Forever and a Day

Jill Shalvis

Jul 2012 · A Lucky Harbor Novel Book 6 · Hachette Audio · Narrated by Erin Bennett

About this audiobook

LOVE CAN HAPPEN IN A HEARTBEAT

Grace never thought she'd be starting her life over from scratch. Losing everything has landed her in Lucky Harbor, working as a dog walker for overwhelmed ER doctor Josh Scott. But the day his nanny fails to show up, Grace goes from caring for Josh's lovable mutt to caring for his rambunctious son. Soon Grace is playing house with the sexy single dad . . .

With so many people depending on him, Josh has no time for anything outside of his clinic and family-until Grace arrives in town. Now this brainy blonde is turning his life inside out and giving a whole new meaning to the phrase "good bedside manner." Josh and Grace don't know if what they have can last. But in a town like Lucky Harbor, a lifetime of love starts with just one day . . .

Ratings and reviews

AudioBook Review: Stars: 4 Narration 1 Story 4 I love a Jill Shalvis novel for the escapism – I know there’s going to be several giggles and some wonderful characters that aren’t perfect, but work and grow on their path, as well as the occasional kid, dog, cat, or danger thrown in. Also, in this series there are cupcakes –little morsels of comfort, happiness and decadence all in one moment …. Grace ran out of gas on her way to anywhere, and just landed in Lucky Harbor. Not intending to stay, she was quickly befriended by Mallory and Amy, and decided to stay: making ends meet where and how she could. Smart, sassy and just adorable, with a bit of a ‘no nonsense’ streak, Grace is ever up for a challenge, and this new job just may bring one. Before Lucky Harbor, Grace was an investment banker, but when that went south, and she refused her boss’s advances, she’d needed to relocate, telling her parents (both brilliant scientists) that she had taken a similar high-flying position in Seattle. It’s not fulfilling, and she still intends to move on, but at the moment she is trying to find her joy, and ignore the guilt and worry she has about her parents being disappointed in her. Josh Scott has been the single parent to 5 year old Toby, responsible for his disabled 21 year old sister Anna and a dog, well puppy, named Tank with zero manners and even fewer inhibitions. Josh balances this very disparate home life with the sorrow from his parents’ deaths, juggling shifts at the hospital’s ER department, volunteering at the clinic and keeping his father’s practice open a few hours a week. Time for Toby and to train a puppy are at a premium, and there just isn’t a way to juggle it all, and Grace seems the best one to take some worry off his plate. Grace and Toby get on well, and he’s slowed his constant “are you my mother’ questions to every woman he meets. Tank – is exactly that, and everything that could go wrong with a puppy does with him. Josh and Grace, however, find an instant attraction, despite Josh’s determination to be as much of an ass as possible, pushing any thoughts of “relationship” aside. He doesn’t have time, or the inclination. But, surprisingly enough, Grace feels the same: aside from not planning on sticking around, Josh is everything her parents are – perfect – and she can’t keep on the treadmill trying to be that. Oh – they work it all out, and Josh learns to give Anna some responsibility and freedom, even as Tank sort of comes to behave and Toby is besotted with Grace. Another happy ending with the two ‘workaholics’ in the crowd. Erin Bennett provides the narration for this story and it was not vastly different from the previous, sadly not in a good way. Monotone, few inflections, no distinction between character voices and little allowance or adjustment for pacing and the need to savor some moments. Characters were wholly missed, taking the pops of emotion and chemistry and making it flat – even the humorous moments failed to raise the sense of a smile in the narration (YES – you can HEAR a smile). If I didn’t love the author and this town, I’d be hard pressed to finish this performance – but even Shalvis’ writing and care in presenting characters who you feel you must care about weren’t presented with the care or flair that they deserved. I do, however, have many of the subsequent titles in queue for review – so I can simply suggest you READ this version and save your listens for another narrator. I received an AudioBook copy of the title from Hachette Audio for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

About the author

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill's bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

You can learn more at:
JillShalvis.com
Twitter @jillshalvis
Facebook.com/jillshalvis