Fab Fantasy Fiction

It’s always a happy day in my house when there is a new Jill Shalvis book to be read, but it’s a huge celebration when there is a new series to be enjoyed. Really. It. Is.

Earlier this month I saw that Jill had a new title, Then Came You.

I snapped it up! Yes, she’s one of my must-buy authors and after my mini-celebration, I settled back to begin reading. But then I realized that this was book five in her Animal Magnetism series and I hadn’t read the previous four titles. Oh my, now I was celebrating big-time.

I know that Then Came You could be a stand-alone title, but why wouldn’t I want to read the four preceding stories and get the scoop on all the characters from Sunshine, Idaho. It’s Jill Shalvis. Small town romance. Humor to keep you laughing-out-loud for hours. Stories that center around animals, hunky vets, their family and friends. The question is not why would I read the four earlier titles, but why hadn’t I before! That situation was quickly remedied in one weekend.

I flew through books one to four. Fell in love with a pet duck (Animal Magnetism). Emphasized with Jade, while rooting for Dell (Animal Attraction). Cried a bit with Holly and Adam (Rescue My Heart). And totally lost my heart to Tommy, Kate’s younger brother, in Rumor Has It.

I felt like I had moved to Sunshine, Idaho, by the time I began reading book five, Then Came You. I think my golden retriever and four cats would like to visit Drs. Dell and Wyatt. Yes. I. Do. (And I wouldn’t mind seeing them myself!)

Then Came You sets up that perfect oops moment when two people who never thought they’d see one another again wind up working together for a year.

Yes, what happened in Reno didn’t stay in Reno. (Perhaps the vet conference should have been held in Las Vegas.) Veterinarian intern Emily arrives in Sunshine, Idaho, already out-of-sorts and literally counting the days till her year internship is finished. She had hoped for the more glamorous slot in LA, where she’d be tending star's teacup dogs, instead of getting down-in-the-dirt with livestock at a ranch.

Her year only became harder when she realized Wyatt, her new boss, was her hook-up from Reno. They hadn’t exchanged last names. They didn’t intend seeing one another again. But it seems neither one could forget the other.

I really enjoyed this story and thought Wyatt was almost perfect. Why? His two sisters had already trained him in most things woman related. Their interactions were wonderful as was Emily’s with her sister. As with Rumor Has It, the families were as central to this story as the main protagonists.

Once again I found myself laughing-out-loud with situational humor that Shalvis writes so well. The pages also scorched my Kindle a bit as Emily and Wyatt’s relationship progressed. The Kleenex box came out at the end of the story, as it does quite often with Shalvis. She’s an author who knows how to give her readers an all-encompassing emotional ride, and have them line up eagerly for the next.

I highly recommend the Jill Shalvis’ Animal Magnetism series and Then Came You. Jill Shalvis ROCKS!