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Her Sexiest Mistake

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"Fall in love with Jill Shalvis. She's my go-to read for humor and heart!"-Susan Mallery, New York Times bestselling author

Mia Appleby finally has the life she always wanted. She's escaped her trailer trash childhood and built a nice life for herself with a marketing job and a cute, little condo. But no matter how much baggage she's ditched from her past, she still hasn't managed to shake her greatest weakness-men. So when her new neighbor turns out to be single and oh-so-sexy, Mia's worried she's playing with fire . . .

Kevin McKnight can't get enough of his gorgeous neighbor, but after one amazing night, she's already showing him the door. Something tells him this is the way she handles most men. But Kevin is far from your average guy-and he's ready to prove it to Mia. When a blast from her past shakes up Mia's life in a major way, will she stick with her self-sufficient solo act . . . or take a chance leaning on Kevin's strong shoulders?

324 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 6, 2005

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About the author

Jill Shalvis

365 books13.4k followers
Multiple New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is … mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning heartwarming and full of humor novels wherever books are sold and visit her website for a complete book list and blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures. Her newest Sunrise Cove novel, THE SUMMER ESCAPE, is out now, and BETTER THAN FRIENDS comes out in January 2025!

Look for Jill's bestselling, award-winning novels wherever books are sold. Visit http://www.jillshalvis.com for a complete book list and fun blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

Connect with Jill:
http://instagram.com/jillshalvis
http://facebook.com/JillShalvis
http://twitter.com/jillshalvis

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5 stars
406 (27%)
4 stars
533 (36%)
3 stars
422 (28%)
2 stars
82 (5%)
1 star
18 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 119 reviews
Profile Image for Geri Reads.
1,232 reviews2,126 followers
December 28, 2013
3.5 stars!

One of Jill Shalvis' earlier books that's being reissued in digital format, Her Favorite Mistake was a cute and easy read. It tells a story about Mia Appleby and her "relationship" with her hot as hell neighbor, Kevin McKnight. All she wants was a booty call but he wants more.



I liked the whole friends-with-benefits thing even though Mia drove me batty with her insistence of keeping the relationship purely physical. Kevin on the other hand was wonderful. He knows what he wants and he went out of his way to prove it.

What I also liked about this book is the dynamics between Kevin's relationship with his troubled younger brother and Mia's relationship with her niece. It added a much needed layer to both their characters.

While I liked this book, it lacks the magic that's very present in her Lucky Harbor Series. This was more than okay but it wasn't really a 'Wow' read for me.

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
Profile Image for Natalie  ~ The Biblioholic.
2,709 reviews1,386 followers
February 26, 2021
I love when an introduction to a new-to-me author gives me a winner of a story!

It all started with a one night stand. Mia doesn't do repeats and Kevin wants more. She gives him the brush off, he likes her fire. She never goes back and yet, she's constantly finding herself darkening his doorstep. She doesn't do feelings, and yet he evokes in her sensations she can't recognize, much less acknowledge. She can't get enough of him, he can't get enough of her, but there are issues, which only made the story more entertaining.

I didn't like Mia, but I don't think I was supposed to. Initially, she was selfish, self-centered, rude, controlling, and had a huge chip on her shoulder. She covered every vulnerability with a falsehood, her attitude projecting a facade that hid the truth. At first it was a bit off-putting, but once I realized that she needed this in order to protect herself, that she had no idea what it was to have true interpersonal relationships, the ice around my heart for this character began to thaw.

Now Kevin, he was great book boyfriend material. He was patient and kind, sweet and sexy, compassionate and understanding, and for all that he had going for him (such an amazing personality!), of course he was confident, self-assured and charming! Kevin was the greatest part of this story for me and I only wish that he were a bit more assertive when it came to Mia. She walked all over him for the most part and each time he would tell himself 'not again'... Yeah, you guessed it. It would happen again. I wanted him to either stick to his guns by showing her that she couldn't always have her way or give her a bit of a brush off. Tell her no and see how she likes it.

