Instant Gratification (Wilder Brothers)

MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS - So far so good with this book series. Love Jill Shalvis & her ability to design characters with depth & heart & great background stories without having a ton of drama. I do have to admit at the end of this book I had the feels, maybe even a little moisture in my eyes. Where Cam is wild & reckless Stone is the sweet solid brother with an enormous heart. He has the patience of a saint since Emma is out of her element in Wishful, California & she can't put a lid on her type A personality. I absolutely loved Emma because she freely admitted how Stone had changed her whole outlook on life, she didn't deny how she felt both physically & emotionally whenever Stone was around, & knew that he opened her eyes to a whole world she was missing, a beautiful world, while working 24 hours a day in NYC. And yet she couldn't stay - she didn't fit in & she'd miss her busy ER schedule. She was like Doc Hollywood, getting paid with casseroles. She also gets another eye-opener when taking over the small-town clinic for her father after his heart attack. A man who she never felt a connection to had secretly been there for her over the years & stood in the background so she could live her life, never aware of his support. Great, great story & Stone was absolutely amazing in the way he cared for Emma like a scared cat ready to run. He was sweet & slow & persuasive & made her smile by opening up her spirit to the Wishful wilderness. He tells Emma in the end that she has had his heart in the palm of her hand from day one - see, sweet guy right there!!

She's 30 yrs. old and lost in this alien world of Wishful, California. She's homesick for her apartment, near Central Park in NYC. She misses her bustling, busy and rushed job in the Manhattan E.R. Yep, Dr. Emma Sinclair is stuck in this podunk town in the California Sierras where there's no take-out, no fast food drive thru's, no Starbucks, no crowds, traffic or trains. She wants to go home, but she's obligated to stay to help her Dr. Dad recoup from a heart attack. Her father who she's been separated from for 24 years....who's a stranger.Emma is witty, smart, tough as nails inside, soft as a lost kitten on the outside. She can be uptight, brusque, abrupt and seldom ever smiles. Aaaah but when she does...the sun fills a room! She's complete business and so focused on her career choice that she overlooks kindness. She's stubborn, cool elegance in a mountain town...with her classy clothes, glorious fiery auburn hair and baby blue eyes. She's all bark and no bite. She has no time for a man...not in New York and certainly not here in Wishful, Ca. She has no time for romantic diversions. She's only staying long enough to get her Dad back on track, and then she's outta' here......back to the world where she belongs.He's tall, muscular and full of effortless charm and charisma. He's a little wild and a little modest...sheer testosterone fueled masculinity with his tanned, rock hard build and laughing, easy going, fathomless deep green eyes. And holy cherry suckers Batman....but this man is one hawt piece of yummy cheeze! Stone Wilder is partners with his two brothers, running the "outdoor adventure/expedition" company (Wilder Adventures). He's stop-in-your tracks sexy and gorgeously dangerous to female hearts with his wind tousled, sun kissed light brown hair. Stone is basically a care giver...keeping his family together or taking care of and rescuing foster kids from their troubled lives. He's the whole package and he's completely dumbfounded and lost when he meets Emma..... Let the games begin.This is such a great story of one damaged woman going through her rigid life being the efficient but disconnected Dr. that she is, without giving of herself - - it never occurs to her that she'd possibly need anyone. She's lonely and alone and is unable to connect to people, until one charming man becomes her saving grace. This is a wonderfully brilliant (and predictable) romantic story of learning to open yourself up to be brave enough to take risks and chances on love. To overcome your fears and allow yourself to be vulnerable enough to let the walls fall...to trust and reach out to that "someone" who could be so perfect for you. A fabulous story of life's lessons of allowing yourself to stop and smell the roses. To live in the moment, grasp that happiness that has fallen in your lap and appreciate and revel in it. And Ms. Shalvis tells it so well.

I have really enjoyed Jill Shalvis' novels. Will read the next installment of this series too (right after I finish this review)...Typically when I read these books - I love to read them in one sitting. But I found myself looking up recipes, doing work, running errands. This book did not keep me want to turn pages as the first one, Instant Attraction. Granted, these are not deep, intense novels that make you go crazy -they are light and easy. But even so, I couldn't find myself being very interested in these characters.Stone is one of the brothers that owns a mountain exploration/attraction company (hiking, biking, snow mobiles, etc). He is a guide, owner and is sexy as heck. He is the middle brother who is known for being laid back and a peace maker. Emma is the daughter of the local doctor (her estranged dad who has had a heart attack and cannot practice medicine for awhile). She comes in to take over his practice until he gets back on his feet. She is from NY and the small town life is nothing that she thinks will interest her. She is supposed to be the quintessential uptight, 'stick up your rear', hard core doc from the Big Apple.They meet and Stone is determined to teach her to relax and hopefully stay in the town for good.The story takes us through their relationship as well as the relationship b/w Emma and her father.There is also a second (but much smaller) relationship b/w two other characters.The idea/premise of this story is great. Love the "hard-a**" meets laid back person, and they both find things to love about each other.Love the 'estranged daughter heals with dad' storyline as well.But this just didn't work for me.Stone is perfect. yes - he is afraid of needles. Oh - big deal. The author plays its as a major (but funny) defect. It's no defect at all.Otherwise, Stone is perfect. How has he not already been dating and married with someone. He's so laid back I can't believe that he's super picky about his women as well?Emma is not that uptight. She is supposed to be polar opposite of Stone, but it doesn't come off that way. They funny bantering and dialogue b/w them make them look super compatible.I didn't feel that they really helped each other grow. Emma got great sex and that seemed to be enough for her to break out of her hard coated shell.The depth of the characters just didn't seem to be there. They had some light bantering, but I don't see how their relationship really grew at all.The author touches upon Stone's desire to restore old buildings. That could have been a great opportunity to show some conflict and depth to Stone in the book - but that never materializes. It just comes off as, "oh...I would LOVE to spend more time restoring old buildings, but I don't, so...oh well! Back to the trails to lead more groups down this mountain! - skipping away"Some big facts surface about her father (estranged) and her mother. Yet these are totally glossed over as well. This was another opportunity for the author to show some depth to Emma and make us feel for her, and really try to understand and show the depth of her sadness and conflict of having a father that 'just didn't care'. But it was also like, "WOW! Did you hear about what my dad did? WoW!...Oh well... moving on"The side story of the second couple mentioned held my attention more than Stone and Emma, and that was only a few pages devoted to them.I wish there was also more about Cam and Katie, but just a tiny bit was mentioned about their travels away from home.I like 'lite', but this was too lite for me...

This being second in the series of three it is wprth reading but for me did not have the same appeal as books one and two.

This is the second book in the series about the Wilder brothers, Cameron, Stone and TJ. Stone is the middle brother and he falls for Emma the new local doctor. Emma is a strong-minded woman who Stone has to convince to stay with him in Wishful.

This was an entertaining read a good story, great characters and the love between Stone and Emma was hot enough to keep you interested, would recommend this to anyone who likes a good romance

Book 2 in the Wilder trilogy is just as good as the first one. Kept me on my toes until the end! Loved it!

Fantastic series by Jill Shalvis!! Loved all three books. If you like the Lucky Harbor series you'll love this book