A Sure Thing is the first book in The Donnigans' series, which is really just a continuation of the McCauley Brothers series. In this story, Landon Donnigan has come home from the marines with a bad knee and a need to be in control of everyone else's life. He meets his match in psychologist Ava Rosenthal who has a five-year-plan and lists of what is and isn't appropriate for her life. Ava is determined to meet a quiet, intelligent man to round out her life, but she doesn't count on meeting Landon at the gym where she works out to stay in shape. She keeps telling herself that he isn't part of her life plan, until her attraction to him makes her question everything she has planned for her future.
The characters in this story were likable, but their relationship was fairly predictable and their problems too easily overcome. It was a very light quick, read but lacking the depth of emotion that made the McCauley Brothers series so memorable. ( )

3.5 stars.

A Sure Thing is the sexy, humor-filled first installment in Marie Harte's new series, The Donnigans. Longtime fans will recognize a few familiar faces from the Body Shop Bad Boys and The McCauley Brothers series but new readers might find the guest appearances and mentions of these characters a little confusing. However, this should not lessen the enjoyment of the novel.

Now clinical psychologist Ava Rosenthal is established in her career, she is ready to move on to the next phase of her life. Armed with a list of what she is looking for in a man, she is giving internet dating a whirl in hopes of finding her Mr. Right. Focusing on physical characteristics such as a slender build and small stature and desiring someone who is her intellectual equal, Ava has been on a series of dismal dates that leaves her fearing she'll never find the "right" man. When she meets brawny, muscular Landon Donnigan at her local gym, she is stunned by her intense attraction to a man who is nowhere near the type of man she is looking for. Even more surprising is how easily Ava capitulates to Landon's efforts to convince her to go out with him. Will this seemingly mismatched couple live happily ever after?

Ava is quite analytical so she tends to over think most everything. She comes across as a little standoffish, closed off and emotionally distant due to her need keep her personal and professional lives separate. This carries over into her personal life which makes Ava a difficult character to get to know. She is close to her cousins and their interactions are pretty funny but it always feels like she is analyzing them instead of just enjoying their company. She also feels somewhat superficial since it is difficult to really know what makes her tick and her checklist for finding a man seems a little cold. Ready to settle down, Ava has absolutely no plan to deviate from her five year plan or her list of qualifications in a man, so Landon has his work cut out for him convincing her to go out with him.

Landon is a former Marine who is close to his family and loves to be in charge. His dedication to his siblings is endearing and he does not sugarcoat the truth when he thinks his brothers and sister need a (figurative) kick in the pants. Landon has had trouble adjusting to civilian life but for the most part, he is satisfied with his career change. While he has no interest in a serious relationship, he has been casually involved with a few women since returning to Seattle. Landon falls in lust at first sight when he spots Ava working out at the gym, but she refuses his invitation to go out with him. Running into her while she is on a date with another man, Landon manages to charm her into changing her mind. But can he convince her to continue dating him despite her reservations?

The relationship between Ava and Landon begins as insta-lust and their inner thoughts about each other pretty much revolve around sexing it up. There is plenty of sexual tension between them and once they give in to their passion, their sex scenes are raunchy with plenty of filthy talking and a dominant submissive vibe since Landon is a take charge kinda guy and this extends to the bedroom as well. Since most of the focus is on their intense attraction to each other, there does not seem to be much of an emotional connection between them. Their dates are filled with flirting and sexual innuendo so their relationship feels superficial since they never really have any type of in depth conversations. Ava and Landon do spend time with each other's families so they do see one another interact in a personal setting, but these interactions do not yield any new information. These family get togethers are funny with plenty of banter but they tend to detract from the romance between Ava and Landon.

A Sure Thing is a light-hearted, sizzling hot first installment in The Donnigans series. Landon and Ava are a combustible couple and the glimpses of Landon's siblings will definitely pique readers' interest. It will be interesting to see what Marie Harte has planned for them and fans will be eager to read their stories.
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ARC Review: A Sure Thing (The Donnigans) by Marie Harte

I adore reading Marie Harte. She delivers the goods when it comes to seduction, but my key reason for loving her work is that she has no problem making sensitive into sexy. Within her stories there is a factor that society may deem less than perfect but she puts a positive spin on the issue and enlightens as well as entertains. For instance, A Sure Thing examines anxiety, family and finding a new direction. Landon is used to a regimented life, but after a bullet leaves him at a crossroads, his orderly life quickly gives way to a chaotic mess. Frustrating family and a distracting woman may be just what he needs. If he can get out of his head long enough to listen to his heart. ( )

I enjoyed book, totally fell in love with the Donnigan's. We have an Alpha male Landon, and a head strong woman Ava, who seem like total opposites and will not have anything in common but simple attraction and lust. Landon goes full force after Ava, and at first she annoyed a little, but she did grow on me. The families of both of them was awesome, you saw, how even though they gave them hard times, they loved them dearly and had there backs, I loved Elliot and Sadie, they great, well so where his family. Glad everything was resolved, noticed they kept referring to the McCauley's so I am assuming there are some books, I need to get to. On to the next one. ( )

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

Landon Donnigan has been discharged from the marines with a knee injury and now works as a manager when not managing his own family; brother Gavin (also formerly a marine, now working in a bar and drinking too much), sister Hope (dating losers) and little brother Theo (aimless, quarrelling with Dad). While hanging out with Gavin at the gym Landon encounters Ava, a clinical psychologist, and then later runs into her and her date (from an online dating site) at a bar. He persuades her to join his self-defence for women class at the gym and one thing leads to another.

Things I liked:

• the humour; there was a lot of banter between the main protagonists, but also between Landon and his family and Ava and her cousins;
• I especially enjoyed the scene where Landon is overhearing Ava’s date with Charles and reacting to what Charles says;
• almost all the characters were likeable and sympathetic.

Things I liked less:

• the only real conflict between the romantic leads was the idea that Landon did not match up to Ava’s preconceived notion of what her future partner should be like. This really did seem to boil down to the fact (muscularity aside) that Landon wasn’t in a professional career/an intellectual, and this came off as a little snobby.
• Landon’s response to Rob, one of Ava’s patients, showed so little respect for her as a professional woman that I was speechless and really needed him to grovel and express far more repentance than he really did.
• Clearly this is the first book in a series and the many siblings/cousins were introduced for future storylines. After a while they integrated well into the story, but then there were references to Aunt Beth and Uncle James and their family and a chapter which focused on Brody and Abby and their issues. Who are these people and why should we care about them?
• Following on from the last point, who on earth was Sam Hamilton? He appeared out of nowhere to give Landon some advice and then the whole of the last chapter was devoted to him and some stray dog. I had to check I wasn’t accidentally reading the first chapter of the next novel. The ending was very unsatisfactory.
• I was unhappy about the portrayal of Claudia. Was she mean to be a bit of a pain or a woman with mental health issues? Ava seemed off in this chapter. She made the excellent point that it was up to Landon to choose and that it was for him to deal with Claudia and then she gets into a fight with her…? This felt entirely out of character for Ava: I did not believe she would really have done it. ( )