In the end, I really enjoyed this story. I loved the dynamic relationship that developed between Mia, Kevin and Hope. I loved the vulnerability of the characters and the situations they allowed themselves to be in. I loved how this author created a character I could love and hate with the same breath (I'm looking at you, Mia). If this story is what I can come to expect from this author, I'll definitely be reading more :)

Profile Image for Michelle [Helen Geek].
1,772 reviews412 followers
November 24, 2013
11/23/2013 --

Overall Rating = 3.5 Stars
Book Cover / Book Blurb / Book Title = 1 / 4 / 3 = 2.5 Stars
Writer’s Voice = 3 Stars
Character Development = 4 Stars
Story Appreciation = 3 Stars
Worth the Chili = 5 Stars -- [$3.79 on Amazon]

This book was originally published in 2005. You may have read it already. I hadn't. I wanted something light to read. Also needed a sure thing. I've started and stopped so many books recently, I needed one sure to please.

I love this author, but this one wasn't the best I've read by her. It kept me entertained for an afternoon, but nothing spectacular.

Happy Reading!

ARC provided by Forever (Grand Central Publishing) via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for TB Roxie.
319 reviews
January 6, 2014
Bleh. GAVE UP. The lead was self-centered. The hot teacher didn't deserve her.
Profile Image for Alexis.
37 reviews11 followers
October 19, 2011
Jill Shalvis novels never fail to put me in a good mood, and this one delivered, for the most part anyways. I guess my big problem with this novel was the main character Mia (Apple) Appleby. Mia is portrayed as a career driven, anti-social hard headed woman. And, she just irked me to my very bones. I much preferred her best friend Tess, whom, I relate to more so that is probably why. Not that Mia didn’t grow on me eventually, but, through the first half I wanted to smack the girl and even though out the second half she got annoying.

That’s not to say anything at all was wrong with Kevin. The man who wants to fix everything… honestly the way he was described I don’t see how he was struggling in the woman department. It’s not that he’s perfect but come on. A sex god man with an amazing perfect body that teaches high school because he honestly wants to make a difference and help people change for the better… he would not be single sorry but it’s true.

Okay I could go on and on about the characters, but I’ll stop now because this shouldn’t be a ten page character analysis. Nope for the most part the actual story plot was enjoyable, if not extremely predictable at every turn but what’s a happy easy romantic read if not predictable. I guess the thing that bothered me most was then end. The story just ended with a lot of loose ends left hanging. How long did Hope end up staying? Did their business continue to succeed? What happened to Mia’s jerky coworkers? What about Hope’s budding relationship? I felt I’d invested time in those side stories just for them to never pan out.

Overall though, this book is great for a long flight when you need something to read that doesn’t have much depth. Shalvis is one of my favorite contemporary romance authors because of her fluffy stories! This was an earlier work though, and it shows but that just means her books keep getting better and better! ;)
Profile Image for Sharon.
863 reviews
December 19, 2013
Review: 3 out of 5 stars

Jill Shalvis is an auto-buy for me, I have loved everything I have read by her to date so I was more than eager to read Her Favourite Mistake and although I didn’t find this to be as solid as her previous books, it was enjoyable none the less.

My biggest gripe was our main heroine, Mia Appleby who came across as self-absorbed and snobbish, she has left behind a past that she doesn’t want to revisit and is now a successful business woman with all the niceties she has always wanted and worked hard for; as the book progresses so too did my opinion of her but it did take a while to get to that stage, she wasn’t at all the most likeable character.

What (or who) I did enjoy was the love interest, smexy Kevin McNight who was perfect! How he tolerated Mia’s treatment was beyond me but he was continually accepting, kind and dependable. Looking after his deaf brother and guiding Mia on how to be a ‘nice’ aunt to her niece who rocked up on her doorstep wasn’t always easy but he did it well.

I liked the side story and romance between Mike and Tess; I think I became more invested in what would happen between them rather than the MC’s which became predictable.

