All Out of Love

Cupid, Texas #2

by Lori Wilde

Football star Pierce Hollister has fame, fortune, and beautiful women who'll do anything for him . . . whether he asks them to or not. But when it all comes crashing down, Pierce finds himself back home, running the ranch in Cupid, Texas, wondering how it all went wrong.
But one thing is right: Lace Bettingfield. The former plain-Jane has turned into a luscious knockout — trouble is, she won't even give him the time of day no matter how many passes he makes.

Being in love with your older brother's best friend is awkward enough, and Pierce was the cause of Lace's most embarrassing high school moment ever when her secret letter to Cupid declaring her love landed right on the front page of the school newspaper! Pierce is still as stubborn, sexy, and arrogant as ever . . . but Lace is about to see that things aren't always as they seem . . . especially when it comes to love.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Westerns, Sports, Audiobook, Fiction

384 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Lori Wilde can’t remember a time when she didn’t want to write. She even went to nursing school so she could have a schedule flexible enough to allow her to write on the side. She nursed for 20 years, working in a variety of settings from the newborn nursery to the recovery room, to dialysis. But she never lost her desire to write.

She sold her first book in 1994 to Silhouette Romance but later discovered she had a flair for comedy and branched out to Harlequin Duets and now, to Blaze.

Lori is an adventuresome soul who loves to travel. She’s taken flying lessons, completed two marathons, rode in a hot-air balloon, performed with a professional jazz band, traveled Europe as a teenager, hiked volcanoes in Hawaii, trod on glaciers in Alaska, shot white-water rapids, water-skied, snow-skied, raced all-terrain vehicles, bodysurfed in the Gulf of Mexico, and photographed grizzly bears in Yellowstone.

She lives in her native Texas, with her own real-life hero, Bill.

Reviews

[UniquelyMoi ~ BlithelyBookish · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Love just plain hurts sometimes, but we can't let that stop us from loving. Love is the only thing in the world that really matters. " - Sandra

This is such a fun book! The second in Lori Wilde's Cupid, Texas series, it's even more fun, more passionate, and more engaging than the first.

From the cover-

For years, a small group of women in Cupid, TX, led by Millie Greenway, have taken it upon themselves to keep the Cupid legend alive. Now Millie has roped her four disbelieving granddaughters into joining the cause.

Lace Bettingfield knows for a fact that the Cupid legend is bogus. As a shy sixteen-year-old, she left a letter at the statue and got nothing in return but heaps of embarrassment when her letter ended up printed in the school newspaper. But now the boy she longed for is back in town and Lace can't help wondering...what if?

I fell in love with our hero, Pierce Hollister, in spite of - or maybe because of - his cocky-jock attitude. You know what they say...the bigger they are, the harder they fall...and this Dallas Cowboys Quarterback falls hard, in more ways than one. A potentially career ending injury knocks his ego down a peg or two, and then add to the mix Lace Bettingfield's sassy mouth and sexy body wanting nothing to do with him and you've got a hero who's used to snapping his fingers and getting whatever - or whoever- he wants, doubting his cocky-jock-studliness and not knowing what to do next!

I enjoyed Lace, a lot. She's smart, determined, devoted to her friends and family, and fun in a quirky geek kind of way. My heart broke for her high school humiliation, and while I understood where she was coming from, I think she went a bit overboard with her denial of the attraction she had for Pierce, and what was developing between them. Then again, living in a small town that can't seem to forget the past can do a lot of damage to a girl's self esteem.

Lori Wilde writes great small-town stories. She's got a real gift for capturing the comfortable feel that goes along with knowing the people around you, and loving them despite their flaws. This world Ms. Wilde has created has such a warmth about it. The relationships are solid, the romances sweet and sexy, and all this makes me want to find Cupid, Texas and make it my home.

My thanks to Avon Books for providing me with a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review. It was a pleasure!

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG! Talk about having a book hangover this story was so well written and I loved all the quircky characters in this book.

This is about Lace Bettinfield who has a crush on her older brothers best friend, Pierce Hollister, who is the quarterback and all around most popular guy in school while Lace is overweight and has a stutter. She ends up being humilated in a BIG way and things just dont work out for her. Fast forward twelve years and both Lace and Pierce are back in town and the chemistry between them is hotter than ever, but Lace is hesitant and scared of being hurt again while Pierce is still carring around his ego and star status even though he no longer plays.

Im going to be completly honest here and say that at first Lace kind of irritated me I mean Pierce was making it super clear he wanted her and only her and she kept pushing him away, but I could also understand she had been hurt and didnt want to get hurt again so I gave her a chance and found I really loved her spunk and sass. Now Pierce, OMG swoon much, oh man he is amazing and yes he knows it too but I happen to love when a guy has that kind of ego one thats not too much but just right and I loved that he didnt give up on Lace no matter how many times she pushed or brushed him off.

This story was funny, sweet and sexy and has me begging for more I cant wait to keep reading more from this series to see what happens with the other characters. Absolutly amazing read if you havent read it yet I highly recommend that you do you wont be disappointed.

[Kimberly Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Plain Jane Lace Bettingfield was utterly embarrassed as a teenager over a letter that was meant for her eyes only. A vengeful cousin decided to hurt her as deeply as one teen girl could.
Pierce Hollister is cocky and more than a little arrogant, but the crush he had on his best friend's little sister, well, that was not going to happen.
Now, Pierce is back in Cupid and Lace has grown into a knock-out. She claims she's over him, but Pierce is determined to rekindle that old spark.
From the very first page, I was rooting for the Plain Jane to get the man of her dreams. My face flushed with embarrassment for poor Lace as she dealt with the high school horror of being made to feel ashamed of her high school crush. But I think I felt even worse for Pierce because he had more issues than most realized.
Lori Wilde takes a romance, adds a dash of spice, swirls in a little controversy, then cranks up the heat. I literally read this book in one sitting. I loved it that much.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lace spent years getting over Pierce. When she was a teen a letter confessing her love to him was published for the whole school to see. Now as an adult she comes face to face with him again. She isn't the same person she was as a child but she still finds herself drawn to him. Pierce is back home to help take care of his father. He has been injured playing football and is surprised to see Lace all grown up. She doesn't fall all over him like other women do and he can't help notice she has grown up nicely. Besides helping his dad and getting better he wants to prove to Lace he isn't the same boy he used to be and help her save some of the town history.

