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Journey #3
One Simple Step
The Journey series continues with Book # 3. (can also be read as a stand-alone) Chase and Leah have their happily ever after and Ally believed she did too. But one day flips her whole world upside down and leaves her starting all over again. With a fresh slate, she’s determined to do something with her life and get back to her old carefree self that had disappeared over the years without her even realizing. Her journey is a bumpy one, but eventually life comes full circle. They say every bad ending is a new beginning, but will it be for Ally?
203 pages, Unknown Binding
First published November 27, 2013
2 people are currently reading
259 people want to read
About the author
C.A. Williams
14 books418 followersC.A. Williams lives in Michigan and is married to her high school sweetheart. While being a stay at home to her three little ones, she likes to read and write, in between cleaning up messes and being a short order cook. Visit her author page: https://www.facebook.com/authorcawill...
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 12, 2013
I haven't read any of this authors books before so haven't read book one or two from this series. Having said that I enjoyed this book as a stand alone. Although I must I enjoyed this authors writing so will be reading book one and two in the future.
Ally thought her life was going good until it all came tumbling down around her. This is her journey of healing, finding herself and moving on. Really enjoyed this book.
Received in return for an honest review.
Ally thought her life was going good until it all came tumbling down around her. This is her journey of healing, finding herself and moving on. Really enjoyed this book.
Received in return for an honest review.
Want to read
October 24, 2013Sooooo happy Ally gets her own book I can't even.....
December 13, 2013
http://ripeforreader.blogspot.ca/2013...
My rating: 3.5 of 5 ⭐️
Surprising her rocker husband with an early return to the tour turned out to be a bigger surprise than she had intended. If you can call catching him between another woman's thighs a surprise.
Shocked, hurt, but determined not to put up with that shit, Ally finds her way to a friend's place where she slowly finds her legs again. Having had time to reflect on her marriage she faces some realities and makes some decisions, but her ex is not ready to let go and trying his best to make amends. But Ally is moving on and is building a new life, with new people. One in particular comes to mind.
When his girlfriend of many years tells him she's leaving out of the blue, Nick is floored, at first. But since everyone around him seems to want to celebrate the fact she is gone, it doesn't really take that long for him to realize that she was not the best match. Of course it doesn't hurt that the new girl in town, Ally, who also happens to work for him, is turning out to be great fun to hang out with. And although neither of them are ready for more than friendship, their chemistry implies there will be much, much more to come.
Ironically, it seems that the moment their connection moves beyond the boundaries of friendship, each of their past relationships are thrown up in their faces. Trying hard to let nothing touch their own fragile new bond, Nick and Ally start keeping things from each other, not wanting to burst their shiny bubble. Some secrets have more impact than others, especially since they are bound to become bigger over time. And sometimes they blow up in your face......
*****
I had no idea what to expect when I started reading this book and was pleasantly surprised!!!
A good story, two people fresh out of their respective tough break ups, who are tempted to jump each other's bones, but decide to play it cool first.....at least for a bit. Then when they do get together the past blows up in their face. Baggage ALWAYS follows you around!!!
There were a few spots in the book where I felt the timeline was a bit jerky.....there were some 'gaps' where suddenly a block of time had gone by. Usually when that happens in a story, you'll see a line that says something like.... "And for the next few weeks they did (this and that).......", and the next chapter then will pick up the time line again. It felt a bit like the opposite here, where the explanation for the interlude was at the beginning of the next time frame. It made me flip back the pages to see what I had missed.
The characters were fantastic, with lots of variety and great dialogue. I managed to learn a lot from the dynamic between all of them, not just about what went on at that time, but also a little about background.
Love the 'one strike you're out' attitude Ally has when it comes to cheating, especially when you deal with someone who has to be on the road all the time.....nah, no room for error there! Ally is a pretty level-headed person and I think she even surprised her family when she off and married Teddy (the rocker hubby). She isn't a planner and likes to live life as it comes. But she is by no stretch of the imagination irresponsible and when she feels, she feels deep. But she is not stupid and she knows very well how best to take care of herself and her heart.
A bit of a pushover, our Nick is. In a relationship with a she-devil since teenage years will do that to ya. A solid good guy, who wants nothing but to do the right thing for everyone, but needs to learn that people have to make their own choices and their own decisions. I think he based his decisions regarding Ally on what he had learned from years of his ex. Instead of trusting in Ally, he trusted in his own skewed frame of experience and thus screwed up. Yup. Can I say 'typical'?? Or is that politically incorrect??
Despite my frustration with the characters at times, the writing was solid, the story compelling and the supporting cast colourful. The fact that this was the third book in a series, but only one I've read, didn't bother me in the least. I had absolutely no problem seeing the plot against the proper layout. That is a feather in the cap of C. A. Williams, it shows she has the personalities of her cast of characters firmly in hand, since all I needed was a glimpse at them to know how to place them all in the proper context. It made ONE SIMPLE STEP as easy to read as a standalone novel for me.