Overall, a well-written, quick and enjoyable read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity to read and review Her Sexiest Mistake
Profile Image for Susan.
4,648 reviews117 followers
November 13, 2011
Loved this book. So much dysfunction in the characters, but not in a mean way. Mia was determinedly independent because she didn't want to be like her mother, always looking for a man to take care of her. So she would use men, but not let anyone get close to her. Kevin was a chronic fixer. He wanted to take care of everyone - his brother, Mia, Hope, his students. His brother Mike had spent years playing his brother, and not taking responsibility for anything. Hope just wanted a better life, and kept people from seeing her insecurity with her bad attitude. As all these people came together, they started to change and see things could be different. The idea of opening up scared Mia to death, and she nearly destroyed her relationships with Kevin and Hope. I loved the humor in the story - lots of LOL moments. My only difficulty with the book was the poor editing/proofreading. I'd be reading merrily away and get pulled out of the story by a typo or missing word, etc.
Profile Image for Gwen (The Gwendolyn Reading Method).
1,702 reviews477 followers
April 20, 2015
I love me some Jill Shalvis, and this was a cute one. The characters were good, the plot wasn't mind blowing, but I just like Jill Shalvis' approach to contemporary romance.
Profile Image for Bookcrazy.
1,064 reviews
February 1, 2014
Ein sexy Motorradfahrer, der eigentlich Lehrer ist und eine Karrierefrau mit einer Vergangenheit vor der sie davonläuft haben ein One night stand. Und noch eins und noch eins ;)
Kevin ist überrascht als Mia nach dem besten Sex seines Lebens, ihre Sachen packt und abhaut, da sie keine festen Bindungen eingehen will bzw. kann. Sie trifft keinen Typen zweimal um keine Gefühle zu entwickeln, doch als ihre Nichte Hope plötzlich auftaucht, sieht sie Kevin öfter und aus einem One night stand werden unweigerlich zwei, drei...

Mit dieser Liebesgeschichte hat die Autorin wirklich meinen Geschmack getroffen. Diesmal ist nicht SIE es die IHM nachläuft, sondern er würde ja gern eine Beziehung eingehen, aber sie will bzw. ist nicht dazu fähig. Definitiv wird das nicht mein letztes Jill Shalvis-Buch bleiben. Die Autorin schreibt sehr humorvoll, witzig und gefühlvoll, zudem fesselnd, so dass ich das Buch kaum weglegen konnte. Knapp an 5 Sternen ist es leider bei der Bewertung für mich vorbeigeschrammt, da sich für mich am Ende nicht alles so "schön" zusammengefügt hat, es mich gefühlsmäßig kalt ließ, verglichen mit dem Rest.

ENGLISCH TRANSLATION FOR LK ;)

A sexy motorcyclist, who's actually a teacher and a career woman, who runs away from her past, have a one night stand. And another and another one :)
Kevin is surprised as Mia packed her belongings and runs away, after having the best sex in his entire life because she doesn't want firm ties or isn't able to have firm relationships. She never meets a guy twice to prevent developing deeper feelings. But when her niece Hope suddenly shows up, she sees Kevin more often and a one night stands becomes a two nights, three nights... stand. So only 4.5 stars :)

With this love story the author has really hit my taste. This time it's not HER who's running after HIM. This time he's eager to get into a relationship, but she doesn't wants or isn't capable for having one. Definitely this book will not be my last Jill Shalvis book. The author writes very homourous, witty and soulful, also very captivating, so I could hardly put the book down. The books doesn't get the full 5 stars from me because at the end everything didn't come together so well and beautiful as I imagined and the ending compared to the awesome rest of the book left me emotionless, cold.
Profile Image for Kimberly.
2,255 reviews91 followers
December 28, 2014
My review cross-posted from Wit and Sin: http://witandsin.blogspot.com/2014/12...

Her Sexiest Mistake is a story of flawed people with big hearts finding their way. Author Jill Shalvis never fails to entertain, and I devoured this sexy, heartwarming book in one sitting.

I absolutely adored Mia. She’s smart, relatable, and does her best even when she’s in over her head both at work and in her personal life. She makes mistakes, quite a few of them, in her quest to separate herself from her past. I appreciated her reasoning even when I knew she was heading in the wrong direction. And to be perfectly honest, I loved that she was flawed. It was wonderful watching her successful but empty life fill with joy over the course of Her Sexiest Mistake as Mia opens her heart not just to Kevin, but to her niece, Hope. And speaking of Kevin…man, he is definitely not a mistake. He is, however, sexy as hell, along with patient and kind. He’s not perfect, but he’s pretty close. Kevin’s most endearing quality – giving all of himself to help others – is also what threatens to break his heart. Both Mia and Kevin’s brother, Mike, try his patience over the course of the story, but both plotlines are ultimately rewarding. Falling in love definitely isn’t easy on either Mia or Kevin, but Ms. Shalvis makes every obstacle worth it in the end.

