(ARC) Book Review (340): Just One Thing - Holly Jacobs

Just One Thing

by Holly Jacobs

Publication: 10th June 2014

Publisher: Montlake Romance

Pages: 198

Genre: Contemporary

Age Appropriate: Adult

Buy It: Amazon

“Sometimes, you find yourself inadvertently in the dark. But I’d discovered that if you stopped fighting against it and just stood still, sometimes something marvelous comes along.”

Artist Lexie McCain spends her days literally weaving the story of her life into a gorgeous tapestry. But on Monday nights, she walks to the Corner Bar, drinks a Killian’s, and answers the same question every week from Sam the bartender: “One thing?” She starts with her name, then her cottage, slowly moving on to the devastating tragedies that tore her life apart.

Sam Corner’s smile doesn’t seem to hide any pain. One night, Lexie turns the tables on him, asking Sam, “One thing?” To her surprise, Sam reveals his own tragic history. Together, Lexie and Sam learn that, with good beer and a trusted friend, sharing just “one thing” might lead to the one thing they both thought was lost forever: love.

From award-winning author Holly Jacobs comes the story of heartache, hope, and the power of sharing just one thing.

My Thoughts.

Just One Thing is a contemporary that doesn't have a lot of romance in at all, towards the end is where you'll find all that, however throughout the most of the book we have two different stories told by two different characters Lexi and Sam.

The story starts as Lexi shows up at Sam's bar the Corner Inn, every Monday without fail she sits down and Sam asks her 'one thing' and every week she divulges one piece of her past, this is how we learn what brought her to town and why she secluded herself away in a tiny cottage away from everyone, Lexi's story is sad and tragic and she finds telling Sam these stories is cathartic and she realises through doing this she's finally letting go of the pain and guilt she's been carrying around for so long.

One night she turns the tables on Sam and we learn he has been through something that changed his life forever, and like Lexi having someone to talk to and makes him come to finally understand that what happened wasn't his fault, and together they both come to terms and accept that life happens and sometimes there's nothing that you can do but just go along with it.

Eventually Lexi and Sam admit their feelings for one another and there is finally for both of them a sense of hope after so long being without.

While I did enjoy this story I believed this to have more romance in it than was actually involved, and while I did cry in a couple of places, the lack of romance couldn't keep me all that interested although this was a quick read and I finished it in a very short amount of time.

I give this 3/5 stars.

 I'm Holly Jacobs, romance author. I am first, and foremost, the mother of four of the most fantastic kids you've ever met. They keep me busy, make me crazy and add more joy to my life than I could ever have imagined (and they're working on adding some grey hair). My husband is my strongest supporter, my best friend and, well, just a great guy! I've yet to write a hero who is half the man he is.

I absolutely love ice cream, seagulls and thunderstorms. Living in Erie means I'm on the shore of one of the great lakes...there's nothing like a summer sunset! My love of Lake Erie is probably why you'll find so many beaches in my books...it's also why I went with a beach theme for my website! There's just nothing better!

I've been in love with books, with words, ever since I can remember. I read JRR Tolkien's Hobbit in third grade. How much I understood, I don't know, but I fell in love with Middle Earth and visited often. Heinlein, Lewis and Bach all soon joined him on my list of must read authors. Trixie Belden, The Black Stallion, Little House on the Prairie . . . the list goes on and on. It was rare not to find me with a book in hand!

From that love of reading I seemed to naturally progress to writing. I've toyed with a little of everything, but I must confess, though I "found" romance a little later in life, I fell head over heels for the genre. When I began writing, it seemed like the right place for me to be.

Why? Because it's a genre about people, about relationships. I can add in the sci fi, the fantasy, the suspense, the mystery. I can add in any plot, but it all boils down to the people and that is why I fell for it. Watching two characters overcome the odds, overcome themselves . . . what could be more satisfying?

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