Book Description:
Meredith Hunt is content with her solo life. She owns and runs a successful Pilates studio, volunteers at the high school every week, and recently bought a house. She can take care of herself, which is good because she has a hard time relying on other people. When she's mugged and a handsome man comes to her rescue, she doesn't know how to accept his help-or how to stop staring into his chocolate-brown eyes.
Ace Vance moved to Bridgeport to offer his fifteen-year-old son, Finn, a better life. Here, Finn has a chance to play football for a good team and maybe even earn a college scholarship. And Ace scored a job at a top-notch garage, where he gets to fix up classic cars. Plus, they could both use some distance from Finn's toxic mom. The last thing on his mind is falling in love, but he can't help offering assistance to a gorgeous redhead in need.
Thrown together by a careless criminal, Meredith and Ace can't deny their attraction. But can they open their hearts-and their lives-to make room for love?
Shelley Shepard Gray's Bridgeport Social Club series explores how communities can come together to support each other, whether it's around a poker table, in a Pilates studio, or anywhere in between. Get ready to fall in love with a group of men and women who, even when they feel lost, refuse to lose hope.
About the Author:
Shelley Shepard Gray lives in southern Ohio and writes full time. A busy wife and mother of two, she spends her days writing and keeping track of her two teenagers. Her two dogs keep her company when she writes in her basement.
Shelley enjoys writing about the Amish and visits Amish communities in Adams and Holmes counties several times a year. When not spending time with her family or writing, she serves on several committees in her church.
She also bakes a lot, loves coconut cream pie, and will hardly ever pull weeds, mow the yard, or drive in the snow.
Shelley also spends a lot of time on line! Please visit her website, www.shelleyshepardgray.com to find out her latest news...or become her friend on FaceBook.
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2BapSCy
Twitter: http://bit.ly/2CReN9M
Pinterest: http://bit.ly/2Wts2qc
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2CVrNvb
My Thoughts:
Okay. Let me begin by saying that as I write this review, I find myself in a bit of a conundrum. It comes from my background of experience with author Shelley Shepard Gray’s earlier books. My experience with this author has been through her works in the genres of romance/historical/mystery&suspense mainly involving Amish and Mennonite. They have also been labeled as religious/christian/clean&wholesome. Thus, my conundrum begins. I had to separate & get beyond my past experiences with the author’s prior works in order to give my honest thoughts about All In.
So, let me just begin by saying that my first challenge was to accept that All In doesn’t fit into a mold that I’ve experienced with the author’s prior works. That being said, it was scary, refreshing and exciting for me to read. Scary in that from the beginning, I could tell this was a different type of story from what I was used to from this author. Refreshing in that from the beginning, I was immediately drawn into the characters, which were different from the other works I’d read by this author. Exciting in that I really wanted to see where the story would go.
I was indeed drawn in from the start when Meredith Hunt is mugged and two guardian angels in the form of Ace and Finley Vance, show up just in the nick of time to help her. The problem is that Meredith isn’t used to being helped. She didn’t have the best situations while growing up. The difficult situations in her life and relationships have made her self reliant and hesitant to receive help from anyone. Even in this situation, she found it uncomfortable to
have someone, make that two someones, helping her.
Ace Vance hasn’t had things so easy either. He’s just moved to Bridgeport to make a better life for his son Finn and to get away from Finn’s mother. His main focus has been to make things better for Finn. The situation with Finn’s mother combined with his focus to make a better life for Finn has kept the whole dating thing off of his radar.
And as for Finley Vance, he’s had his share of bad experiences in his young life, most of which stem from his mother’s lack of mothering. At his young age he feels the need to be self reliant but also struggles with things he’s missed out on, as well as the typical challenges faced by teens.
The lives of these three become entwined when Meredith’s mugging brings them together. The story has romance, mystery and intrigue. But the largest part of the story revolves around how these three individuals come to terms with their pasts and how they are able to move forward from there to find forgiveness, healing and love.
So, I said all that to say this. All In is a clean, wholesome read with a slight contemporiness (is that even a word?) to it. It will take you to a place where you will find just how powerful love, and love’s healing, can be.
***I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
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