Laura’s Review of Still the One (Animal Magnetism, #6) by Jill Shalvis

Synopsis

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?

What I Loved

          I haven’t read Jill Shalvis in a long time, after Fifty Shades of Grey I dove into the erotica but I have read a lot of her books so I was excited to read something of hers again.  Still the One did not disappoint at all, it had the right amount of sex mixed in with the right amount of emotion and humor to make a pretty awesome story.  Instantly there was something about Darcy that was very endearing and down to earth, she is a very relatable character, which made it easy to become engrossed in the plot.  I really loved Darcy; she’s traveled the world most of her life taking risks where most people would be scared.  But then something horrible happens that changes her life, and instead of wallowing in it she’s embraced her scars and is trying to find her new path in life.  I love her smart ass attitude, at certain points it had me cracking up and definitely put a smile on face. 

          Also, I loved how flustered she would get around AJ, because I myself know what it’s like to see a beautiful man and become completely tongue tied while it seems the dude is just perfect in any way shape or form.  AJ is definitely one sexy dude, and that’s mostly because of how much he cares about his clients and their future.  He’s a hard ass, but being a physical therapist you definitely have to be, plus he isn’t a man who is an emotional wreck.  He’s confident and knows what he has to offer but just hasn’t found that girl that gets under his skin until Darcy.  Their chemistry is boiling, and I just couldn’t wait for them to tear each other’s clothes off, and trust me when they finally do; it’s not disappointing at all!

Not So Much

        

          This was an awesome book so I don’t have a lot of negative remarks.  Although, the first half of the book was a little slow for me, and I didn’t feel like the plot really progressed until the second half of the story.  I get that you have to build the foundation and establish the characters and Jill Shalvis does an awesome job at this, but I kept on waiting for something big to happen and that really didn’t get under way until the second half the story.  Also I think at a certain point I got a little confused, because AJ to me seemed emotionally distance at times, but it seemed that Darcy was the one that had to make the decisions about their relationship.  I guess I wish that the times when AJ would pull away that it was dealt with or addressed more, rather than just Darcy having the relationship hang ups. 

To Sum It All Up!

          Overall this book made me remember why I love Jill Shalvis so much.  The character development was right on point, and the details were awesome, I could clearly picture the house Darcy lives in, Belle Haven and Sunshine Wellness Center.  I love when the details can paint a clear picture of the environment around the character because it allows me to be easily engrossed in the plot rather than trying to figure out what is going on.  There was definitely some very hot sex scenes, which lead to some pretty emotional love scenes.  I love animals so it made me a little emotional to see all the hard work Darcy was doing to save dogs and humans.  Darcy is a strong female lead character, she made it easy to love her, though at times I wanted to smack her upside the head.  Also even though this is part of a series, Jill Shalvis writes it in such a way that this truly is a standalone.  I don’t feel like I was dropped into the middle of the story trying to keep up with all these different continuing plots. If you’re in the mood for a feel good romance that includes some really cute dogs and steamy love making scenes then this is the story for you!!