Just the Thing (The Donnigans #2)
by Marie Harte
Blurb:
A
FLING MIGHT BE JUST THE THING...
Gavin
Donnigan left the Marine Corps a shell of a man, hounded by guilt for deaths he
couldn't prevent. But teaching a self-defense class at the local gym brings
some stability to his life―along with a gorgeous leggy woman who won't give him
the time of day.
Zoe
York lost her twin sister to a freak car accident a few months ago. She's been
struggling to bury her grief, but it isn't until she signs up for a
self-defense class with its distractingly hot instructor that she begins to
come out of her shell again. With the memory of her sister telling her to live
a little, Zoe decides a fling with buns-of-steel Gavin Donnigan might be just
the thing.
Soon
they're sparring both in and out of the gym. And for the first time in a long
time, each is looking forward to tomorrow.
Themes: Contemporary
Rating: 3.5 stars
Heat Rating: 
Review:
Another series that I have found to enjoy by
Marie Harte is underway with the story of the Donnigan family and the issues they
have each had to face as they try to find love to last through their lives like
their parents. While I can honestly say I enjoyed this story, the trauma both
Gavin and Zoe were coming to terms with was heartbreaking enough that I kept disconnecting
from their passionate love story to contemplate the pain they each must have
continuously been dealing with. Gavin
has been having serious issues since his return from the war and his medical
retirement from the Marine Corps. It is
obvious that Gavin knows he has a long way to go in order to be back to his
full self but the pull toward Zoe is irresistible. Zoe is working through her own PTSD issues,
having just lost her twin sister, and is not interested in starting a love
affair, but hey a girl does have needs.
Willing to jump right into bed with Gavin, Zoe soon finds out that
keeping herself separate from the man in her bed is not as easy as she hoped it
would be. Gavin on the other hand knows that Zoe is a special person and that
he needs to make himself better to her earn her love.
Gavin was a man that I could relate to, someone that is a true hero,
even as he feels he has let down those that counted on him. He is sweet with his family and when he
messes around with his brothers it is so easy to see that those guys are
seriously connected through a family love that runs deep even as they trick and
trap each other. Zoe on the other hand
is a woman that is hiding instead of healing after her loss; I can accept that
it might be easier for her move on by denying the pain of the loss, but only
when she sees Gavin struggling with his pain does she actually step up and
decide to deal with her own issues so she can help the man she has come to
love deal with his. But Zoe is the type
of woman that would be my best friend, even though she would drive me crazy,
but her striving for perfection and her willingness to work for what she wants
would make her a good bestie. The heat between Gavin and Zoe was sometimes off
the charts, but the emotional trauma led to some moments that were less about
passion and more about the emotional healing they both needed. I am looking forward to the next story in the
series which I assume with be their sister’s as Theo has some growing up to do
before he is grown enough to find his true love. That being said whenever the siblings have
all found love, I know that this family will be truly complete and able to
survive any challenge that is thrown at any of them.
*ebook provided by publisher (via
netgalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review. No compensation was provided.
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