I was looking for an escape from the pain, I found it in a crowded bar--in a pair of hungry blue eyes. One perfect night with a sexy, tattooed stranger. No names. No promises. No messy emotions.
Except Mase Parker is no stranger. My one-night stand is the new sheriff in town--the same unreasonable jackass I've been talking to for months while I redecorated his house...and my best friend's, recently divorced, older brother. I should stay away from him, we decided it was for the best. So why can't we keep our hands off each other?
And when Mase makes it clear he wants all of me, I know it's time to hitch my trailer and head out of town, because staying would mean risking my heart--but another goodbye might break it completely...
Sherilee Gray is a kiwi girl and lives in beautiful New Zealand with her husband and their two children. When she isn't writing sexy contemporary and paranormal romance, searching for her next alpha hero on Pinterest, or fueling her voracious book addiction, she can be found dreaming of far off places with a mug of tea in one hand and a bar of chocolate in the other.
All For You is book five in the Rocktown Ink series by Sherilee Gray. My, My, My. Prepare yourselves for Mason! If you have a thing for bossy, sexy men in a police uniform, then you’re going to love this!! This can definitely be read as a stand alone but the characters from the previous books are all present as well.
Mason Parker is Quinn’s (from book 2) older brother. He is thirty five years old and is just moving back to Rocktown to take the Sheriff’s job there. He and his ex-wife have been apart for a year now but the divorce has been hard on him.
Trixie Faraday is twenty five. She is a tattoo artist and has been living in Rocktown working for Quinn’s husband in his tattoo shop. Trixie has just buried her beloved Gran and is on her way home. When she stops in a bar for a drink she sees him. A man who takes her breath away. Their connection is instant. Just one night to forget her pain. A night with no names, no strings, only pleasure. Then they’ll never see each other again. Or so she thought.
“The woman was wildfire. Bright and exciting. Demanding attention.
I’d been an escape for her, and she’d brought me back to life.”
Mason was a shell of a man. He knew he could never be what Trixie needed. And Trixie knew she was never meant to stay in one place for long. They tried to stay away from each other, they tried to ignore the pull to one another, but they couldn’t.
This is a hot, sweet story of two people who had basically given up on happiness. They thought they could be content with something temporary, casual. But feelings always have a way of getting involved. Mason is an alpha, jealous/possessive, sexy as heck man that is sure to make you feel all the swoons. He likes his control and Trixie? She likes to be controlled. These two burned up the pages. But will their fire fizzle out and die? Or will they give love a chance?
I had no clue I was going to be meeting one of the very top alpha heroes by this author!
Trixie was a bit of a gypsy, a traveler, never one to settle down. She is currently grieving and while her heart tells her one thing, the lessons life has taught her is guiding her a different direction. I liked her and her carefree ways but wanted to see her find contentment. She’s a tattoo artist, a bit like a pin up girl, and in need of someone she can depend on.
Oh my gosh! Mason was everything! He’s a dirty talking alpha that knew just how to push Trixie’s buttons. It’s been a long time since I’ve read another hero like him. Dominate, but not heavy bd-m, is exactly what Trixie needed to lose herself and Mason was exactly what she needed. Everything between them sizzles with a chemistry so fierce it’s combustible. And holy heck, he’s protective, jealous, possessive and did I say, dominate?
This is not a story based on outside drama, but on the issues each character has to deal with from within and then how it pertains to them as a couple. It’s Mason and Trixie establishing a non-relationship relationship after a fun period of being enemies and fighting. Everything about this ticked my boxes for a fun, smexy read.
All For You was great. It’s sexy, filthy and all around awesome. I loved Trixie and Mase’s story. It was filled with some of my fave tropes, younger sister’s best friend, enemies to lovers and age gap just to name a few. I loved watching the walls Mase and Trixie built to protect themselves crumble. I loved this book and series so much so I’m left with this bittersweet and melancholy feeling. I definitely recommend this book series to one and all.
Trixie is struggling through one of the worst days of her life, when she meets a gorgeous sexy man at a bar outside of town😁 This night will forever change her, but her future will be forever changed too as she later discovers the man is her bestie’s brother, Mase😳
Mase is moving back to Rocktown after a failed marriage and he’s taken up the position of Sheriff in his hometown. When he see Trixie at the bar, he’s captivated by her❣️Now, weeks later he discovers the woman he can’t stop thinking about is one of his sister’s best friends and things start to get complicated, especially since he doesn’t know how long he can keep his hands off of her😍
A wonderful, moving story about two people broken by their pasts and how circumstances have ensured they are the way they are but are able to move past everything to create their own “happy”🤩 Loved the ending and really loved this couple- wouldn’t mind meeting up with them again in the future for a Christmas novella😜 I received an advanced copy and willingly leave my honest review❤️
I’m really disappointed. I thought I’d found an author that I would like forever, but I’ve really struggled to finish her last books. Sorry, that’s mean but true.
