Chasing Christmas Eve audiobook

Chasing Christmas Eve is book four in the Heartbreaker Bay series by Jill Shalvis. I have loved this series from the start. This small community of people that live and work in this small courtyard in San Francisco have become part of my family. I was so excited to finally get Spence’s story and it was amazing. He is everything I hoped he would be and so much more.Spencer Baldwin is the owner of the building that this series revolves around. He is the resident genius/recluse/workaholic we have come to know and love. We also get to know his partner, Caleb, a little better in this book and he is quite a character. Spence’s life is his inventions. When he is working, everything and everyone else gets tuned out. He had a long term relationship and lost her because he would get so lost in his work that he would forget all about her. He didn’t make her a priority. So he has accepted the fact that he can’t have both. He can’t have love and work. So he knows that he will most likely grow old alone, just as his ex said he would. Colbie Albright lives in New York. Her life has always been, since a very young age, taking care of her younger twin brothers and her mom. Colbie is a writer. In the early days, she would do anything to make ends meet, waitress, whatever it took. But then a young adult fantasy adventure she wrote hit it big, Storm Fever. Now a series and the first book coming out in a movie soon, she is able to provide for her brothers and mom as she was never able to. But she has been so good at taking care of them that they depend on her for everything. She does everything for them. At the same time, she is under enormous stress from her agent to work on the next book in the series and to make public appearances. She wrote the series under a pen name and does not enjoy being in the public eye. All the stress from both family and work has blocked her writing. So she decides she needs a break away from all of them. She packs a bag and ends up in San Francisco standing at the very fountain in the courtyard of the building Spence owns. And before she knows it, she is actually IN the water of the fountain, and standing before her is the best looking man she has ever seen.Spence and Colbie were both lonely, both introverts, both under enormous amounts of stress. Together, they found something they both needed, someone that completely understood them, someone that made them smile, take a step back and relax a little bit. Their time together, though, has an expiration date. Colbie is returning home on Christmas Eve. “She’d offered him her friendship. Her body. And he’d taken both. He wanted to keep them both. And he also wanted more, so much more. He wanted her heart, like she had his.” Jill Shalvis has this unbelievable talent of making these characters she writes about so real, so easy to love, so easy to relate to. How many of us have been so overwhelmed with life that we just want to drop everything and run? Even if for just a little while. Little did Colbie realize that she was not only running away, she was running towards something. Towards the man that was soon to become more important to her than any of the other things that ruled her life. Both he, and this magical place he lives in, would open her heart and her creativity to new things she didn’t even know she was capable of. We get plenty of all of the other couples we have loved in the previous books. And of course, when these women get together, chaos soon follows. We also get some surprises regarding Eddie, the homeless man that lives in their alley. Now I love him even more.You’re not going to want to miss this one. But I do urge you to take a look at the earlier books in this series if you haven’t read them already. You won’t want to miss any of these wonderfully endearing characters. So grab a cup of tea or coffee or your beverage of choice, put on those fuzzy socks and get comfortable. You are in for a fabulous time with this bunch. If you want, drop me a note and let me know if you fall in love with them as much as I have. I surely hope you do.

NOW LIVE!Amazon US * Amazon UKI've read a lot of Jill Shalvis' series but I have to say that this is by far my favorite from her. She brings together a close group of friends flawlessly and makes me fall in love with each character. In Chasing Christmas Eve we get to learn more about Spencer Baldwin, the workaholic of the group. Spencer is introverted and usually working instead of out having fun. But when he meets Colbie, a fellow workaholic, he learns to that taking a break is a necessity. Both Colbie and Spencer are a little crazed with work yet when they cross paths their worries take a backseat and they just enjoy each other. I really liked getting to know these characters and see them together. I thought that they suited each other really well because they were so similar to one another. Spencer had problems giving up his work in order to live in the real world and Colbie was running away from her work problems and when they found one another it was like their issues weren't as big as they originally thought. The biggest issue then became how Spencer was going to keep Colbie in his life once she went back home. We got to see some of my favorite couples and characters from this series, which I loved. Ms. Shalvis has the amazing ability to bring in a lot of secondary characters into her stories but doesn't let them take over the story. Instead they just add to why I like it so much while still keeping the focus on the main characters. In my opinion this book could be read as a standalone without any issues, but I think it's a better experience if all of the books are read together. ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.