Lace is the type of female character I love. She is a normal type person. She has been embarrassed before, hard working, can be sexy,smart and best of all to me she isn't one of those skinny perfect woman you usually read about. She shows her caring side many times in the book as well as how stubborn she can be. Pierce is the all American male. The one woman fantasize about and the men want to be. He is sexy, smart, caring and most of the time not afraid to show his feelings. I love the interaction between these two.

This may be the second book in this series but I really enjoyed it. I can't tell that I missed a single thing not reading the first one. I fell right in love with this little town and know what small towns are like. Everyone knows everyone and knows everything you do or have done. It can be charming in some ways and annoying in others. The author did a great job writing this. You really get a feel for both the main characters and what they are going through on their life journeys. This book has some funny scenes that will have you laughing. I won't spoil anything but a closet scene really got me laughing. The story line is a good one and it draws you in. You want to keep reading to see what will happen not only to Lace and Pierce but his dad and the other characters as well. It has it's sexy moments as well as moments that keep you in suspense wondering if anything will happen and will they get together. It is a book that you will want to read again and again as it is a pleasure to read. I would recommend this to anyone who loves a lighthearted love story about two people that you can really feel for. I see this book as being one any time I need a pick me up I will pull this one out. The only bad thing I can say is I wanted more. The good thing about that is I have the first book to get and more in this series to look forward to.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Welcome to Cupid, where every wish for love comes true”.

When Lace Bettingfield was 14 and a freshman in high school, she wrote a letter to Cupid... a letter she had ever intention to burn. But her cousin, gilted by the dream man in Lace's letter, decided to publish it in the school paper. Making Lace the laughing stock of her school.

Years later, Pierce Hollister, Lace's crush and the man of her Cupid letter, is returning home to Cupid.

Pierce is coming home because his father is sick, but his career is also up in the air. He is the Dallas Cowboys quarter back, well at least he was until the super bowl...when he ended up on the bottom of a doggie pile and messed up his leg...now he may never play again. Discovering Lace is the same beautiful girl with luscious curves that makes him drool was never part of the plan. Pierce has been playing the play boy persona for so long he is surprised when every attempt to get closer to Lace is met with resistance. Pierce is up for the challenge. But now that he's set his sites on Lace, he doesn't plan on letting her get away.

Lace can't understand what Pierce sees in her. She has no intention to fall for Pierce again. Constructing a careful barrier where Pierce is concerned, her efforts fail when she must ask him helf save her beloved garden.

Will Lace open up her heart again? Can Pierce show her that he deserves a chance?

I loved watching their relationship play out. This story was refreshing, enjoyable and fun with a taste of home, family, friends and true love. All Out of Love was a completely enchanting story that will warm your heart.

I received this ARC copy of All Out of Love from Avon in exchange for an honest review. This book is set for publication June 25, 2013.

[Lover of Romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading the first in the series, and really enjoying it, I was excited for All Out of Love, which is Lace's story. It pretty much picks off from the last book. I found it to be one of my top favorite contemporaries. I loved the way this story completely drew me into it, and in such a way I was shocked to see I was done with it, and I felt like it went by way too fast--probably because I was so into the story. Lori Wilde is a new fav author of mine, and I am really liking her books. Her style of writing is very compelling and even though contemporary isn't my favorite genre, Lori Wilde weaves a tender story of love and trust.

At sixeteen years old, Lace has been in love with Pierce Hollister. She leaves a letter to Cupid, but is shocked when it shows up in the school newspaper and ends up being the worst embarrassing moment of her life. It has taken her years to get over that incident, but there is a part of her that is still vulnerable toward Pierce. With being busy with her gardening business and helping her friends out. When Pierce comes back to Cupid after a leg injury that has put a pause on his football career. Pierce has worked so far to get to where he is, and now after playing in the Super Bowl only to get injured in front of millions of viewers, he has come to Cupid upon hearing of his father being seriously ill. When he comes across Lace, he is overwhelmed by her. He is instantly drawn to her, there is something so different about Lace, down to earth, witty and smart, and beyond sexy; there is one problem she keeps resisting him---which doesn't ever happen. Lace is confident that she can resist his charms, knowing it can only end up in pain, But she sees more to Pierce than a arrogant football player with women following him everywhere; she notices that there is much depth to him as a man she could come to love and admire.

Pierce at first seems to be the typical stereo type of a popular football player. As we see, Pierce wants more out of his life than fame and glory, and women pampering him everywhere. He wants something real and passionate. When he finds Lace, he feels that she is the one woman that he would settle down with. But he will have to prove himself first. I really liked Pierce, he is very confident (sometimes too much), full of a sexy earthy appeal, and fights for what he wants. Lace is smart--knows many floral terms that made my head spin, and I liked how she doesn't back down from Pierce, and doesn't give in to him easily. I found Lace to be a very likable heroine, she has goals in life, and could have a established career, but she also appreciates family and home---which I enjoyed seeing that aspect. I felt that she was balanced enough to suit me just fine. In fact I felt that I could relate to her in many ways.

I found All Out Of Love to be a fresh romance that will speed up your heart rate--who needs exercise right? There was quite a bit of a quirky sense of fun and playfulness. There was quite a bit of sexual tension and witty humor to keep you on a roll. A sweet and humor filled love story that captured my heart. It is the kind of story that you don't have to read the previous books, it can be read in order or as a stand alone. Its a pretty easy read and isn't hard to get into, and this author will have you wrapped around her little finger in no time. Definitely can't wait for the next one and I plan on reading more books from this author. ENCHANTINGLY MEMORABLE!!

