Librarian's Note: This is an alternate-cover edition for ISBN 9780380807147
A Man With a Past J.D. Carver learned life's tough lessons on the streets, so when an unexpected inheritance sends him to the Star Lake Lodge to claim his half, he's expecting trouble. Being greeted with open arms by the whole Lawrence gang--feisty Aunt Sophy and calm Uncle Ben, clearly off-limits Dru and her young son, Tate--just convinces him they're working an angle, and he's determined to uncover it. Even though a tiny part of him longs for the home-and-hearth life they have...
A Woman With a Reputation Dru's finally beaten her bad-girl reputation, and though the Lodge may not be exciting, she's fiercely protective of her quiet home. Hard-eyed J.D.'s ability to push all her buttons--some of which haven't been pushed in way too long--just proves how wrong he is for her. So why does her son hero-worship the guy? And why does her heart clench when he gets that "nose pressed against the candy shop window" look on his face
In Love...and All Shook Up They thought they knew everything their lives had to offer...until they met. Can a failed good girl and a guy who never caught a break learn to believe in one another long enough to trust their love?
I grew up in a household with two brothers, a daddy, and my grandfather. Too many men, in other words. They diluted M'ma's influence by diverting my attention to things like the danger of answering nature's call in the dead of the night. I've got a hint for those of you raised in a less spit-and-scratch world: check before you sit, because chances are that seat is gonna be up. And they don't even have the grace to be embarrassed about it. According to my sweet baby boy, if you're the minority sex in the household, you oughtta be putting it up for them. Sigh.
Having brothers was a mixed bag. When anybody messed with me they were always quick with an offer to beat them up. That was sorta nice, although I personally believe it had more to do with the fact that guys just like to fight than with any towering concern for my welfare. You might think that's cynical but guess who the target was if no one else was around and they were tired of fighting each other? I must've spent half my childhood locked in the bathroom, screaming, "Dad's gonna get you when he gets home." I know, I know, nobody likes a stoolie. But it was either that or have my block knocked off on a regular basis, and trust me, Daddy was the best deterrent going.
A smart woman probably would've gone away to an all-girl school or moved in with some girlfriends at the first opportunity. Me, I got married to my high school sweetie. And the tradition continues. Our only kid (who hasn't been a kid for quite some time now) is the aforementioned sweet baby boy, and except for an Irish setter we had for eleven years a long time ago, even our pets have all been male. I just try to stay afloat whenever I find myself in the deep end of the testosterone pool, and if you don't think that isn't a trial sometimes, I'm here to tell you- it can be hell.
Then again, it can also be heaven. In fact, it mostly is. But listen, don't tell my guys I 'fessed up to that, okay? Trust me, it's difficult enough already, just trying to stay one step ahead of the game.
After J.D. Carver informs the police that his boss at the construction site is using inferior material, the company closes and the owner goes to jail. Everyone blames J.D. for losing their jobs, but he couldn't stand to see people hurt if the building collapsed. An unexpected inheritance gets J.D. out of town. He is now the part-owner of the Star Lake Lodge. Expecting the Lawrence family to be upset that an outsider now owns part of their enterprise, J.D. is suspicious when he is welcomed with open arms. Dru Lawrence doesn't need a man in her life. But her young son has a case of hero-worship and the sexual chemistry between J.D. and Dru is off the charts. Giving into the chemistry is easy. Trying to convince J.D. that he is worthy of her love may take a little while.
J.D. grew up in a series of foster homes never feeling loved. Now he is very cynical and untrusting, believing that the Lawrence family will somehow try to take away his portion of the lodge. Dru also grew up without the love of her parents. But she was lucky enough to be sent to live with her aunt and uncle at the lodge. There they cared for her and her son, Tate.
This is a cute contemporary romance with some funny moments. The characters in this book are well developed, including the secondary characters. I really enjoyed Dru's Aunt Sophie who is dealing with the hot flashes of menopause and a short temper. She sees the attraction between Dru and J.D. and is constantly throwing them together. My only drawback with this story was J.D.'s constantly thinking he is not good enough for Dru. That went on a little too long. My rating: 4 Stars.
I need these feel-good romances in-between my darker romantic suspenses and MM books and All Shook Up did not disappoint. The storyline was simple and uncluttered and the characters appealing. The suspense was added towards the end and only to support the romance.
It wasn't one of those mind-blowing romances but I was happy and satisfied. Enough to make me dig out Andersen's Scandalous which had been languishing somewhere on my TBR shelf.
An all around enjoyable contemporary romance. It's not the most sophisticated or complicated of stories, but it's a great light-reader. I wouldn't necessarily call it a flighty beach read, but it's fairly low on angst, high on romance, and just overall a good light-hearted story.
I enjoyed the characters and the romance. Both kept my interest. The very slight suspense aspect added a little spice to the story. And Andersen has a nice flow to her writing that makes the book very readable.
