The Trouble with Mistletoe by Jill Shalvis

If she has her way...

Willa Davis is wrangling puppies when Keane Winters stalks into her pet shop with frustration in his chocolate-brown eyes and a pink bedazzled cat carrier in his hand. He needs a kitty sitter, stat. But the last thing Willa needs is to rescue a guy who doesn’t even remember her...

He’ll get nothing but coal in his stocking.

Saddled with his great-aunt’s Feline from Hell, Keane is desperate to leave her in someone else’s capable hands. But in spite of the fact that he’s sure he’s never seen the drop-dead-gorgeous pet shop owner before, she seems to be mad at him...

Unless he tempers “naughty” with a special kind of nice...

Willa can’t deny that Keane’s changed since high school: he’s less arrogant, for one thing—but can she trust him not to break her heart again? It’s time to throw a coin in the fountain, make a Christmas wish—and let the mistletoe do its work...

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  iTunes

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
What's a girl to do when the boy who humiliated her in high school shows on the doorstep of her business? Make him pay double for babysitting his aunt's cat. Willa feels even more like a fool when he confirms that he doesn't even remember her.

Keane doesn't remember Willa and that makes him feel even more like the ass he was in high school. Seems shoving people away is a family trait, one that he began cultivating at early age. His parents really didn't care to have a rowdy boy around and so he began insulating himself against the feelings of being alone.

Willa was a foster child, shuffled from home to home and always felt like she was on the outside looking in. She's determined to help others in her same position. Other kids that have transitioned out of the system with nowhere to go and no one to lean on.

Now, Willa refuses to let people, men, close to her – both physically and intimately – because she is afraid that they will leave her as well. Unloved as a child, those scars have covered her heart. But there is something about Keane that makes her wonder...


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the second book in the series – and I would recommend that you read book one first, as we are introduced to the lovely group of friends that feature in this series. The dynamics between the friends and their pasts have a significant impact on the way these characters behave. We gain insight into their dreams and desires through their conversations with each other.

Willa is a great person, treated poorly her whole life, she is always trying to ensure that everyone else's lives are easier. But, as she finds out about herself, maybe that is a defence mechanism which is actually keeping her away from committing. These realisations are not easy for her to accept, and she struggles with these truths, even when reassured by her friends. It is a fine line that she travels, and is beautifully written.

At the same time, seemingly good time player, Keane is up for a chance to sample the effects of the chemistry which clearly exists between him and Willa. He has also had a difficult childhood, even if he believes he should take the blame for it. He is a much more solitary figure, with work colleagues as his closest friends, but as he works through the difficult emotions that Willa causes him to have, we learn that he is a truly good man. I love that Willa's friends recognise him to be good long before he does. It says as much about them as him.

I love how this story played out, that there were many threads which all drew together to give us a wonderful romance, a happy ending and food for thought as to who will be next!


Veronica – ☆☆☆☆
The Trouble with Mistletoe is a fairly traditional, sweet, contemporary romance. Willa vividly remembers being stood up by Keane as a teenager after she asked him to the Sadie Hawkins dance. So she isn't pleased when he shows up at her shop years later and has no memory of her. I feared this part of the story to be dragged out for most of the book, but thankfully it isn't.

Keane makes is clear he doesn't do attachment and love, while Willa regularly wishes in the fountain that true love will find her. I really enjoyed this book. Both Willa and Keane are good honest, hardworking entrepreneurs. They have great chemistry, but each have issues with their past that are impacting their present.

The ending to this story is like something out of a movie. I could easily see the Heartbreaker Bay series being made into films. I loved the sneak peek at the end for the next book. We are going to get Elle and Archer's story. I can't wait.

Also Available in the Heartbreaker Bay Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  iTunes

For reviews & more info, check out our Sweet Little Lies post.

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.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of The Trouble with Mistletoe (Heartbreaker Bay #2) by Jill Shalvis to read and review.