I didn’t like them together.
She seemed really broken up after being mistreated by her whole family and was in serious need of therapy. I actually hurt for her. I really needed her to find her own strength and stand up for all the people who had let her down and mistreated her. She even glorified her grandma even though her grandma pretty much left her with a note on her deathbed that told her she shouldn’t follow her own voice and seek happiness.
He was immature, grumpy and dominating (and not in a sexy way). I didn’t really get him. He struggled with his own issues, but woke up one day and was over it and ready to jump into a relationship. Even though he’d just spent an entire year being broken, bitter and hell bent on never getting involved with anyone again for a long time.
I never really felt they had a connection and not even physically chemistry. All they ever did were give each other orgasms. And call each other by awkward nicknames. They had so much sex, but I skipped through most of it because it was so awkward. I guess he was made out to be dominant, but he couldn’t pull it off. And she to be this independent and tough girl in her everyday life and kinky and submissive in bed, but she just felt broken and sad.
I skipped through almost all of it. Sadly.
Spoiler alert! Plot Girl and boy hooks up as stranger. Turns out the girl is his sisters best friend. They give into temptation and start a secret sexual relationship. They both fall for each other but doesn’t communicate. He gets her that she’s leaving. She’s leaving because she thinks he’s getting back together with his ex wife. They eventually own up to their feelings and get together. The end.
WTF is wrong with these two?? Why is Trixie likable??? She was not nearly such a PITA in the other stories. This is her story, so we should be getting best and most sympathetic/relatable version of her, and I just want to leave her on the side of the road. She's SO incredibly immature! "I'm having a really bad day, so I'm going to run off and be incommunicado to MY LANDLORD to whose house I HAVE THE ONLY KEY"??? This isn't something emotionally mature people do. Use your freakin' words! She's been a brat from page 1, and we just haven't seen enough of his POV to see if he'll be good for her or even an enjoyable enough character to balance her out.
Will I finish? Yes, because I'm stubborn and I've liked other books by Gray, including in this series. Will it be an enjoyable ready? So far, not looking promising...
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Thoughts so far (page 148 / 59%)
Wow. We are almost 2/3 of the way through the book, and we have the two most emotionally constipated leads I've read in a while. I keep waiting for the 'emotional walls to start crumbling,' as readers like to say. Not seeing it. We see people who refuse to communicate and then get mad when the other gives them what they are asking for. Mase talks about moving on after they're done, not tying her down, etc. and she gets mad, even though she REPEATEDLY talks about her want for freedom, her freak out about buying property, how people always let you down so never trust, and so on. This is toddler melt down because 'I asked for the red cup and you gave it to me!' level emotional regulation!
And let's not even get started on Janie and how Mase is handling THAT whole situation...
Just trying to finish this one up and get on to Addy/Addie and Maniac's story next.
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Final thoughts/review
By far, my least favorite of the series. This'll probably end up being rather an angry review, but so be it. It was a struggle to get through, especially after enjoying the rest of the books in the series so far (and others by Gray too). So yeah, you're warned. Lots of caps and exclamations ahead...
As my earlier mid-read notes say (see above), these characters REFUSE to communicate. This isn't a fun 'will-they, won't-they' story. This is a push-pull story of the irritating type.
Trixie. I didn't mind her in the other books - she was even fun at times - but she was a brat here at best and an outright B at worst. And this is her story! Aren't we supposed to relate most to her when she's the lead?? She was difficult doing the work for him in his house, pushing her designs on him for his own house that she was not expecting to live in. But he's the rude one for getting grumpy with that? And then the "meet cute" (heavy sarcasm on the "cute" part) - she locks him out of his own house with the only key and then goes incommunicado!!! I just can't understand a rational adult acting like that! Even if it's an awful day, you send a message, "Family emergency, I'm sorry" and you GROVEL when you find out that you locked your LANDLORD out of HIS OWN house!! You don't get mad at him for understandably (and justifiably) getting mad at you! She never recovers from this. She's got so much baggage she's drowning under it, but she refuses to see that there might be other ways to be happy. She dismissively looks down on "roots", has no family now besides her brother who she doesn't talk to except to foolishly optimistically lend money too over and over, but thinks she's emotionally well-balanced? She hates relationships but is part of a hyperconnected friend group. She's a conflicted mess, but she doesn't see anything wrong with how she acts to the point that she lashes out when people suggest otherwise. THEN SHE GETS MAD AT MASON WHEN HE LITERALLY ACTS HOW SHE TELLS HIM SHE WANTS!! She's the epitome of the "I push you way so you can chase me" idiot. Like I said above, toddler-level emotional regulation. I realize that she's only 25, but this is pushing it.
