Publisher: Carina
Publish Date: Out now
How we got this book: ARC from the author via Novel Sidekick/NetGalley
Travis Yardley thought he had everything he needed, but one look at Andrea Patterson shows him he was wrong. Andie is a gorgeous, curvy, blonde, who moves to town to manage a nearby campground. Seizing the chance to get close to her, Travis volunteers as tour guide and “bodyguard.”
After a bad breakup, Andie is looking to start over and determined to put her heart on hiatus. She’s working on her self-esteem, and she is not ready for the likes of Travis. He comes on strong, with all the energy of a guy almost ten years her junior, which is exactly what he is.
Even as Travis’s troubled past catches up with him, he pulls out all the stops to convince Andie he deserves a chance. And with the spring thaw hitting the Mountain View Resort, Andie discovers her own temperature rising whenever Travis looks her way…
This blurb came from the author’s website.
E: I read and enjoyed the previous Holloway stories that were part of two of Carina Press’ holiday anthologies so when I found out that the fourth story was going to come out separately I was really excited. Not just because the earlier stories were good but because I wanted to see what Dimon would do with a bit more room and without including the holiday season. I am very glad to say that once I started reading, I only stopped to turn on the lights when I could no longer see the words on my screen.
MinnChica: I love Dimon, so when I saw the final book in the Holloway series come up on NetGalley, I knew I had to get my hands on it. I couldn’t wait to find out what Travis’s story was, so getting the chance to see him work his magic. Plus, I always love going back to see the guys and gals from the previous books.
E: Travis is known as having a way with the ladies and being gifted with his words. He also cares a huge amount for the Thomas clan and feels that he owes them more than he can ever repay. As a result they ask and he does. They don’t ask and he still works as hard as he can. Given that reputation his initial reaction to Andie was absolutely hilarious. I had such a blast reading those scenes. I also enjoyed their later interactions and his stubborn determination to make sure Andie stayed safe out on the campground by herself.
Andie was also a lot of fun. She didn’t mind hard work and was determined to almost find who she was before moving to the city. Andie had some definite ideas about what she could see fitting into her new life and Travis was not part of that. She had a multitude of reasons that slowly fell one by one under Travis’ attention. I loved watching her as he continued trying to show that he did fit into her life.
MinnChica: I loved the way Travis became a part of the Thomas extended family, especially given how shitty his family of origin was. I loved the relationship he had with Mitch, Austin and Spencer. And the way he was with Andie, I loved that. He was so persistent in trying to get her to see the kind of woman she really was. I liked the way Dimon dealt with the weight issues, from both Andie and Travis’ point of views. It was so well done, and I was glad with the way she tackled it.
Andie was awesome too. I loved that she make Travis work hard, especially in the beginning. I felt so bad given her history, but was so glad to see that she had such a strong relationship with the other Thomas women. The only thing I wanted from Andie was a quicker acceptance of Travis’ age. Other than that, I loved everything about her.
E: While I loved Travis for his thoughts about Andie and how his brain sometimes couldn’t edit what he was saying until after it had come out he really got to me with his back story and his difficulty believing that the Holloway family felt that he was one of them. It was great seeing that both Andie and Travis had their own issues and trigger points instead of one of them being perfect. Their combined vulnerability really sucked me into the story.
Like MinnChica, the relationship that Travis had with the Thomas men and Andie had with the previous heroines was a treat to see. Too often the hero/heroine just has a wing person or a foil instead of having fleshed out relationships besides the central romance. I enjoy getting the feeling that the characters and the setting are well-rounded which Dimon always delivers.
I really enjoyed reading this and the emphasis Dimon placed on characters who did not fit into the stereotypical mold. The romance, the personalities, the teasing and well meaning friends it all fit together for a wonderful story.
I give Just What He Wanted an A.
MinnChica: All in all, I really liked the 4th installment in the Holloway series. I loved Travis, I thought he was incredible for living through his childhood and becoming such a wonderful man. He was just so sweet and caring and the kind of hero that has me swooning with his sexy and sweet ways. Andie was great as well, I loved everything about her. The romance was great as well, building up slowly overtime and exploding with passion. I hope that Dimon writes more small-town romances, either in Holloway or another town. I think she does it so well!
I give Just What He Wanted a B+