LisaP

5 “SCIENCE FACTS” STARS!!!!

“That,” he said, pointing at her. “There.”

She closed her eyes. “You know what it is.”

Yeah, he knew. He leaned into her. “Say it.”

“Chemistry,” she whispered, and blush. “I happen to be a bit of an expert on the subject.”

Once again I have fallen....hard. I have fallen deeply in love with yet another wonderfully crafted book by Jill Shalvis. Rumor Has It is the fourth book in her Animal Magnetism series and I dare say that it was my favorite. Please do not tell Brady, Dell or Adam. I have enough love for all the men from Sunshine, Idaho. Yes, call me greedy or perhaps I am just generous with my love for the hot and sexy alpha men that come from the mind of this author.

Kate Evans is a twenty-eight year school teacher. She is sweet, funny, loyal, caring and is always putting her family’s and friends’ needs before her own. Her self-sacrificing attitude has left her with not much of a life…a life without orgasms that are not self-induced. With her best friend, Holly’s, fast approaching wedding, Kate knows that she may soon come face to face with her long time crush. How will she handle his return to Sunshine, Idaho especially when he makes her extremely nervous causing verbal diarrhea of the mouth which often is in the form of her spewing scientific facts?

Griffin Reid has returned to Sunshine, Idaho to regroup and recuperate from an injury he suffered during his service in the military. With his military career now over, Griffin must soul search and decide what he wants to do next with his life. He is also back in the small town he grew up in for his sister’s wedding to his best friend. Griffin’s plan is to spend some time in Sunshine, attend the wedding, and then leave as quickly as possible. After all, what appeal does the small town have for him? That appeal comes in the form of a sexy, five-foot-four, school teacher who also happens to be someone he has known for most of his life and his sister’s best friend. Surprised by his undeniable attraction for Kate, Griffin knows she should be hands off; however, he simply is unable to stay away from the quirky blonde with a talent for speaking out random science facts.

I loved Griffin and Kate and would dare say that they are at the top of the scale when it comes to my favorite Jill Shalvis characters. Kate was absolutely charming, funny and full of life. She made me laugh out loud quite a number of times with the stuff that came out of her mouth involuntarily. I completely understood Kate. She was someone who put her family first, willing to put her dreams and aspirations on hold indefinitely in order for her to be there to hold down the fort. When she set her sights on Griffin, Kate becomes this determined hellion to get the delicious alpha male to take notice and take advantage of her. Griffin is a tortured war hero, a brother who looks after his sister and a son who wants to fix things with his father. He is deeply wounded, both physically and emotionally, and reminded me of a broken little boy unsure of how to pursue his dreams. As the days go by in Sunshine, Griffin finds himself wanting to prove himself to his father and wanting to demonstrate that he is worthy of someone like Kate. I loved that Griffin helped Kate realize that she needed to start living for herself and how she helped him realize that he is worthy of so much more from life. They were simply perfect for one another. As Griffin and Kate’s explosive attraction turns into a sizzling affair, the pair go through some crossroads and must decide if they are worth the effort. Can they both finally put themselves at the forefront and strive towards a happily ever after?

One thing that I must mention is the fact that this book was extremely informative. Who knew that I would be learning random scientific truths in a funny contemporary romance? Let me expand on this point:

“...when a male honeybee mates, its testicles explode and the penis is left inside the queen bee.”

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“An ostrich egg is bigger than its brain.”

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“Our earlobes line up with our nipples.”

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“Pigs orgasm in thirty minutes intervals.”

And, finally.....

“The first contraceptive was crocodile dung,” she whispered. “The Egyptians used it in 2000 BC.”

“You say the sexiest things,” he said, and gently sank his teeth into her earlobe.

Who says reading romance is a waste of time? I walked away from this book absolutely bursting with useless facts.

All in all, Rumor Has It was yet another Jill Shalvis gem. This author seems to follow a familiar formula with many of her books; however, it is a formula that works and keeps me engrossed with the story and her beautifully developed characters. This is one of the many reasons that Jill Shalvis is an auto-buy author for me. She writes fantastically hilarious tales, swoony romances and hot and sexy times that leave me seeking out my fan (or the husband). I truly enjoyed this book and am already looking forward to my next Jill Shalvis read.

You can find my full review at Sinfully Sexy as part of the Rumor Has It Blog Tour.

***An advanced reading copy of Rumor Has It was provided to me in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.