Sunday, September 6, 2009

Review: Instant Gratification

Title: Instant Gratification
Author: Jill Shalvis
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Wilder Brothers/Book 2
Published: July 2009

From the back cover ~

Wishful, California, is 3000 miles from Dr. Emma Sinclair's last job in a New York City ER. It may as well be another galaxy. Here, running her father's clinic for a summer, Emma treats bee stings, stomach flu, and the occasional pet cat. Plus, she has to contend with patients like Stone Wilder: gorgeous, laid-back, and irritating beyond belief. The man laughs at her. A lot. And Emma loathes him. All except that tiny part of her that wants to throw him on her examining table and break every doctor-patient rule in the book.

When Stones tries to help Emma learn to loosen up a bit, he pictures white-water rafting or scenic mountain hikes. Not a mind-blowing affair that shakes them both to the core. Emma's sure she has no place in a town like Wishful, but Stone knows different. Emma belongs here - in this town, in his life. It is convincing that this strong-minded, stubborn, sexy woman of that fact will be a challenge no Wilder man could resist.

This is book two in the series about the three Wilder brothers who run Wilder Adventures, a guide service in the California Sierras for just about any kind of outdoor activity. Ms. Shalvis' love for the Sierras comes through in her writing of the scenery, the feel and even the smell of the mountains. Makes me want to go there and look for these Wilder brothers. :)

Stone Wilder is aptly named because he is the rock that holds his family together. He's the mediator, the one that keeps the company running and diffuses the numerous quarrels that occur with three very opinionated brothers and their aunt who raised them. I liked Stone but he was a man that's easy to like. He pretends to be a laid back mountain bum, just hanging out, playing on the mountain. But he's really very responsible and very giving to his community. These are things that Emma comes to find out as she gets to know the real Stone Wilder.

Emma is used to the big city pace of New York and the ER that she ran. The pace in Wishful is decidedly slower and less trauma filled. The people are different too. They take time to enjoy life and concern themselves with their neighbors and the goings on in the small town of 3000. Emma is out of her element and can only look forward to getting out of Wishful. She just has to wait until her father is able to take over the Urgent Care clinic again. Until then, she's stuck in Wishful and trying to keep her attraction to the sexy Wilder brother from becoming more than simply enjoying the view. Emma was an okay character. I never really felt like I connected with her. Her personality is standoffish and she's not a person comfortable getting close with others. While I liked her I just didn't feel that connection with her that I was hoping for. That's not necessarily a bad thing and doesn't mean that other readers might get more from the character, just that I didn't.

The plot was interesting with Stone trying to get Emma to come out of her shell and learn to slow down and smell the roses. He takes her to some of his favorite places on the mountain and helps her to be more open with the townspeople. I liked Stone's patience with Emma and his consideration of her situation. She had left Wishful when she was only 6 and considers herself a New Yorker. She came back because her father needed her help with the clinic and it's only suppose to be temporary. Stone hopes that Emma will make the move permanently and tries to show her how much he and the town need her.

Instant Gratification was a quick, fun read with the hot, steamy sex scenes that I've come to expect from Shalvis. The road to HEA for Emma and Stone was an entertaining journey with a glimpse of brother number three, TJ and his potential HEA. His story looks to be a rocky one. Look for Instant Temptation (TJ's story) in April 2010.

Want to read excerpts for all three Wilder brother books? They can be found here. Want to read my review for Instant Attraction? That can be found here.

Jill Shalvis and her considerable back list can be found on her website. Shalvis also has a daily blog about life as a writer in the beautiful Sierras.

Rating: B+

3 comments:

  1. Glad you enjoyed it :D I don't know, I just never connected with Emma... so I think that's why I didn't enjoy it as much.

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  2. I've never read Jill Shavis :( I need to remedy that! Nice review!

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  3. nath ~ I would have liked it better if I had that connection with Emma - she was too closed off. I wavered between a B & B+. Guess I was in a generous mood. :)

    I am looking forward to TJ's book. I like his heroine.

    Mandi ~ Thanks. :) There's lots of Shalvis fans out there. I've just started reading her and like what I've read so far.

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