Still the OneAnimal Magnetism #6
By:
Jill Shalvis
Published:
April 7, 2015
Publisher:
Berkley
Source:
eARC from the Publisher for a honest review
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GR's Summary:
Darcy Stone is game for anything — except sexy Navy veteran and physical therapist A.J. Colten, the guy who'd rejected her when she'd needed him most. Now the shoe is on the other foot and he needs her to play nice and help him secure grants for his patients. Unfortunately, Darcy can't refuse. She needs the money to fund her passion project: rescuing S&R dogs and placing them with emotionally wounded soldiers.
A.J. admits it — Darcy is irresistible. But he's already been battle-scarred by a strong-willed, vivacious, adventurous woman like Darcy, and he's not making the same mistake twice—until he and Darcy are forced to fake a relationship. Growing closer than they'd ever imagined possible, Darcy and AJ have to ask themselves: how much between them is pretend? What's the real thing? And where does it go from here?
My Thoughts:
I always enjoy reading Jill Shalvis' books. She writes the sweetest romances, creates realistic and relatable characters, and always keeps my attention from the beginning to the very end of her stories.
In Still the One, we get Darcy and A.J.'s story. Darcy use to live a life of adventure, as she traveled the world for her career working for National Geographic and the Travel Channel, which required that she engaged in dangerous daredevil type exploits. However, a horrible car accident left her seriously injured and in a wheelchair. Therefore, she returned to the small town of Sunshine, Idaho, where her siblings Zoe and Wyatt were there to help her with her recovery.
A.J. owns the Sunshine Wellness Center, and is a physical therapist. He helped Darcy in her physical rehabilitation, and now she can walk again. Darcy made a move on A.J. eight months ago, and after he rejected her, things have been awkward between the two of them. Little does Darcy know, but A.J. is very attracted to her, and has deep feelings for her. However, he turned down her advances, because she reminds him of his ex-girlfriend who broke his heart. Darcy works part-time as a receptionist at the Wellness center, and even though she tries to ignore A.J., she cannot deny the pull between them.
When A.J. needs to travel to Boise, in order to meet up with a potential grant sponsor for his business, he asks for Darcy to accompany him. He needs to use her as an example of his hard work and how it can benefit others in need of extended physical therapy, when the insurance company stops paying for services. Their stay in Boise gets extended due to a horrible snow storm, and things get complicated and very interesting when they end up having to pretend that they are a couple in love. Add in some team building exercises to impress the potential grant donor, and the intimacy between them grows, and the attraction becomes explosive! Will Darcy and A.J. finally give in to temptation, and admit their feelings for one another, or will they continue to deny what continues to grow between them?
Still the One was a lovely story. I love the small town of Sunshine, Idaho, and all of the wonderful secondary characters in this story. There are so many! Darcy's siblings Zoe and Wyatt, as well as her good friend Xander are amongst my favorites.
The romance between Darcy and A.J. was beautifully cultivated. It was slow building, realistic, meaningful, and has a lot of depth to it. The attraction between these two characters was sweet, sexy, and intensely sensual. I loved how Darcy and A.J. were together. I could feel the intense passion between them, and couldn't help but get swept away in it! It was enthralling, sexy, and the love between them made my heart melt.
My Rating:
I give, Still the One, by Jill Shalvis 4 Sweet, Tender, Sensually Romantic Filled Stars!
Book Teaser:
About Jill Shalvis:
New York Times 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, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill's bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.
Got to agree with you on this one. Still the One is a beautiful romance. Nice review.
ReplyDeleteThanks Val :)
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