REVIEW: Just the Thing by Marie Harte

Just the Thing by Marie Harte: Forced to deal with the death of his best friends and his time in Afghanistan as a marine, Gavin is a bit of a wreck. He’s finally starting to pull himself together, but he knows he isn’t there yet. If only he didn’t want Zoe, a member of the gym he works at, so badly. Not when he isn’t so sure he should be in a relationship.

After months of Gavin flirting and asking her out, Zoe finally says yes. Moving past her own grief after her twin sister died, it’s time for Zoe to take chances and live for both her and her sister.

Through knowing what it means to lose something dear, Gavin and Zoe connect. But when Gavin finally faces the families left behind by his squad, what he’s building with Zoe may not be enough to drag him back.

Gavin is totally adorable and such a goofball. He, much more so than Zoe, was a lot of fun to read with his very boyish ways. Zoe, while I liked her strength and seeing her grow throughout the story, was far outshone by Gavin.

I can’t say I found this to be the most exciting story. My favorite aspect was probably Gavin’s family’s dynamics with their prank wars and whatnot. The romance itself was sweet and the story lighthearted even though the topics it covered, such as PTSD, are not. I do like that the author kept up that lightheartedness, though. While I found it difficult to get fully engaged with Gavin’s pain and journey, it did give him a depth he would otherwise not have.

For those who love a sweet romance, and their marine heroes, I would recommend Just The Thing. It can be read as a standalone, but just to get a better feel for the family and background it might be better to start with the first Donnigan brother.
 

Book Info:

Publication: July 4, 2017 | Sourcebooks Casablanca | The Donnigan’s #2

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.