Shawna's Reviews > Instant Attraction

5 stars – Contemporary Romance

I didn’t know about this book until I read a couple of friends’ reviews here on GR, and I’m glad I gave it a shot because I was very pleasantly surprised by this delightful read. This is the second book that I’ve read by author Jill Shalvis, but I’m sure it won’t be the last.

“Instant Attraction” is the first book in the ‘Wilder’ series about three brothers (Cameron, Stone, and T.J. Wilder...gotta love those strong alpha names) who own Wilder Adventures and Expeditions, an extreme tours/sports company, in the town of Wishful, California in the Sierra Mountains. The three sexy, rugged outdoors men and extreme sport enthusiasts also happen to be the small town’s most eligible bachelors and notorious playboys.

In “Instant Attraction”, city girl Katie Kramer leaves the congestion, stress, and monotony of her life in LA and takes a job as an office temp at Wilder Adventures, where she hopes to embark on exciting new adventures of her own. After being the sole survivor of a tragic accident, Katie has a new outlook on life and is inspired to making her life count through new experiences. Former Olympic snowboarding champion Cameron Wilder is back home after a year of wallowing and soul searching while wandering the globe following his career ending accident. Katie and Cameron feel an instant pull and combustible attraction to one another, and she makes him feel something for the first time since his accident, which scares the hell out of him, especially since he’s pretty darn content to continue with his self-pitying, poor-me routine. They’re both survivors, but their traumatic experiences have left them with polar opposite attitudes. Gradually, Katie’s positive approach to life begins to influence Cameron and helps drag him from his pity-party.

The heroine’s cheerful personality, zest for life, and upbeat attitude are positively infectious and one of the main reasons the book is so enjoyable. Katie’s a shining example of a glass-is-half-full, life’s what you make it type of person, without being overly naïve or bubbly to the point of irritation. She’s bright, honest, funny, and sarcastic without being mean...a truly lovable heroine. That being said, there were still times that she annoyed the heck out of me with her lack of caution and recklessness. Just because someone vows to make each day count and to live life to the fullest doesn’t mean they have to take unnecessary risks to prove something...that’s a little overboard and foolish in my opinion. But still, she definitely made me smile and laugh, and I cracked up at her bravado and seduction antics after one too many vodka shots! Despite the whole ‘feeling sorry for himself’ thing, I still really liked Cameron and found his insights, honesty, and self-deprecating humor amusing, especially since he’s self-aware enough to know that his attitude and behavior suck. He’s just not sure how to fix things or how to change his glass-is-half-empty tendency, which is a realistic dilemma that a lot of people face every day in life.

There's also a secondary romantic entanglement between Cam's aunt Annie and her estranged husband Nick that’s a nice touch to the story. After years of marriage, they have unresolved tension and emotional distance in their relationship that’s resulted in repeated arguments and blatant sexual frustration, and it’s honest, funny, and touching.

The dialogue is witty and well written and the banter between the H/H is hilarious. I laughed out loud several times while reading this book, especially the scene where Katie and a couple of girlfriends drink too much vodka and she says some pretty brazen and crazy things to Cam in her drunken stupor!

“Instant Attraction” is a great contemporary romance and an enjoyable read! I’m looking forward to reading T.J. and Stone’s stories when they come out later this year. 5 stars!