There are so many things I adore about Jill Shalvis. Her book titles always make me smile and remind me that inside the two covers there will be many more laughs. That is just her style. Shalvis has won over her fans with great characters who tug at your heartstrings just because they are so real. At any moment in a Shalvis tale you will find yourself laughing out loud -- perhaps even in public which will certainly raise a few eyebrows. But that's okay. Just say you are reading Jill Shalvis and those in the know -- will instantly understand. In STILL THE ONE we find still another reason why Shalvis is one of my favorites -- we find vulnerability mixed with great strength. In short - life. The fact that in the face of great personal challenges we can still find a reason to smile is due to the talented writing skills of this author with great insight. One of the problems with a Shalvis book is getting anything else done. Once fully immersed everything else is delegated to an upper shelf for later.
STILL THE ONE resonates with strength, challenges, heart, and humanity at its best. At the core is of course family dynamics which is at times supportive and at other times absent. In STILL THE ONE the main characters have to learn to deal with the hand that was dealt them. Accidents happen. Recovering from those accidents is often times slow, laborious, and painful and at times not with the results one hopes or wishes for. Sometimes you just have to learn to adjust to what is your new normal.
Darcy Stone just barely survived a horrific car accident. Her family sat a vigil at her bedside hoping for the best. The fact that she lived in itself was rather miraculous. But now recovery was going to take time, work, patience and money. It was the money she was short of. Lucky for Darcy she also had AJ Colten looking out for her. AJ had the ability to help her with the physical therapy. He was going to get her back on her feet. Money was no object.
Love is sometimes too large a concept for some people. For Darcy she didn't believe anyone would ever love her forever -- she was a throwaway. At least in her eyes. In the town of Sunshine she had her brother and sister and friends. But she was good at keeping people that she might care for at arm's length. If she didn't care too much than it wouldn't hurt as bad when they walked away. And everyone walked away.
For AJ he had opened his heart and had it basically trampled and even though he was attracted to Darcy and her bravery through her recovery and PT he was cautiously keeping it light. Until he couldn't.
Anyone who has ever had to rehab for any reason or helped a love one will instantly get this story. STILL THE ONE is written from the heart and will definitely speak to the readers. Love comes in all shapes and sizes. Anyone that recently watched Dancing With The Stars knows that love can bridge the gap of imperfections and challenges. STILL THE ONE by the master Jill Shalvis is the book to read this year.
Darcy Stone had never been big on rules unless she was
breaking them. But that was the funny thing about nearly
dyingβit changed you, in a big way. So sheβd taken a good,
hard look at her life and decided that maybe a few
βguidelinesβ wouldnβt hurt.
Number one: Donβt stress the little stuff.
Number two: Never let a certain man into her heart. Ever.
Number three: Donβt take crap from anyone.
It was number three on her mind right now. Todayβs crap
came
in the form of one weasel named Johnny Myers, a dog
trainer
who lived two counties over from Darcyβs town of Sunshine,
Idaho, deep in the Bitterroot Mountains. Johnny was
complete
pond scum, not to mention under investigation for
illegally
importing and exporting exotic animals.
It killed Darcy to do business with him, but if she
didnβt,
heβd send the dog she wanted straight to the kill shelter.
βIβm not paying you seven hundred dollars for a service
dog
you intend to dump for not passing his certs,β she said
into
her cell phone as she walked through the pouring rain and
into work. Hell, she didnβt have seven hundred dollars.
Her wet sneakers squeaked as she entered Sunshine Wellness
Center and rounded the front desk. Cold had started to
seep
through her drenched clothes to her aching bones but she
ignored this. βMake it two hundred,β she told Johnny, βand
youβve got yourself a deal.β
She didnβt have two hundred, either, nor a way to even get
out to Johnnyβs place since she no longer drove highways,
but sheβd worry about that later.
Johnny started sputtering with outrage as she shoved her
wet
hair back from her face, going still when her body
suddenly
went into hyper-alert mode.
Damn. Again? At this rate she could hire herself out as
some
sort of paranormal secret agent . . . except the only
person
whose appearance she could predict was AJ Colten.
Guideline number two, and the bane of her existence.
And sure enough, in walked her boss: six feet two inches
of
solid muscle, testosterone, and attitude. And damned if
she
didnβt have a secret thing for all of the above. Very
secret, since sheβd gone there with him onceβor nearly
anywayβand had been burned big-time.
Never again, no matter how hot he was.
Luckily she had one heck of a poker face, because on a
good
day just a fleeting glance from AJ reminded her that she
was
a twenty-six-year-old sex-starved woman.
On a bad day, every single part of her sent urgent memos
to
her brain that she was practically a re-virginized
twenty-six-year-old sex-starved woman.
It took everything she had not to look hungry.
Or even overly friendly.
AJ made it a lot easier by showing absolutely zero
interest
in her. The only thing she got this morning was a hooded
glance that probably meant he was wondering why heβd even
hired her.
She raised an eyebrow in his direction, trying for
nonchalance while she soaked up the sight of him and the
easy, confident way he moved his big body.
βNot a penny less than six hundred,β Johnny said in her
ear.
βThree hundred,β she countered, tearing her gaze away from
AJ. βAnd Iβm cold and wet and almost late for work. If you
donβt want the money, tell me now, because I need to go.β
Thanks to an unseasonably warm late fall putting Mother
Nature in a mood, rain and wind slashed at the building.
Darcy loved the rain. What she didnβt love was a violent
storm. Not only was she shivering, she undoubtedly looked
like a complete mess.
Her life motto was dance like no one was watching, so she
told herself she really didnβt care what she looked like.
Then she told herself that a few more times while watching
AJβs mighty fine bod move across the room.
βThree hundred is a joke,β Johnny complained. βI bet if I
opened my e-mail Iβd have ten offers that are better.β
βYou go take a look,β she said. βIβll wait.β While she
did,
she shoved her purse into the filing cabinet, but not
before
taking a surreptitious bite out of one of the two
breakfast
taquitos sheβd grabbed on her way in.
When she realized AJ was heading her way, she nearly
choked
in her rush to swallow because AJ didnβt approve of the
love
of her lifeβcrap food. And as he was the boss, owning the
Sunshine Wellness Center as well as being head physical
therapist, she tried to play by his rules. Okay, not
really,
but she at least did her best to hide the evidence.
She booted up the computer and caught an accidental flash
of
her reflection on the screen.
Yep, she was a hot mess, alright, her long curlsβusually
her
best feature, if she did say so herselfβnow resembled a
frizzy squirrelβs tail.
Good thing she didnβt care.
Naturally, AJ was not a mess. Not that he ever was. Nope,
as
usual heβd defied the odds, the rain not daring to stick
to
him. And no squirrel-tail hair for him, either. His
sun-streaked brown hair was short and silky smooth, and as
he took in her hair, his lips quirked in an almost smile.
Bastard.
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