A Sure Thing by Marie Harte

Meet the Donnigans

With the eldest Donnigan brothers adjusting to civilian life, their younger sister constantly in trouble, and their little brother clueless about life in general, falling in love is the last thing on anyone’s mind…

Can this Bossy Badass Marine…

The Marine Corps was everything Landon Donnigan ever wanted in life...until a bullet sent him home with a medical discharge. Teaching a self-defense class at the gym is old-hat for a marine, but when he meets sexy Ava Rosenthal, his combat skills are useless for protecting his heart.

Be her Mr. Right?

Ava can take care of herself and likes quiet, bookish men—not muscular warriors who think women need to be coddled. But Landon is more than he seems, and when they come together, the results are explosive.

Excerpt:

'What is your problem?"  

"Me, I'm good." Before she could lay into him, he added. 'But you're not." 

She blinked. 'What's my problem, besides you?

'You and boring guy."

She frowned. 'That's not a nice thing to say."

"Yeah, I'm not known for being nice. But, I am honest. Honey, Charles is not the guy for you."

'Excuse me, but Charles was the perfect gentleman."

A jazz band started playing in the corner, making it harder to hear, so he leaned closer. Unfortunately, she got a good whiff of his cologne, and it went straight to her head. Just her luck Landon smelled like a dream.

She cleared her throat. "And my name is not 'honey'. It's Ava. She would have added Dr. Ava Rosenthal in a haughty tone, except Landon's breath brushed her ear and her, and her entire body locked up. Tight.

'Ava , you need someone who makes you hot. Boring is no good. Not for someone like you.'

Review:

A Sure Thing by Marie Harte is a fast-paced, sexy, opposites attract novel featuring Landon Donnigan, an ex-Marine and clinical psychologist Ava Rosenthal. Landon is getting used to his new civilian job and getting reacquainted with his family. Ava has decided to start dating and is using an online service. I doubt that the dating service would match Landon with Ava! Their journey begins when sparks fly when Landon and Ava meet at a local gym. The chemistry between the two sizzles!

The author does a fabulous job with the scenes when Landon sees Ava at a bar with a date. He sits down near the couple and proceeds to eavesdrop on their conversation. I could imagine Landon listening into the conversation between Ava and her overly polite, nerdy date and making faces at Ava when her date wasn’t looking. 

Loved the family relationships in the novel. The back and forth banter between the Donnigan family members during Sunday dinner and teasing between Ava and her cousins were well written and gave more insight to the main characters. I started to understand why Landon liked to be in charge and why Ava need to have her future mapped out.  Marie Harte touches on several contemporary issues throughout the novel. One of the characters has PTSD, another has been a victim of abuse and several characters are dealing with anger issues. These are issues that most families are familiar with and added authenticity to the storyline. Kudos to the author for having Landon and his brother teach a self-defense course at the gym.

Marie Harte is a new-to-me- author. I enjoyed the fast-paced love story between Landon and Ava and was fascinated by the couple’s desire for each other. The conclusion to the novel was excellent. It had several surprises and lots of romance! 
 
Reviewed by Susan Gorman
ARC provided by Sourcebooks.

Author Biography:

Caffeine addict, boy referee, and romance aficionado, MARIE HARTE is a confessed bibliophile and devotee of action movies. Whether hiking in Central Oregon, biking around town, or hanging at the local tea shop, she’s constantly plotting to give everyone a happily ever after.

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