Review: Just the Thing (The Donnigans #2)

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.