The Royal Marine by Dahlia Donovan

This was my first read by this author, and it quickly became apparent that I needed to  read the first three.  There is quite a bit that is assumed already known by the reader, so I would not classify this as a standalone novel.  Thankfully, I was able to read the first three and then go back to this one, at which time I realized I’d stumbled onto a *great* author!  

 

The plot is fairly straightforward, but has so many quirky side situations that you can’t help but giggle throughout the whole thing.  Steadily paced, this is a fun journey to coupledom.

 

For example, Akash’s sister wanted to bring home a man for dinner to introduce him to their parents but didn’t want all the attention on her, so Aki and Hamish’s first date was a family dinner to take the heat off. Talk about awkward beginnings! However, if they can survive that, they can probably survive anything, right?

 

Hamish and Akash are both immensely likeable characters, which is readily apparent from the first chapter.  Hamish has taken his military background and created a successful security company.  Akash creates Indian-British fusion creations and owns his beloved bakery.

 

The peripheral characters are very active throughout this book, and they add so much to the whole, helping the character growth by leaps and bounds.  I loved that Aki and Hamish had so many friendly opinions and pushes toward each other.

 

There are gaps in time due to Hamish’s job, but with them come some of the most hysterical text messages.  By the end of the book, I was giddy and so glad to have had the opportunity to fall for these two men.

 

I’m rating this at four solid stars and recommend reading the entire series.  You’re in for a treat!

**Same worded review will appear on Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.**