Who needs mistletoe?
Most people wouldn’t think of a bad Santa case as the perfect Christmas gift. Then again, Molly Malone, office manager at Hunt Investigations, isn’t most people, and she could really use a distraction from the fantasies she’s been having since spending the night with her very secret crush, Lucas Knight. Nothing happened, not that Lucas knows that -- but Molly just wants to enjoy being a little naughty for once . . .
Whiskey and pain meds for almost-healed bullet wounds don’t mix. Lucas needs to remember that next time he’s shot on the job, which may be sooner rather than later if Molly’s brother, Joe, finds out about them. Lucas can’t believe he’s drawing a blank on his (supposedly) passionate tryst with Molly, who’s the hottest, smartest, strongest woman he’s ever known. Strong enough to kick his butt if she discovers he’s been assigned to babysit her on her first case. And hot enough to melt his cold heart this Christmas.
Another fun addition to the Heartbreaker Bay series. Lucas was recovering from a gunshot wound that happened during a previous case. Forbidden from working, Lucas was going stir-crazy from boredom, which led him to make a stupid decision. He had just taken a pain pill when he was invited to join his friends and coworkers at the local pub. Even though he knew better, Lucas added alcohol on top of that pain pill. The next morning he woke up in bed with a woman and no idea how he got there, or what may have happened. To make matters worse, the woman in question is Molly, the company's office manager and his best friend's little sister.
I loved that morning after scene. I laughed out loud at Lucas's panic when he couldn't remember what happened, and his sheer terror when he realized it was Molly in his bed. He's been attracted to her from the beginning but a) she's a coworker, and b) she's Joe's little sister, and he likes all his body parts where they belong. While he was desperately trying to remember the events of the night before, Molly enjoyed having him at a disadvantage. She knew very well that nothing happened, other than she got him safely to his apartment, but she wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily. I loved seeing her jerk his chain about his "performance" and inability to remember. Molly had a huge crush on Lucas, and she figured that was as close as she would get to fulfilling her fantasies.
Life for Molly and Lucas was about to get more complicated. Molly liked working for Hunt Investigations, but she wanted more. Her dream was to become a full investigator, but her overprotective big brother and her boss kept putting her off. When Molly's elderly neighbor, who worked as an elf at a local Christmas village, came to her with a complaint about how "bad Santa" was cheating his "elves," and Archer refused to take the case, Molly decided to investigate on her own. Archer and Joe, who know Molly well enough to suspect that's what she'd do, then tag Lucas with keeping an eye on her. But, of course, she can't know that's what he's doing or she'd find a way to ditch him.
I loved the development of Lucas and Molly's relationship. Though there is no question about the attraction between them, both have carefully built up walls around their hearts. Though Lucas has a large family that he loves dearly, he has suffered some losses that cause him to keep some emotional distance between him and everyone else. Molly's past has left her with physical and emotional scars that make it hard for her to trust. It also made her strong, independent, and determined. I loved seeing the two of them together. They have known each other long enough that they were good at teasing, and their growing attraction bumped that teasing up to flirting. They were also surprisingly well tuned to each other, and I loved how they could see when the other was hurting. Both were private people and didn't share their pasts with others, but found it very easy to talk to one another. One of the things I loved about Lucas was that he was protective, but it also didn't take him long to see that Molly was much more capable than anyone gave her credit for. The effect that his confidence and support had on her was fantastic. Though both realized the depth of their feelings for each other, when the truth about Lucas's assistance came out, it gave Molly a reason to run. The scene in the hospital was heart-wrenching with Molly's feelings of betrayal, but also heartwarming with the way the others were there to support them both. I both laughed and ached for Lucas because he got such a hard time from the others, but he felt so terrible about what happened. I loved the ending and seeing them both admit their vulnerabilities, and that being together lays those fears to rest. The epilogue was fantastic. I loved that knock on the door!
The suspense portion of the story was good. The elderly "elves" were a riot. I loved their persistence and their belief that Molly would make everything right. Lucas's skepticism at the beginning was obvious, but once he realized that there really was something fishy going on, he was all in. I adored how Molly blew Lucas away with her abilities, including her kickass martial arts. Lucas completely won me over when he supported Molly rather than taking over the case. The resolution was more intense than I expected and Molly was amazing.
As always in a Jill Shalvis book, I loved the close relationships among the various characters. Lucas's family was great. There was clearly a lot of love flying around. I really enjoyed Lucas's mom's effective use of guilt on him and the way they all embraced Molly. Molly's family was so different, with just her, Joe, and their dad. The scenes with their dad were great, funny and emotional at the same time. The friendships and support among the friends were great. It's clear that the Hunt's team bonds go deeper than just their work, there are great friendships there too. The guys are very good at ragging on each other, but they come running when needed also. I liked the closeness of the ladies, too. That was especially apparent during the hospital scene at the end. I loved how they came down hard on Lucas, even getting the nurse involved. I laughed out loud at Lucas's big moment at the office, as he had all the guys to witness it, with one of them using video chat to include the women.
No comments:
Post a Comment