Favorite Quote
"So there's no chance you'd consider going out with me?"
She raised her head, drilled a hold straight through him with those amazing blue eyes of hers. "Not if you were the last man on earth."
"Lace Bettingfield," he said levelly, holding on to his calm against the barrage of endorphins lighting up his body. "I'm warning you right now."
"Warning me about what?"
"Don't issue me a challenge, woman."
"Why not?"
"Because I will surely take you up on it." He hitched his fingers through his belt loops, turned and walked away.
"Oh yeah?" she hollered at his back. "What do you intend on doing about it? Kill every man on the face of the earth?"
A grin split across his face. Ha! A crack in her armor. He'd gotten to her. Pierce spun back around. "Sweetheart, that won't be necessary. You'll be begging me to take you to bed long before it comes to that."

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lace suffered the ultimate high school humiliation when her letter to Cupid was published in the school newspaper! She had a huge crush on Pierce, popular football player, and her brother's best friend. At the time it was mortifying, but Lace has moved on from that incident!

She has been to university, has a PhD in Plant Biology, and is back in Cupid taking care of the gardens there while carrying on her research. Lace is also part of a group of women who answer letters left for Cupid. They believe in true love, but Lace knows that you don't always get what you want. She is happy, independent and smart even if she is still single, sowing some wild oates while away at university!

When Pierce returns to Cupid after a career threatening football injury and to deal with his father's mysterious illness, Lace is determined to stay far away from him. That part of her life is long past and she has moved on! She has no desire to stir that pot again, have everyone talking about her again, and risk her heart again! Even if Pierce is hotter than ever!

Pierce is stunned when he runs into grown up Lace. She is nothing like the women he usually sees, but there is something about her that pulls him in. She is smart, confident and all woman! Where Lace is determined not to stir anything up with Pierce (she is over him, right?), he is just as determined to see what he can stir up with Lace!

I loved reading the romance blossoming between Pierce and Lace as adults. It really feels like this is the right time for them, even with so many uncertainties like his career, his father's health, the little incident of someone stealing money from Cupid and Lace losing her job... Despite Lace's reluctance to put her heart on the line, Pierce just might be worth it. Will Cupid work his magic, do Lace and Pierce have a chance together?

Lace is a great woman. She is caring, honest, and down to earth. I love that she's not carrying around all her teenage angst that a lot of characters seem to do these days! She's moved on, holds no grudges, and has grown up great! Even with her uncertainty about a relationship with Pierce, she is there for him and genuinely cares when his father is ill.

Underneath his playboy ways, Pierce is all man! Football has always been his life, living up to his father's expectations just a part of it. With his career threatened and his life up in the air, he does not fall into self pity, but carries on. I love the maturity of both Pierce and Lace.

Lori gives us a great romance with All Out of Love. I love her style of writing, the humor, the relationship ups and downs, and yest the sexy scenes! Lori writes it all so well the story just flows off the pages effortlessly! All of the plant references were a great addition to the story, fitting in nicely. I love the small town feel of Cupid with all the eccentric characters! I can't wait for Lori's next book in this series!

I really enjoyed my visit back to Cupid, Texas in All Out of Love! I loved this installment in the Cupid, Texas series by Lori Wilde! Although it is part of a series and I've read them all to date, I honestly believe it can easily be read as a stand alone.

[Cheesecake]

Pierce the man who believes his own press, and Lace the woman who tells him 'no'.
At what point is this story supposed to turn around?
DNF at 70% (Mostly because I am not enjoying it.)
It feels like a chore waiting for Pierce's character to be less of a shallowly snarky arrogant fool. I am also so TIRED of people telling Lace how he could choose from literally hundreds of bimbos if he wanted to. Repetitive much??
Lace fell into adolescent love with Pierce when she was 14 and her pinings were printed into the high school paper for all to read. The humiliation is taken to extremes for YEARS. Did anyone stand up for her??? Apparently not. Did anyone feel bad about their behavior later in life, apparently not, not even Pierce. Who chose to pretend nothing had happened, even though it was partly his fault.
Then fast forward 12 years and Pierce the Dallas Cowboys quarterback broke his leg badly in the last Superbowl. Now he is back home to recuperate and help with his ailing father. He and his younger brother have been put at odds their whole lives by their father treating Pierce better. And his father basically forced Pierce to be man he wished he himself had been. Obvious and repetitive, OKAY I get it for crying out loud.
The only thing that has kept me reading is Lace's character and her sticking to her guns. Because really, there is nothing to like about Pierce except he is Hot. The author suggests there is more depth, but at 70% I need more than a damn suggestion. It feels like the story has been wallowing in a rut for the last 50%. Blah blah blah blah. I don't get the feeling Pierce sees Lace as anything other than a challenge and a way to pass the time of his recovery and not think about the possibility that his recover will never happen or that his father will never recover either. Sure he wants her more than the other bimbos. But in his thoughts he never thinks beyond the present. He never thinks about anything other than her curvy body and the fact she doesn't fall at his feet.
Maybe the author will bring it around in the last 30% but I don't care anymore. If I liked Pierce's character more, maybe but he's still an smarmy arrogant egotistical shit as far as I can tell.
How much you wanna bet that the author swings things to make it out that it's the Lace's fault their romance stalls??? God forbid a woman should stand her ground and expect better! Ugh this whole story just makes me want to smack my forehead.

[Dani C. (Polly's Place) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cupid, Texas is a wonderful place to visit and I was so happy I was able to read the latest book in this wonderful series. Ms. Wilde has created a place that sounds very much like the town I live near. The characters and the situation are entertaining and really make you feel like you are right there with them.

Let’s start with Pierce Hollister. He is the handsome football player that Lace Bettingfield had a not-so-secret crush on for years in high school. To top it off now that he is back in town he has his sights set on Lace. Oh and by the way he is the quarterback for none other than the Dallas Cowboys. As someone who was born and raised in Dallas, well this was something that just made me sit up and grin!

Lace hadn’t had the best of life so far. She was kind of plump in high school and was embarrassed by the whole school when her letter to Cupid was published. Now she is a much stronger woman and yet she has a hard time believing that Pierce is really interested in her.

Sigh. There was so much I could relate to in this book. I was so captivated that I didn’t want it to end. I am eagerly waiting for the next book in this series!