This is a good book to read if you like the lighter side of romance, fun, romantic, nice storyline. I'd recommend reading it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I love a simple romance once in awhile and that is what you get with this book. Enjoyed it even more because it incorporated one of the main characters child. Not all romance has to be for the young and carefree.
The dialogue in this book had me howling and gnashing my teeth with envy. I want to write like this when I grow up! The sparks between the hero and heroine are truly invigorating. I flew through this book because I couldn't stand to put it down.
J.D. Carver needed to get out of dodge quick when his boss betrayed him and people started ending up dead. Fortunately for J.D. he had inherited half of Star Lake Lodge. He figured they would judge him for his less than stellar upbringing like everyone else, he couldn't be more wrong. He did not expect a warm welcome nor Dru he finds himself drawn to or her little boy Tate. Dru has a past too and isn't sure getting tangled up with J.D. is the right move for her but when chemistry is in play you don't play with fire.
Have not read one of Susan Andersen's books in awhile and this was a treat. Had a lot of humor and I loved all the quirky characters. Going to check out the rest in the series that I have not read before.
I really enjoyed this. It has a bad boy (not so bad) and a former bad girl (again, not bad) coming together. I liked how she was a protective single mom, but at times, she was a little over protective when it came to what he watched on tv. I also enjoyed the mystery aspect of it as well. It built up a nice finale to the book that brought everything together.
J.D. inherits part ownership of the hotel that Dru, her aunt and uncle own and run. His inheritance comes from Dru's great aunt, as she rescues him from foster care when he was younger. They are worried that he will want to take over everything, but they want to give him the benefit of the doubt as to his real reasons for coming to the hotel and give him a chance. Sparks fly between him and Dru.
JD inherits 1/2 of a resort from a former foster mother who he resents and doesn't want to let anyone get close to him. Family that owns rest is very welcoming to this interloper and Dru falls for him.
What I enjoyed: * I liked Dru and her family. Sophie and Ben are the best and they were very welcoming to JD. * People talked to each other instead of having big "miscommunications"
What could have been better: * Butch sup-plot was unnecessary * Char's sup-plot should have been dropped or given more time, it was like why bother for that tiny amount
This was a good read. Dru is a woman that is just trying to raise her son and not worry about love. J.D. is a man that is just trying to get over his past and avoid hurting people. Now that they work with each other things have gotten serious. They try to fight it but in the end they just can't say no. Thankfully after all the drama they get their happy ending.
I really enjoyed this book. The characters were fun and the friction was well done, to the point that I was wanting to jump in there and smack some of those people up-side their heads. There were some character psychology moments that were a bit typical and obvious, but I like how the author worked it all out. She somehow made me not care that the character's issues have been done before because she made them unique to the lead characters. I also liked the side story with the main male character's past and how it was affecting him in present time. It was interesting to see how he handled facing the reality of what he percieved as honor and loyalty from the past and in the present. Overall a good read. I look forward to reading more of Anderson's books
I read this while ago but I remember that this book just hit all the right notes for me. The way the hero didn't suddenly become a better man, he was already a decent one. The way the heroine is so protective of her son and has a good relationship with her parent (who have a good relationship). And the little boy-OMG his character is still me heart-haha. It has HEAT, anger, great dialogue, a take-charge man (who is still a gentleman), and a great setting. I'm not saying this is the only good formula for a book, but it def worked for me <3
This was a fun, fast read. I liked how straight forward Dru was. She was a great mother, had an adorable relationship with her aunt and uncle, and was proud of her work. JD was damaged but didn't spend the entirety of the story doing a woe-is-me act. He worked hard and it was nice to see him grow and form genuine relationships with people other than just Dru. Tate was adorable and his asking JD if he could call him dad about killed me! So sweet! I was happy that JD was able to avoid jail for his unknowing part in Butch's crime. I am a fan of Susan Andersen and look forward to more of her work!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down, had to get through it and find out what happened. Lots of fun and surprises, anger, laughter, love and suspense even though we all know how the stories end it is the adventure of getting there. Anderson does a great job of captivating her readers. Had to finish it before I could go to sleep.
This was a quick pleasant read with a bit of mystery and some humor, but mostly a book about two people taking a second chance on relationships. This was the first book I have read by this author, but I will certainly read more of her books.
I'm very picky when it comes to romance and I loved this one. Mainly because the story line was well thought of and they had different side story lines as well. There was a depth to it and it wasn't the typical cheesy kind of romance you can encounter everywhere.
And the found family trope remains unmatched. I loved Dru and her son, and I loved JD and his whole process of learning how to let people in and let himself be vulnerable and trust that it wouldn’t all end in pain and heartbreak.
Das Buch habe ich zufällig auf meinem Kindle entdeckt und so habe ich mich entschlossen, es für die “Blanvalet Challenge 2018” zu lesen. Es ist auch nicht meine erste Geschichte der Autorin und bisher fand ich die eigentlich alle recht unterhaltsam.
