Blog tour

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce30N_zLbVa/

I love the author’s stories. They always make me smile and knowing that I’ll be finishing with a heart full of love and emotions, I’m always up for whatever she will publish next.

The friendship pact is the second instalment in her Sunrise Cove series and can be read as a standalone with no issues. I will always recommend reading the first book as some characters are making appearances and being a new series, gives you an insight into this new world.

Living her life wondering who’s her father is and trying to make a living and find her foot in this adult life, Tae is a great character that I really enjoyed reading about. Her relationship with her mother is not always straightforward, but it feels very real and interesting. How April had Tae despite her predicament was really heartbreaking, but also showed how much she loved Tae.

Tae is on the brink of bankruptcy and her dreams are taking a big turn when she takes a new contract on her job that will change her personal life in more ways than expected.

While she still wants to keep her past buried but she can’t deny the chemistry and attraction towards Riggs. He just stole my heart! Such a great male character and supportive, caring and loving. Even when he actually finds out who her father is, he is all about protecting her and making sure she’s safe and won’t get hurt, not even emotionally.

Beautiful romance story that will fill your heart to the brim.

The Friendship Pact by Jill Shalvis is her second book in her popular Sunrise Cove series, set in Lake Tahoe, California, but this can easily be read as a stand-alone book. I enjoyed this emotional, second-chance romance.

Tae Holmes and her mother April have relied on each other for Tae’s entire life. April was only fifteen years old when she gave birth to Tae, and they practically raised each other. Tae is an event coordinator in Tahoe and lives right next door to her mother, April, she’s recently received a contract with an adventure company for athletes with disabilities, Adrenaline HQ, and she has high hopes this contract will help her and her company grow.

Riggs is the silent partner for Adrenaline HQ and has just returned from working overseas as a Marine. He remembers Tae from High School, where they had a brief fling, and never spoke again. When they meet again at the fundraiser that Tae has organized for Adrenaline HQ, sparks start to fly, but neither Riggs nor Tae want a relationship, and Riggs is only home for the summer until he starts his new job in Washington, D.C.

I was immersed in the story immediately and enjoyed following Tae, Riggs, and April throughout the book. I did enjoy the relationship between Tae and her mother, April. While not the perfect mother-daughter relationship, they did love each other and cared for each other very much.

The Friendship Pact was an emotional book about two broken people, who need each other as much as they don’t believe they need each other. Riggs came from a tough home life and then lived as a Marine for years, and Tae, grew up taking care of her mother more than her mother took care of her. Also, she grew up without a father. I loved that when Tae and Riggs came together, they found ways to validate and help heal each other as well as themselves.

I recommend The Friendship Pact to anyone who enjoys Women’s fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Reviewed for Wit and Sin

The Friendship Pact is a sweet story about love, both romantic and familial. Jill Shalvis’s second Sunrise Cove novel takes readers back to the Tahoe area and introduces us to characters whose pasts aren’t as far behind them as they may think.

All her life, it’s been Tae and her mother, April, raising each other. The two of them have an admittedly codependent relationship but there’s real love and support there that made me smile. Tae’s event company is taking off but the night of her first big fundraiser she has a run in with a man who knew her father. Tae has questions about the man she never met, but she doesn’t want to hurt April by pushing for information. That same night Tae also runs into Riggs, her high school fling. Riggs is back in Sunrise Cove for a few months to help out with Adrenaline HQ, his brother’s company and Tae’s client. The attraction between the two is instantaneous but Riggs only wants to be friends because he’s leaving for a job in Washington, D.C. soon.

Tae and Riggs are classic Jill Shalvis protagonists: likeable, slightly quirky characters who are a bit messy. There’s humor and heart all over The Friendship Pact, which is also typical of a Shalvis novel. Tae has trouble trusting and Riggs has trouble communicating but even so, the two of them just click. It’s easy to fall into their story and their romance is sweet with a bit of spice. Tae’s relationship with her mother and Riggs’s relationship with his brother is just as important to the story as the romance. April was fifteen when she had Tae and she did what she could for her daughter but wishes she could do more and make up for past hardships. April is coming into her own in this book and she was so interesting I wish we’d explored her character more. And Jake, Riggs’s brother is a veteran who runs an adventuring company for other wounded warriors and (at Tae’s suggestion) for at-risk youths. Jake has a solid sense of self, but he and his brother have some issues from their upbringing they must work out. I liked seeing he and Riggs work through their relationship and come out stronger.

The Friendship Pact is all about love, family, and trust. Shalvis blends heavier issues with her signature humor and it works well, resulting in a satisfying read. All in all, Riggs and Tae’s story is a great summer read, whether you’re on the lakeside or just wish you were.


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This is just a feel good story. Tae and Riggs are both going through their own things and both of them have their walls up. Yet, they are drawn to each other and the more time they spend together those walls slowly start to lower.

I loved all the moments that Tae and Riggs shared throughout the story. I love the growth that they both had has individuals and together. They both have overcome a lot to get where they are.

I love how much the secondary characters play a roll in this book, especially Tae’s mom, April. She played a major roll when it came to Tae’s overall story and I love how it all played out in the end.

If you’re looking for a second chance romance check this one out.

This is a signature Jill Shalvis: distinctive writing style and dialogue that just have that Shalvis thing that cannot be explained. Strong, silent Riggs, with strong, brash Tae who hides so much vulnerability. Actually not only her, but Riggs as well. It pays off when these characters get together, and learn to break down their walls, though often more than not, THAT happens in spite of themselves. Great secondary characters with strong ties that make you root for them.
Another hit from Shalvis, another one of hers that I read in one sitting. I'll keep buying them as long as she keeps writing them.