✨A touching, tempting and dynamic read!✨
**ARC provided in return for an honest review.**
My rating: 3.5 of 5 ⭐️
Surprising her rocker husband with an early return to the tour turned out to be a bigger surprise than she had intended. If you can call catching him between another woman's thighs a surprise.
Shocked, hurt, but determined not to put up with that shit, Ally finds her way to a friend's place where she slowly finds her legs again. Having had time to reflect on her marriage she faces some realities and makes some decisions, but her ex is not ready to let go and trying his best to make amends. But Ally is moving on and is building a new life, with new people. One in particular comes to mind.
When his girlfriend of many years tells him she's leaving out of the blue, Nick is floored, at first. But since everyone around him seems to want to celebrate the fact she is gone, it doesn't really take that long for him to realize that she was not the best match. Of course it doesn't hurt that the new girl in town, Ally, who also happens to work for him, is turning out to be great fun to hang out with. And although neither of them are ready for more than friendship, their chemistry implies there will be much, much more to come.
Ironically, it seems that the moment their connection moves beyond the boundaries of friendship, each of their past relationships are thrown up in their faces. Trying hard to let nothing touch their own fragile new bond, Nick and Ally start keeping things from each other, not wanting to burst their shiny bubble. Some secrets have more impact than others, especially since they are bound to become bigger over time. And sometimes they blow up in your face......
*****
I had no idea what to expect when I started reading this book and was pleasantly surprised!!!
A good story, two people fresh out of their respective tough break ups, who are tempted to jump each other's bones, but decide to play it cool first.....at least for a bit. Then when they do get together the past blows up in their face. Baggage ALWAYS follows you around!!!
There were a few spots in the book where I felt the timeline was a bit jerky.....there were some 'gaps' where suddenly a block of time had gone by. Usually when that happens in a story, you'll see a line that says something like.... "And for the next few weeks they did (this and that).......", and the next chapter then will pick up the time line again. It felt a bit like the opposite here, where the explanation for the interlude was at the beginning of the next time frame. It made me flip back the pages to see what I had missed.
The characters were fantastic, with lots of variety and great dialogue. I managed to learn a lot from the dynamic between all of them, not just about what went on at that time, but also a little about background.
Love the 'one strike you're out' attitude Ally has when it comes to cheating, especially when you deal with someone who has to be on the road all the time.....nah, no room for error there! Ally is a pretty level-headed person and I think she even surprised her family when she off and married Teddy (the rocker hubby). She isn't a planner and likes to live life as it comes. But she is by no stretch of the imagination irresponsible and when she feels, she feels deep. But she is not stupid and she knows very well how best to take care of herself and her heart.
A bit of a pushover, our Nick is. In a relationship with a she-devil since teenage years will do that to ya. A solid good guy, who wants nothing but to do the right thing for everyone, but needs to learn that people have to make their own choices and their own decisions. I think he based his decisions regarding Ally on what he had learned from years of his ex. Instead of trusting in Ally, he trusted in his own skewed frame of experience and thus screwed up. Yup. Can I say 'typical'?? Or is that politically incorrect??
Despite my frustration with the characters at times, the writing was solid, the story compelling and the supporting cast colourful. The fact that this was the third book in a series, but only one I've read, didn't bother me in the least. I had absolutely no problem seeing the plot against the proper layout. That is a feather in the cap of C. A. Williams, it shows she has the personalities of her cast of characters firmly in hand, since all I needed was a glimpse at them to know how to place them all in the proper context. It made ONE SIMPLE STEP as easy to read as a standalone novel for me.
✨A touching, tempting and dynamic read!✨
**ARC provided in return for an honest review.**
December 12, 2013
When Ally decides to surprise her husband, Teddy (frontman of the band Major Hoosiers) with an early visit on his concert tour, she had no idea it would change the course of their lives. Ally thought she had the perfect life until she stepped on to that tour bus and her world was turned upside down. Ally shows up on her friend, Rem's doorstep to start over with a fresh slate in a new city. When Ally starts looking for a job she interviews with Nick at the local resort. Nick is no stranger to heartbreak - his longtime girlfriend has left him devastated as well. Yet there is an undeniable connection between the two. The question is - will Ally take the leap for a new life or go back to her husband?
"I just had to keep living to make myself happy, and eventually things would work out." - Ally
This was a quick and sweet read about two people finding each other and healing their hearts. Both characters feel hurt and betrayed by their past loves. Yet together Ally and Nick give each other a sense of contentment and happiness. Throw in complications from both of their pasts and the novel takes shape. The story advanced swiftly and the tension is resolved very quickly. I felt that some of the emotions seemed a little muted and some reactions were toned down. But, overall it was a nice romance that made hearts happy and the epilogue was adorable.
"If someone had told me this is what my life would be like one year ago, I would've never believed them, but I wouldn't change it for anything in the world." -Ally
One Simple Step is book #3 in the Journey series by CA Williams but it can be read as a standalone. With this gorgeous cover you can't help but want to pick it up! 3.5 stars for One Simple Step!
