Title: Rumor Has It Series: Animal Magnetism #4
Author: Jill Shalvis
Published: November 5, 2013
Genre(s): Romance: Contemporary
Page Count: 281
Rating:
Summary from Goodreads:Special Ops soldier Griffin Reid doesn’t exactly have happy memories of growing up in Sunshine, Idaho. He’s only come back to recover from a war injury, and while he refuses to admit he’s in a weakened state, he finds comfort in the last person he’d expect.
Kate Evans teaches fourth grade science in Sunshine, the place she’s always called home. Dreaming of graduate school and a happily-ever-after, she’s desperate to break out of the monotony of Sunshine. Luckily, a certain sexy man has just come back into her life.
To Griffin, Kate as always been his little sister’s friend, but now he’s finding her to be so much more. As both attempt to forge their paths, they must decide if their passionate connection can turn into something lasting...
Though I tend to have some quibbles with Jill Shalvis’s writing (she’s a serial slut shamer), I still enjoy her books as a whole. Rumor Has It was a fun, breezy romance that remained mostly uncomplicated and was very cute where it counted. It was a marked improvement from the previous installment in the Animal Magnetism series, and I’ve now renewed my faith in Shalvis as an author. Sure she’s not my favorite, but her books are cute and entertaining as a rule.
The couple in Rumor Has It consists of Griffin and Kate. Griffin is a former active duty soldier who was discharged due to injury in an IED blast. Kate is a science-loving second grade teacher. I liked that the two of them came together without too much fuss or dancing around their attraction. Though there was a bit of drama in the second half of the novel, for the most part, this book is cute and not overly telenovela-like, something that I often have a problem with when it comes to genre romance.
Honestly, there isn’t much of a “conflict” per se, when it comes to Griffin and Kate’s relationship. They’re both interested in each other and are out to spend time together. There’s nothing really driving a wedge between them, which I found refreshing and a lot more genuine than Shalvis tends to make things. Of course, both character have outside problems going on, pressures from family and coworkers, etc., so this book isn’t some breezy, happy-go-lucky stroll through romantic bliss. But it’s not a life and death situation.
Of course, it wasn’t perfect. Shalvis tends to slut shame, and Rumor Has It was no different. Thankfully, in this book it was limited to just two or three instances, as opposed to a recurring theme throughout the book. (Kate calls herself a “ho” just once, rather than repeatedly.) There were also a few woman positive scenes that made me feel a bit better about the author, though I really wish the word “slut” could be eradicated from everyone’s collective vocabulary.
All in all, Rumor Has It is a fun way to fill an afternoon. It’s very adorable and charming in spots, and I really liked the relationship between Griffin and Kate, which developed naturally and without excess complication. I didn’t think this was amazing and did have a few issues, but nothing that ruined the entire book.
