I received an advance reading copy of this book to review.

Willa is a product of the foster care system, a throwaway child who takes in strays so that they don't have to live the way she did. She's a champion of the underdog and she always has your back. When the boy who stood her up for the Sadie Hawkins dance in high school shows up at her pet store, old hurts are resurrected, and magnified when he doesn't remember Willa.

From the outside, Keane had a more traditional upbringing, although as the "extra" kid in his family, he acted out to garner the love and attention he was lacking. As such, he has an innate fear of attachment-to a home, to people. Except, like Willa, he tends to take care of the people around him, even the ones who have let him down.

In typical Shalvis fashion, the chemistry between these two is off the charts and they have to find a way to like each other, in spite of past hurts, in spite of their emotional baggage.

When I pick up a Jill Shalvis book, I always end up reading it through start to finish. Full of wit and steam, angst and the discovery of love, her writing style is fun and fluid. Why isn't this one five stars? She's venturing into more kink with this series, which I don't think is needed. Even though it's barely there, I'm not sure it needs to be there at all. I also had some trouble with Willa's characterization. She takes in strays, and Keane fits that mold, so her "I love him, I love him not" vacillating grew a little tiresome. Willa is shown to trust people, even when she probably shouldn't, so her struggle to trust Keane was a stretch. These are minor hiccups overall - I still loved the story and set against the backdrop of San Francisco, the author has captured the facets of the city beautifully.