Title: Lost and Found Sisters
Author: Jill Shalvis
Series: Wildstone #1
Published: 20 June 2017
Genres: Women’s Fiction
Pages: 400
Format:
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss
Purchase: Amazon
Reading Challenges: 2017 New Release Challenge, Netgalley and Edelweiss, COYER
From New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis comes her first women’s fiction novel—an unforgettable story of friendship, love, family, and sisterhood—perfect for fans of Colleen Hoover, Susan Mallery, and Kristan Higgins.
They say life can change in an instant…
After losing her sister in a devastating car accident, chef Quinn Weller is finally getting her life back on track. She appears to have it all: a loving family, a dream job in one of L.A.’s hottest eateries, and a gorgeous boyfriend dying to slip an engagement ring on her finger. So why does she feel so empty, like she’s looking for a missing piece she can’t find?
The answer comes when a lawyer tracks down Quinn and reveals a bombshell secret and a mysterious inheritance that only she can claim. This shocking revelation washes over Quinn like a tidal wave. Her whole life has been a lie.
On impulse, Quinn gives up her job, home, and boyfriend. She heads up the coast to the small hometown of Wildstone, California, which is just a few hours north, but feels worlds apart from Los Angeles. Though she doesn’t quite fit in right away, she can’t help but be drawn to the town’s simple pleasures
As Quinn settles into Wildstone, she discovers there’s another surprise in store for her. The inheritance isn’t a house or money, but rather something
I cannot adequately express how much I enjoyed this book. I first became aware of Jill Shalvis when I read the Heartbreaker Bay series. Since then I look forward to reading her books. Based on what I have read of her work so far, Lost and Found Sisters, which is the first book in the Wildstone series, took a different turn. The focus is not on romance, but on family, healing and forgiveness.
What the story is about.
Losing someone close is not a loss that one can easily move past. Quinn Weller would discover this devastating truth when she lost her sister in a car accident. Since that fateful day, her life has never been the same. She is empty on the inside and relationships have no meaning until the day she received some shocking news. News that would shake up her world and change her life in ways she never expected.
The Characters
I admired Quinn for her bravery. Walking away from the life she lived for thirty years to embrace the unknown took guts. She went looking for answers and she found more than she ever imagined. She found love and forged new friendships.
Change is never easy a fact that Quinn would come to realise . She struggled with the changes, but never once did she consider giving up. She is one of those characters that one cannot help but like. She is selfless, and she cares deeply for others. She also possesses a sarcastic sense of humour which when displayed placed a smile on my face.
Mick Hennessey returned to Wildstone, temporarily to help his mom get her house in order. He does not intend to stay, but then he meets Quinn who has him re-thinking his decision. He is caring and always willing to help.
They are attracted to each other but were afraid to explore the attraction as they were on different paths in life, which would lead to them being miles apart from each other. I liked that they moved past the fear and as a result discovered love. They were great for each other. He helped her sort out her feelings when things got complicated.
I found the town of Wildstone and its inhabitants interesting. They helped make the story shine with their humorous antics and banter.
The Story
Lost and Found Sisters is a heartfelt story filled with humour . It combines romance with life-affirming issues. At the start of each chapter are quotes that was both funny and true. The author provided a romance that is sweet and passionate but without the steam.
The inheritance was not what I expected, however; I enjoyed how this aspect of the story played out. I loved how Quinn came to terms with everything that is associated with her inheritance. She accepted both the good and the bad.
Conclusion /Recommendation
Lost and Found Sisters is a wonderful and poignant story of love, healing, self-discovery and embracing change. This is a great start to the series and I am eager to spend more time with the inhabitants of Wildstone.
EXCERPT
To Mick’s relief, he caught Quinn in the parking lot, leaning against her car, her thumbs moving furiously over the screen of her phone. When she saw him, she grimaced.
He lifted his hands and stayed out of her personal space.
