Are you ready to read an emotionally charged story that will simply leave you breathless? Well then, Just Destiny is the book for you.

For two years, twenty-eight year old Detroit newspaper journalist Jenny Harrison had a wonderful marriage to Gabe, a forty-three year old general surgeon with two college-aged children. Adding to her happiness is the excitement of learning that she is newly pregnant, even though they had originally made the decision not to have children. While on an anniversary weekend getaway, a tragic accident takes the life of Gabe, and a sudden miscarriage turns her world completely upside down. Jenny's life falls apart with the sudden death of Gabe and their unborn baby. Jenny agrees to donate Gabe's organs, and creates an ethical controversy when she requests that Gabe's sperm be recovered and stored at a sperm bank so that she can still have a baby as a loving legacy to her husband. But someone stands in her way ... Gabe's elderly uncle George threatens to sue Jenny if she willfully pursues the artificial sperm insemination.

Steve Grant, an ex-professional baseball player turned attorney, is Jenny and Gabe's next door neighbor and best friend. Steve is a loyal friend who lends his total support to Jenny after Gabe's death. He does not agree with the decision that Jenny has made, but he stands by her during the emotional and controversial legal battle, because deep down he has stronger feelings for Jenny than just friendship, even though he is engaged to another woman. When Steve reveals his true feelings to Jenny, will their friendship turn into something more because it is just destiny?

Oh My Goodness! Author Theresa Rizzo sure does know how to weave an emotionally powerful story that pulls at the heartstrings and stirs the soul! Written in the third person narrative and set in Detroit, Michigan, the readers are easily drawn into Jenny and Steve's story. This is a beautifully written storyline that captivates the reader's attention, it is full of angst, suspense, and enough twists and turns that keeps them guessing. I loved following Jenny and Steve as their relationship gradually changed and developed. You can feel the palpable connection and the angst and guilt that they have because of Gabe's death, it leaves the reader hoping that somehow they'll both find their way to each other.

With a strong cast of characters who are realistic and easy to relate to; dramatic dialogue and interactions; and a stunning storyline that mixes romance, heartache, dark secrets from the past, and titillating courtroom drama; Just Destiny is one hell of a compelling story that will leave the reader emotionally spent.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review.

http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2014/04/just-destiny-by-theresa-rizzo-... ( )

The characters’ are presented with quite a few social, moral and ethical issues, and it feels like the author’s stance on those issues is shouted out quite loudly. Although it is not uncommon for authors to address current issues, I much prefer a story told in a way that the makes the reader think about their own perspective on the topic rather than to be told how to feel about the issues. A little more writing finesse and ambiguity in the writer’s opinion would have made this story significantly more interesting to me.

The story focuses on Jenny and her decisions and actions after the death of her husband. Jenny is an interesting character. She is in an unenviable situation which would usually make her a sympathetic character, however, her inconsistency, selfishness and dishonesty made her an unlikeable character for me. In fact, there were many times in the book that if felt like the author didn’t like this character given the way Jenny was presented. I would have liked more insight to Gabe, deceased husband, and Steve, hunky next-door neighbor, in order to form an opinion based on something other than Jenny’s perspective of them.

The story was well paced and engaging. I had a hard time with some of the character reactions to situations in the story, and I can’t say if that is because I didn’t get a good feel for some characters or I thought the response was inconsistent with characters’ presented attributes. Although a HEA ending is usually appealing to me, I’m not sure that I buy into the epiphany that lead to this one. I enjoyed the book. It is an easy vacation read. ( )

Just Destiny............. Theresa Rizzo. FIVE Stars

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.

I received this e-book from the author for an honest review.
Pat Fordyce ( )

Author's Review--Just Destiny is a love story wrapped in suspenseful courtroom drama. It’s about a grieving young woman, willing to risk embarrassment and possibly revealing long-held family secrets in court, for the right to conceive her dead husband’s baby, and her lawyer, best friend’s struggle to help her, despite his reservations.
If you like Jodi Picoult, Kristin Hannah, Nicholas Sparks . . . you should check out Just Destiny ( )