[Gemma Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Plain Jane Lace Bettingfield was utterly embarrassed as a teenager over a letter that was meant for her eyes only. A vengeful cousin decided to hurt her as deeply as one teen girl could.
Pierce Hollister is cocky and more than a little arrogant, but the crush he had on his best friend's little sister, well, that was not going to happen.
Now, Pierce is back in Cupid and Lace has grown into a knock-out. She claims she's over him, but Pierce is determined to rekindle that old spark.
From the very first page, I was rooting for the Plain Jane to get the man of her dreams. My face flushed with embarrassment for poor Lace as she dealt with the high school horror of being made to feel ashamed of her high school crush. But I think I felt even worse for Pierce because he had more issues than most realized.
Lori Wilde takes a romance, adds a dash of spice, swirls in a little controversy, then cranks up the heat. I literally read this book in one sitting. I loved it that much.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

All Out of Love is the third book (second novel) in the Cupid, Texas series. As a lovestruck teen, Lace Bettingfield learned the definition of humiliation when her letter to Cupid ended up on the front page of the school newspaper, exposing her secret crush on the star football player. Twelve years later, she's returned to Cupid with a phD in Plant Science to curate the Botanical Gardens. When her former crush, NFL quarterback Pierce Hollister, returns to town, Lace is determined to prove she's well and truly over him. But Pierce has other ideas, and now that his best friend's little sister is an adult, he's determined to get under her skin.

I was swept into the world of Cupid (again!) and left wanting more. Lori has become one of my favorite romance authors. She's a master of romance, crafting wonderfully flawed, believable characters, and settings rich with the perfect amount of detail. I devoured this book in one sitting and cannot wait for Zoey's story (coming 2014).

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Lisa Filipe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Second Book to the Cupid Texas Series. Oh Pierce...reminded me of the boy that I had a crush on in high school...

Full review coming on Tuesday as a part of the Blog Tour for ALL OUT OF LOVE with Tasty Book Tours

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one may have been even better than Love at First Sight (Cupid, Texas #1), & I didn't think that was possible. <3

[Shan ~A~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

How many of us would love to have our high school crush finally see as a someone that they are interested in being with? Or our older siblings best friend finally see us something more than the pesky, nerdy, or annoying younger sibling? Or how about just see as more than just a young girl/boy and see us a a woman/man?

How would you react?

Well in this wonderful tale Lace Bettingfield gets exactly that. Lace had on crush on high school quarterback and her brothers best friend Pierce Hollister when she was a freshman in high school and he a senior.

The book opens with a letter to cupid from a young lady about a crush she has. In this case the said young lady is Lace.

When she writes the letter she doesn't expect it to be read by anyone. It was her way of getting it all out without sharing it with anyone else. Well, you know how it is in high school. The kids can be very mean. Which Lace soon realizes when her letter ends up published in a newsletter. She is so humiliated by the turn of events and to make matters worse not everybody, including her crush knows she is the one who wrote the letter.

Twelve years pass and Lace has become a secure and confident woman and you know who comes back to town and turns her world upside down.

I fell in love with this book from the moment I read Lace's letter. I felt her surprise and humiliation when she realized that everyone had read the letter and knew she was the author. The description was so well written that I felt like I was in the moment with my heart beating fast and the bottom dropping out of my stomach.

It is one of those things that a lot of girls/guys went through at that age, and Lori made it feel real and everything was true to form.

I loved the fact that everyone important to her rallied around her in their own special way to try and make her feel better.

Pierce's coming back to town made Lace have to actually deal with everything. It had been easy for her to get over him and move on since she didn't have to see him again after that. Out of sight, out of mind and all that. With him being back in her presence it made her have to really come to terms with what she felt for him if anything.

On Pierce's side of things, he sees this beautiful woman and is instantly attracted. He realizes that it's Lace, his best friend's younger sister all grown up and he tries to talk to her.

After that he realizes that he has his work cut out for him.

You will have to read the book to see the challenges these to face in there journey to one another.

It will definitely take you back to the days of doodling your crush name on your notebook, playing love games like MASH to see if you would end up with him, how many kids, you would have and what kind of house you would live in. Most of all it will make you smile and fall in love with romance all over again.

I do have to say there is a couple of spots where the words his and her were mixed up, but it will in no way take anything away from the story.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun book. Lace suffered terrible humiliation when her crush on Pierce was published in the school newspaper. She had been shy, slightly overweight and stuttering, but adored her brother's best friend. Now she's all grown up and has put the past behind her. She loves her job as curator of the Cupid Botanical Gardens. So she still has the problem of most of the town still bringing up that unfortunate event - she just tries to ignore it. When Pierce suddenly comes back to Cupid, she's dismayed to find that those feelings are still there. She's determined that she won't fall prey to his playboy ways. I really liked Lace. She's smart, she's sassy, and she's pretty content with her life just the way it is. When Pierce shows up and starts putting the moves on her she is determined not to give in. She sees him as the same arrogant jerk he was in high school, and that he just wants her because she's there. I loved the way that she talked back to him and didn't just fall at his feet. She worked really hard at keeping him at arm's length until she ended up needing his help for a fundraiser. Then she had to meet his conditions and actually spend time with him. As she did, she discovered that there was more to Pierce than the playboy he was portrayed in the press. She finds him to be sensitive to her wishes, determined to help his father get better, and worried about his future. She worried about falling for him all over again, and that she'd get hurt even more. Her feelings ended up being even stronger, and her self worth issues popped up again making her doubt that he would be interested in anything permanent with her.

Pierce had been the star quarterback in high school, with girls falling all over him. Being a typical teenage boy he didn't exactly chase them off. He hadn't been aware of Lace's crush and felt really bad about her humiliation but there wasn't anything he could really do about it. What he never admitted to anyone was that he had liked her too. But in high school four years is too big a gap, plus you don't put the moves on your best friend's sister. When he comes back to Cupid twelve years later he is recovering from a badly broken leg that may end his football career. He is also helping his brother with the family ranch while their father is sick. When he runs into Lace he is stunned by his reaction to her. She's nothing like the women he usually dates, but he can't get her out of his mind. He makes it clear to her that he is going to pursue her. At first he is just interested in sleeping with her, but as time goes on he realizes that he wants more. I love his reactions to her sassy rejoinders and that he appreciates her wit. I'm also glad that he likes her body just the way it is and doesn't hesitate to let her know it. It was fun seeing him use the fundraiser as a way to get her to spend time with him. He was also surprised by her support and understanding with his father's illness and his own injury and recovery. It only made her even more appealing to him. I loved the way that he accepted his feelings for her before she admitted hers. I loved his "go big" moment at the end.

