Aftershock by Jill Shalvis

DESPERATE TIMES…

If it hadn’t been for the earthquake, Amber Riggs would never have made love to a perfect stranger. And no doubt about it, fire inspector Dax McCall was perfect. Who else could have taught her the meaning of passion at a time like that?

Still, when Amber ran into him a year later she wasn’t sure how he’d react. To her…or their three-month-old baby. She hadn’t meant to keep the news from Dax, but he’d been out of town, and she’d been sort of relieved. After all, how do you tell the perfect man he has a perfect baby girl with a woman he doesn’t know from Eve?

Amber Riggs is an uptight—and if I’m being honest, annoying—relator. Dax McCall is a carefree and handsome fire inspector who never once thought about settling down. When an earthquake traps the two strangers together, they—thinking their lives are ending—decide to go out shagging. After the two are rescued, they go their separate ways.

 

When they meet again a year later, Dax is more than a little surprised to discover that Amber had his child and never even bothered to tell him she was pregnant. Now Dax is determined to have both his daughter and Amber in his life, although Amber does everything in her power to foil his plans for their happily ever after.

 

I liked Dax. He’s not the type to rein in his emotions or hold back and he loves his daughter. His job as fire inspector makes him realize just how fragile life is and he doesn’t want to let the chance to create a home with Amber slip through his hands.

 

Amber has trust issues because of her past and I completely understood why she’s cautious but, oh my aunt Fanny, I could not stand her. I wanted to slap her with her own book. She was determined to block out Dax and the poor guy was practically groveling at her feet.

 

While I liked the premise of the novel, two strangers sharing a night of passion then reuniting because of a child, but the heroine really put me off of this novel. She was determined to have a ‘poor me’ party rather than see that Dax was madly in love with her.

 

Sadly, Aftershock just didn’t pull me in. I started this book in the fall, judging from the fact I marked my place with a burgundy leaf, and just picked it back up Friday. I was kind of hoping that I would be lured back by the character’s siren call but sadly, I wasn’t.

 

Overall, the only reason I finished this book and didn’t chuck it in the bin was because of Dax. I wanted to see if he finally got his HEA. Although I will say, after having to put up with Amber and her whinging, I was kind of hoping for an epilogue, which I never got.

Book Details

Title: Aftershock

Author: Jill Shalvis

Publisher:

ISBN: 978-0-373-18087-5

Release Date: June/24/2014

Format I read: Mass-Market Paperback

$6.99 U.S./ $7.99 CAN.

Source: Purchased

Rating: 3.5 Cups

Seeing as the temperature was -25 Friday and my house is the worst house in the world to heat, I spent the majority of the day curled up in my big comfy chair reading (and drinking tea) and I finally managed to get started on my Conquering ‘The Box’ Personal Reading Challenge.

Aftershock is the first book I’ve finished in my Conquering ‘The Box’ Personal Reading Challenge.  Click on the picture to check out my progress.

 

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