Ever the rational one, Finn is the brains behind the bar he runs with his wild brother—but lately it seems like he’s just been going through the motions. The tragedy of his mother’s death all those years ago still feels like yesterday and it’s only when Pru, the feisty new girl, appears that he realizes there’s more to life than hanging on to the past. And with sexy, adventurous Pru, there might even be a future.
Pru made a wish—but not for herself. New to town, but more familiar with Finn than she’d like to admit, she made a wish for him…that he might fall in love and find the happiness he deserves. But as she helps him find joy in every fun, quirky way possible, Pru realizes she’s in over her head—and her heart.
Pru’s secret could ruin everything, but will the truth set them free? Or will the pain of the past ruin any chance at new love?
Set in beautiful San Fransisco, Sweet Little Lies is the perfect read for a snowy winter day. Shalvis expertly transports you to the Bay, filled with hot alpha males with beautiful souls, making you wish Heartbreaker Bay was real.
Sweet Little Lies introduces us to Pru, a young woman whose life was changed when she called her parents to pick her up from a party, resulting in her parents being killed in a car accident. Making matters worse, her father had been drinking. Pru carries the guilt of that accident, trying her best to help all those who were hurt and the surviving family of the man who was killed. She just didn't plan on falling for the son of that man.
Finn thinks meeting Pru was just happenstance and falls hard for her. He has a very close and small group of friends. They are the family he and his brother have chosen after a childhood with an abusive father, Finn was forced to come home from college to raise his little brother, Sean, when his dad died in a car accident. He's spent the last eight years holding everything together and building a life by sheer force of will. He doesn't let anyone else in, until Pru.
I love Jill Shalvis, but my problem with her most recent books is that the heroine does something bad to the hero (here, Pru purposefully inserts herself into Finn's life without telling him who she is and why she's doing it), then the hero finds out, after the window of opportunity for the heroine to come clean, and usually because something else has happened to force the heroine's hand. Hero then gets angry and leaves. Somehow, hero in considering the circumstances, realizes that despite being the wronged party, it's somehow his fault that heroine lied or omitted material facts. His friends and/or family all tell him it's his fault. And finally, hero finds heroine and apologizes to her! I get that this is fiction and we all want everything to be someone else's fault, but this scenario really gets on my nerves! I have this crazy sense of fairness and a logical mind and this situation goes against everything in me!
That being said, Sweet Little Lies is my favorite recent Shalvis read. Finn and his crew of crazy friends are awesome. Pru is, well, she carries a massive amount of guilt and desperation. She's strong in many ways, but terrified of life and living, instead she buries herself in this quest as a means to keep from really putting herself out there. In the end, Finn and Pru are a great match - he's steadfast and loyal, which is what Pru needs most of all. I'm interested to see how Shalvis pairs up the remaining friends.
~ Shel
