Instant Attraction

I have yet to read a Jill Shalvis book I don't like.

Katie has survived a bridge collapse, in fact she is the sole survivor. So what does she do? Takes off to LIVE her life rather than walk blindly through it. And she finds the adventure of a lifetime in snowboarder Cameron Wilder.

Cameron Wilder has survived a near-death experience of his own, but rather than embrace his second chance, he looks at what he's lost, rather than what he still has.

Together, they combust under the sexual attraction that pulls them together, and in a surprising twist of who's more emotionally scarred than who, they must find a way to move on toward their happily ever after.

For me, the success of Jill Shalvis's novels lies in her depth of character, in seeing show more right into their souls, and in some cases, seeing through the eyes of the people around them, past the lies the characters tell themselves. Adventurous, sexy, and heart-warming. show less

This is the brilliant first book in the Wilder trilogy, and boy does it ever get the series off to a great start! Cam and Katie are a fantastic couple, both struggling to come to terms with traumas in their lives, in different ways.

Jill Shalvis does an excellent job of portraying how difficult it is for an elite athlete to come to terms with losing the only thing that defines their life. It is not the same as simply losing a job - it’s losing everything you are and ever wanted to be - and I’m glad she made his struggle so realistic. Wow!

As it always is in a Jill Shalvis book, the humour is great, the dialogue witty, the love scenes steamy, and the characters so much fun. The part where Katie got drunk had me laughing out loud! I show more just loved Katie in general - her determination to try everything, not be afraid of things. And Cam was such a great guy, especially considering the life he’s lead up until he meets Katie.

This was a brilliant, fun book, and well worth the time, as are the other two in the Wilder brothers series. show less

Instant Attraction by Jill Shalvis

Wilder book 1. Contemporary romance with lots of family and secondary characters.
Cam is back at the Lodge ready to face life after his crash from fame. He’s done with adventure. Katie is searching for adventure after a major death scare. She’s finding the crisp mountain air allows her to breathe deeply. The two are attracted to each other to the point of a sizzling affair. It’s temporary. Katie is leaving and Cam doesn’t know what he wants.

This was a second reading. I still loved the writing and all the complex family dynamics. I was a little less happy with Cam and his hot and cold attitude. Still excited to read the read of the series.

“He could guard his heart all he wanted, but it was show more too late. She’d sneaked in past his defenses and leveled him flat on his ass, and now he was down for the count.”

Excerpt:
“Cam watched Katie come flying out of the lodge, her clothes all neat and tidy, her hair perfectly pinned up on her head, all pretty perfection except for the jacket she’d left open in her hurry.
In the week and a half he’d known her, she seemed to be unwinding a bit. He wanted to unwind her some more.
Unwind and unwrap . . .
She came to a stop in front of him. “Hi.”
“Goldilocks.”
“You said we were a bad idea,” she reminded him.
“We are.”
She grinned at him, and he felt his own reluctantly tug at his mouth. Ah, man. He liked her. That simple. He liked her, and in his experience, that never ended well for anyone.“
Excerpt from a Instant Attraction by Jill Shalvis show less

I liked this book. Good banter and word usage/writing by the author. I like a bubbly happy heroine. She was out of her element but holding her own. He was brooding but he learned and grew over the course of the book. I liked how the author brought up some obvious tangents then didn't take them. Like when the old girlfriend wanted him back. He just looked and her and said 'no, I'm not going to call' rather than there being a whole 'misunderstanding' built around it. A nice read right during the Winter Olympics, it fit right in with its winter sports theme. I'm looking forward to the brothers' stories.

Reviewed by CK
Book provided by the author for review
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book

Katie Cramer runs away from her dull life “balls out,” after a near fatal accident. Looking for the adventure she had never allowed herself, Katie answers an ad for a temporary office manager at Wilder Adventures in the town of Wishful. Imagine her reaction when, during the first night in her cabin she awakens to see ruggedly handsome Olympic champion Cam Wilder standing over her bed!

Wilder has returned from a year-long journey to find himself following a life shattering snowboarding wreck. His two brothers, Stone and T.J., and Aunt Annie who raised him, are thrilled to have him home and put him right to work at the family business show more Wilder Adventures—where neither he nor Katie can escape one another.

The story follows Cam and Katie’s battle against the growing attraction between them. The two face obstacles from every direction as they fight to take back their lives and find passion and love along the way. Of course there is the formula ex-girlfriend to complicate matters and one family crisis after another to keep the plot moving. Did I mention that there is lots of hot sex between the couple?

Instant Attraction had me turning the pages to see if and how the couple would succeed, and I must admit I could not put it down. The only thing that niggled at total enjoyment was Shavis’ obsession with green eyes and Cam’s amazing body. I found myself wanting to say “Okay, I get it. I get it!” It wasn’t so bad that it stopped me from plowing through the novel in only two days, though.

For anyone looking for a romantic read with plenty of action, warmth and some big smiles, I can tell you this—Shavis next novel is a sequel involving Cam’s brother Stone, and I have every intention of reading it. show less

Need a break from historical or paranormal romance? Like brooding, sexy heroes, humor, and spicy sex? Try "Instant Attraction" by Jill Shalvis.

Katie is the sole survivor of a horrible bridge collapse. Thirty people died, she alone survived. After her recovery, she's determined to live life 'full out'. So she gassed up her car and drove north. Now she's taken a temporary job at Wilder Adventures and Expeditions; and it comes with housing. The mountains are very different from LA and oh so beautiful and the nightmares are slowing down too! But being awakened in the middle of the night by a gorgeous stranger may just be a bit too dangerous for her...of course, he is really hot!

Cameron was a world-famous extreme snow-boarder...until the show more accident that nearly took his life. After a year of trying to find something, anything to 'feel' for, he returns home to find a sexy woman sleeping in his bed! Suddenly Cameron is feeling lots of things...none of them comfortable and most assuredly dangerous to his state of mind.

Hot, humorous, and just flat-out fun to read. When Jill Shalvis' 'hits' with me, it's a homerun and this one is definitely a hit for me. Of course, now I'll have to buy the upcoming stories about the other two Wilder brothers, the first of which is scheduled to release in June 2009. show less

I'm not entirely sure what it is about this book that made it three instead of four stars--can't really put my finger on specific problems. I liked it a lot, but didn't love it. Maybe Cameron was just a bit two whiny about his fate? Katie just a little too perky? The entire relationship a tad too rushed? I'm not sure. Ultimately, I guess just didn't like it as much as I liked Animal Attraction, the only other Jill Shalvis novel I've read so far. I'll keep my eyes open for the others in the series, as I did enjoy the characters of the other two brothers, but they're not at the very top of my list.