Spotlight & Giveaway: The Summer Escape by Jill Shalvis

Posted June 13th, 2024 by Sara @HarlequinJunkie in Blog, Spotlight / 31 comments

Today, HJ is pleased to share with you Jill Shalvis’s new release: The Summer Escape

Secrets are revealed and forbidden sparks ignited in this sizzling Sunrise Cove standalone, a tale of enemies to lovers, redemption, missing treasures, and love—by romance superstar and New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis.

Anna Moore didn’t just wake up one day and decide to go on a wild quest—especially since her life no longer lends itself to wild anything—so how in the world does she end up racing against the clock with Owen Harris, a sexy, enigmatic adventurist, to prove her beloved dad innocent of stealing a million-dollar necklace?

It’s all Wendy’s fault. Her older, bossy sister, who’s seven months pregnant and on bed rest in their small Lake Tahoe hometown, is desperate to clear their departed dad’s name. Owen, though, is convinced he’s guilty as hell and wants to return the jewelry back to its rightful owner—his elderly great aunt. Together Anna and Owen go on a scavenger hunt for clues to the past (with Wendy remotely along for the ride via an earbud, supplying a running wry commentary to boot).

On opposing sides and suspicious of each other as they are, Anna and Owen still can’t deny the inexplicable and explosive chemistry between them on this heart-stopping adventure, the outcome of which will prove the necklace isn’t the only thing stolen—their hearts have been as well.

Enjoy an exclusive excerpt from The Summer Escape

At the ripe old age of eight, Anna Moore decided she knew enough about engineering and physics to design a cape so she could fly. It went without saying that “flying” off her family’s second-story deck into a pile of soft, spongy Tahoe snow—which had in fact been neither soft nor spongy—had gone badly.

As an adult, she understood the ridiculous plan had come from the part of her brain responsible for stupid ideas. Older now, and hopefully wiser, Anna had long ago locked that part of herself away and given up being a wild child. It’d definitely taken her longer than it should’ve, but eventually she’d accepted that it was safer to live life by the book.

Apparently though, she still had to learn her lessons the hard way. Or as in today’s case, the really hard way. She’d told Mari, her entire support staff at her private investigations firm, that she didn’t need backup today. So there she stood, alone in the alley of the bar she’d been staking out for a case, having run into the pissed-off ex-husband of a different client. The guy was as big and mean as the Sierra mountains behind him and, oh goodie, held a knife in his hand.

Some days it didn’t pay to get out of bed.

Anna had her back pressed to the brick wall behind her and her hands out in front of her, signaling she came in peace, wondering how to reach the Mace in her back pocket without him noticing. Problem was, while he towered threateningly over her, he wasn’t quite close enough for a well-aimed knee to the crotch.

So yeah, hindsight being twenty-twenty and all, she could’ve used backup. And where the hell was everyone anyway? It was broad daylight, and the bar, part of a beautiful little shopping village, sat right across the street from Lake Tahoe. Normally on a gorgeous July day like this, there’d be people swarming everywhere. But today . . . not a soul. Seemed her luck was on point as always. “Okay, Gerald, you’ve got my attention. Let’s talk this out.”

“You testified against me in court and Tish got custody of Brownie.”

Brownie being a nine-pound Shih Tzu. “Yes,” she said. “Be- cause you went off the rails during mediation and threatened to bake Brownie like, well, a brownie.”

Gerald’s massive shoulders drooped, and a flash of shame crossed his face as he lowered his knife. “I’m sorry. But I never would’ve done it. Brownie’s my baby. I rescued him at five days old and bottle-fed him for weeks. Tish didn’t even want him.” His eyes went misty. “He’s all I’ve got left, and now he’s gone too.”

From inside her pocket, her phone buzzed an incoming text, and she knew from the air of superiority surrounding it who it was from. “Listen,” she said. “That’s my big sister, and trust me when I tell you that if I don’t respond immediately, she’ll send out the cops, SWAT, and the National Guard.” This was prob- ably not even a fib. Hi, she was twenty-eight, and her sister, only six years older, still tried to mother/smother her on the daily.

“I’m the baby of the family too,” Gerald said sympathetically. “I’ve got four older sisters who never leave me alone. They’re always bossing me around and telling me what to do.”

“So you understand me,” Anna said. “And I understand you. See, this is just a mistake, Gerald. Let me go and there’s no harm, no foul.”

He scratched his scruffy jaw as he thought so hard she could almost see smoke curling from the top of his head. “You’ll call the cops on me.”

She shook her head. “I wouldn’t do that to you.” Her most impressive investigator skill was lying. “You could just walk away.”

He thought about that. “If you agree to talk to Tish about joint custody of Brownie.”

“Sure. Consider it done.” She would talk to Tish, not that she could guarantee anything.

When he nodded and walked away, she let out a relieved breath and sagged against the wall. Honestly, she understood some of Gerald’s rage, if not his methods. If an ex had taken Clawdia, the feline love of her life currently shedding all over her bed, she’d be devastated too.

But the knife? No. She couldn’t let that stand.

Giving up on surveillance, she called Gerald’s ex, warning her about the weapon and the threat, letting her know that Gerald claimed all he wanted was Brownie. Tish said she never should’ve given him that knife for Christmas a few years back—gee, ya think?—and also she was tired of Brownie eating her shoes anyway. With that handled, Anna quickly accessed her texts. One from Mari, checking in from the office. One from her friend Nikki, reminding her that it was Anna’s turn to buy drinks that week. And . . . shock three from her pregnant-with-triplets
sister.

Giveaway: We’re giving away one print copy of THE SUMMER ESCAPE! US only.

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and post a comment to this Q: What did you think of the excerpt spotlighted here? Leave a comment with your thoughts on the book…

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Meet the Author:

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning novels wherever books are sold and visit her website, jillshalvis.com, for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

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Barbara Bates

13th Jun, 2024, 12:29am

Intrigued to read more.

Amy R

13th Jun, 2024, 2:49am

Sounds good

Laurie Gommermann

13th Jun, 2024, 3:11am

Excellent! Drama, tension, humor… Jill’s books always capture your attention and rapidly move to a satisfying conclusion.
Looking forward to reading about Anna and Owen’s search to clear her dad’s name.