Thoughts: He's So Fine

He's So Fine

by Jill Shalvis
Book 11 of Lucky Harbor

~ Goodreads ~

Rating:  4.0 Stars


I think, of this last trio of Lucky Harbor books, this one is my favorite, so far.  I must admit, as much as they are kind of assholes, when it comes to their romantic lives, I'm digging the dynamics between Sam, Cole, and Tanner.

And I only wish we could see more from the relationship between newly made best buds, Becca, Olivia, and now Callie.

But this is a Jill Shalvis contemporary romance, first and foremost--so what's important is the love story between Cole and Olivia.


The Story:
Olivia Bentley came to Lucky Harbor to start her life over.  It's a small town where no one knows who she really is, and where she doesn't have to live with her sordid past.  Where she is simply, Olivia Bentley, a sales proprietor of a vintage shop.  And in order to keep her past buried, her interactions with the nosy population of Lucky Harbor has been kept to a minimal.

But then she mistakenly thinks that charter captain, Cole Donovan is in need of rescuing after seeing him fall into the ocean.  Without a thought, she jumps right in to save him.  Obviously, Cole didn't need saving, and instead, has to haul himself and Olivia back onto land.

Cole, meanwhile, has his own personal demons to battle, and life has been an empty hole for him these past two years.  But now that Olivia has literally landed directly into his arms, it seems that maybe his life is about to get more interesting.  Unfortunately, there might be a vast ocean of secrets that could get in the way of their developing romance.


My Thoughts:
If I'm honest with myself, He's So Fine was a simple and sweet love story.  And that's really it.

As per usual, Shalvis likes to lace her characters with backgrounds full of potential and sometimes misery... and then not do anything about it.  Don't get me wrong--I actually thought the way that Cole's conflict with his friends and his past had been handled quite well.  His resolution was carried out to a nice close.

But Olivia's secret past filled with disappointments, betrayals, and loneliness, and troubles... was simply resolved with the universal "Love Conquers All" deux ex machina.  Because while I love that Olivia self-reflects and stands up for herself concerning the inevitable "Big Misunderstanding" and "Big Break Up" scene nearing the end, I also felt like her conflict with her mother and sister were left forgotten in the dust.

Maybe I missed something.

Nonetheless, aside from the above, I honestly did love this book a lot and enjoyed the bickering, sweet, and sexy romance between our main couple.  They had sparks and they had heart.  And while Cole temporarily dropped into asshole territory near the end of the book, I actually loved that he was so open about his life and what happened to him in the past.  I love the relationship between him and his family, especially with the youngest of his elder sisters, Cara.

And once again, I loved the friendship he had with Sam and Tanner.

And I'd like to believe that his temporary dip into asshole territory was really just to forward the obligatory misunderstanding and break up between him and Olivia... a typical romance novel trope, y'know.

At least that's what I'd like to believe.

So I'm just going to move forward from here with happy thoughts of having read a sweet and sexy romance by Jill Shalvis.  As per usual, her writing is very charming, as are some of her characters.  I'm satisfied enough.