In dieser romantischen Geschichte sind J.D. und Dru die beiden Hauptcharaktere. J.D. bekommt überraschenderweise ein Erbe zugesprochen und will das auch antreten. Das wird ganz interessant, denn Dru ist die leibliche Tochter und so müssen die beiden klarkommen, was gerade zu Beginn etwas schwierig ist, denn keiner scheint sehr glücklich über die Situation zu sein.
Persönlich fand ich die Handlung hier sehr unterhaltsam und witzig. Viele Dinge waren etwas vorhersehbar, was ich aber bei einigen Autoren mittlerweile gewohnt bin und so auch kein Problem mehr damit habe. Ich würde das Buch als typische romantische Liebesgeschichte bezeichnen, denn es gibt zuerst Schwierigkeiten zwischen den Hauptprotagonisten und dann kommen die doch im Regelfall immer zusammen. Die Dialoge fand ich ganz humorvoll, denn die Autorin schreibt sehr direkt. Natürlich kommt auch die Erotik auch nicht zu kurz, was ich so recht gut beschrieben fand.
Dru hat mir als Hauptprotagonistin recht gut gefallen und sie wirkte doch relativ sympathisch auf mich. Viele ihrer Handlungen konnte ich doch sehr gut nachvollziehen, gerade diejenigen, die in Kombination mit ihrem Sohn passiert sind.
Auch J.D. fand ich recht gelungen. Ich fand ihn sehr geheimnisvoll, aber dennoch sympathisch. Man erfährt im Laufe der Geschichte mehr über ihn, was ich ganz gut fand.
Der Schreibstil der Autorin ist sehr leicht und flüssig. Das Buch war angenehm zu lesen und man ist relativ schnell durch mit der Geschichte. Die Autorin hat hier eine gelungene Mischung aus Liebe, Humor und auch Spannung geschaffen, allerdings würde ich eine Kleinigkeit bemerken und zwar hat sie einen Hand dazu, gerade die Kleidung immer wieder zu beschreiben, was irgendwann nur anstrengend ist. Die Handlung wird übrigens aus wechselnder Perspektive der beiden Hauptcharaktere erzählt.
Das Cover ist ganz ordentlich, obwohl man schon deutlich den Unterschied, wie damals gestaltet wurde und im Vergleich jetzt einen aktuellen Roman der Autorin.
Zur Autorin: Susan Andersen hat, wie sie selbst sagt, eine Reihe von hochinteressanten Hobbies: ihren Ehemann, einen erwachsenen Sohn, Ski fahren, Modeschmuck, Inline-Skating, ihren Kater und, last but not least, ihre Bücher. Doch am liebsten verbringt sie ihre Zeit beim Schreiben. Mit großem Erfolg: Regelmäßig klettern ihre Romane auf die amerikanischen Bestsellerlisten! Susan Andersen lebt mit ihrer Familie an der Pazifikküste Washingtons
Quelle: Amazon
Fazit: 4 von 5 Sterne. Schöner, romantischer Roman. Für Fans des Genres definitiv lesenswert.
This was at least my second read of this, and I enjoyed it. It's a bit forgettable, but definitely entertaining. The romance is sweet, and I loved Dru, but it took me a minute to warm up to JD. He's pretty abrasive, and it felt like he was being a dick for no real reason. It was initially exhausting.
The supporting characters in this book nearly steal the book over the primary romance. Nearly. I even enjoyed Butch as a character, though generally I felt his story line was entirely unnecessary (annoying) and distracted from, rather than contributed to, the plot development.
Kev's about-face was a little dramatic and felt inauthentic, but it was still a sweet peripheral ploy line.
I recommend to fans of the genre - Andersen's books are light, humorous, and entertaining.
I liked Tate and the whole Lawrence family. Also, it was a bit refreshing to read a typical love story that wasn't riddled with clichéd tropes like miscommunication/misunderstanding/mixed signals, with JD and Dru jumping to wrong conclusions all the time. I liked how they both spoke their minds, no matter how explosive they can be.
What i didn't like though is, JD had too much angst over his past, and it was dragged out a bit too long. Also, the unnecessary Butch/murder subplot was just annoying. Lastly, anyone who follows my reviews know by now that i don't enjoy stories where there are other POVs other than the leads'.
Overall, the book was just okay. Fast-paced enough to keep you hooked, but the stilted, unnatural flow of narrative was distracting.
I was needing something lighter, and when I saw this on kindle sale I remembered really liking Anderson in the early 00s. This was OK, nothing special. A little too many times where "traditional" gender roles (i.e. carpentry is a man's skill) were mentioned for my current tastes, but I enjoyed the family dynamic, and I liked Uncle Ben and Aunt Sophie a lot. Decent light-hearted fun.
It’s frustrating that the publishing date is so wrong on this edition. It was published in Jan 2001 and that’s when I bought it. Just got around to reading it again now and it holds up well. Likeable characters and a heartwarming story.