[Romancing the Book · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by: Crystal B
Book provided by: the publisher for review
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book

As some of you may know by reading my other reviews, I have a fondness for small town romances. Lori Wilde has created a really cute and fun series about the folks in Cupid, Texas. I have now had the pleasure of reading all three books in this series and I will impatiently be awaiting the next in the series. This is one of those books that incorporates the joys of living in a small town where everyone knows everything with a great romantic story.

All Out of Love starts out with heartache and embarrassment for Lace Bettingfield. Something really embarrassing happens to her in high school and the whole town just can’t seem to forget about it, much to Lace’s dismay. I’m not going to tell you what happens, I’ll let you read the story to find that out for yourself. However I will tell you it involves her crush Pierce Hollister.

Lace is a sweet young girl with a great love of plants. I loved learning some of the names of the different plants talked about in this book. She returns to her hometown to manage the Cupid Gardens. When Pierce Hollister returns to town things have changed. It’s his turn to get Lace’s attention. I loved how Pierce convenes Lace to go on a date with him.

Football start Pierce Hollister thinks he has life under control until he’s injured in the Super Bowl Game, his father comes down with an illness, and life has a change of plans in store for him. I really liked Pierce, he’s just a good guy under all that football fame.

I loved reading about Lace and Pierce and watching their romance grow. This was a really sweet story with a lot of things happening around the romance. There was plenty of drama and steamy romance that I had no problem getting totally involved in this book and flying through the pages. If you are like me an can’t get enough of the small town romance series books then I recommend you give Lori Wilde’s series a try.

[Kristin & Sue Ellen ~ GirlyGirlBookReviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lori Wilde ~ All Out of Love ~ Book 2 in the Cupid Texas Series
I absolutely loved this book! It is a sweet romantic read!  This book has a great story line and a hot cowboy! What more can you want? lol It kept me intrigued from the first page. I loved the town. It put me in the mind-set of Mayberry. Cupid, Texas is a small town where everybody knows each other and come to together in times of need. They have a tradition that you send anonymous love letters to cupid and a group of women answer the questions to keep the legend alive. Lace is smart and independent. She has a PhD in plant biology, so she has always felt like an outcast. She is also a size 14 and has her insecurities about dating a playboy. She tries hard to resist him. He was her high school crush (the quarter back of the football team) and was humiliated by being made fun of in front of the entire school when her letter to cupid was published for all to see. Pierce is a ladies man and now the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys. He got hurt at the Super Bowl and has went back home while he is recovering and helping out at his family ranch. He is at the point in his life that he wants something more. It’s been 12 years since she has seen him and the feelings come rushing back. For them both.  I loved the building romance and chemistry between Lace and Pierce. It was off the charts! They truly felt like a real couple falling in love. I found myself blushing and cheering them on with their humorous and thrilling back and forth banter. The characters came to life on the pages and you could feel their spark. The love scenes were AWESOME!  I can’t wait to read more of this series!
Will Lace overcome her fear and take a leap of faith to love again? Read it and find out!
Reviewed by Kristin

[Ora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am really enjoying the Cupid, TX books. So far each of the books are about different problems with falling in love and being able to overcome those fear to get your HEA. I really love that Lace doesn't have the typical heroine's body frame with being slightly overweight. She is described as being the most beautiful of the four cousins and resembles Snow White. It doesn't matter what she did academically, she is still seen as the girl who was humiliated twelve years ago in high school with her letter in the school newspaper by her family.
Pierce is arrogant, cocky and the town's golden boy. Coming home injured with his dad sick, he has to take a hard look at who he is. It takes a while before reality slaps him in the face. It does help tha tLace does not take his crap and he has to go about things differently with her. I really do like his family dynamics. The sibling rivaly between the brothers, and how the father treated them differently. I really love Malcolm. I would LOVE it if he got his own story, even if it is only a novella.
I enjoyed finding out that Lace wasn't as invisible to Pierce as she thought. With the age difference and her being his best friend's sister, he determined her off limits when they were younger. Now that they are adults, he sees her in a different light. It was a little frustrating with Lace not wanting to open herself up completely at first becuase she was afraid of getting hurt, however that made Pierce have to work harder to get her.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

All Out of Love is book 2 in the Cupid Texas series from Lori Wilde. This book has a witty, sassy heroine and a sexy, charming quarterback hero who is a cowboy at heart all wrapped up in one enjoyable read.

Lace has come a long way from the fourteen year old girl with a stutter and was humiliated with the letter she wrote to Cupid about her crush landing on the front page of the school paper. She’s an independent, sassy woman who is comfortable with her size fourteen body. Then life is turned upside down when her crush comes home after twelve years.

Pierce is down on his luck. He’s come home to heal and help out his sick dad. He’s never had a problem getting exactly what he wants until he wants Lace. He loves a challenge. He sets out to win Lace over.

The witty banter between Lace and Pierce had me laughing out loud. In the next moment, I was pulled into the emotions and feeling their pain, their love, their heartache. I love when a book does that.

An enjoyable read that I recommend to any reader looking for a great contemporary romance that has you turning the pages to see how Pierce will won Lace’s heart for keeps.

I’m looking forward to reading book one, Love at First Sight.

4 Stars = A Great Read

Note: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second Cupid, Texas story by Lori Wilde but the first one I read. I absolutely adored it. It was sweet, fun and so well written that I want to go to Cupid myself. From the very beginning I was hooked. I felt and related to Lace Bettingfield both as her teenage self and as her geeky Botanist adult. Throw in sexy and overly confident football star Pierce Hollister and it’s a story not to miss.