Mason. Another who refuses to communicate. You think your current bed partner might care at least a little bit that you're not technically divorced?? That your soon-to-be ex introduces herself as your wife, present tense??? I certainly related more to him that to Trixie but again, bottling everything up until it explodes in his face isn't a good look. Felt like he never apologized to Trixie for his half of their drama, but since she didn't really apologize either...
And between these two communication-challenged individuals, we have a relationship built entirely on sex. My least favorite romance set-up. I like to see some growth and connection between the characters outside the bedroom, and we just don't get that here. Lots of steamy scenes - and if it's your taste, that might be enough to keep you reading - but for a really enjoyable book, I need to care why these people are banging like bunnies.
And as for the whole secret relationship thing... there was literally no reason? They find out they know each other through their friends. But instead of just actually dating or even hanging out like rational people, they are finding every excuse in the book to keep things quiet. Including (and especially) Quinn, Trixie's friend and Mason's sister. Because apparently, she's the sweetest, most loveable HYPOCRITE in their eyes - do they no remember anything from Sin For You? She dated (and is currently married to and pregnant with) her brother's best friend, but she'll react super negatively to them dating? They think so little of her that that's the reaction they expect?
Finally, there was the grandmother. What sort of manipulative guilt trip was that final letter?? I really wish that Trixie could have had some growth that Gran was beloved and loved her in return but that it was TOTALLY OK that she wanted different things from life. That people aren't perfect? Something to hold Gran accountable for cutting her off from a support system or building the mental/emotional resources to handle personal problems without just cutting and running each time. I mean, by the end of the book, I was seriously of the mind that her family didn't have any worse 'luck in partners' than anyone else - they just had absolutely zilch for skills in communicating or interacting with others if there was any sort of hiccup in the relationship.
On the plus side, it was well edited. Nothing jarring to pull me out of the story (only exception was the indecision over whether it's Addy or Addie).
Alternating 1st person POV. Cheating, in that he thinks he divorced when they start up, but his wife never filed. He doesn't do much to clarify the situation until he's forced to. Doesn't develop to full-blown love triangle, but does create a bunch of self-inflicted and unnecessary drama. And that's on top of the drama that two hot-tempered and ill-communicating individuals already create for themselves. A relationship built solely on sex. I didn't mind Mason quite as much as I outright disliked Trixie, but overall, they still weren't my favorite characters or storyline in the series. HEA with epilogue a little way down the road.
Would I read more in the series? Yes, this one was an outlier. I have enjoyed the rest of the series to varying degrees, and this one just didn't check any boxes for me (or checked the wrong ones?). I will definitely finish the last one. I just will skip this one on rereads of the series in future.
Would I read more by the author? Yes, I've enjoyed the rest of this series and other works by Gray. I won't write her off because of one bad read for me.
She's looking for an escape, a way to forget the pain that is haunting her, and the moment she spots him in a crowded bar she knows he will be perfect for the job. A few drinks, a little conversation, and some flirting leads to one unforgettable night. He was the perfect stranger for a one night stand.
But when morning comes she learns that her stranger from the night before is anything but...
All For You is a beautifully penned story of two broken souls that find comfort in each other one night, and learn the next day that they are not really strangers at all. Their lives are intertwined in more ways than one, and starting anything between them would be crossing too many lines. But neither can forget the night they shared, the way they made each other feel, the way they made each other forget. Neither are looking for love or a relationship, with one just ending a marriage and the other not wanting to be tied down, it just doesn't make sense to act on their feelings. But they cannot be ignored either.
