Just the Way You Are by E E Montgomery

JustTheWayYouAreLGTitle: Just the Way You Are
Series: Just Life, #4
Author: E E Montgomery
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Novel (220 pages)
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (17 April 2015)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥4Hearts
Blurb: After ten years in an abusive relationship and a near-fatal knife wound, Jonathan Watson is finally free. Unused to being able to make even the smallest decision and smothered by family and well-meaning neighbors, he’s floundering in the real world. Jonathan is afraid of falling into another relationship too quickly and realizes he needs time to rediscover who he is before he attaches himself to another man.

He never counted on meeting Ben Urquhart, though. Ben tempts Jonathan to forget everything and take a leap. For Ben, it’s love at first sight, and he doesn’t want to take it slow. He wants to build a life with Jonathan, free from harm and full of laughter. But before they can take the next step, they must protect Jonathan from his possessive, threatening ex. Jonathan must find the courage to confront him and break the chains of his past before he can be truly free to build a future with Ben.

ISBN: 978-1-632116-862-7

Product Link: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6275

Reviewer: Prime

Review: This is the fourth installment in E E Montgomery’s series, Just Life. I like the concept and the simplicity of the series, which is there in the name: Just Life. It is simply about a group of lives, colliding together into a cohesive story. There isn’t big mystery or farfetched suspense, there is just life.

This book is about Jonathan and Ben. We met Jonathan right at the end of the previous book, where he gets the knife wound spoken about in the blurb. Jonathan is such a sweetheart and so deserving of love and a second chance. But he has a lot of healing to do, both physically and mentally. More than anything, this story is about Jonathan’s emotional journey. There is also the aspect of Ben’s emotional journey helping someone who is broken become whole again.

I think both characters, Ben and Jonathan, were handled really well and it felt so palpable when Jonathan had to face falling in love so soon after being abused. The storyline of his abuser is also tied up really nicely, which was left hanging in the previous book.

I don’t want to talk more about the characters and story because what you need to know is there in the blurb and we want to be spoiler free!

Complementing these guys are the minor characters – some familiar faces from the previous three books – which really do help to balance out the emotions of the book. Just the Way You Are is certainly my favourite book out of this series.

It is very emotional and poignant.

* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *