TITLE: Still The One
SERIES #: Animal Magnetism
CHARACTERS: Darcy & AJ
AUTHOR: Jill Shalvis
PUBLICATION DATE: April 7, 2015
ORDER LINKS:Amazon
BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Love is a dare in the sexy new romance by the award-winning New York Times bestselling author of the Animal Magnetism novels and the Lucky Harbor series…
Darcy Stone is game for anything—except sexy Navy vet and physical therapist AJ 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.
AJ 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?
KELLY’S REVIEW:
4 Stars Darcy has lived by the motto of don’t love and you won’t get hurt. But after her accident Darcy is starting to learn that she does need people to lean on. Just as long as it is not the hunky AJ that leaves her all twitterpated.
AJ has loved hard and lost hard. He doesn’t know if he has it in him to do it again. But with Darcy it is just so darn easy. Well Darcy herself is not easy. Oh no, she is a challenge inside a challenge inside a tightly sealed box. But AJ is a patient man.
As always Ms. Shalvis writes a story that tugs at my heartstrings. I really loved this story. When I got to the part with Raisin (she’s a dog) there were tears. I have a soft spot for sweet little doggies like Raisin. Loved AJ and Darcy. It was so much fun to watch these two dance circles around each other.
I can’t wait to see who is next in this series.
JENNIFER’S REVIEW:
4.5 Hearts Darcy spent most of her life traveling the globe, running from the pain of her past and writing travel articles for magazines. Then one day, a horrible car accident changed all that and left Darcy with emotional and physical scars. A.J. has helped Darcy get her life back by working with her every week for months as her physical therapist and helped her find her true passion in life. Saving Search and Rescue dogs when they no longer able to work for S&R and transitioning them to become therapy companions for wounded soldiers. A.J. has always cared for Darcy but has never let her see his true feelings for her until they are forced to spend time together to help A.J. secure a grant so he can continue providing therapy for patients who desperately need it after their insurance benefits have run out. They both discover that faking a relationship is too easy when true feelings are involved and they both may discover that they have a future together if they just can take a leap of faith.
Darcy had built this wall around her emotionally to protect herself from getting involved with anyone and the only person able to break through it was A.J. Her parents never seemed to care for her while growing up so relationships were just fun and games as long as there were no real feelings involved. She was used to traveling the world and never staying at any one place for too long so being in Sunshine for her therapy had changed her in ways she never planned on. She had a home, friends and family and finally a real purpose in life that would help others who experienced what she had. She needed someone to look past the scars and the wall that she had built around herself and love the stubborn, spunky woman that she truly was.
A.J. was a great guy. He helped so many people in his career as a physical therapist and continued to help them even if their insurance was no longer paying for it because it was what they needed to get better. He was just as hard-headed as Darcy was and there were times that I wanted to smack both of these characters because they had love right in front of them. They just had to reach out and grab it, but they were both too stubborn to do it. A.J. knew exactly what Darcy went through with her accident and was afraid to love her due to a previous relationship ending badly. Once they were able to get over the pain of their past they were able to see that sometimes love isn’t always perfect but definitely worth the risk.
This is the sixth book in the Animal Magnetism series and I’m always impressed by the wonderful love stories that Ms. Shalvis creates with each new book that she writes. I’m looking forward to reading her next book coming out later this year.
KIMBERLY’S REVIEW:
4 Stars
I am not sure I have ever read a book from Jill Shalvis that I have not enjoyed and that didn’t make me want to grab the next one in the series. And this was no different.
AJ is so sweet. The strong silent type. Afraid of getting his heart broken and yet is a good guy who deserves to feel the love of a good woman. And Darcy is a crack up. She has been through more than most and yet tries to hold her head high. And then there is Raisin… Oh goodness!
And be forewarned have a bag of gummy bears when you start reading. If you don’t have some you will be heading to the store to get some.
Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley & PENGUIN GROUP Berkley, NAL / Signet Romance, DAW in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.
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