I love the idea of a whole town helping out the lovesick and lovelorn to find some peace and happiness. Especially since it does seem like Cupid really does bless the town. I also enjoyed that I walked away feeling like I learned some botany, which is a feat since that’s the one topic during my Biology degree I despised. Ms. Wilde made it a fun little perk of the book.

The scenes and encounters between these two ranged from sweet to HOT. I felt the connection between the characters and would easily read this book again.

Overall I think this is a great story that I highly recommend, and a series I will be following.

I received a copy in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not compensated for my review.

Originally published at: http://loveofbookends.blogspot.com/20...

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book!!! It was the first time I have read a book with this kind of theme and literally gotten sucked in. Great writing, great story, great location, and great characters.

This is an amazing story. It has it's funny moments, sad moments, moments of clarity and oh so much more. There is passion, hate, love and frustration all compacted into one story. I love the authors attention to detail. While this is the second book in the series and I have not read the first I didn't feel like I missed a thing.


Pierce is your average jock in the beginning but you kind of grow to love him. Lace is your every day love stricken girl who is very good at hiding how she really feels about her love interest. She is what sucked me into the story as we are alike in that tendency.


I have read a lot of stories that follow along these same lines but this is the only one that I have ever gotten truly sucked into. The plot was well thought out. I loved the location and characters and just how it all played out. Lori created a fantastic world that you just sink into and you don't want to leave it.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

All Out of Love starts with every girl's worst nightmare. Being made fun of in front of the entire school for a crush on the Quarterback when your a freshman and he's a senior. Fast-forward, Lace Bettingfield, now DR. Bettingfield with her PhD in Plant Science, find herself fall that same quarterback all over again. Only this time, it's worse - he's the Dallas Cowboys' Quarterback.
Pierce Hollister, returns home with an injured leg and a sick father. After running into Lace, literally, he finds she is no longer his best friend's little sister. She's not the glamorous woman he's used to dating; she's down to earth, a little quirky, and has the biggest heart of any woman that he's ever met.
I love this book for the fact that it's a "real" romance. The characters have everyday issues that the rest of us face (stuttering, unrequited love, etc). Normally, I get irritated by the main characters in romance books for acting as, well, characters in a book; but with Lori Wilde's Cupid, Texas series, I find myself laughing out-loud and applauding the characters for their actions. I can totally imagine these as my friends.
I will be anxiously awaiting the next book in the series.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

'All Out of Love' is the second book (or third if you count the Novella 'One True Love' that describes the legend of the town) in the Cupid, Texas series by Lori Wilde. The book can be read before the others but I recommend reading them all in sequence so you get the full flavour. I love the whole series; this is my favourite as it has a strong storyline that follows on from the town's introduction described in detail in the previous book. The love story is powerful and it is wonderful to see how both parties work through their problems to find each other. The town seems so real that you feel that you could and would go there for a visit. The characters are well rounded with a brilliant support cast, and I hope that the series is going to go on long after the initial trilogy is finished. I love Lori Wilde's writing and can't wait for the next in the series!

[Monique Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better than the first book! Loved this story! Love the independent women in this series and that they are not "model perfect." It was romantic and steamy and I was rooting for them the whole time!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pierce Hollister quarterback and cowboy…what more should I say! Well there is a whole lot…so keep reading.
With All Out of Love, Lori brings us back to Cupid Texas for her second book in the series. Cupid Texas is famous for people leaving Dear Cupid love letters in a special box at the town’s Botanical Gardens. The letters are usually answered by a group of volunteers, with the answers published in the weekly circular. Each letter is supposed to be anonymous.
For Lace Bettingfield, her letter to Cupid became talk of the town when she was fourteen. A letter she never intended for anyone to see became front page news of her high school paper! Her crush on the school’s Quarterback, Pierce Hollister was now wildly known and she was ridiculed by everyone.
Twelve years later Lace Bettingfield is the Director of the Botanical Gardens. A lover of plants and insects all her life it was a natural choice for her to move home after graduating from Texas A & M. Lace also assists with the Cupid Letter Writing Committee that answers the Dear Cupid letters (I thought this was interesting, considering what happened to her).
Pierce Hollister couldn’t wait to leave high school and the small town of Cupid Texas. He played football in college and went onto become a successful NFL Quarterback with the Dallas Cowboys. An injury in one of his games forces him to return to Cupid. Pierce comes face to face with Lace and can’t believe the changes in her. He is instantly attracted to her and begins a slow and steady pursuit of her.
I fell in love with Lacey as soon as I read her letter to Cupid when she was fourteen! All Out of Love is a delightful story about finding true love when you least expect it (and with the person you never thought it would be)! Lace is a great example of an intelligent and confident woman. And she doesn’t have to be a size four (she is a 14, which rocks!) to be found beautiful by a sexy man. She is a great example of a real woman!!!
Pierce definitely has a little bit of an ego, he doesn’t seem to believe that Lace isn’t into him, (who isn’t right?! he’s the QB for the Dallas Cowboys!). Pierce is hot and charming and a total ladies’ man. He has been identified for so long as a football player, he is now struggling with who he is off the field. Can he be someone other than a football star, a cowboy perhaps?
As the story progresses, Pierce falls for Lace pretty quickly and tries to get her to have a relationship. Lace loves Pierce though she denies it and hides behind witty sarcasm throughout the story. I think the reason for this is that she is also afraid to take a change on him because she fears that he will leave Cupid again and her as well. If I was Lace I would petrified and excited at the same time! The scene with them in her greenhouse is just Hot, Hot, Hot!!! I was cheering for Lace throughout the whole story.
Lori writes stories with such great humor to them. Foreplay in plant and football terms…so funny! I couldn’t help but smile as I read this. In addition to Pierce and Lace, there are a whole cast of characters that make this a wonderful story. I have a list of people that I hope get their own stories (Malcolm to name one!).
My favorite quote from the story…
“Ah, my Lace,” he whispered. “My beautiful, beautiful, Lace.”
All Out of Love is another great addition to the Cupid Texas series; I can’t wait to read more from Lori!