5 - "It's the hot geek look..." Stars!A Jill Shalvis book basically takes me to my reading happy place. The Heartbreaker Bay series is definitely one that’s a keeper, and each new addition to it, makes it even more so.Spence’s book has been a long time coming, quite elusive in personality, he endeared himself to me pretty early on, because you know this is a guy who values his friends, so much so that they are pretty much his family as well."I don’t know why I try to resist…"Colbie Albright ends up in town because she decides to take a break from her life in New York, and a flight to San Francisco was the first one available for her to get on at the airport. After a less than perfect introduction, it doesn’t take long for her and Spence to feel the chemistry sizzling between them, especially as she ends up renting one of the empty apartments in his building."I’m only here until Christmas Eve. I don’t think we’ve got time for games or to be coy."Spence doesn’t think he is good at relationships, and Colbie is only in town for three weeks anyway, so they agree to a no-strings dalliance while she is in town, but whereas in the past Spence has put work before women, with Colbie he realizes that it’s the reverse, something that shocks him as well as the rest of the crew."Look at you… You’re perfect.""Not… perfect.""Perfect to me…"The good thing about this book is it isn’t majorly Christmassy, with the main bulk of the action taking place before and after the actual day, so don’t feel you have to wait to read it. I loved this book as much as its predecessor, and it was great to finally get to know Spence on a more personal level. We also get to know more about old-man Eddie, the homeless guy who lIves in the alley beside the building, as well as great interaction from the rest of the characters that we have come to know and love in the previous books."I don’t know why I try to resist."I want to move in, and live in this series, I adore this author for putting it together, and giving me a group of people that with each new book feel more and more like friends, and I cannot wait for the next novella; Holiday Wishes to be released in November, and the next full length book; About That Kiss to be released in 2018."You’ve turned out to be the exception to my every rule."ARC generously provided via Edelweiss, through InkSlingerPR, in exchange for the above honest review.

Title: Chasing Christmas EveSeries: Heartbreaker Bay #4Author: Jill ShalvisRelease date: September 26, 2017Cliffhanger: NoHEA(view spoiler)[Yes (hide spoiler)]“We all have horrible track records,” he said. “It’s what leads up to the real thing. It’s what allows you to recognize it when it shows up.Anyone who knows me, knows that nerd/genius characters are my number one weakness. So even if I hadn't read the previous book, Accidentally on Purpose and thoroughly loved it, I would be all over this story at first glance. Shattering my sturdy book slump, Shalvis came through once again in delivering a feel-good romance that had a huge smile stretching across my face. There's something about her writing that feels effortlessly smooth and genuine every single time. Her characters are endearing, yet human and relatable. The humor is snappy and clever, and it never fails to make me laugh out loud multiple times throughout the pages. Colbie looked at Spence. “Are you sure you’re not in a relationship with Elle?” “No, I’m in a relationship with bad judgment.”I was so excited to get to know Heartbreaker Bay's resident genius Spencer. Delving into his family, his past, and his idiosyncrasies made me love him even more than I already did. Spence isn't perfect by far-he's work obsessed, extremely forgetful, and unable to maintain a healthy romantic relationship because he doesn't know how to successfully balance work and pleasure. Genius runs in his family, and he's come to the conclusion by example that family and career are two separate entities never to be merged. He's about to learn that sometimes you can't choose to turn away from love. Love chooses you, often when you least expect it. Colbie has escaped her stressful life in New York for some much needed peace and relaxation in California. Her alter ego, CE Crown is the number one New York Times bestselling author of the Storm Fever series. It was even translated to the big screen, and now the pressure is on to produce more money makers. Feeling trapped into catering to her immature family, her impatient publishers and agent, she did the only thing she could: she ran. After an