The Not So Bad
* This was a short romance that was good fun in parts.
* I liked the characters, especially Avery who was a little different and spirited.
* It was humorous in parts.

The Ugly
* This book is based on the premise that love is enough. Well, that didn't really work for me. There were a lot of issues between the characters that went unresolved and in the end only one of them had to compromise for the other. 
* The whole story talks about Avery being different and her fears of not being good enough for him. In the end her fears were justified because she is the one that has to do all the changing, all the sacrificing whilst he got everything he wanted. I got the impression that she needed to grow out of her quirkiness which was a real shame. 
* It was rushed towards the end.

I enjoyed this one. It was sexy and fast paced. I would read more from this author and would recommend to others.

Avery believes she has the perfect arrangement with her long term best friend Holden. The have a strictly friends with benefits deal. Every time Holden is home on leave from the Marines he visits Avery and they have a no hold bar sexfest with no dating and no exchange of loving feelings. Avery has seen love ruin a good thing and Holden has been the one constant in her life so she has no plans to change anything in their arrangement. But as Holden has gotten older the harder it’s gotten to hold back his feeling for Avery, he is ready to make their arrangement evolve to a more permanent one and he only has one week to get her to agree. He doesn’t count one how stubborn Avery is in her believe of not rocking the boat. I loved reading One Week with the Marine and would give it a solid 5 stars.

Hot and enthralling - recommend this book for a cold night when you're looking to warm up.

One Week with the Marine was like getting a big piece of decadent chocolate cake, taking a bite, then finding out it’s only frosting.  Sure, the frosting is great, some people even prefer to only have the frosting but I need the balance of cake to frosting otherwise is just isn’t satisfying enough for me.  This book was so much fluff and not enough substance to satisfy me.
I knew, when I started reading, that we were jumping into a relationship arrangement that had already been established, which is fine.  What I didn’t expect is no real explanation of what led them to the place they were at.  Yes, there were mentions of what had happened in the past that made Avery feel the way she did but no indication of why Holden cared for her.  There was also very little explanation of why Avery was as scared of trusting herself as she was.  I felt like this book was the second in the series and I had no access to the first.
That being said, there were some moments in the book that were very lovely.  I could feel that Avery and Holden cared greatly for one another, once Avery let her walls down and accepted her own feelings.  I also appreciated how Holden tried to handle his parents’ expectations and hostility without making Avery feel in the middle of things.
I’m on the fence about the author.  If the synopsis of the next book in the series catches my attention I may try it out, because I feel like this book wasn’t a great representation of what Allison Gatta may be capable of.  I did read an early copy of this book, so I didn’t consider grammatical/spelling issues within the book but I did have some issues with continuity issues that should have been caught far earlier in the writing process, including a shirt that was taken off twice.  The single biggest issue in this book was that Holden wasn’t a Marine, he was in the Navy which would make him a sailor.  Somewhere in the editing process Ms. Gatta was sorely let down and I hope in the future she has a team that better looks out for her.

Avery Forrester seems to be incapable of settling down on anything from a job to relationships. When her friend-with-benefits, Holden Morris, is on leave from the Marines, she finds out that his plans to settle down make her realize she might have to change so she doesn’t lose him.
I really didn’t this story. I tried to get through it even though I had a feeling I would have a problem with Avery’s personality. I was pretty much done with it after the introduction of Holden, who is well aware of Avery’s tendency to get around and he still wanted to set her up to marry him. The way it was all worded just didn’t work for me.

I really enjoyed this book!  It's much different than a lot of romance these days - the hero in this one is the one who wants more and has to do the convincing - I love that!  And the steam.... wow!  This book is sexy!  Great read!

Another great addition to the Entangled Brazen books i really enjoyed Holden and Avery's book it made me laugh and cry i did not want to put it down a super read would recommend this book and i cannot wait to read more from Allison

Holden and Avery have known each other for years, always friends, now with benefits. Both Holden and Avery had decided that they would always be friends, never allowing themselves to feel anything more. Now Holden is a Marine and is coming back to be with Avery for a week. He knows that he has violated their agreement, he is falling for Avery. He only has one week to tell Avery how he feels and hopefully she will feel the same way. Strong characters and a satisfying story make this book a good addition for anyone who loves contemporary romance. 

