Lily and Aiden's story was wonderful! I really enjoyed this book. Cedar Ridge is a great town and it's nice hearing from all the secondary characters.

SECOND CHANCE SUMMER by Jill Shalvis. This was such a sweet and enjoyable read. I loved Lily and Aidan together. This author has a knack for growing her characters and making her readers adore them. This is a second chance romance that, although not always my favorite trope, certainly held my heart. We see and feel the emotions Lily and Aidan experience as they traverse the path to see if what they had is still alive. If you enjoy tales that are light yet are filled with emotion, don't miss out on this one. (received ARC for honest review)

Second Chance Summer by Jill Shalvis - 4.5 Wine Glasses
Linda's Thoughts:
“He remembered kissing her… falling for her.
Then how she’d left the mountain without looking back, forgetting about him with shocking, heartbreaking ease.
Now she was back. And she’d kissed him like maybe she hadn’t forgotten him after all...”

SECOND CHANCE SUMMER is a wonderful second-chance-at-love story set in Cedar Ridge, Colorado. I wanted to take deep breaths of the Rocky Mountains' clear crisp air and overdose on the clear blue skies. It took a couple of chapters to get fully vested in this one, but, once I did, I was thoroughly hooked, and found myself searching for ways to cram in additional listening time. Love is in the air in Cedar Ridge and another Kincaid brother is fixing to bite the dust...

This is the story of Aiden Kincaid and Lily Danville. Aiden is one of the Kincaid brothers and, therefore, part-owner of the family's popular ski resort. He's also a firefighter and on call for search and rescue. He's a hero of epic proportions and hot, hot, hot! He's also been enamored of Lily for years. She broke his heart when she left leaving him in a condition akin to the walking dead. Now she's back...

Lily escaped from Cedar Ridge years ago after her sister tragically died while trying to conquer a climb and after her father had passed at her sister's funeral. She never looked back. She has made a name for herself at a world-famous spa, but after her boss back-stabbed her, she desperately needs a job and Cedar Ridge is the only place that has offered her a chance. She's a basket case having had her life pulled out from under her and now she has to face her hometown teeming with memories that she doesn't want to face. One of those most painful memories is Aiden...

Following please find a few of my favorite quotes from this delightful listen:

“There were some men who just knew how to kiss, the kind of kiss that could send a woman reeling. The kind of kiss that could take away problems and awareness and … and everything. The kind of kiss that could shatter her into a trillion little pieces. The kind of kiss that somehow both calmed her body and soul even as it wound her up for more. Aidan was that kind of kisser.
---

“Nice,” the clerk said without a smidgeon of judgment in his voice as he rang her up. “I especially like the way you’ve got the entire junk food pyramid represented here. That’s not easy to do.”
She had a rack of donuts, two pies—one lemon, one cherry—a pint of caramel delight ice cream, a family-size bag of chips, and now cookies as well.
“Bad breakup?” the clerk asked.”
---

He stepped closer. "Lily---"
"No. Stay back," she said, pointing a finger at him.
He went still. "Why?"
"Because when you come close I do stupid things."
"Like?"
"Like let you kiss me."
"Let me?" He laughed ruefully. "Lily, you just about crawled up my body to get at these lips."
She narrowed her eyes. "Like I said. Stupid."

One of my favorite laugh-out-loud scenes involved Penny, Gray's wife. Gray is the oldest Kincaid brother. Penny and I are on the same page as regards spiders:

Penny: "PROBLEM."Spider in the clean laundry basket and now it’s gone. I have to burn down the house."
Gray: "No."
Penny: "You’re not grasping the severity of this situation. The spider is huge and it’s going to eat the cat. "
Gray: "Then the spider will rightfully take our cat’s place and become our beloved spider cat."

The telling of NOBODY BUT YOU was exponentially enhanced by Karen White's performance. Karen always delivers stellar executions and she's hands-down one of my very favorite narrators. She has a pleasing, clear voice and delivers realistic, genuine-sounding female and male voices. Her narration makes it very easy for the listener to differentiate between the characters. Simply said, she brings the characters to life.

All of Jill's books that I've read could be easily enjoyed as standalone reads. There are interconnected characters and a common setting, but Jill seamlessly provides whatever nuances needed to fully enjoy each book individually. So... feel free to dive in to Jill's books whenever and wherever.

I'm a huge fan of Jill Shalvis' books. If you enjoy sexy, well-paced, solidly-plotted romances with plenty of swoon-worthy moments and liberal doses of humor, I'd highly recommend any of Jill's books. Her characters can be counted on to steal your heart. I am reading this series out-of-order. I've thoroughly enjoyed all three books in this series and highly recommend them all.

I've not read a lot of Jill Shalvis' books, but I've found I really enjoy the ones I have read. Second Chance Summer was no exception. Of course, I have a total soft spot for second chance romances of any type, so I figured this one would be right up my alley. I was right.

