Just Try Me… by Jill Shalvis

When Lily Peterson awoke in the hospital and realized that she might not walk again she felt truly lost for the first time in her life. She lived for the outdoors and held many outdoor jobs over the years including her most recent, fighting forest fires. After several months of physiotherapy, Lily was walking around – painfully – and looking for a job that was compatible with her new limitations. But finding such a job was nearly as bad as being unable to live life on the edge. Finally Lily contacted an old friend and landed a job leading hikers though the Sierras. While she knew that her first trip would be a big challenge, Lily didn’t know that one of the hikers, Jared Skye, would allow her to forget her injuries and to feel alive again. But would their relationship end with the end of their hike or will Lily choose to live her life on the edge with Jared?

This is the first book in a new series called Adrenaline Rush and I liked the fact that this book avoided the more traditional settings you typically find in a Blaze. I really felt sorry for the heroine as she limped her way though the Sierras with the strange collection of characters in her tour group. It’s definitely worth reading this book and I wonder where the next one will lead.

Details: Blaze #270, August 2006

Bottom line: A very good book

Room Service by Jill Shalvis

Just when it looked like TV producer, Emma Harris would be out on the street searching for a new job, her boss give her one final chance, sign Chef Jacob Harris, from the famous Hush Hotel to star in a new cooking show. Em flies to New York to meet the tall handsome chef and before they have a chance to talk, their lips are pressed together. Unfortunately when they do talk, Jacob states that he isn’t interested in becoming a TV star, anymore than he wants to settle down – he’s not into long-term commitments. When she reports to her boss he isn’t interested, she’s ordered to use every available means to persuade him.

I enjoy reading the Do Not Disturb series, and this one is no exception. Jill did an exceptional job with both the story line and the characters. But, unlike most of the other books in this series, this story focuses on the characters and subplots rather than on the red-hot sex I’ve grown to expect from a Hush book. I wonder if it’s possible to have both in the same book?

Details: Blaze #232, February 2006

Bottom line: A very good book