My Same - My Review of Playing for Keeps by Jill Shalvis

Title: Playing for Keeps
Author: Jill Shalvis
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: 1/22/2019
Source: ARC from Publisher

If you’re planning on falling in love… 

When it comes to the confident, charismatic Caleb Parker, Sadie Lane feels the spark—the kind that comes from rubbing each other the wrong way. She’s a tattoo artist, he’s a straight-laced mogul. But after they accidentally co-rescue an abandoned dog from a storm, Sadie sees a vulnerable side to the seemingly invincible hottie.

you’d better be sure… 

Caleb doesn’t do emotions. Growing up the underdog, he’s learned the hard way to build up an impenetrable wall. Perfect for business. Disastrous for relationships. He’s never worried about it before—not until he finally gets behind Sadie’s armor and begins to fall.

… someone is there to catch you. 

Both guarded and vulnerable, Sadie and Caleb are complete opposites. Or are they? Shocked at their undeniable connection, can they ever admit to wanting more? That all depends on what they’re each willing to risk.

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Shalvis writes warm, funny, sexy contemporary romances and women’s fiction. An Amazon, BN & iBooks bestseller, she’s also a two-time RITA winner and has more than 10 million copies of her books sold worldwide.

Jill lives with her family in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters (Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is mostly coincidental). She does most of her writing on her deck surrounded by more animals than humans. Which is quite astonishing considering she’s a city girl who was plucked from the wilds of L.A. to the wilds of the Sierra’s. Most of her books come from a combination of hard work, cookies, and hot guy pics, and not necessarily in that order.

Jill often travels to reader weekends & conventions where she LOVES getting to meet and hang-out with readers. The only problem being she tends to get lost in her hotels. So if you ever see NYTimes Bestselling author Jill Shalvis roaming the halls, someone please return her immediately. 

Caleb Parker and Sadie Lane are two sides of the same coin. On the surface they look completely opposite, but at their core, where it counts, it turns out they are very much alike.

A stray dog brings them together, but it's their attraction that has them coming back for more. They have a bit of a love/hate relationship at first, but that is mainly due to the fact that neither one wants be vulnerable and open themselves to possible heartache. Caleb seems more eager to put that behind him and pursue a relationship with Sadie, but they soon they both give in and jump headfirst into romance.

Both Sadie and Caleb have a past to work through, but they are tailor-made to help the other. They challenge each other and push one another and ultimately become stronger together.

Shalvis does it again, continuing her long-standing tradition of swoon-worthy romance that heats the blood and warms the heart. I love that this series is still going strong. It's great to check in with the group and see how couples from past stories have grown and come together even more. I cannot imagine a world in which I won't be first in line for anything Jill Shalvis writes.

***talk and past scenes of cutting and being institutionalized.***

4 out of 5 stars

My Same - Adele