Her Sexiest Mistake is different from many of Ms. Shalvis’s newer books in a way I can’t quite explain. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed the change of pace from one of my favorite authors. Mia, Kevin, and their loved ones are characters who will stay with you, and I can’t wait to read Her Sexiest Mistake again!


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Profile Image for Jessi.
5,333 reviews19 followers
August 3, 2016
When I saw this book on NetGalley, I was instantly excited. New Jill Shalvis! Except that it's not. It's a re-release from 2005. And it's not as good as her more recent works.
Mia Appleby is trying to be the perfect woman. She's trying to overcome her past where her mother and sister concentrated so hard on finding a man that they couldn't get ahead in life. But when the book opens, Mia is running away after waking up in the bed of teacher Kevin McKnight.
Through the course of the book, we see Mia juggle stress from work, stress from Kevin's pursuit, and stress from the goth-y niece who shows up on her doorstep one day. But we don't really see her grow. And there's not really a sens of Kevin being anything but perfect. Unlike her later books, I really didn't care about these characters and couldn't wait for the book to be over. To be honest, if it weren't for being an ARC, this book would have been a DNF for me.
Will I stop reading Shalvis books? Dear God no. But will I recommend this one? Probably not.
Profile Image for Kelli.
517 reviews43 followers
February 13, 2012
A definite must-read for lovers of Romance. Today when I was finishing it and nearing the end I cried - like the horribly sad, bottom lip quivering kind of cry. Jill sucker punches me straight to the heart everytime. I loved this book. Such a great read and so much love packed into 314 pages it was unbelievably hard to breathe sometimes. So refreshing, such a heartfelt, funny, breezy and still such an intense book all at the same time, in a way that only Jill can write it. If you haven't read her - you need to, if you've read her before - continue to. This book is a prime example of how well Jill can write HEART into a book. So wonderful.
Profile Image for Teresa.
1,482 reviews46 followers
September 26, 2015
Por vezes começo a ler um livro e ele não me prende (por isso tenho tantos entre mãos), e com este foi um pouco isso, mas esta semana peguei nele e de repente não conseguia parar.
Mia cresce com a irmã e a mãe que apenas têm interesse em arranjar um homem que as mantenha, finalmente consegue fugir desse mundo mas fecha-se para o mundo e torna-se uma mulher de sucesso na sua profissão, crendo que é tudo o que precisa.
Até que a sobrinha Hope e o vizinho Kevin entram na sua vida balançando o seu mundo perfeito, até que ela não tem outro remédio senão aceitar que os ama e não pode viver sem eles.
Profile Image for Sarah .
439 reviews82 followers
November 30, 2013
Check out my review @ No Book Left Behind. (Warning: this review was written while drugged on cold medicine. Please excuse any weirdness that doesn't not belong/make sense/creeps you out.)

I will no longer be hosting my reviews in Goodreads. All books I have personally reviewed will be linked back to my blog on BookLikes for all of you to see! :)
Profile Image for BBMoreB ~.
783 reviews
November 30, 2013
This is not the Jill Shalvis writing I am familiar with; I could never get comfortable in this book. The relationship was too unbalanced; Kevin’s character allowed everyone take advantage of him and Mia was too self-absorbed. The thing about reprints is they do not usually live up my expectations.

