4.5 Wine Glass #Review of Chasing Christmas Eve by Jill Shalvis

 

Title: Chasing Christmas Eve
Series: Heartbreaker Bay #4
Author: Jill Shalvis
Narrator: Karen White
Format: Unabridged Audiobook, 9 hours and 18 minutes
Published: September 26, 2017 (Harper Audio)
ISBN: ASIN: B073ZJTK53
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Audible | audiobooks.com
Reviewer: Linda
Source: Purchase from Audiobooks.com
Rating: 4 ½ out of 5 Wine Glasses

Meet cute...
Run for the hills—temporarily. That's Colbie Albright's plan when she flees New York for San Francisco. Wrangling her crazy family by day and writing a bestselling YA fantasy series by night has taken its toll. In short, Colbie's so over it that she's under it. She's also under the waters of a historic San Francisco fountain within an hour of arrival. Fortunately, the guy who fishes Colbie out has her looking forward to Christmas among strangers. But she's pretty sure Spencer Baldwin won't be a stranger for long.
Make merry...
Spence's commitment to hiding from the Ghosts of Relationships Past means he doesn't have to worry about the powerful—okay, crazy hot chemistry—he's got with Colbie. Just because she can laugh at anything, especially herself... just because she's gorgeous and a great listener just because she gets Spence immediately doesn't mean he won't be able to let Colbie go. Does it?
and hope for a miracle.
Now the clock's ticking for Colbie and Spence: Two weeks to cut loose. Two weeks to fall hard. Two weeks to figure out how to make this Christmas last a lifetime.

Your Thoughts:
Chasing Christmas Eve by Jill Shalvis is the fun and festive fourth installment in the author’s Heartbreaker Bay series. Fans of the series will be ecstatic to know that favorite characters from the previous books make appearances. It’s not surprising that I was excited to read this story for multiple reasons. I’m a huge fan of Jill’s books and the characters in this series feel like family. Holiday reads hold a special place in my heart. I’ve a soft place in my heart for nerdy geeks and have been looking forward to Spence’s story since the series began.

As the story opens, we meet Colbie, our heroine and the author of a popular YA fantasy series, in a hilarious scene. While attempting to board a plane in New York to escape from her overwhelming responsibilities which are stressing her out and silencing her muse, she’s been nabbed by airport security who are questioning her due to her highly suspicious research notes:

“What happens when the YA thriller writer heroine tries to get thru airport security with her research notes in her bag? : 
“How to murder people by poison without detection,” the TSA agent read aloud.
The woman behind Colbie gasped in horror.
“Okay,” Colbie said, pointing to them. “That’s not what it looks like.”
The woman behind her, cradling a leopard-print cat carrier, had turned and was frantically whispering to the people behind her.
“Really,” Colbie said. “It’s a funny story, actually.”
But the agent was flipping through her notes, not even remotely interested in her funny story. He didn’t need to read aloud what he was looking at, because she knew exactly what was there – other Google searches, such as how to get away with murder using a variety of different everyday products that weren’t considered weapons. “It’s research,” she said to the room.
"Yeah, that’s probably what I’d say too,” a guy said from somewhere behind her.” 

For Colbie, that scene is just the beginning of her ‘lucky’ streak that day as when she finally arrives in California, she gets knocked into a fountain by a run-away animal, and then rescued by Spence.

The chemistry between Colbie and Spence clicks from the beginning! They are endearing and genuine. They’re both workaholics with family issues. Neither have a positive track record with relationships. As is typical with Jill’s characters, their flirty interactions and banter are highly entertaining even as each denies the heat sizzling between them. The plot is that Colbie needs her muse back to meet her impending deadlines. Spence, who is a genius and just happens to own the building in San Francisco where this story mostly takes place, is under a deadline also - wrapping up an important humanitarian tech project he’s developed. Can they be each other’s muses? What happens in two weeks as Christmas nears and Colbie has to return to the east coast to her brothers and mother and agent and all those who depend on her… leaving Spence on the west coast? Will these two learn the secret to balancing work and pleasure?

Following please find a few of my favorite quotes from Chasing Christmas Eve:

 “We all have horrible track records,” he said. “It’s what leads up to the real thing. It’s what allows you to recognize it when it shows up.” 
--- 

“Ten's my favorite," he said and read it aloud-- like she didn't know what she'd written. "A wild, passionate, up-against-the-wall, forget-my-name love affair that makes me weak  in the knees when I think about it-- but only a very short wild, passionate, up-against-the-wall, forget-my-name love affair because..." he paused, probably to control himself, before continuing... "I don't have the time or stamina to maintain that level of sexual activity, much less a relationship."

She moaned and closed her eyes.

"Pretty detailed," he said running a hand over his deliciously scruffy jaw to hide the smile she knew he was fighting.” 

I listened to the audio of Chasing Christmas Eve voiced by Karen White. It was amazing. Her voices always sound genuine and they each seem right for the characters. It blows me away that the voices she has used for each of the multiple characters has remained consistent – not only within this installment, but since the beginning of the series. She exudes the proper nuances. Her interpretation of the characters and her polished performance add up to making listening to the audio an enjoyable experience.

Even if you haven’t picked up this series before now, I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up Chasing Christmas Eve as it can be fully enjoyed as a standalone read. Pick this up and the close-knit friends of Heartbreaker Bay will quickly become your friends too. The epilogue is warm-fuzzies’ perfection. If you enjoy feel-good contemporary romances set at Christmastime that will leave you with a huge smile, I’d encourage you to check out Chasing Christmas Eve! I can’t wait to see what will happen next in Heartbreaker Bay!



Suggested Reading Order:
Sweet Little Lies (Book #1)
The Trouble with Mistletoe (Book #2)
One Snowy Night (Book #2.5)
Accidentally on Purpose (Book #3)
Chasing Christmas Eve (Book #4) – Coming Sept 26, 2017!
Holiday Wishes (Book #4.5) – Coming Nov 7, 2017!
About That Kiss (Book #5) – Coming Jan 30, 2018!
Slow Winter Nights (Book #6) – Coming Sept 25, 2018!