*Waiting on Wednesdays* Jill Shalvis's It Had to be You

*This meme is brought to you by Breaking the Spine*

I may have mentioned before that patience is not my strong suit. I am very much one to enjoy immediate gratification, HOWEVER some things are worth the wait (she says reluctantly...).

I have been a fan of Jill Shalvis for over a decade, ever since I was old enough to read adult novels (erm, probably even before that. Shh...don't tell my parents!) She is one of my automatic buy authors, regardless of what she has written, but I have to say, she stuck gold with her Lucky Harbor series. With this series, she exhibits the flawless ability to create a lovable cast of characters from the feisty, relatable heroine, the gloriously wonderful alpha male, to the quirky collection of townspeople, mix in her characteristic witty humor, and a whole lot of heart and there you have a Lucky Harbor novel. But though it seems like Shalvis exhibits a tried and true formula, it is anything but. Each book of the series has been incredibly unique, making me laugh and warming my heart. From what I hear, her next installment, will not break from tradition. (Also worth noting that though it is a series, each novel stands alone, but can also be read in multiple trilogies.)

It Had to Be You
by Jill Shalvis
Publication Date: May 28th, 2013

Synopsis:
Ali Winters is not having a good day. Her boyfriend left her, everyone in town thinks she’s a thief, and now she’s about to be kicked out of her home. Her only shot at keeping a roof over her head and clearing her name is to beg for help from a police detective who’s as sexy as he is stern….

After a high-profile case goes wrong, Luke Hanover returns to his hometown for some peace and quiet. Instead he finds a bombshell brunette in a heap of trouble. As he helps Ali put her world back together, the pieces of Luke’s own life finally seem to fall into place. Is this the start of a sizzling fling? Or are Luke and Ali on the brink of something big in a little town called Lucky Harbor?

Source:
Goodreads

Want more? OF COURSE YOU DO! Pretty Jilly posted some awesome excerpts:

Lieutenant Detective Luke Hanover had been away from the San Francisco Police Department for exactly one day of his three week leave and already he’d lost his edge, walking into his grandma’s Lucky Harbor beach house to find a B&E perp standing in the kitchen.

She sure as hell was the prettiest petty thief he’d ever come across, at least from the back since she was wearing nothing but a white lace bra and a tiny scrap of matching white lace panties. “You have some nerve you… you ratfink bastard,” she snapped into her cell phone, waving her free hand for emphasis, her long, wildly wavy brown hair flying around her head as she moved.

And that wasn’t all that moved. She was a bombshell, all sweet, womanly curves, barely contained in her undies.

“I want you to know,” she went on furiously, still not seeing Luke, “there’s no way in hell I’m accepting your break-up message. You hear me, Teddy? I’m not accepting it because I’m breaking up with you. And while we’re at it, who even does that? Who breaks up with someone by text? I’ll tell you who, Teddy, a real jerk, that’s who– Hello? Dammit!”
Pulling the phone from her ear, she stared at the screen and then punched a few keys before whipping it back up to her ear. “Your voice mail cut me off before I finished,” she said. “You having sex in your office while I was in the building? Totally cliché. But not telling me that you weren’t planning to resign the lease? That’s just rotten to the core, Teddy. And don’t bother calling me back on this. Oh, wait, that’s right, you don’t call – you text!” She punched the “off” button on her phone and tossed it to the counter, hands on hips, steam coming out her ears. Then she thunked her forehead against the refrigerator a few times before going stock still, her head pressed to the cool, steel door.
Had she knocked herself out? Luke wondered.

“It’s just one bad day,” she whispered, still in the perfect position for him to pat her down for weapons.

Not that she was carrying – well, except for that lethal bod.

“Just one really rotten, badass day,” she repeated softly, and Luke had to disagree.

“Not from where I’m standing,” he said.

Source:
Jill's Awesome Blog

Another?? OKAY!

She did her best to appear as though she hadn’t just been sitting in an interrogation room for hours being questioned about a crime she hadn’t committed. But as it turned out, the pretense was far too much for her overloaded emotions, and she closed her eyes, trying to disappear into the seat. If she disappeared, then he couldn’t see her fall apart.

“You okay?” he asked. Her throat tightened further, and she shook her head. Nope. Not okay. Not even close.

“Don’t,” she said.

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t be nice to me right now. I’ll lose it.”

With surprising gentleness, he pushed the hair from her face, then clicked open her seatbelt.

It was all the invitation she was going to get, and all the invitation she needed. Turning to him, she burrowed in as steady, strong arms closed around her. He stroked a hand down her back, and she pressed her face into the crook of his neck, soaking in the warm comfort he offered. It was the safest and most secure she’d felt in far too long and she wasn’t sure she was going to be able to let go.