Hunter
Given a choice, I’d date a woman who doesn’t know who I am. Like the green-eyed woman I meet on sidewalk, tears streaming down her cheeks. The one who triggers what my overprotective older brothers call my “Everhart Complex”—the uncontrollable urge to erase someone else’s pain.
This little character flaw could shred me if I let it. That’s why I don’t do family law. But it’s who I am. Who … law. But it’s who I am. Who I became after my parents died.
Willow
Nothing says “successful adult” like living with my grandfather and having my little sister as my boss. But with my acting career stalled and my checking account in single digits, playing receptionist at Beesley Enterprises is a bearable humiliation.
Until he walks into the office. The man I met on the sidewalk on the worst night of my career. Mr. I’m-Going-To-Fix-Your-Life—as if I’d let him. Because just for a moment, I felt safe. I felt something besides numbness. And dammit, if I let my ice queen façade crack, I’ll be worse than back to square one. I could fall off the edge entirely…
more
Two sisters were abandoned by their parents when they were children and they were raised by the neighbors who barely could take care of their own children so mostly Willow Beesley took care of her younger sister Hazel and then when they were old enough Willow came to New York to pursue her acting career in the theater. Her sister Hazel was completing her college degree but their grandfather was taking care of Hazel and she was working for him. Willow didn’t think her grandfather cared about her until she didn’t have a place to stay. She had some mental issues from her childhood and she was not exactly stable because her insecurity could be devastating sometimes as well as her work ethic but she is cable of taking care of her herself but one day she went to a reading for a new play she was desperate for the job and so she was devastated when she didn’t get it and was crying as she was walking home as it happens a man saw her coming down the sidewalk and he knew right away she was the woman for him if she was single he helped her because it had started raining and he could not image letting her go off alone so upset, he got a cab and put her in as she was resisting but she said she lived in the Bronx but the address she gave was Manhattan he didn’t get her name but he watched what building she went into.
The man is Hunter Everhart is the youngest of 4 brothers and he has been going through a rough time and mental issues when their parents died in such a horrible fashion that it devastated them all and they have been hovering over him since that time making sure that everything with him was going smoothly as possible because he had his issues too, even though he had stayed in his room after their deaths for a very long time. Willow was to find out that Hazel and her grandfather were close friends with Hunter and his brothers were like family to the Beesley’s so she felt that she could date Hunter until she couldn’t reach him and lost it. Hunter is trying to work through his issues better than Willow but he will do anything for her. Their story is beautiful but with many issues for them to work through together. A great story line and the characters dynamic. Love this book, I would love to see I it turned out for them in the future. I was given a book as a gift from author without obligations. I am providing an honest review.
This book…wow, just wow.
I can’t possibly explain how reading this heals a person but I’m going to try.
I love reading. I read because I dream of the perfect romance. I long for the lives of spontaneous gifts, flowers, and proofs of “love”. I think I feel more of Willow than most people could. I wasn’t abandoned as a child. It just felt like I was. My parents had to focus on my terminally ill brother and I became an afterthought. The pain in this book is real and it hurts.
The beauty is incredible. Most romances are the idealistic meet cute and then some mild turbulence and bam HEA. However, real life isn’t so clean. Real life isn’t so perfect. Yes, I read to escape or dream but this book gave me an odd sense of hope.
In a world where the motto is “love cures all”, it’s hard to be damaged in love. You see beautiful representations of what it should be. You should be cured. You shouldn’t be lost in a fog of despair. You shouldn’t need more…but reality isn’t the same.
This book gives hope to those lost. It gave hope to a woman lost in a fog of despair who loves dearly but can’t help thinking she missed the bus. It is a healing story and guess what…it’s okay to be “broken.”
I cried and loved every minute of their heartache and heartbreak. It’s funny how in the beginning I wasn’t sure I would connect with two very different from me characters…guess that joke was on me. You don’t need to suffer from a disorder or a fear to connect to these characters. They connect to your insecurities and your fears and its almost cathartic the release it causes.
So my sappy, happy, sad story aside…it’s an incredible book. And even though it ends better than I hoped, I’m still fighting tears. It was just perfect.
This story swallowed me whole and wouldn’t let go, even days after I finished reading it. It is so raw, powerful and poignant. I was captivated from the start and moved by the struggle these flawed characters live daily. They both want to find love, hoping it will heal them and make them normal. Yet they believe they aren’t worthy of being loved and continually sabotage any potential relationships. That is until Hunter and Willow find each other. They wake something inside each other that allows them to feel safe and consider “what if?”. What if I allow myself to be vulnerable for love? What if I am really worthy of true happiness? What if someone can see me at my lowest and still love me because of my flaws?
Ms Burgoa did a brilliant job in creating fascinating characters, and beautifully bringing them to life with empathy and honesty. I was enthralled with Hunter and Willows journey from the very first word. Their history on how they got to this point was compelling and heartbreaking. Yet their story is refreshing because they aren’t your normal Hero & Heroine. They are unique and genuine in their own way. I love that Ms Burgoa did not cut corners but allowed us to experience every thought, and emotion that Hunter and Willow feel from their personal struggles to their explosive chemistry. Hunter and Willow are great together, allowing each other to imagine the future and giving each other the strength to fight for a future together. Their journey is so provocative, it held me captive with its raw and honest emotions. It is alluring and seductive and when the twists and turns happen, you definitely feel it all. I also loved the family members who were supportive, loyal and funny. I can’t wait to read more about all of them.
This is a gripping and emotional story of love, trust, healing, and sacrifice. It brought out so many extreme emotions and I loved every minute of it!
