It took twenty-four hours for Emma’s world to shatter, leaving her broken. Returning to her childhood home, Emma wonders if it could be exactly what she needs to heal.Dane finally has a chance at the girl he lost all those years ago. When Emma blows back into his world, he knows he won’t let her go again.They’re drawn together, their chemistry undeniable. Emma just needs to decide whether she’s … decide whether she’s willing to risk her heart when it’s just begun to heal.
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A Wonderfully Captivating & Heartfelt Romance!
All About Us
All or Nothing, Book 1
By: Ashley Erin
Narrated by: Tracy L. Ortolano
Every once in a while you come across a book that grabs not only your attention but your heartstrings too and captivates both the entire time, “All About Us” is one of those books. Ashley Erin is a gifted author, I enjoyed her writing style and the characters and storylines she created, they are realistic, easy to relate to and connect with, it was also easy to feel for them and what they were going through. Emma was broken-hearted and her grief and guilt were getting the best of her and she ran back to a place where she thought she might find comfort, her childhood home and she winds up finding so much more than that, she found and rekindled old friendships and maybe even love. She grew up on her grandfather’s farm and was glad it stayed in the family she was also glad to see her childhood friends were still her neighbors, Lia, Dane and Ryan. Dane never forgot about Emma, he fell in love with her when he was a child and every woman who came in his life was compared to her, none of them measured up. Their first encounter was pretty funny, she makes a splash and he helps her out. The chemistry between them was evident the moment they met, but Emma was not in the best of ways, Dane sensed this and decided to take things slow. Dane was patient and understanding with her but he almost ruins it when Emma’s friend Alex comes to stay and he misinterpreted their relationship. Later in the book Emma almost does the same when she sees Dane’s ex getting a little too close for comfort. This is a beautiful story about learning to live again, to cope and get past the things in life that bring you down, grief, guilt, PTSD and other monsters that invade out heart and mind, calling out for help is ok and so is allowing yourself to love again. I loved how everything played out in this book, it is a wonderfully plotted story with plenty of drama, a touch of angst, loads of heartfelt and emotional moments and a slow burn but meaningful romance. Ashely Erin, thank you for this great story and emotional rollercoaster ride.
And for the narration, Tracy L. Ortolano is a new to me narrator, she has a clear and pleasant voice that is easy to listen to. I do not know if it was the artist’s direction or choice for this book, but I found her lack of varying the voices for the characters disappointing and I think this book would have benefited if it was a dual narration with a male narrator voicing the male characters. Thankfully, the author noted which character we were hearing from at the beginning of the chapter or before a scene change otherwise, it would have been harder to follow along and tell who was who. In my opinion, character voices are important in audiobooks, regardless of how many points of view the story is told in, when you have to stop and think about which character is talking, it talks your head out of the story. Other than that, Ms. Ortolano is an entertaining storyteller and did a great job capturing the characters’ emotions and projecting them into her performance.
When Emma decides to travel down memory lane and wander into her childhood, she always thinks about Dane, him and his family were a constant in her life for so long, then one day they were gone. When her parents decided to move, it crushed her, she would no longer be able to spend her days with Dane and his sister Lia, she wasn’t ready to say goodbye to them. But now after all these years she is coming home to say hello again, and taking over the beautiful ranch her grandfather left her, and once again she will be living right across the road from the man who captured her heart, as a boy, so many years ago. And the moment she comes face to face with said man, her heart melts all over again, but is a treasured friendship worth risking for a chance at true love?
There isn’t a day that has passed that Dane hasn’t thought of Emma, the beautiful girl who stole his heart all those years ago, he knew then that they would be joined until the day they left this earth, but their road to finding that forever was cut short when her and her parents moved away. Now all these years later she is coming home, to make a life of her own on her late grandfathers ranch, and he plans to make sure she never leaves his side again. He’s hoping they will be able to find what was lost all those years ago, and possibly so much more, he has waited for her for so long and he would love nothing more than to put a ring on her finger and call her his forever… that is unless someone else has already laid claim to her heart.
All About Us is a story of love, healing, hope, and second chances… one that is certain to melt the hearts of readers! This first time read touched my heart and made me swoon, and left with quite pleased with what I found. It was so easy just fall into the words with this one, and get swallowed up with every part of it, it was so darn addictive. I loved the characters so much, they had undeniable chemistry, a spark that inspired a little heat here and there, and the thing I liked the most was there relatability, they seemed like real folks dealing with real problems. Hands down one of my favorite new literary discoveries this year, highly recommend!!
I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, and voluntarily read and reviewed.