[Renee Entress · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 big Super stars

Highly recommend this book.

Lace Bettingfield had a crush on Football star Pierce Hollister back in high school. She wrote a letter to cupid about it and the letter gets into the school newspaper.

12 years later Lace is back in town working at the Botanical Gardens in Cupid.

Pierce is back in town as his father is sick and he broke his leg in a super bowl football game. He is supposed to be doing PT so he can get back to football.

Pierce is suddenly everywhere Lace is and she is wondering if he is stalking her….

Lace is trying hard to fight her attraction to Pierce because he wants to go back and play football again. So if she falls for him again she will be left behind and alone as she wants to stay in Cupid. If he goes back to playing football will she be okay with that?

Pierce is trying to get Lace to believe that he wants her. She thinks he wants her because she around.

They are funny and have great chemistry together. Lace is witty and tends to throw off Pierce with her comebacks.

Pierce has a bet going with his brother that he will plant the best crap of pumpkins for the town.

Love the flower references instead of sometimes cursing!!!

Also love the Football/Flower words they throw back and forth.


In the end will we find out the below?

What exactly is wrong with Pierce & Malcolm’s father?

Will Pierce win the bit against his brother?

Will Pierce play football again?




A Few of my favorite lines from the book:

But fate, that vicious bitch, wasn’t done with her yet.

“You keep a tool for breaking into cars in your toolbox? How very gangster of you.”

Wow. Way to make a guy feel like a balloon in a cactus patch and yet, he couldn’t seem to stop with the innuendo. “I’d love to give you a spark.”

“Ouch.” Playfully, he rubbed his arm. “You can pull in your claws, kitten.”

“Don’t pussyfoot around, Auntie. I’m a rip-the-Band-Aid-off-quick kind of person.”

“Well, you do have a sense of humor. I’ll grant you that. Go ahead and give me your number. If he’s interested, he’ll call. If he doesn’t call, well, shooger, you have to face the truth. He’s just not that into you.”

A grin split his face and he cupped a hand around the ear closest to her. “Excuse me. I didn’t quite catch that. Did I hear you say that you need me? Why didn’t you say so”? Just let me gallop home and get a condom and I’ll be at your service.”

“With all the provocative terms is it any wonder that football players have such reputations as sex machines?” she observed.

She couldn’t help laughing. “Plant sex.”

[Nate Brightman · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are times I’ve found I enjoyed a book more while I was reading it than I did when I take the time to dissect it for a review. This is one of those times so take the review below with a grain of salt because I enjoyed All Out of Love more than my review indicates. But IMHO it wasn’t without serious flaws.
We met the heroine of All Out of Love, Lacey Bettingfield briefly in the first book in the Cupid Texas series Love at First Sight as one of Natalie’s cousins. She was described as the most naturally beautiful of the current generation of Millie Greenwood and John Fant’s descendants with dark silky hair and alabaster skin and pouty lips that reminds one of Snow White. We’re also told that in Natalie’s opinion, Lacey deliberately carries 30 extra pounds to lessen her attractiveness to the opposite sex. Lacey is described as the family peace keeper and an introverted book worm who is preoccupied with her profession as a botanist.
In this book we learn that Lacey had an incredibly embarrassing moment as a high school freshman when her older cousin Alice Fant editor of the school newspaper took out her anger at a former lover Pierce Hollister on Lacey by publishing a love letter Lacey had written to Cupid about her crush for Pierce which she purloined from Lacey’s bedroom. My first thought upon reading about the event was, “how was this supposed to embarrass Pierce rather than Lacey? My next thought was “where was the school staff member responsible for advising and monitoring what went into the student newspaper? My third thought was since Lacey’s name didn’t appear with the letter how did everyone know she’d written it? Just because she signed it Tongue Tied? Since much of the plot of this book as in Lacey’s attitude towards men in general and Pierce specifically is based upon this incident I think these are salient points to consider. Lacey who was always a little chubby and struggled with a stuttering problem was humiliated and devastated by her cousin’s betrayal. The event destroys her ability to trust and turns her into even more of an introvert. Yet we’re also told that in college Lacey has lost the baby fat to become a sexy size 4. and overcome her stuttering issues and went through a period where she was highly popular with the opposite sex and fairly promiscuous before she tires of meaningless hook ups, regains some of the weight she’d lost and goes back to her celibate ways. So she was a shy girl, then she wasn’t and now she is again? Confusing at least to me. I get she stops sleeping around just to validate her attractiveness, but if I read correctly she pretty much stops dating completely through and after grad school.
Fast forward 12 years to the present. Lacey is now a 26 year old PhD botanist responsible for caring for the public gardens in Cupid that surround the Cupid statue and letter box. She’s described as being a size 14 and very comfortable with her appearance even though she’s regularly pressured by her aunt to try and lose the weight to be more attractive to potential suitors of which she has no interest. Pierce now the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys has returned to Cupid to help his younger brother Macolm care for their ailing father (who is suffering from a mysterious illness) and run the family ranch while he recovers from a potentially career ending leg injury he suffered during the previous Super Bowl. When he meets Lacey for the first time he is immediately in lust even before he recognizes who she is, giving hope to curvy girls everywhere. As much as I sympathized with the young Lacey character, a shy, slightly overweight young girl with a speech impediment I really struggled to like the current Lacy. This is rather unique for me because being a guy it’s the heroines and not the stereo-type hunky heroes that draw me to modern romance stories. She’s still bitter and wounded from the experience her freshman year of high school and when she runs into Pierce she acts as if he and not her cousin was responsible for her embarrassment and is a near total bitch to him even as he goes out of his way to help her out of a jam. Even when he tells her he’d always been attracted to her but because she was 14 and he was 18 and her older brother’s best friend he couldn’t act on his feelings it doesn’t seem to penetrate the wall she’s built between them. In fact it seems like throughout the story the only things that seems to soften her resistance to his advances is when he does something for her that usually involves spending large sums of money. Further she has a young assistant Shasta who is obviously the author of the letter to Cupid she has been assigned to respond to and it’s very likely that Pierce is the celebrity that is the object of Shasta’s unrequited love yet Lacey is too dense or wrapped up in her own drama to connect the dots. I mean come on, poor grammar and spelling and Shasta’s vehement defense of the letter writer and Lacey can’t put two and two together? Thank heavens once Lacey starts to pull the stick from her butt and loosen up a little so the romance moves forward I started to enjoy the story a whole lot more. There really was a lot of clever, funny dialogue between Pierce and Lacey as they flirt with one another. Although there’s some side stories involving saving the gardens and Pierce’s father’s health and his relationship with his younger brother, most of the book involves Pierce accepting the power of his growing feelings for Lacey and pursuing her while Lacey fearfully resists her attraction to Pierce. Even when she gives herself physically to him she still tries to hold back giving him her heart for fear of being hurt again. I want to verbally slap Lacey upside the head and remind her, “It wasn’t Pierce it was Alice who hurt you. Just like you, the guy was a helpless pawn in her revenge scheme.” Then just as Lacey is ready to go all in two incongruous things happen to make her turn tail and run again. First, Shasta does something totally unbelievable considering the situation and then Malcolm first warns Lacey off of Pierce and yet once she dumps him in the same day he’s encouraging Pierce to go get the woman he loves. Uh?
Maybe its just because I’m a romantic at heart who loves a H.E.A. and maybe it’s because despite all of my criticisms of her, I really liked Lacey. She was a good person who was like many romance novel characters because of emotional baggage in her past was afraid to love? And Pierce was more than a good guy in this story, was willing to lay it all on the line and go the extra mile for the woman he loved. As a bonus although they only got brief mentions in this book, Lori kept us in the loop with Natalie and Dade’s romance status which was going really (as in they can’t keep their hands off one another) well. So despite all my criticisms I’m going to give this book a solid 3 stars. Hopefully in the next book about Zoey, (Natalie’s younger, wild child, tendered hearted and wise beyond her years sister) she’ll keep us updated on both Natalie and Dade’s as well as Lacey and Pierce’s relationships.