Second Chance Summer pulled me right in from the very start. Aidan was all kinds of swoony – I mean, hello hot, athletic and heroic? What else could a girl want in a good book boyfriend. Lily was a great, complicated character. She'd left her home years ago after the deaths of her sister and father. She was carrying a ton of guilt around and I hated to see it, but I understood where she was coming from. I loved the pairing of these two and watching them reconnect, even through the bumpy parts, was wonderful. As long as they'd pined for each other, watching them get a shot at a second chance made me so very happy. It wasn't an easy journey – Lily had a lot of demons to battle and baggage to handle – but Aidan was there at every turn to help in any way he could.

As I expected from Jill, there was no shortage on laughs, swoons or feels during this book. I definitely look forward to continuing on with this series. I love the small town, mountain setting and the cast of characters so far. I can't wait to learn more about them. I also have every intention of continuing to tackle Jill's backlist as time allows. Her books are perfect when I'm looking for a sweet, small town romance.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

FAVORITE QUOTES

There were some men who just knew how to kiss, the kind of kiss that could send a woman reeling. The kind of kiss that could take away problems and awareness and…and everything. The kind of kiss that could shatter her into a trillion little pieces. The kind of kiss that somehow both calmed her body and soul even as it wound her up for more.

The second I saw this on NetGalley I had to request it. A second chance romance by Jill Shalvis set in Colorado? I’m so in. When it comes to small town romances by Shalvis, I always know that I’m going to enjoy them especially when I need a good dose of romance. I read this one when I was in a severe reading slump and it definitely helped me come out of it.

I won’t lie, though, that this isn’t one of my favorites by Shalvis. I enjoyed it, yes, and it was just what I needed at the time. As much as I wanted to love Lily, I couldn’t really care about her. She’s got a lot going on and I know that she wasn’t having the best time but I couldn’t really pull for her when she wouldn’t just communicate with Aiden. Maybe I shouldn’t judge her so harshly but it just wasn’t for me.

Aiden, on the other hand, and the rest of the Kincaids won me over. He’s a firefighter and rescue worker and all around hottie/bad boy (except he’s really not that bad). It didn’t take me too long to fall for his charms and really root for him. As much as I wanted to be happy I didn’t always want him to be with Lily which sucks considering it’s their love story. I am so ready for more about this family too. That’s the one aspect of Shalvis’ books I love so much: family is incredibly important to the main characters she writes about and I love meeting all the members.

Overall, I enjoyed this one a lot. Not one of my favorites but still a cute read and I think that it’s the perfect read for lazy, raining day. Jill Shalvis knows how to create a wonderful setting and family dynamics that are just as good as the romance.

Thanks to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the free review copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

Wow, my first Jill Shalvis book! Where the heck have I been? I've been hearing about this author since I joined Goodreads almost five years ago, but for some reason I didn't try any of her titles until now.  What a shame! I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more, especially about these Kincaid brothers!

I loved the small town feel of this book, and the fact that both Aidan and Lily are regular people with relatively regular jobs. No rock stars or royalty here! That said, I didn't feel like Lily's occupation really suited her personality. Knowing that Lily loved to be outdoors, hiking, rock climbing, and skiing, I couldn't picture her being a cosmetologist, at all. Aidan's career, however, seemed to suit him perfectly. Forest firefighters are so appealing, and I say that with the utmost confidence since I married one!

The relationships shown here are great! I loved how Aidan and his brothers were so rowdy and rambunctious with each other, but they always had each other's backs when times got tough or they needed to be serious. I also loved the boys' relationship with their mother - too funny!  And Gray and Penny were hysterical - have they had their own book in another series? I couldn't seem to find anything, but I would totally read that book if it was ever written!

What else? I liked pretty much everything about this book, but if I could change anything, I would have loved to see more of the history between Lily and Aidan. If memory serves correctly, they were a bit friendly in high school, shared one kiss, and ended up pining over one another for ten years. Really? There must have been more to it than that, but aside from the odd little mention, we don't learn a lot about their connection before Lily left town. Still, I liked the steam and banter between them. It was obvious they each cared for the other a lot.

I'll definitely be reading more Jill Shalvis books in the future. If "Second Chance Summer" is any indication of her brand of romance, I have a ton of good titles to check out soon!

Lily Danville had left Cedar Ridge, Colorado after she lost her sister and father planning never to return. After her job, boyfriend, and life implodes she is back working for her best friend in his salon until she gets back on her feet. Seeing Aidan Kincaid again though was not on the plan, she knows she could have lost her heart to him but something kept her from ever exploring it.

Aidan can't believe Lily is back and he definitely wants to spend time with her, Lily though is pushing him away at every turn. He gets that she is scared but he is determined to break through the wall she is determined to keep in place.

Filled with humor, chemistry, and the feeling of being part of the Kindcaid family this is a terrific story. I loved the warmth you feel with all the characters, each one is so different and you want more. You want to leap to the next book and see what happens next. Lily is a fascinating character, she is a shell of her former self though and Aidan brings the best out of her. Aidan is a bit of a player and struggles with his feelings with Lily, he knows he wants her but how much is what worries him. Highly entertaining.