Title: Then Came You Series: Animal Magnetism #5
Author: Jill Shalvis
Published: July 1, 2014
Genre(s): Romance: Contemporary
Page Count: 304
Rating:
Summary from Goodreads:Veterinary intern Emily can’t believe she wound up in the small town of Sunshine, Idaho, instead of the Los Angeles clinic she had always imagined. Now she has to put her plans to move to L.A. on hold for a whole year while she fulfills the obligation of her vet school scholarship.
Then Wyatt, her gorgeous one-night stand from a Reno vet conference, introduces himself as her new boss. And Emily is just as drawn to his seductive looks and quiet strength as she was on that very steamy night. She soon learns that Wyatt isn’t just a laid-back doctor, but a delicious alpha male tempting her away from her carefully laid-out plans...
Uptight, hardworking vet Emily starts a new job in Middle-of-Nowhere, Idaho, and finds out that her supervisor is…her one and only one-night stand. Emily and Wyatt’s chemistry is off the charts, but Emily’s got a plan that doesn’t include Wyatt, and Wyatt doesn’t want to tell her how he feels because he’s been hurt before. Can they make their relationship work, while balancing annoying sisters, lovable animals, and an illegal dog fighting ring? Of course they can!
This was was exactly the romance I needed. Then Came You is hopelessly adorable and cute, though Shalvis doesn’t skip out on dealing with real-life issues either. Everything about this book was delightful. Honestly, this is probably my favorite book in the entire Animal Magnetism series (thus far).
As a couple, I loved Wyatt and Emily, especially together. The chemistry they had was off the charts, and their interactions were always respectful and kind. And also really really sexy. I’ve definitely had issues with Jill Shalvis and her couples before, especially regarding lack of communication, but I didn’t have an issue with that here. Don’t get me wrong, Then Came You’s main conflict arises from Wyatt not telling Emily how he feels (and perhaps vice versa), but the reasons behind that silence were believable and understandable, rather than simply juvenile.
The only major complaint I have concerning Then Came You is Shalvis’s continued insistence on using the word “slut”, usually in the context of a female character describing herself. It’s just such a nasty word, and I hate that when Emily instigated and enjoyed sex, it was because she was “slutty”. All kind of bad connotations go with that word, and I don’t think openly seeking sex makes you any worse than any other person on the street.
But, “slut” issue aside, I have very little complaints with this book, and since that word was only used two or three times over the course of the novel, it’s not really a huge, glaring issue for me. Sure, I’d rather slut-shaming not be a thing ever, but I’m not sure that Emily’s brief, somewhat joking comments in Then Came You are the end of the world, especially in light of how adorable and happy-making this book was altogether.
Thinking back over things, I think this is one of the best contemporary romances I’ve ever read. The characters are likable, realistic people who have great chemistry, and the conflicts keeping them apart seem plausible in context. Then Came You is sweet and funny and charming, all things I love to see in my romance. I’m not sure Jill Shalvis could do much better than this.
