from the point of view of characters other than the male/female leads but in this case it served more to fill in empty space and make the book longer.

Maybe I'm being too harsh, but I truly expected more from Jill Shalvis. Maybe I would have loved it f I was sixteen and reading my first forbidden novel. But I haven't been sixteen in a while...
 
So, if you're looking for a quick read with no strings attached, this is it. Otherwise, steer clear of it and stick to Jill Shalvis' more recent books. 

Happy readings, 


the book worm, book reviews


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