inauspicious, yet indulgently charming first meeting, Spencer is determined to take her under his wing for the few weeks she's there. Beyond feeling responsible for her welfare, he felt an immediate attraction that he couldn't seem to let go. “You joked about running away from home,” he said. “But it doesn’t feel funny.” She gave a slow head shake. “That’s because it isn’t.”What ensued after he moved her into one of his spare apartments was a whole lot of flirting, sexy bantering, and unsuccessful attempts to deny the sparks that were flying. So another alternative was presented: could they pull off a respectful, no expectations affair with an expiration date? There were sure more than willing to try. Approaching it as two reasonable and rational adults who knew that geography and pressing careers would interfere, they vowed to enjoy the now together. What they didn't anticipate was being able to relate so effortlessly and understand one another where others had so hopelessly failed. Both had secrets that came back to bite them eventually, but the conflicts were not drawn out or overdone. Overall, this was a wonderfully sweet story without falling into the saccharine, sappy category. Spence had a bit of a naughty side that came out to play that I think many will find a happy surprise and steam up some E-readers. Colbie and Spence were a perfectly matched pair, teaching each other about the difference between family support and enabling those programed to use. Learning to set priorities for people in your life, and setting boundaries for your career. I felt the joy that they found in just being able to be. To not have to try to change the essence of who they were, or put aside the love of what they do. I simply adore this series! Perhaps this storyline was a bit simple and straightforward, but as a light and charming rom-com this really hit the spot. One thing in particular that I really appreciated was the fact that neither Colbie or Spencer distrusted one another because of their past romantic failures. There was no automatic, unearned black marks. They had their hang ups, but were adult enough to respect each other instead of making misplaced assumptions.Even if you haven't been following along with the series this far, don't hesitate to jump right in, head first. Jill Shalvis' Heartbreaker Bay friends will quickly become your own, ones that you will rush to revisit time and again. FOLLOW SMOKIN HOT BOOK BLOG ON: ["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.I just loved this story! I have found this series to be consistently good so I was really excited to get my hands on this newest installment. I was even more excited to read this one once I discovered it would be Spence's story since I have really enjoyed his character in the previous books in the series. I had pretty high expectations going into this book and it met or exceeded every one of them. I had such a good time reading this charming romance.Spence and Colbie are the focus of this story. Spence has had a role in the previous books in this series that revolves around a group of friends and the building that they live and work in. Spence happens to own the building and is the genius of the group. He spends his time inventing and working out complex problems.Colbie is a big name author and the stress of her life has prompted her to run away from everything for just a bit. Colbie meets Spence during an unfortunate encounter at a rather famous fountain. They are so much fun to see together from that very first meeting. Colbie decides to stay for a while so that she can get the break that she so desperately needs.Spence and Colbie were just adorable together. They had great chemistry from the very beginning of the story. There were so many moments that brought a huge grin my face and I may have chuckled out loud a time or too. The banter between this pair was really well done and provided a nice balance to the hotter sections of the story.I would highly recommend this book to fans of contemporary romance. This book is the fourth book in the Heartbreaker Bay but it could easily be read as a stand alone novel. Readers of the series will enjoy seeing all of the characters featured in earlier books in the series. I can't wait to see what happens next in Heartbreaker Bay!I received an advance reader edition of this book from Avon Books via Edelweiss.Initial ThoughtsI just loved this story. Spence and Colbie were so great together. It was nice to see the other characters from the series play a role in the story as well.

ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest reviewAs a San Francisco native, I adore reading stories that are set in my beloved city and in Jill Shalvis’ latest release, Chasing Christmas Eve, she paints a vivid image of San Francisco’s Cow Hollow District where two strangers meet and begin an unlikely friendship of landlord/tenant and two friends finding a home within each other. I haven’t read the first three book of this series and so Chasing Christmas Eve can most definitely be read as a standalone. Since I was utterly smittened with this book, I won’t say much but what I will say Spencer and Colbie were written in such a flawlessly and real manner that readers could feel the excitement and buzz as they got to know one another. This book had me grinning from ear to ear. The writing was well paced and beautifully written. The dialogue was witty and funny. And the characters were charming as hell as they each brought forth something to the story. So all I can say, I definitely left my heart in San Francisco with Spencer, Colbie, and the rest of the neighbors from Spencer’s building. Jill Shalvis

The Heartbreaker Bay series by Jill Shalvis has a bit of whimsy (a wishing fountain with a legendary coin toss for true love) to go with some sexy romances – some more lighthearted than others, but all involving a group of friends finding lifelong partners.Chasing Christmas Eve is the fourth full novel in the series and the hero Spence has been a key secondary character in previous stories. He’s the somewhat reclusive owner of the building where his friends live and work, a very wealthy man who sold some proprietary technology at a young age and continues to use his engineering and design skills to better others’ lives. The drawback is that he’s a confirmed workaholic, not interested in a relationship mostly because he’s already been in one that failed due to his lack of attention and he doesn’t want to put another female through that. Things have been pretty dry in the dating department lately – until his latest dog walking escapade ends with a charming young woman drenched in the aforementioned ‘love’ fountain.Colbie Albright is taking a well-deserved two-week break in the run-up to Christmas, and the movie premiere of one of her highly successful YA novels. Her writing success has come with a lot of stress and her current writer’s block, with a deadline looming, had her searching in desperation for a place to get away from everything. As luck would have it, she’s ended up in San Francisco, and due to an overeager canine, she’s made some instant friends. Spence is quick to try to remedy the situation and when he finds out that Colbie is looking for a place to stay for a few weeks, offers her the use of one of the apartments in his building. It’s exactly what Colbie needs to stay incognito and try to rekindle her writing mojo.Colbie and Spence find themselves to be kindred spirits, and a friendship develops swiftly and easily. In fact, the more time they spend together, the more they want to share their secrets with each other – and they both discover that a vacation fling can be oh so sweet. But Colbie knows that her real life is waiting for her back home, and the clock is ticking. Will her Christmas present this year be more than just a handful of sweet and sexy memories?What a charming story! I was thoroughly entertained right from the start with this delightful romance, full of laugh out loud moments, sexy scenes and sweet friendships. Spence’s building manager, Elle, guards his privacy well, and is a bit suspicious of Colbie and her possible intentions, especially as Colbie doesn’t reveal much about herself. But Spence’s other friends warm up to her quickly. For Colbie, it’s nice to be taken at face value and not for her writing fame, something that Spence can appreciate since Colbie treats him like any other ordinary guy since she knows nothing about his past either.The attraction between them exists from the start, and a two-week fling sounds pretty heavenly to both of them. No strings attached and a chance to enjoy each other’s company leads to some sexy scenes and a bond of trust that has them opening up to each other. For Spence, it’s an interesting revelation that with Colbie around his desire to work around the clock is tempered by wanting to spend time with her. He’s also working on a problem that has him stumped, much like Colbie’s writer’s block. Taking some time off to be creative in the bedroom turns out to be just the kick that they both need to get their careers back on track.I’m always a fan of good banter and there is plenty of that to go around here, whether it’s between Spence and Colbie, or some of Spence’s other friends (including Caleb, who raids Spence’s fridge on several occasions). The chapter headings are another source of amusement, and #WhatTheFrenchToast is my new favorite saying. The overall story conflict is minimal and Spence and Colbie soon find their way to a happy ending. Chasing Christmas Eve is a delightful romance to start off your holiday season.This review appears at https://straightshootinbookreviews.co...A copy of this story was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss for review.