herding cats & burning soup: 3.5 stars-- Lost and Found Sisters (Wildstone #1) by Jill Shalvis

Note: I accidentally deleted 6 months of the blog so this is a repost. All comments on the original posts were unfortunately lost. Sorry!

I'm a huge fan of Jill Shalvis. I'd been putting off this series for a while, though, but it was a pretty fun start to things. It's more women's fiction than romance, though.

The Gist: Quinn's life has been upended. She's lost her sister and then, well, everything else falls to crap, too. Family, relationships, her job...who she thinks she is as a person. And she's left with a huge choice that will completely alter her life if she accepts it.

Quinn's been through hell and dealing with so much suddenly on her plate. I liked her. She's determined, thoughtful, unwilling to give in when things get hard. She's good people. And Mick who happens to come to her rescue one day and saves her from a giant bug is a great guy, too. And dealing with his own family and work issues. He's solid--kind, generous, reliable. I liked him quite a bit.

Their romance was understated and more in the background to everything else Quinn was figuring out. It was fine and sweet and had a tiny bit of steam.

Now, Quinn's life drama. Holy hell. Yeah, it's a doozy. It drove me a little crazy now and again (not because of Quinn, really) and had me yelling at my book to fucking talk about things, already!!! lol I did get a little frustrated after a while and expected more consequences with things now and again but things did fall in line and worked out.

Overall, Lost & Found Sisters was a good read. Solid and emotional. But not top of my list from Shalvis.

Quinn had an encounter. Gave me a laugh.

“How’s your head?” Cliff asked.

“Messed up.”

“I meant the bee sting, but good to know where you’re at.”

Oh. Right. She laughed a little and touched the swollen spot smack dab in the center of her forehead, the one that looked like a big, fat, stress zit. It hurt.

And omg I need a drink-a-kink night, yall. I really do.

The waitress came over with another round. "Bartender's Special," she said. "On the house. Tonight's a Red-Headed Slut. Boomer, he's the bartender, he said he could make you a Wallbanger if you'd rather. Or a Sex on the Beach." She shrugged when Quinn just stared at her. "It's Drink-a-Kink Night. Boomer takes his theme nights seriously. We've also got Angel's Tits and Slippery Nipples. Oh! And Bend-Over Shirleys, though, I can't remember what's in those."

Mick craned his neck and looked at Boomer, behind the bar, who winked and gave him a thumbs-up.

"Good friend of yours?" Quinn asked dryly.

"Since kindergarten, but I'm still going to have to kill him."

She laughed. "I guess a little kink never hurt anyone."

"Exactly!" an elderly gentleman at the table on the other side of them said. "That's what I say too! And anyway, silk panties aren't a kink, they just feel good against the skin. Everyone knows that."

They toasted to silk panties and then ordered pizza.

After losing her sister in a devastating car accident, chef Quinn Weller is finally getting her life back on track. She appears to have it all: a loving family, a dream job in one of L.A.’s hottest eateries, and a gorgeous boyfriend dying to slip an engagement ring on her finger. So why does she feel so empty, like she’s looking for a missing piece she can’t find?

The answer comes when a lawyer tracks down Quinn and reveals a bombshell secret and a mysterious inheritance that only she can claim. This shocking revelation washes over Quinn like a tidal wave. Her whole life has been a lie.

On impulse, Quinn gives up her job, home, and boyfriend. She heads up the coast to the small hometown of Wildstone, California, which is just a few hours north, but feels worlds apart from Los Angeles. Though she doesn’t quite fit in right away, she can’t help but be drawn to the town’s simple pleasures…and the handsome, dark-haired stranger who offers friendship with no questions asked.

As Quinn settles into Wildstone, she discovers there’s another surprise in store for her. The inheritance isn’t a house or money, but rather something earthshattering, something that will make her question everything she thought she knew about herself, about her family. Now with a world of possibilities opening up to Quinn, she must decide if this new life is the one she was always meant to have—and the one that could finally give her the fulfillment she’s searched so long for.

Amazon | Goodreads | Shalvis on HCBS