“Thought you could use a ride back to the B and B,” he said.
“I’m not driving.” She lifted her phone. “I’m trying to get an Uber.”
He smiled. “How’s that going?”
She sighed and slipped her phone into her pocket. “So Wildstone doesn’t have drive-throughs, Thai takeout, or Uber? Seriously?”
“We have other things.”
“Yes,” she said. “Ghosts. Big bugs. Cute dogs. And girlfriends, apparently.”
“Lena’s not my girlfriend,” he said. “She’s Boomer’s. Sort of.” He shook his head. “It’s complicated.”
She didn’t take her eyes off him. “But you’ve slept together.”
He arched a brow.
“I’m sorry,” she said, closing her eyes. “That was rude. There’s a chemistry there, and a familiarity, that’s all. You know what? Don’t listen to me. My tongue’s running the show and I think I’m just jealous at how everyone else seems to take life’s shit in stride and keep going. I haven’t learned that trick and I need to. And how to keep going, that is. Like the Energizer Bunny. Or my electric toothbrush. God.” She pressed her hands to her face. “I really need to stop talking. Make me stop talking!” He took her hand and tugged her to his truck.
“Wait,” she said, putting a hand to his chest and fisting it in his shirt to hold him to her. “You’re not a murderer or a rapist or anything like that, right?” He lifted a hand. “Scout’s honor.”
“Were you a Boy Scout?” Laughing a little at that because he’d been just about the furthest thing from a Boy Scout, he gently pushed her into the passenger seat and leaned in to buckle her seat belt, and suddenly their faces were an inch from each other. He heard her suck in a breath and he did the same.
Talk about chemistry.
“Mick?” she whispered. “Yeah?”
“Are you feeling something?”
“You could say that,” he murmured. “You?”
She licked her lips and he nearly groaned. “I think so,” she whispered.
“That’s good.”
“Are you going to kiss me?”
He cupped her face, let his thumbs trace her jawbone, his fingers sinking into her silky waves. “No,” he said quietly. “And not because I don’t want to, but because when I do, I want to know you’re ready. That you’ll feel it.”
She sighed. “Guys do whatever they want all the time, no emotions necessary. I want that skill.” Another shaky breath escaped her, and since they were literally an inch apart, they shared air for a single heartbeat during which neither of them moved.
Her gaze dropped to his mouth. “Okay, so I’m definitely feeling things.” She hesitated and then her hands came up to his chest. “Maybe we should test it out to be sure.”
God, she was the sweetest temptation he’d ever met, and he wanted nothing more than to cover her mouth with his. Instead, he brushed his mouth to her cheek.
“Please, Mick,” she whispered, her exhale warming his throat. He loved the “please,” and he wanted to do just that more than anything. But when she tried to turn her head into his, to line up their mouths, he gently tightened his grip, dragging his mouth along her smooth skin instead, making his way to her ear.
“Not yet,” he whispered, letting his lips brush over her earlobe and the sensitive skin beneath it.
She moaned and clutched him. “Why not?”
It took every ounce of control he had to lift his head and meet her gaze. “Because I want to make sure you’re really with me, that you’re feeling everything I’m feeling. That there’ll be no doubt, no regrets.”
“You sure have a lot of requirements.”
He laughed. And she was right, it was all big talk for a guy who didn’t do relationships anymore. Still, he forced himself to step back and shut the passenger door.
As he rounded the hood to the driver’s side, he tried to remind himself of all the reasons she was a bad idea. He lived two hundred miles away and he was hoping to move his mom up by him and never come back here. Not to mention that Quinn lived an equal two hundred miles in the opposite direction and she was in a deeply vulnerable place. No way would he even think about taking advantage of that.
But when he slid behind the wheel and their eyes locked, he realized that while his mind could stand firm, the rest of his body wasn’t on board with the in-control program.
About the Author:
New York Times bestselling author JILL SHALVIS lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental.
Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.