One Week With the Marine by Allison Gatta is now available from Entangled Publishing, LLC. An egalley of this book was made available by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

4 star

I was pulled right into this story. The story has laughs, heat, and heartbreak.

This is Avery and Holden’s story. Avery is not the settling down type. But when her best friend comes home from leave with a plan to settle down she knows she needs to do something to keep him. Holden has a plan but what Avery does not know is she is the woman in his plan. He has loved her for years and needs to marry her so if he has to trick her in order to do it he will. But when she must be an Army wife will she think this plan is just not for her? Good thing Holden knows her so well and can use a little persuading to get her to fall in line. But in the long term can this couple make it? 

I loved these characters. I felt I could connect with the characters and the story was a great read. 

I recommend this book.

One Week With The Marine is a peek into the friends with benefits arrangement that Avery and Holden have been using to keep each other at arms length for years. 

I loved Holden, he was the perfect boyfriend and friend to Avery. On leave from the military, He goes to visit Avery. She was nervous, self doubting and nearly self-destructive. She was a perfectly imperfect heroine. Holden evened her out a bit. 

Overall, One Week with a Marine was a decent read. The characters were interesting, although a few felt a bit over the top. I felt it ended very abruptly and I would have liked to have seen a bit more of them and their friends and family. 

*3.5 Star Review* 

*Review Copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads*

I loved the concept and was immediately drawn into the book. Holden was our American Hero who always went back to Avery. They had a great friendship that spanned several years. My issue is that this couple had a little too much deceit in their relationship. They were never honest with each other. I thought they played to many mind games.

Holden, the golden boy destined for the military, and Avery, the wild child with a less than ideal family life, have been a part of each other's lives for years, and for the past five they've enjoyed the benefits part of one.

The arrangement suits Avery perfectly as it's the best of both worlds. She has the majority of her time for herself, and when Holden is on leave she gets to see him and they indulge their explosive chemistry.

However, Holden wants more...he wants it all. He's been in love with Avery for a long time and knows she's the one for him, just as he knows she doesn't due commitment because of her family's issues.

Avery isn't sure what to do now that Holden is officially home for good. He wants more than she think she can give. But Avery, though she isn't aware of it due to her fears, loves Holden just as much as he does her. She doesn't want to risk ruining the best thing to ever happen to her though, and she worries that's exactly what would happen if the parameters of their relationship were to change.

Can Holden prove his love to Avery? Can Avery admit hers for Holden? Will Avery be able to let go of her issues because of her family? Can Holden show her things between them will never be like that? Will Avery take a chance and fully explore things with Holden? Will they get the HEA they both yearn for?

One-click now and follow along as two people realize what they truly mean to one another and fight for what they could be.

**I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.**

I voluntarily read this advanced readers copy of this book.  I just couldn't put it down once I started reading it.  Strong characters and great story line.  I can't wait to read more of this series.

One Night With A Marine is a sexy romp with a determined Marine and a skittish photographer. Holden's ready for commitment and Avery is ready to head screaming for the hills. 
Avery is a coward. Not only is she a coward but she's a twitchy coward who lies to herself, making up lame excuses about herself and her past as justification for not taking a chance with the only man she's ever been with and ever loved. She does crazy, over the top things in order to cover her fear and thank goodness for her, Holden is patient, understands her and indulges her when she's being maniacal. Aside from the fact that she's in love with Holden and would do anything for him but is too afraid of it all, she has no redeeming characteristics whatsoever. Some might find her diversionary tactics endearing or cute, but I just found them annoying. I wanted her to grow a pair, face her fears and start living her life instead of hiding from it.
I liked Holden. The man has the patience of a saint. I am in awe of the fact that he put up with Avery and her antics, and the fact that he loves her just the way she is. I would have liked it if he had stood up to his parents when they put down Avery more, but frankly his parents were awful human beings, especially his mother and they never let him have a word in edge-wise. Poor Holden. I thought that Holden was very brave for broaching a subject he knew Avery would balk at and putting himself and his heart on the line. He took a risk with her and while it initially backfired, I'm glad it worked out for him in the end. He deserved to have the woman he loves and be happy.
I enjoyed Ms Gatta's writing and I'd read more from her but I sincerely hope her future heroines are a heck of a lot more likable than Avery.