[Blushing Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Rating: 4 out of 5

Heat Rating: SPICY!!


I am a fan of Lori Wilde, I have always enjoyed her books and this book was a delight to read. I loved Cupid, Texas and will be going back for sure and reading the other two books (One True Love and Love at First Sight) in this series. **I read All Out of Love as a stand alone book and I enjoyed the story without feeling like I was missing anything, Lori Wilde does a great job making the reader feel right at home in Cupid. You don't NEED to read the first book in the series to enjoy Lace & Pierce's story, but it would probably be a great visit back to Cupid, Texas for those that have read Love at First Sight.**

All Out of Love lets you experience what happens when your childhood crush comes home 12 years later and finally "sees you". *Sigh* I loved watching Lace and Pierce circle each other, then ignite and then fall, it was a fabulous ride (even though Lace annoyed me at times, she is forgiven in the end).

One of my favorite things about romance novels is the dialogue and Lori Wild does an amazing job with letting her characters tell you their story. Lace and Pierce really shine through their banter, wit and charm, I loved their "sexy football/botany word foreplay". The writing in All Out of Love flows, the pacing is great, and you feel like you are put in Lace's shoes, finally getting your chance at your teenage crush (who is now ALL man).

All Out of Love is another 1-click recommendation, it has the geeky girl, the quarterback, a sexy romance and a quirky town that is chock full of characters that are just waiting for their own story. Lori Wilde is an author that I know will give me a story that will pull at my heart strings, leave me breathless and beaming with happiness when it is all over. I highly recommend any of her books, especially All Out of Love and the town of Cupid, Texas.

[Julie Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

All Out of Love by Lori Wilde
Lace Bettingfield, when she was a freshman in high school her cousin got ahold of a letter she wrote talking of her crush of the football team, Pierce. It was published in the Cupid Chronicle and everybody was reading it.
Years later she is back living in Cupid, and she has a PhD in Botany and runs the town's botanical gardens; one specifically where the love letters are left in a locked box for the committee to reply to if they are able to in the Cupid Chronicle..

Pierce is working on his fathers ranch due to Abe's poor health and he's also recovering from football injuries.
Love the title headers with bits of info about plants and parts of them; and the real botanic names of plants and the English translation; cave scenes.
His father goes from bad to improving then back to bad and worse. The town learns of its misfortune and many lose their jobs but with the help of her cousin from NY the town might be able to help.
Loved catching up with the others in town as their life's go on and loved hearing of the past and legends.
Things may change with their new relationship as he finds out about his football career, will she travel with him or will he want to stay in Cupid?
Funniest scene: plant sex!
Hot erotic steamy sex scenes will make your eyes pop! There is another book in this series with an excerpt at the end along with mention of a Christmas Cookie Chronicles in Nov 2014.
Love how Lace has the right answer to many things tying this books situations all together.
I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.

[Erin Maurer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has everything I love about romance (books like All Out of Love are the reason why I am hooked on this genre). Wilde has crafted wonderfully complex characters in Pierce and Lace, so different from the books I used to steal from my stepmother as a kid.

The chemistry between the two is electric, right from the start. But past hurts cause Lace to keep putting up a wall, from the moment the hunky cowboy-turned-football player came back to town. Perhaps what I loved best about this book was that his love for Lace strikes him over the head and Pierce pulls out all the stops to win her over.

After all, doesn't every girl like a guy to woo her. What I also loved about the relationship between the two is that it is not all flash. While you can feel the heat between them, there is so much substance. At one point, Pierce points out that there is much more to Lace than she show, that "still waters run deep." The same is true of this story, of their love.

Lace sees Pierce as so much more than a hot-to-trot football player. He sees her as much more than the girl everyone teased in high school. He compares her to Snow White, and I love it. Also, Pierce worships every curve on Lace's size 14 body. Hell yes to a curvy romance heroine.

This is the second book in the Cupid, Texas series. I did not have a chance to read the first book, yet. I like that the book stands alone, but that there are so many characters in town, I am dying to delve in and find out more. Way-to-go Ms. Wilde, you made me stand up and cheer!

Disclaimer: I was gifted a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review. However, all opinions expressed are my own.