Romance novelist Lucy Figueroa lives a life of the imagination. While her stories are filled with fictional alpha male heroes, her real life is filled with nothing but Mr. Wrongs. As a sassy, strong, single mom, she doesn’t need anyone… except maybe a new book idea. And to forgive herself for the mistakes of the past.
Lucy’s sexy new neighbor, Jake Slausen, looks like one of her characters … characters come to life. While he fits the heartthrob part, he doesn’t act it, too distracted by his cell phone and his job for any relationship. Damaged by his childhood, he’s ignored his true calling and goes through his days on autopilot…until he meets Lucy.
First drawn together by chemistry, then by a fierce need to protect each other even from themselves, will Jake and Lucy learn to accept their pasts or will they convince themselves that happily ever afters only exist in romance novels?
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Jake makes you wish book boyfriends really could come to life.
Jake is dreamy! He caught my attention in Amelia’s book but I never saw this story coming. So good! Lucy is smart, independent, sassy, strong, talented, and all heart! Jake goes from being a workaholic to discovering that you need to slow down and smell the roses. I loved these two and the visit w our other bookiverse friends!
I recently discovered Leslie and all I can say is, where has she been all my life? All her reads are more than simply romance. There is romance and hot scenes, but more than that she tackles deep, real life topics. Not simply fluff. All the Waters was another example of that. I loved it from start to finish and can’t wait to jump into the next in the series.
In chapter 9, Lucy talk about her love of reading because it makes her feel seen. That resonated with me because I’ve always been different from the people around me. I don’t know why I grew up with a different worldview, a different view on politics and religion than most everyone around me (maybe from all of the reading?) but I never considered this before. I have no one to discuss this with, so I’ll just leave it here in my review, feeling seen. Thank you, Leslie.
Where do I begin? Well, this is the third book in the series but they are all standalones so they can be read in any order. I thought the first book was my favorite but this one is coming up close. The characters are so…perfectly flawed and they all have their own issues. It is a REAL story, real characters that will break your heart and put the pieces back together.
Now, we gotta have some girl talk about Jake…well he isn’t your average book boyfriend, he works too much and never puts down his phone. His work takes over much of his life and he doesn’t really get out much but he is hot-as-hell. He is sexy and smart and fun when he is around and then he meets Lucy… I don’t wanna spoil anything but sparks fly and there is love but can real life situations that they both try to hide bring them closer or will it tear them apart? You gotta read to find out. I adored this book!
Ah! Lucy and Jake and Rob… my heart. Oh this book is so amazing, so heart clenching and so addicting that I read it all in about two days and I highly recommend it. The ending was just beautiful!
There is no reason to feel guilty about pleasure
I was definitely right when I predicted that I would absolutely adore the Giving You series by Leslie McAdam, and All the Waters of the Earth just cemented this series place as one of my faves! Jake and Lucy’s story had so many fantastic elements – from a workaholic hunk to a romance author single mum, from the trials and tribulations of parenting and custody arrangements to the joy of art and nude sketching, all culminating around the notion of needing to find a work-life balance and discovering the joy in pleasure. And while the romance is still at an all time high of sexy times, intense chemistry and lots of flirting, the story is just so realistic and true to life it felt like it was a story being told to me by a friend.
I’ve mentioned in previous reviews of Leslie’s books that I love the way in which she portrays her heroines and Lucy is yet another example of leading lady who isn’t ashamed or afraid of who she is: a curvy, strong woman who has single-handedly raised her son and makes a living from doing a creative pursuit she loves (writing romance novels ). Lucy is the driving force behind the relationship that develops between her and Jake, and even though she has been hurt in the past, Lucy is willing to go all in with Jake…if she can convince him to spend more time with her than at work. Jake the workaholic is also another great portrayal of a main character who has genuine, realistic flaws – something I really appreciated. Reading about Jake overcoming some of his weaknesses adds a unique element to what is already a fantastic story that will have you hooked from the very first page.
nicandbooks rating
Amazon/Goodreads rating
This story! This story! It’s a beautiful, angsty, emotionally griping story about love, strength and forgiveness. Lucy (our heroine) is strong, independent and a hot tamale. A single mom who is also a successful romance writer. She puts her son first, providing him a safe home and a loving family. Everything that her new next door neighbor, Jake Slausen never had.
All the Waters of the Earth is told in Lucy’s POV until the epilogue. There’s plenty of angst without Jake’s POV, which only makes the story more riveting. I felt like I was on an emotional roller coaster as Jake made some dumb ass mistakes. Jake is not your classic romance hero.”He was too off-kilter with work, a little clumsy, and a lot of a talker.”
He’s hiding behind his career, it’s his escape from life. Lucy won’t accept less than she deserves. She won’t accept Jake unless he finds away of coping with his past and a away of living his life, not his career. Lucy has her own struggles with her baby’s daddy. It’s Lucy’s strength and acceptance that pulls her through the crisis that ensues.
The ending is beautifully hopeful. All the Waters of the Earth is about overcoming adversity and moving forward with living life. 5 Stars for the story and the cover!