One Week With the Marine is the first book in the Love on Location series by Allison Gatta and also the first (but not last) book I have read from this author. I am certainly planning on reading the second book in the series which I am hoping will be about Avery's friend and her boyfriend who kissed another woman. I would want that for my heroine, but I do believe that he had a good reason for doing it. This book is pretty much all about Avery and her mommy issues, so I can believe that Oliver can have some solid reasoning.

The book had definitely room to be filled with endless drama and angst, but that didn't happen and it had a perfect dosage of each. It could have been very tiring with Avery's commitment phobia, but fortunately, it was almost balanced. For me, she over reacted when she found out what Holden was going to do with his deployment, but I am also holding him responsible because he never shared his plans with her, so she was caught off guard.

The book is a good companion for a hot summer night. It's quick to read and has a good flow. The characters are mostly likable, the writing is good and as the first book in the series, it becomes a good foundation for the next books.

Title: One Week With The Marine
Series:  Love On Location Book #1
Author:  Allison Gatta
Genre:  Romance

Blurb: Best friends with benefits… Avery Forrester has never been the type to settle down—not to one place, not to one job, and certainly not to one man. Still, when her long-term best friend with benefits comes home on leave with a plan—including marriage and children—she realizes she’ll have to do something drastic in order to keep him. Luckily, drastic is what she does best.

…isn’t enough anymore…
U.S. Marine Holden Morris has never backed down from a challenge. And this time, that challenge is persuading wild child Avery Forrester, the woman he’s loved his entire life, to marry him. He wants the whole deal—a wife, a family. But convincing her to become a military wife won’t be easy. Then again, he knows Avery—in every way possible. Armed with that kind of knowledge—carnal and otherwise--how can he possibly fail?
Thoughts: I typically love this troupe, and was eager to start this book!  I love when two friends who have this amazing connection as friends are able to move into a more intimate connection.  In this one, Avery is the girl with issues in the love department, and Holden is our guy who wants more from their relationship.  Unfortunately, the book just didn’t stand out to me among the many other from this troupe.  I also felt like Holden was just going along with it because of this ‘checklist’ of things he wants to do because he feels like it’s time to do so and that Avery just happened to be the girl he’s been with on an intimate basis for x amount of years.  I just didn’t buy the whole epic love between them, so it didn’t start out great to begin with.  Then we have Holden try to mold Avery into this box of ‘military wife’, because that is what he wants.  Even though Avery makes it clear that is not a role for her.  Yes, I can see her changing how she thinks and approaches that, but that thought process just wasn’t reflected from the writing.
Rate:  B+

Avery and Holden had a friends with Benefits arrangement since they were teens. They have both been secretly in love with each other, and scared to rock the boat. Avery is terrified of commitment, having seen what her mother had gone thru with men, she did not want to go that route, and then her best friends relationships, were horrible, she was on a constant wheel of disappointment, and Avery did not want that, she felt that it was better to keep her relationship with Holden the way it was, no strings, that way it would last.  Holden, loved Avery and every time he saw a picture on Facebook of her with her latest conquest he was green with envy, what he did not know, was that Avery, never slept with anybody else, Holden was her one and only. When Holden, asked for a relationship, and Avery agreed, all hell broke loose, because he never told her about his deployment. Both said hurtful things, but both were able to acknowledge what they really felt for one another.. Hopefully we get to read her friends story next, you can't leave us hanging like that.