"I just had to keep living to make myself happy, and eventually things would work out." - Ally
This was a quick and sweet read about two people finding each other and healing their hearts. Both characters feel hurt and betrayed by their past loves. Yet together Ally and Nick give each other a sense of contentment and happiness. Throw in complications from both of their pasts and the novel takes shape. The story advanced swiftly and the tension is resolved very quickly. I felt that some of the emotions seemed a little muted and some reactions were toned down. But, overall it was a nice romance that made hearts happy and the epilogue was adorable.
"If someone had told me this is what my life would be like one year ago, I would've never believed them, but I wouldn't change it for anything in the world." -Ally
One Simple Step is book #3 in the Journey series by CA Williams but it can be read as a standalone. With this gorgeous cover you can't help but want to pick it up! 3.5 stars for One Simple Step!
January 18, 2014
Christine's Review:
This is book three in the Journey series, however can be read as a standalone. I did not read the other books in the series prior to diving into this one.
This story is about Ally and Nick and how the move on with their lives after going through heartbreak.
Ally discovers early on that the man that she married never really changed, landing her in Florida with her friend Remy. Nick gets blindsided by a bitch girlfriend and left all alone. One night, these two find each other but are they to broken to make it work. Once they take that step unfortunately their pasts come back to haunt them, leading to lies and secrets and more heartbreak.
I really did enjoy this story, once I started it really grabbed me and couldn't keep it down. Although I didn't read the prior books in the series, I never felt lost in the story. I could tell that there were some things that maybe I didn't know the whole back story but it never took away from this one.
Ally and Nick had great chemistry and their relationship took a realistic progression, especially after what they both went through with their previous relationships. Nick is swoon-worthy for sure!!
I enjoyed all the side characters and their role in this story. I just was really pissed when characters don't communicate which leads to a whole angst filled mess that could be avoided but then I guess we wouldn't have a story (lol) That is my only complaint about this one and that's not a bad thing just a pet peeve you could say.
I recommend this book and think its a great, quick read! Enjoy!
I rate this book 4 bookmarks!
This is book three in the Journey series, however can be read as a standalone. I did not read the other books in the series prior to diving into this one.
This story is about Ally and Nick and how the move on with their lives after going through heartbreak.
Ally discovers early on that the man that she married never really changed, landing her in Florida with her friend Remy. Nick gets blindsided by a bitch girlfriend and left all alone. One night, these two find each other but are they to broken to make it work. Once they take that step unfortunately their pasts come back to haunt them, leading to lies and secrets and more heartbreak.
I really did enjoy this story, once I started it really grabbed me and couldn't keep it down. Although I didn't read the prior books in the series, I never felt lost in the story. I could tell that there were some things that maybe I didn't know the whole back story but it never took away from this one.
Ally and Nick had great chemistry and their relationship took a realistic progression, especially after what they both went through with their previous relationships. Nick is swoon-worthy for sure!!
I enjoyed all the side characters and their role in this story. I just was really pissed when characters don't communicate which leads to a whole angst filled mess that could be avoided but then I guess we wouldn't have a story (lol) That is my only complaint about this one and that's not a bad thing just a pet peeve you could say.
I recommend this book and think its a great, quick read! Enjoy!
I rate this book 4 bookmarks!
February 3, 2014
This is the third book in the Journey series but like the book says it can be read as a stand alone. In this book we meet Nick and Ally. Ally decides to surprise her husband Teddy only to find a surprise of her own. Her husband is cheating on her so she gets off their tour bus and finds the first available town to rent a car in and hides out with her best friend Remy. Remy has missed her friend so much and is more than happy to have her in her home for as long as she wants to stay but after a few weeks of her being there she realizes she has to get her out of the apartment to get her living again. When she does she meets first Denny and then his friend Nick. Nick laughs at the way Denny mister ladies man has struck out with Ally and knows he has to talk to this woman. Ally is leery of talking to Nick after his friend Denny has just hit on her but realizes there is something different about this guy. What happens next is a series of unfortunate mistakes made by both people. It makes you wonder will they get it right and find a happily ever after? This is a great book I do believe it can be read as a stand alone but some comments are made that would make reading them in order make more sense. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone.
December 10, 2013
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. I didn't read books 1 or 2 so at first I was a little lost. I think I should have read them first and I may still do that. :)
I really liked Ally in the story but I didn't learn very much about her. She was a little quiet and never said anything about what she was feeling. I also wanted to know Nick's secret and the suspense was killing me. I just wanted him to spit it out. :) The was also a lot of skipping around. I did like the story but I think if I had read the other stories first a lot would have made more sense.
I really liked Ally in the story but I didn't learn very much about her. She was a little quiet and never said anything about what she was feeling. I also wanted to know Nick's secret and the suspense was killing me. I just wanted him to spit it out. :) The was also a lot of skipping around. I did like the story but I think if I had read the other stories first a lot would have made more sense.
October 15, 2013
review to come
June 18, 2015
Liked this book better than the first two.
Enjoy Ally's spunkiness however the ending fell flat for me.
Enjoy Ally's spunkiness however the ending fell flat for me.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews