A new, sexy standalone from #1 New York Times Bestseller, Vi Keeland.When I first encountered Ford Donovan, I had no idea who he was…well, other than the obvious. Young, gorgeous, successful, smart. Did I mention young? If I did, it bears repeating. Ford Donovan was too young for me.Let’s back up to how it all started. My best friend decided I needed to start dating again. So, without my … dating again. So, without my knowledge, she set up a profile for me on a popular dating site–one that invited men ages twenty-one to twenty-seven to apply for a date. Those nicknamed Cunnilingus King were told they’d go straight to the top for consideration. The profile wasn’t supposed to go live. Another point that bears repeating–it wasn’t supposed to.
Nevertheless, that’s how I met Ford, and we started messaging. He made me laugh; yet I was adamant that because of his age, we could only be friends. But after weeks of wearing me down, I finally agreed to one date only–my first after twenty years of being with my high school sweetheart. I knew it couldn’t last, but I was curious about him.
Though, you know what they say…curiosity kills the cat.
My legs wobbled walking into the restaurant.
Ford was seated at the bar. When he turned around, he took my breath away.
His sexy smile nearly melted my panties.
But…he looked so familiar.
As I got closer I realized why.
He was the son of the neighbor at our family’s summer home.
The boy next door.
Only now…he was all man.
I hadn’t seen him in years.
I left the restaurant and planned to put the entire crazy thing behind me.
Which I did. Until summer came.
And guess who decided to use his family’s summer home this year?
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The lovely and so talented Vi Keeland is one of my go-to authors and this book was everything I hoped it to be. Steamy, romantic, and just the right amount of angst. You will fall in love with Ford and root for him and Valentina despite their age gap. Highly recommend! The perfect summer read!
Having been in almost this same situation myself, I can state with total understanding the feelings the heroine was experiencing. This was so real-life, I almost wondered if the author had been watching over my shoulder while I was in a similar situation! Great characters, great story—thoroughly enjoyed it in a deja vu kind of way. Very much enjoyed the fact that THIS story had a HEA ending!
All Grown Up was the perfect amount of taboo, steam, and sweet love! Vi Keeland hooks you with these witty characters and their adorable banter! Ford was the perfect book boyfriend with his charm, maturity, and selflessness! Definitely recommend this one! Five SWEET BOY NEXT DOOR Stars!
Vi Keeland once again delivers a story that blew me away. It has everything that I’ve come to expect from her work: a swoon-worthy hero, a strong and independent female, steamy/sexy times, and a storyline that will hook you from the very start. Ford is the ultimate book boyfriend and probably one of my all-time favorite of Keeland’s characters. I loved how he was the complete opposite of what Valentina expected. There were so many surprises with this man that I couldn’t help but fall head over heels for him. He was 100% swoon-worthy! Ford and Valentina had so much chemistry and I loved the older woman-younger man set up. Even though she fought against it, she couldn’t resist Ford for long. Their relationship was light and fun. Keeland throws a wrench in their relationship that really comes out of left field and while I didn’t love that part, it did progress the story to where it had to go. Grab All Grown Up and enjoy falling in love right along with Ford and Valentina. 5 stars
Ford is unforgettable.
I just can’t get enough of this book, the delivery of this book is perfect, it takes time to fall in love. The author writes characters that make me laugh, cry, swoon, fall in love with the hero, admire the heroine and fall in love with love over and over again. I truly believe that when it comes to love age has nothing to do with it, if it’s the right person and the right time.
I will take this grown up man! 4 stars
I enjoyed this book so much, & it left me with a huge smile on my face! Valentina knew Ford as a teenager because of summers in Montauk, but now he has grown up & all man! He was the perfect book boyfriend – stable, smart, funny, sweet, persistent (but not pushy) & only has eyes for Valentina! Valentina frustrated me a little bit, because she wasted time thinking their relationship was inappropriate before they actually got together. But once they got together, man, it was hot! If you love a quick, fun, sexy summer read like I do, then I highly recommend this book!