This leaves them hanging in the balance, wanting more at one moment, and regretting the thought the next. It creates a push and pull between them, tension begins to build, and it's just a matter of time before the ticking time bomb explodes. And boy what a nice little explosion it is!!! These two were needing some healing and a little love in their lives and I thoroughly enjoyed watching them find it. The pages of this one are filled with steam, passion, angst, and heart-twisting emotion... and I felt every bit of it. If you like your fairy tales a little on the dirty side and filled with heart-twisting emotion then I have no doubt you will love what you find between the pages here... it's bound to leave you thoroughly satisfied!
I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased opinion.
The book had some very steamy scenes. The hero likes to give orders in the bedroom and she likes to do what he says. He is a cop so they use his handcuffs in 1 scene.
Unfortunately, they are both emotionally idiots. They agree to have a casual relationship as hero's sister is very pregnant and they don't want to upset her.
Hero never tells heroine he is still married. His wife never filed the divorce papers and she's asking him to get back together with her in the future.
Heroine walks in on him and his wife hugging (they just agreed to file the divorce papers) so heroine is angry he doesn't tell his wife she is his girlfriend.
They talk everything out eventually but the book had too much drama for me.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ I was really excited to read this one since I had been looking forward to both characters’ stories, but I found it a bit hard to get into at first. Trixie’s character, unfortunately, felt cringey to me her constant baggage made it difficult to fully connect with or like her. Surprisingly, I ended up loving Mason’s character much more, which was the opposite of what I expected going in.
The storyline itself was just okay and a little on the boring side, as not a whole lot actually happens. That said, the spice level definitely delivered and helped keep me engaged throughout the book. While it wasn’t a standout read for me, it still had enjoyable moments and solid spice, earning it a 4-star rating overall.
This was an age-gap cop romance that really made me feel something other than abject horror.
The cop aspect was almost nonexistent, except for a couple of references (and some justified, hot handcuffs action).
And when the heroine said something like "Not this age gap thing again?", I was really caught off guard. Very mature, very communicative pair, the two of them... As much as a romance genre couple could be.
I've been bingeing this author so I might be on spice overload (not Lisan al-Gaib one) but overall... had a pretty fun time reading this.
I liked this because normally its the guy pushing back so hard on the relationship but not in this case. The diner scene when he went to pay was fantastic, I would have died if I were her. I enjoyed her stubbornness and the bond she shares with her grandmother. I had a similar one with mine and I could feel a lot of empathy for her because of it.
First time reading this author's work and I'm glad I found her! Unfortunately I started on the wrong book..... something I'm going to immediately remedy! A thoroughly enjoyable read from start to finish. An excellent storyline that takes you through all the emotions with a little added spice. Plus it comes with a free epilogue at the end (via a Web link).
Best read in order. Several characters from the previous books are in this next installment. I should not have started with book 5 first; I was missing a lot of the back story information (who's who) on the secondary characters that were mentioned frequently.
I don’t know why I couldn’t get past being upset that trixie didn’t have a pixie… I was actually close to dnf this book and I don’t know why! It was cute and funny but didn’t do it for me.
This is my second time reading this book. Now that I am reading this again, I realize that the relationship was purely built on a sexual foundation. I really wish that the author could have fleshed out the characters' emotions beyond their sexual relationship that starts in the first chapter.
Mason and Trixie may seem like polar opposites but at the core they are a lot alike than they realised. One chance encounter in a bar and a night that is life altering leaves them both day dreaming about the stranger they met. Weeks later they discover that they’ve actually been a telephonic thorn in each other’s sides for the past few months.
And no matter how much they want to avoid a repeat romp in the bedroom, they know just how good they are together and how well then fill each other’s empty spaces. But unfortunately old habits die hard and it’s not long before they find themselves returning to their default settings.
Advanced review copy provided for voluntary review consideration
Sheriff meets traveler what could go wrong This tale hit the feels in the beginning, the passion they shared after both suffering heartbreak. They have huge hearts and get there in the end they just need a little shove in the right direction. Ha ha even her gorgeous furbaby got in on it
I loved the beginning of this book — 10/10 banter and a sexy, compelling first encounter. The instant chemistry between Mase and Trixie had me hooked right away.
But once they realize they know each other through friends, I just don’t get why they didn’t get together. I mean, he’s clearly head over heels, but suddenly he’s too old, divorced, and she’s his sister’s friend — all perfectly convenient excuses to drag out the “will-they-won’t-they” instead of just, you know, dating.
There’s a fair bit of poor communication throughout, and ultimately the story didn’t land for me like the other books in the series have. Fun in parts, sure, but the push-and-pull spent more time making me roll my eyes.