Disclosure: This ebook was provided to me free of charge for the sole purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments, and ratings are my own.
Profile Image for Dawn ♥ romance.
1,830 reviews27 followers
November 12, 2011
I liked the hero in this story who was the steady durable one pushing for more from the relationship but the heroine was something else. I liked how they dealt with their relatives issues and the secondary romance. Marketing exec Mia has a one night stand with her new neighbor Kevin, a teacher.
55 reviews
February 6, 2012
Love Kevin!!! And the relationship between Mia and Hope it was super cute to see them realize they love each other
Profile Image for Nonieღserenity2bliss.
1,937 reviews360 followers
February 11, 2012
It was just okay. I wasn't really into it for some reason. The heroine, while her antics were charming and fun in the beginning, got pretty tiring after awhile.
Profile Image for Kelly Oakes.
248 reviews368 followers
February 15, 2015
I loved this book. Couldn't get enough of these characters.
Hoping there's going to be a book about Tess and Mike.
I really enjoyed the sexy chemistry between Kevin and Mia. Heartfelt and honest.
3,266 reviews
April 18, 2020
Mia Appleby left her country roots behind and reinvented herself as a successful advertising executive. But when she eyed the sexy neighbor on his motorcycle, she liked what she saw and they started a sex-only relationship. Kevin McKnight wanted Mia to show him who she really was but she had held herself aloof so long that she doesn’t know how to loosen up. It’s not until she sees him walk away that she realizes she loves him and can’t lose him.

Mia is so afraid someone will learn about her poor white trash background, she becomes uptight and keeps her feelings inside. She has to be perfect in her job and her life. Consequently, she has no life outside her job. Kevin is a teacher and works with teens to get them to do better and make something of their lives. He is understanding to a fault but is at the end of his rope with Mia. When he tells her that he loves her, she can't answer. She might give her true feelings away.
Profile Image for Iris Blobel.
Author 23 books251 followers
July 12, 2022
Mia grew up in a trailer and always wanted to be better... and away from her family. Years later she's got it all, including a sexy neighbour, who turns out more than just a one night stand.

She believes she's got it all, until her niece Hope stands in front of her door - escaping the same life her aunt escaped from years earlier.

What initially reads like "a-lodda-sex" book, really surprised me half way by the depth of character "development" of the four main characters. Mia's whose life isn't that perfect after all, her neighbour Kevin, who's got a tendency to care too much for others, his deaf brother Mike and, of course, Hope, the teenage niece, who steals the show on most of the pages.
Profile Image for JoAnn M.
321 reviews1 follower
July 4, 2020
Career-driven Mia Appleby starts a superficial relationship with her new neighbor, Kevin McNight. He's all a girl could ask for, he cares about her, his students, and his brother. But Mia wants to keep it only physical. Complicating matters is her 16-year-old niece who's just driven cross-country to get away from her mother and possibly find a role model in Mia. I thought this was another one-note book: Kevin wants to get deeper with her, and Mia keeps putting off getting emotionally involved. I was getting tired of this by the end.
Profile Image for Cathy.
784 reviews
July 14, 2020
HER SEXIEST MISTAKE by Jill Shalvis. Being a fan of Ms. Shalvis, I was excited for this one, as usual. Overall, the story was enjoyable but the heroine just irked me a bit too much. I truly tried to like her and find the positives but she was just a bit too much for me. The Hero, however, was simply scrumptious and perfect. I could eat him up! The story flowed effortlessly, and the plot was east to read and follow, a true romance tale that did make my heart flutter, despite the heroine and her annoying way. (received NetGalley ARC for honest review)
466 reviews5 followers
May 7, 2020
Jill Shalvis always deserves 5 stars! This book didn’t disappoint. I absolutely loved just how broken Mia is because it was so fun to see her heal and change throughout the book. Kevin is a true saint of a guy and her true love because he could see past her wounds. With his love, and finding out she liked having her niece around, Mia was able to move past this wall she put up and find true love. Great book! Good character development. Witty dialogue. Well done!
December 17, 2021
This book was a total disappointment, everything was narrated in a super corny tone, the male lead was for some reason always wearing t-shirts with stupid phrases on them, and character development literally only happened in the last chapters. Also, there were plenty of grammar mistakes, but I am guessing that has been fixed in newer editions.

Many say Jill Shalvis got better at her craft after this book, and I hope it’s true, but I won’t be finding out any time soon.
Profile Image for Inge.
155 reviews4 followers
August 31, 2018
I liked the characters, especially Kevin. Enjoyed the story.
Profile Image for Cathy.
531 reviews1 follower
November 26, 2019
Really enjoyed this one. My favorite character was Hope! Mia annoyed me a little bit. Overall great book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 119 reviews

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