I need more from this author I really enjoyed this book!
This was a really great book! I loved the characters (especially the ever passionate Ford…sigh) as well as the storyline.
Dear lord this book was so amazing!! And I loved the switch on it being an older woman with a younger man. It gives hope to all us older women that age is just a number and that some men do mature a lot earlier than others. It also shows that you are worth more than you probably even think and deserve to be treated as the queen you are. Yes I took a lot out of this book as well as just the plain enjoyment of reading it and laughing and crying and feeling like I was a part of the entire story. I never wanted it to end!!! Vi is absolutely one of my favorite authors and this book just solidifies why. 5 stars isn’t enough for this book!!!! I highly highly recommend it!!!! – By Tina
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2895828158
I swear, at this point, there isn’t anything that Vi writes that I won’t read. I love every book she writes! I’ve read all her books since Egomaniac and have loved them all!
I was so excited when I heard this was an age gap romance – I feel I still haven’t read that many. This was AH-MAZ-ING!
“Age shouldn’t be counted by the time we’ve been alive. It should be counted by the years we have left. Look forward, not back.”
This is my new mantra. I loved that quote that I had to put it in my review. It makes soo much sense. So many times I look back on everything that has happened in my life, and not what can happen in the future. Of course I think about the future all the time, but I catch myself more times than not reflecting on things that have happened.
I loved all the fangirl moments. And I don’t just mean me fangirling and swooning over the hero. I mean, the fangirling from Ford and Valentina. I love coming across characters who are teachers or just discuss teachers in general. It brings the biggest smile to my face!
Another amazing book by Vi Keeland – she never disappoints! I don’t think I need to say anything more – I hope I have convinced you guys!
The old adage of age only being a number holds true in Vi Keeland’s newest release, All Grown Up, because even though there’s a 12 year age difference between the hero, Ford Donovan, and the heroine, Valentina Davis, their chemistry, their connection, and the way they make each other want more are so much more important than the gap in their age and the slight forbidden aspect of their relationship due to the fact that Ford was Val’s son’s babysitter when they were younger.
At first, though, their past and their age difference, along with Val’s desire to find herself again after her divorce are absolutely points of contention for Val and her concerns with those factors drive her to not give into her desire for the sexy, sweet, and thoughtful adult version of Ford, but he’s more than determined to show Val exactly why they work and why he just needs a chance to prove to her that living in the moment, that thinking with her heart instead of her head are more than worth the risk.
As soon as Keeland introduced me to the very grown up Ford Donovan, I was totally smitten by him. He definitely had to grow up fast after his parents’ death, which makes him quite the old soul, but what their deaths also taught him was that life is meant to be lived fully, not always questioning what can go wrong but remaining in the present and soaking up every single thing that life gives. His sincerity, his ambition, his drive, and his filthy mouth make Ford quite the complex hero, and I love how Keeland characterized him in a way that more than showed why he is Val’s perfect match despite all the ways they are different and perhaps even wrong for one another.
Val’s concerns about a relationship with Ford will resonate with readers, partly because that’s how society seems to view an older woman/younger man connection but also because as a divorced woman, she’s a bit gun-shy when it comes to dating again and the fact that she hasn’t had a date in over 20 years because she and her husband were high school sweethearts. The way that Keeland addresses those concerns and has Val work through them at her own pace, getting stuck in her head way more than some would have wanted her to, but given all that Val has been through, I can’t blame her for being both gun-shy and hesitant to give her heart to Ford given all the obstacles that seem to be working against them.
All Grown Up is one heck of a sweet and sexy story, but it’s also one that addresses some of the social stigmas that come with an older woman dating a younger man and the hypocrisy of such a closed-minded perspective. Ford and Val’s personalities and views on life complement each other, making them the perfect couple and the fact that Ford never deterred from his mission of making Val his despite the wall that took him quite a bit to tear down proves just how amazing his book boyfriend qualities are.
