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.