All of You All of Me was such a great read. I have to say that I truly enjoyed all of the characters in the story, especially the Everhart brothers. Hunter, Harrison, Scott and Fitz will make you fall in love with them. I loved their relationship; the closeness, love and support they had for each other was undeniable. I enjoyed Willow and Hazel’s relationship also, but the brothers definitely stood out to me. This is a great story with the main characters and siblings who have their own demons and really have to find their own way. Sometimes you fall in love and you have to take a step back to do what’s best for you, then you can move forward when you feel that you’re in a better place and that can be for both your benefit and/or the person you are in a relationship with. Sometimes you have to face things head on and that’s what I got from this story, with finding, falling and keeping love along the way. I can’t lie, I wanted to yell at Willow so many times to just get out of your head for a while but if it was that easy, she wouldn’t be the Willow we see in the beginning of the story. She wouldn’t be Willow with a disorder. No one was perfect, everyone had their own issues and some secrets that were kept were revealed and not always in the best way, but it was great to see how everything turned out. I wanted to see the most epic love story and it wasn’t an easy road. but real love is never easy.
Another beautifully and passionate written book by Claudia Burgoa. Just like all of her previous books, she put her heart and soul into this one. This book captivated me and spoke to my soul. I could truly feel the characters emotions. Hunter and Willow’s story is very emotional and intense. Due to tragic devastating events regarding Hunter and neglectful parenting endured by Willow, both suffer from a form of mental illness. You aware of these issues in the beginning and Ms. Burgoa does a fantastic job of writing about them with tact and sensitivity. It was challenging seeing how these two dealt with their issues and trying to maintain a stable relationship and I was pleasantly surprised watching their relationship unfold. At first I wanted to shake Willow because Hunter fell for her quick and fast and you could see how enamoured he was with her. And she was very stand offish and guarded with her heart. Then something crucial and devastating happenend to her that broke my heart and changed my opinion about her. Thankfully they worked through their problems and their love conquered all. Hunter is one of my top five book boyfriends given the way Ms. Burgoa wrote such a romantic, understanding and thought provoking character. I truly can’t say enough wonderful things about this book and in my opinion, this is the best book Ms. Burgoa has written so far. I highly recommend this book to everyone.
Hunter Everhart is 28 yrs old and when he was a child his parents died in the attack on the World Trade Center. He has now become a lawyer and works hard but still keeps himself a little guarded.
Willow Beesley is 26 and is a receptionist for her sister, Hazel. She has battled with social anxiety and OCD but is trying to overcome things with the help of Hazel.
When Hazel sets Hunter and Willow up on a date will Hunter be able to help Willow with her demons or will it be too much for him? Can Willow see that Hunter is truly good for her and decide that he is something worth fighting for?
This was a good book and I enjoyed getting to know Hunter and Willow.
My heart did break for Willow and everything that she was battling. Yet part of me wondered if she was using this as an excuse not to let anyone get close to her. I loved her relationship with Hazel and how Hazel really tried to help Willow and push her out of her comfort zone.
I thought Hunter was such a great character and really wanted something with Willow and cared for her but also realized that there was only so much he could do. I was glad he pointed Willow in the right direction to get help and I totally got why he needed to protect himself as well.
There was so much chemistry between Hunter and Willow but Willow needed to figure herself out first.
The end was great and I was so happy that Willow was able to get herself healthy and figured out!
Favorite Quotes:
I don’t trust businessmen, lawyers, or gynecologists… My ex wanted to become a lady’s doctor… I caught him exploring my best friend’s vagina. He called it practice.
Willow, no one is normal… I, myself have several quirks. Since we both live in the land of oddities, I propose we give this a chance.
Life is a sequence of breaths.
…us is a noun that I hope we use often and forever.
My Review:
Ms. Burgoa has turned out an exceptionally well-crafted and researched manuscript with indelible and catastrophically flawed yet alluring characters. Her well-honed word craft was razor-sharp in this compelling and heart-squeezing tale. The writing was emotive and devastating with a taut and angsty storyline. The character of Willow was mentally ill and untreated, unstable, and an emotional roller coaster that kept me on edge; her rants often had me cringing and holding my breath. Willow was prone to intense and irrational mood swings from elation to bone deep hatred or hopeless despair within a breath. She felt every emotion to a painful extreme and was a total washout with verbal expression for honest communication, although she had some awareness of her behavior and employed her acting skills to maintain a façade. Willow exploded and imploded with regularity, which was exhausting for her, everyone in her life, and for me as a reader as her inner musings and blowouts seemed to hold me in a state of apprehension due to Ms. Burgoa’s exceptional narrative and word voodoo. I adored the characters of Hunter and his quirky brothers. However, Hunter was also an anxious mess with a tender, sweet, and romantic soul and the heart of a poet. I felt conflicted, as I feared Willow was not a healthy choice for him. The sweet things he said would have sounded cheesy from most men, but coming from him they were lovely and swoon-worthy. Sigh; to balance my chi, I definitely need to read an amusing comedy next.
This was a hard book to read and I must admit that I had to put it down several times to regroup, pull myself together, then and only then was I able to continue. Claudia Burgoa did a wonderful job with portraying two people that have so much against them find not only themselves but someone that loves them regardless of their flaws.
Mental illness is a touchy subject matter and I have to be honest that I was truly on the fence about reading this book, but having read several books by Claudia Burgoa and enjoying them, I thought I would give it a chance and I am glad I did.
Hunter and Willow’s story gutted me and I don’t say that lightly, this book had me sobbing, not just crying but sobbing, it was that gut wrenching. I advise anyone that plans on reading this to make sure you have a box of tissues handy because you will need them. That being said, this was an amazing read that will leave an imprint on you.