4 Poison Apples
I have to say I really enjoyed this book. It had great up and down with the feels but so much more than that. The connection that Ford and Val have was evident from the first message and it continued through out even though Val walked out and vowed to put it behind her. Talk about the irony of it all! But I do love the quick wit and banter through this story as well. I giggled a lot and swooned. I also felt the heartache that Val went through to get where she is. I loved how determined Ford was to get Val on the same page when it comes to age and see that they just fit regardless of that 12 year difference.
As always with a Vi Keeland book, you get a great storyline with some swoon worthy moments and this one does not disappoint at all! Once I started, I could not put it down and I really enjoyed every moment of it!
Another amazing book by Vi Keeland! I could not put it down! Ford is an absolute dream! I’m not sure who I love more … Vi Keeland for her amazing books! Or Sebastian York and Andi Arndt for being incredible narrators EVERY TIME!!!
A fun, quick read that had all of the assemblage of a good contemporary romance yet held a bit too much familiarity in plot convention. The writing was everything to be expected from this author. It was enjoyable, entertaining, and had that spark of electricity between the main characters but unfortunately it was also predictable. Some readers may find this anticlimactic, others may see it as stability in the author’s trope. So while the book was not that distinguishable on the broad platform that it was presented, it was an overall good read.
I absolutely loved the characters that Vi Keeland created for All Grown Up. Ford and Valentina were not the ideal couple in her mind but their hearts saw past their age difference and chose happiness.
I loved the way Ford courted Valentina and made her realize in her own time that she was responsible for her happiness and what she wanted was him.
There was definitely lot of chemistry between these too and it helped to ignite their story. Their flirtation and their ability to forgive each other when they screwed up made taking this journey with them worthwhile.
Let’s not forget Valentina’s best friend Eve who was an added bonus. We should all have a best friend like her.
Another enjoyable read from Vi Keeland. Just another reason she’s one of my go to authors.
Ford Donovan is officially a man, and no one can tell you that more than Valentina herself. The next door neighbor turned hottie crawls deep into Valentina’s skin, and proves to her that age is just a number.
Valentina DiGiovanni is a successful woman in all aspects of life–except in love. Fresh from a divorce, Valentina is afraid to step into the waters again to find the love of her life. But what she doesn’t count on is the boy next door. A boy who is now all-man, and the object of Valentina’s wet dreams at night.
Ford knows what he wants, and what he craves is the woman next door. Valentina is everything that Ford wants in a woman, except for one thing–she thinks he’s too young for her. But Ford is determined to prove that age is a mere blimp in the grand scheme of things, and that love will truly conquer all.
This was an amazing read by Vi Keeland, and I can’t wait to get my paperback copy at the next signing I see her at!
I want to start off by saying that I’m not huge on age gaps. BUT this books was phenomenal. Ford is so yummy and Val is finally coming into her own after years of being a wife and mother. Not knowing anything else. Ford brings out her wild and spunky side. A side she’s had hidden for too many years. Loved these two.
https://nanasbookreviews.blogspot.com/2019/07/review-all-grown-up-by-vi-keeland.html
As someone who is usually all for the older man/younger woman I wasn’t sure how I would feel with the role reversal and if I would like this book but its by Vi Keeland and I am such a fan and figured if anyone can give me a book about this reversal that I would love it would be her. I was definitely right for sure. Vi delivered us a book about two people who have a strong connection and chemistry when they start talking and then things go awry but that doesn’t mean their connection and chemistry is any less.
Val is trying to move on from her divorce and the last effects it has caused emotionally never expecting to find herself in the situation she finds herself in. The connection is undeniable but can she get over the age difference, the judgments that are sure to come??
Ford isn’t your typical man his age. He has had to grow up fast and doesn’t feel that age should make a difference when it comes to the connection that he has with Val, he just has to show her that. Unfortunately that is easier said then done and then a wrench in his life throws him for a loop and everything he thought he knew is shattered.
Vi has once again delivered a must read that I could not put down. As someone who was on the fence about reading this book I can honestly say that I truly enjoyed this book and I am thrilled that I decided to give it a shot.