Just the Thing

Harte’s second Donnigans contemporary (after A Sure Thing) gives her readers plenty of familiar elements to enjoy. Gavin Donnigan, like his older brother Landon, retired from the Marines with a medical discharge. Now working at a local gym, Gavin tries to manage his PTSD with therapy, intense workouts, and visualizations—such as picturing the lovely Zoe York “in nothing more than a smile.” Zoe, a medical software trainer, can’t help admire Gavin’s “amazing ass, overly amazing thighs, topped off with an amazing torso,” but his reputation as a womanizer, and her own grief over the recent death of her twin, keep her aloof. Some sweet romantic gestures, such as Gavin planning gardening as a first date, are sprinkled among the plethora of lust-filled fantasies and steamy sex scenes. Meanwhile, the Donnigan family members, all cut from the same beautiful mold, continue their family tradition of playing pranks; this produces some amusing scenes, especially when Zoe gets in on the act. There’s nothing really exciting here, but Harte fans will not be disappointed. (July)