In Her Sexiest Mistake by Jill Shalvis, Mia Appleby’s humble beginnings haunt her no matter how hard she tries, even though she’s managed to turn herself into a successful and driven woman with nerves of steel. Her job in marketing fulfills her…defines her. Or so she thinks. Once she spends a night of bliss with her neighbor, Kevin McKnight, and then another, Mia is shaken down to her Manolos with her reaction to his charm. He has her 
feeling and wanting more for the first time in, well, forever.
‘Clearly he was a bit of a rebel, a bad boy, which meant he was a man after her own heart, and therein lay the problem. She didn’t like a man after her heart.’
Mia’s closed off past is forced into the forefront, and much to her shock, Kevin is adjusting better to the changes than she is. Her day-to-day life has to adjust drastically and she becomes less certain if the path she’s taking will truly make her happy down the road. Mia is not used to second-guessing herself. Nor is she used to spending more than one night with a guy because getting attached is not an option. Kevin seems to change her rules every time she’s with him and Mia has to figure out just want to do about that.
“Oh, that’s right. I’m only good for the stress relief. The horizontal kind.”
She felt a reluctant smile tug at her lips. “Horizontal? We’ve been vertical plenty, as I recall.”
Science teacher Kevin McKnight is a person who loves to help others any way he can. From his brother Mike, to his students, and the kids at the teen center, he has his hands full. The earth-shattering night he spends with Mia was just what he needed to relax. But pretty soon she’s all Kevin can think of and he finds himself turning into a casual friend with benefits. He wants more from his beautiful neighbor–as in a real relationship. Mia is closed off emotionally so it’s up to Kevin to try to change her mind about what love and romance can truly mean.
‘She could insult him all she wanted. She could walk away–even run–but he knew better. Last night had been more than she’d bargained for. Far more.’
Her Sexiest Mistake is a gem of a book by the one-and-only Jill Shalvis. Originally released in 2005, this has been reissued for our reading pleasure. And speaking of pleasure…did you see the new book cover??? Wow!
I have become a huge fan of Jill Shalvis’ writing over the past few years and hadn’t discovered this book yet. I’m happy to say that even though this was released several years ago, her writing style was just as well developed as it is now. This had her trademark comical, witty banter and self-deprecating jokes while still highlighting the growth in our character’s personal relationships. There’s just as much attention to detail in each scene as I’ve come to expect from her stories. I especially loved Kevin’s sarcastic tee shirts and Mia’s conversations with Hope. So funny!
I found Mia and Kevin to be the perfect counterbalance to each other, as their personalities seem so opposite: he’s giving and laid-back with an air of mischief about him, while she is wound up tight, works nonstop and is called the Ice Queen at work. They have incredible chemistry together that neither can seem to walk away from, even though Mia tries to fight it with all her might. I’ll admit that this story had me a little crazy with the “will they/won’t they work things out” but the ending definitely makes up for it.
I highly recommend Her Sexiest Mistake. Whether you’re a fan of Jill Shalvis, or just a lover of Contemporary Romance, I think you’ll enjoy this fun and steamy story.
Book Info:
HJ Recommends
Published November 5th 2013 by Forever Yours (first published December 6th 2005)
“Fall in love with Jill Shalvis. She’s my go-to read for humor and heart!”
-Susan Mallery, New York Times bestselling author
Mia Appleby finally has the life she always wanted. She’s escaped her trailer trash childhood and built a nice life for herself with a marketing job and a cute, little condo. But no matter how much baggage she’s ditched from her past, she still hasn’t managed to shake her greatest weakness-men. So when her new neighbor turns out to be single and oh-so-sexy, Mia’s worried she’s playing with fire . . .
Kevin McKnight can’t get enough of his gorgeous neighbor, but after one amazing night, she’s already showing him the door. Something tells him this is the way she handles most men. But Kevin is far from your average guy-and he’s ready to prove it to Mia. When a blast from her past shakes up Mia’s life in a major way, will she stick with her self-sufficient solo act . . . or take a chance leaning on Kevin’s strong shoulders?