Once in a Lifetime

By: Jill Shalvis

Narrated by: Annie Green

Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

After a wrenching loss, Ben McDaniel tried to escape his grief by working in dangerous, war-torn places like Africa and the Middle East. Now he's back in his hometown and face-to-face with Aubrey Wellington, the hot-as-hell woman who is trouble with a capital T. Family and friends insist she's not the one to ease his pain, but Aubrey sparks an intense desire that gives Ben hope for the future.

Determined to right the wrongs of her past, Aubrey is working hard to make amends. But by far, the toughest challenge to her plan is sexy, brooding Ben—even though he has absolutely no idea what she's done....

Can this unlikely couple defy the odds and win over the little town of Lucky Harbor?

©2014 Jill Shalvis (P)2014 Hachette Audio

Not her best

I enjoy the Lucky Harbor series but this one was just lame. Didn't really like Aubrey, she was written to be kind of ditsy. Not enough heat. It was just OK.

BEST OF THE LUCKY HARBOR SERIES SO FAR!

Would you listen to Once in a Lifetime again? Why?

YES! Annie Green did a fantastic job narrating this wonderful story.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Once in a Lifetime?

I don't know if I can pick just one memorable moment. This was a story of a woman trying to make amends for things she had done when she was younger and a man coming to terms with his lot in life, so there were several. I think though. If I have to pick one, it was when Kendra, a 5 year old girl spoke to Ben for the first time. She was abandoned by her father and her mother and grandmother had both died. She was living in a foster home when Ben met her and her twin sister, Pink. Ben had gotten her father back in the picture, and when Kendra fears Ben is going to leave, she talks to him. It was simple, sweet, and a tear jerker.

Which scene was your favorite?

I think my favorite is when Ben finds out about Aubrey's list of people she wants to make amends to. Ben is on the list and Aubrey does not want him to see it or know about it. Ben holds it up and away from her and she grabs his shirt and twist his chest hair. It was funny and I found myself laughing out loud and rewinding to hear it again.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I think it was a concept that really moved me. Aubrey, and the town, feel that Aubrey is selfish and mean spirited person. But it seems to me that every thing she has done to the people on her list was due to some injustice she is angry about. I loved her. She is strong and funny, and has sharp wit. The best thing about her is her capacity to care hidden behind her bitch attitude. She is great.

Any additional comments?

I love a romance with humor. Jill Shalvis always gives a lot of that with her romance and I was so glad to hear Annie Green bring it life with spot on timing and how she took on the characters and made them real. She is a perfect fit for Jill Shalvis's writing style and I hope they pair up again with the next story in this fun and wonderful series.

Narration

I struggled with the staccato narration. It was exhausting to listen and hear the story.

great series.

The entire series is about the small town and the people in it. Be n, Ford, Jack, Lucille and all the people of the town have known each other for a lifetime. Aubrey has always been the bad girl. But she proves she has grown up and is ready to change. Been is the first to see it.

great book

I completely enjoyed this book. Great characters,storyline, narrative, and voices .all did good together ❤️

love the series

I just love Jill Shalvis. her books always bring happiness to me. really enjoying them on audible

Once in a Lifetime

Love, love, loved Ben & Aubrey's story. Can't get much better than a Jill Shalvis novel!

Fun + Thoughtful + Surprising story

How do you manage a story that has to be fun and lighthearted yet thoughtful and poignant? Shalvis does this in this story as a former troublemaker does a surprising tour of forgiveness, prompted by an accidental hide-out in an AA meeting, hiding of course from the male lead in the story.
One satisfying thing Shalvis does in this series is exercise resolution of difficult childhood relationships (usually with parents) as the leads struggle with current relationship challenges.
The plot satisfies and the characters (ok, we ALL need a Lucille!) entertain while the leads struggle like we all do to realize the role of past in how we've dealt with people and relationships. Shalvis's talent is the patently original characters that don't follow stereotypes yet are sympathetic and endearing.
A great investment of a credit. I can't wait to listen again because Annie Greene is perfect!

3 ½ stars.

I liked the story parts that went with this romance.

This is book 9 in the Lucky Harbor Series. I read the last three books in order. They are about three guy friends who find love. This was the best of the three. You do not need to read them in order. Although it’s nice to do it that way. The best part of the series is that I feel like I’m part of the community. I know so many people. I enjoy reading about them.

Ben’s wife died five years ago. He’s reluctant to fall in love. Aubrey was ornery and caused trouble as she was growing up. Now Aubrey makes a list of people she hurt and is visiting each person, making amends, apologizing, and doing something to make it right. I enjoyed that. She is trying to become a better person. I also loved watching Ben help two young foster girls.

Aubrey’s landlord hires Ben to do carpentry work in Aubrey’s bookstore, so they are together a lot. They start falling for each other. They have some hot sex. Ben doesn’t know that he is on her list and that she did something to hurt him in the past. Of course this later causes the big misunderstanding/fight. I wish that did not happen. Too many romances do that. I’d prefer they deal with the problem in a better way.

AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR:
The narrator Annie Greene was very good as a performer/narrator, but she says contractions in a way that jars me. Instead of couldn’t, hadn’t, etc., she says couldet and hadet. If speaking slowly she says couldunt, hadant, woulden. Every time she did this my mind went “what’s she doing?” I’m sorry for complaining, but I really prefer generic TV anchor speak.

Genre: contemporary romance

Cliche Romance Novel

Is there anything you would change about this book?

No.

Would you be willing to try another book from Jill Shalvis? Why or why not?

At this point probably not, it was a rather cliche romance novel.

What three words best describe Annie Green’s performance?

She read well.

Could you see Once in a Lifetime being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

God No!

Any additional comments?

Eh.

Feel good romance

I have to admit I love Jill Shalvis books, but her Lucky Harbor Novels are a bit hit and miss for me. I liked this book. Not brilliant, but I still give it four stars because it was exactly what I expected from this sort of book. A nice romance with a bit of spice, a few bumps along the way and then neatly tied up at the end. The plot line is nothing too demanding but sometimes that is what I feel like listening to. At first I was not sure that I would like the heroine - she had been a bit of a bitch in the past (freely admitted) and done some pretty mean things, but as the story develops you start to understand her a bit better and come to like the person she has become. I do get a bit annoyed with the constant small town gossip built into the story - would the other residents really boycott the heroine's store opening just because they didn't like her personal life? That just strikes me as petty, small minded, and small town bullying. It would have been nice if they are rallied around her and supported someone who was, after all, trying to open a new business in their community. Apart from that niggling complaint I think this is a good addition to the Lucky Harbor series.