Thursday, April 10, 2014

[Pat's Review]: "Just Destiny"

Just Destiny by Theresa Rizzo
Publisher: Theresa Rizzo (February 22, 2014)
Genre: Chick Lit/Romance



What would you do if your whole world fell apart?
Jenny Harrison made some poor choices in the past, but marrying Gabe was the best thing she’d ever done. They had the perfect marriage, until a tragic accident leaves Gabe brain dead and her world in ruins.
Devastated by grief, she decides to preserve the best of their love by conceiving his child, but Gabe’s family is adamantly opposed, even willing to chance exposing long-held family secrets to stop her. Caught in a web of twisted motives and contentious legal issues, Jenny turns to best friend and attorney, Steve Grant. Steve wants to help Jenny, but he has reservations and secrets of his own. 
When something so private and simple turns public and complicated, will Jenny relent? What is Steve willing to sacrifice to help Jenny?(


Where to Buy*:
Amazon | Kindle | BN | NOOK 
More Info:


My Review:



This is the second novel I have read by Ms. Rizzo and it is equally as enjoyable as the first!  Her combination of emotion, romance and controversial legal issues and courtroom drama is fascinating and kept me from putting this novel down!



Jenny Harrison has been married for two years to a man she loves with all her heart. He has two college age children, and they get along with Jenny beautifully.  The Harrison's next door neighbor is Steve Grant, Gabe's best friend and a wonderful friend to Jenny. He is secretly in love with her, but vows no one will ever know.  For their anniversary Jenny and Gabe are taking a weekend trip to a bed and breakfast, to enjoy each other and just relax.  Before their marriage, they had discussed having children, and they both agreed it was not for them. But, Jenny is changing her mind. In fact she is five weeks pregnant, despite using birth control. How would she tell Gabe, what would he do, would he hate her?  Their wonderful weekend ends in tragedy, and Jenny's life changes forever.



In the ensuing pages we go through Jenny's heartbreak, guilt and confusion. Gabe is clinically brain dead, and they want her to donate his organs. She knows it's the right thing to do, but how can she make the decision to end his life so abruptly? She finally acknowledges the need for swift action and signs the papers, with one stipulation. When harvesting his organs, they will harvest his sperm, and it will be frozen for her to use when she's ready.  A legal battle begins when Gabe's  uncle, who raised him after his parents died, is outraged and will do all he can to stop this procedure. His grounds are that Gabe did not give permission for this "atrocity." Steve is by her side constantly, supporting her in any way he can. The law suit gets ugly, and secrets and lies surface.  Jenny depends more and more on Steve, and she realizes how important he has become to her.  She thought she could never love again.



This is a gripping story, with valid legal questions, wonderful characters, and leaves you with the question, who is right?  I would highly recommend this novel.


5 STARS! 

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Pat received an e-ARC of this book from the author in exchange for her honest opinion.

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Theresa Rizzo is an award-winning author who writes emotional stories that explore the complexity of relationships and families through real-life trials. Born and raised in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, she currently lives outside of Boulder, Colorado with her husband of thirty years. She’s raised four wonderful children who are now scattered across the country.

Theresa’s debut book, He Belongs to Me was a finalist in the General Fiction Category of The 2013 USA Best Book Awards! Her second book, Just Destiny, will be released March 31, 2014.




Where to Find Theresa:






Thanks for the review, Pat! :) 

Have you read Theresa Rizzo before?






Enjoy!


Until Next Time,


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5 comments :

Theresa said...

Hi Pat, thanks for the wonderful review! I'm so happy you enjoyed the story. Btw, some readers have asked about Jenny and Gabe's courtship and marriage. Is that a romance you might want to read? A little novella in between books?

The_Book_Queen said...

*waves* Hi again, Theresa, welcome to the blog!

Pat Egan Fordyce said...

Yes! I would love to read about Gabe and Jenny's story of how they got together. I know it would be interesting, his ex-wife, his children, his coworkers and friends. Looking forward to it....I hope!

Debbie Haupt said...

Great review, thanks for sharing!

Anna@herding cats&burning soup said...

Oh yay! I'm so glad to hear that Pat! I've got it on my wishlist :)