Joint Review: Still the One by Jill Shalvis

Posted April 2, 2015 by Anne - Books of My Heart in Book Review / 2 Comments

Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.


Joint Review: Still the One by Jill ShalvisStill the One by Jill Shalvis
Series: Animal Magnetism #6
Published by Berkley on April 7th 2015
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Goodreads
AmazonLibro.fm
One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarOne Star

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?

Icon TOP READ

Anne’s Review 

Move over Griff!  I’ve been secretly lusting after A.J. since Then Came You and now it’s official.  AJ holds a top spot in my heart. Griffin’s lady, Kate is still my favorite gal in the series, though.  Jill Shalvis’ characters always feel like real people to me and I love them.  They are not perfect; they are real. Well, they are real to me.  Jill Shalvis never disappoints.

OMG AJ!  You are a god among men.  AJ thinks she doesn’t love him and he still puts her first!!!!!!  I am melted.  He is such an admirable man, working with those who are hurt even when they can’t pay him.  He’s trying to find someone to provide grants for people once their insurance runs out so he can help more of them. Like the rest of the women, whether they have a brain or not, I’m over here saying “AJ pick me, pick me.”

Darcy is sarcastic and fighting to put her life back together after her accident.  She is mostly there, thanks to AJ.  She has a few emotional issues from her childhood and accident to solve.  Darcy is also focused on helping those who are having trouble. She helps service dogs who are retiring to find new lives as therapy dogs.  Darcy is quirky and funny and precious. She also doesn’t expect anyone to love her, even her family.

Still The One is an amazing story and one of my favorites by this favorite author. It provides the emotional ride I crave. I laughed; I panted; I sighed; I growled; I cried and I squealed with pleasure.  I highly recommend the whole series. Preferably, in order.

 

Giggle worthy quote:   

She didn’t look into his face because doing so tended to make her stupid. She didn’t know if it was his lean jaw, in perpetual need of a shave, or that wide, firm mouth currently set in a grim line, discouraging any casual conversation – which perversely always made her want to ask him about the weather just to watch his head implode.

 


 

Jennifer’s Review 

What do you get when a head strong, world traveling woman is trapped in the small town of Sunshine, Idaho after a car accident working with a smoking hot ex-Navy physical therapist? A recipe for snark, sexual tension and a weekend in a snow storm that changes everything for the pair.

Still the One is the sixth book in Jill Shalvis’ Animal Magnetism series. This time around we get the story of Darcy and AJ. We meet them in the previous installment, Then Came You.

Darcy is the youngest of the Stone siblings and the one most emotionally messed up by their uncaring parents. When Darcy was young, if she screwed up her parents would send her away to a boarding school leaving her alone while the rest of the family traveled to the parents’ jobs. This left Darcy lonely and feeling unwanted.

As an adult, Darcy follows in her parents’ footsteps and travels the world to write articles for different magazines like National Geographic. Since Darcy grew up being pushed away by her parents and other people she has developed the skill to be the one to push others away before they have the chance to do it her.

But when Darcy has a car accident that nearly kills her, she is forced to stay in Sunshine with her siblings, Zoe and Wyatt. Her world is turned upside down. No more traveling or writing and no more painful days. Darcy works to walk away and that’s where AJ the sexy PT come in.

AJ is best friends with Darcy’s bother and has known Darcy for years. But after her accident AJ’s feelings change for Darcy. He pushes her to work hard to get her out of a wheelchair. The two fight all the time and one night they share a kiss but AJ pushes Darcy away.

The push and pull between Darcy and AJ is funny, heartbreaking, sexy and all the things that a great romance needs. They set each other on fire in more than one way.

“I don’t have to go to the bathroom,” he snapped. “And I sure as hell don’t have a bladder problem.”

“Hey, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s not like I questioned the size of your –“

He shoved out of the truck. “Wait here,” he said. Curtly, and started to walk off. At the last minute he went back for the keys and yanked them out of the ignition.

She laughed. “Nice show of trust.”

“There’s trust, and there’s stupidity,” he said, and strode into the convenience store. He bought a coffee, a Gatorade, and, because he knew is passenger, he also bought a bag of Gummy Bears. He’d bride her to shut up if needed.

When he got back to the truck all he could see was an iPad in the passenger window. “What the –?” He moved closer and stared. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

Darcy was using the iPad as a sign and it read:

Help, I’m being held captive by a diabolical mad man with a weak bladder!

One thing I love about the Animal Magnetism series is that you can jump in at any time. Each book could easily be read as a standalone. Sure the other couples pop in from time to time but you won’t feel lost if you were to pick up Still the One without reading the other books. But I highly recommend the whole series. It’s a fun small town romance series with sassy heroines and sexy heroes. I always walk away from a Jill Shalvis’ book with feel good feelings about love and friendship.

 

 

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.

Rating Breakdown
Plot
One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Characters
One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Overall: One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
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Posted April 2, 2015 by Anne - Books of My Heart in Book Review / 2 Comments


2 responses to “Joint Review: Still the One by Jill Shalvis