Review: Instant Temptation

Instant Temptation
Jill Shalvis
Contemporary Romance
Wilder Adventures/Book 3
Kensington/April 2010
Library Book

From the back cover ~

Get Your Pulse Racing

To Harley, the landscape around Wishful, California, is exhilarating, untamed, and more than a little dangerous. The same could be said for T.J. Wilder, who's invited himself along on her trek to study a rare coyote. Harley's career is riding on this trip, and she doesn't need a stubborn, incredibly sexy distraction. But T.J. is a professional guide who knows when to stay back and when to provide invaluable expertise--just like he's done since they were in high school.

And Harley, as usual, is torn between throttling him and giving in to the raw attraction that's been smoldering all these years. T.J. knows how proud and capable Harley is, but he's damned sure not letting her put herself at risk when there are illegal hunters in the area. She needs him, with the same soul-stirring urgency that he's always craved her. And here, in this beautiful place days from civilization, he'll finally have a chance to prove it--over and over again. . .

I liked what little we saw of TJ in the two previous books so I have been looking forward to reading his story. Harley is also a character that we got a glimpse of before and I liked the idea of Harley and TJ together. It turns out they worked really good together.

Harley is one of those characters I could see myself being friends with if she existed in RL. She's easy to get to know and like. She does have some blind spots when it comes to her family. Her parents are good parents, they love their two daughters, but they're not exactly responsible when it comes to money and bills. They have come to rely on Harley to help them out. Same thing with Harley's sister, Skye. I don't have a problem with helping family and friends out now and then but with Harley it got to be a habit that was seriously affecting her life in the form of her bills not getting paid. This and Harley having a crush on TJ for years and not telling him are her two weakest traits. But I did like her in spite of those things.

TJ is the oldest of the Wilder brothers. I think the word remote describes him well. He's not cold but he keeps to himself, which is fairly easy since he's gone so much. TJ has a tragedy in his past that he hasn't gotten over. It's clouding his perception of what's really important to him - namely Harley. There were times that, like TJ's brothers, I just wanted to bash him over the head. Don't you just love it when characters make you want to do bodily harm to them? LOL Aside from the whole head bashing thing, I really, really, liked TJ. He's a bit gruff but he has this incredible soft side that you see when he's with his family and Harley. He knows there's chemistry between them, he doesn't deny it, but he's convinced himself that he doesn't do long term relationships. He's just not around enough. Of course his logic if flawed because he could be around more if he wanted to. Run away TJ, run away.

TJ's not the only one who's running away. Harley has been working hard and now it's payoff time. She's going for a permanent job in Colorado. She's convinced herself it's what she wants and what would be best for her. Then she spends some time alone with TJ in the wild and is drawn by the beauty of the outdoors. And the hot, sexy guide that is TJ. :) Harley's always loved being outside but doesn't see herself making a living at it.

Harley + TJ = lots of outdoor sex, indoor sex and pretty much anywhere they could find some alone time. Shalvis knows how to write it hot and adds in a bit of humor. The romance is sweet, funny and heartbreaking. I love these two together! They fit so well, everyone knew it, even Harley and TJ but Harley wanted long term and TJ didn't. It takes a swift kick in the pants for both of them to realize what they really want. It was fun seeing how they got to that nearly elusive HEA, traveling over all those bumps along the way.

I have to mention the other members of the Wilder family. First, there's TJ's two younger brothers - Stone and Cam. Loved the teasing, joking, playfulness of the three brothers. They may give each other a hard time but it's all done in love. Tough love a lot of the time but the love is still there. Then there's Annie and Nick. Annie is the aunt of the three boys who took them in a helped raise them when she was very young. Nick is a good friend to the brothers and Annie's husband. They're a cute couple. It's definitely a family story with the main focus on the romance. A really good end to the Wilder brothers.

Rating: A-

ETA: My reviews for books 1 & 2

Instant Attraction
Instant Gratification