He’s right guy…but maybe it’s just the wrong time. Isabelle Dixon never should have said yes to that first date, but she couldn’t resist Shane Kelly’s larger-than-life personality. The romance, the fun, the passion…the guy brought it all. And then some. But now he seems determined to make their no-strings fling into something more. And she’s already given him all she’s got. Breaking up … given him all she’s got. Breaking up should really be easier than this.
Shane has always prided himself on being the good-time guy. Exactly Izzie’s type…or so he thought. Yet ever since he suggested her moving in, she’s been pulling back. Well, he’s not about to let her get away that easily. Even if it means following her across the country–or at least the great state of South Dakota–on a crazy road trip.
Hey, he does everything with passion—especially falling in love.
*this title was previously published as It Takes Two, Counting on Love, book two*
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Ouch. Horrible story. These 2 characters deserved so much better! Round & round in circles. Ridiculous side storyline with the pendant. Couldn’t wait for it to end. Good news, fans, I am reading the third story & can’t put it down!!
This story was rough to read. Spoiler alert—
They say they love each other. But they really only have sex with each other. They know nothing of substance about each other. He’s constantly fighting with her she’s a pain and immature. I just didn’t like it.
When I pick up an Erin Nicholas book, I am confident I will be settling in for a fun, warm, funny, sexy read. I know I’ll be wildly entertained, my heart will be warmed, my motor will be revved, and I will be incredibly satisfied. Often, I will also be moved deeply. And sometimes, I’ll get my world expanded in a way I didn’t expect. It Takes Two is one of those times.
It Takes Two is the second in Erin Nicholas’s Just Everyday Heroes: Night Shift series (formerly known as the Counting on Love series). It’s about Isabelle and Shane. Isabelle is one of the Dixon sisters, a fun-loving group under the watchful eye of their older brother, Conner. Shane Kelley is an equally fun-loving cop who’s fallen for her like a ton of bricks.
Ms Nicholas tells Isabelle and Shane’s story well, taking the time to let us see what it is like to fall in love, to have life throw curveballs, and to see how we can react to these situations in a way that will build our relationship rather than tear it apart. A relationship can be a good thing; it can even be the best part of life if we handle it well…which we may not always. After all, we’re human. But we can make choices that help us keep the right things front and center. And what joy results!
It just takes two 😉
4.5 stars
Shane Kelley and Isabelle Dixon have been having a fling but now things are getting hotter, he wants her to move in and has declared his love for her but she keeps turning him down even though she’s in love with him. She has a secret and is trying to break it off thinking if Shane learns her secret he will leave her. Shane knows that he wants Isabelle and will do whatever it takes to keep her in his life for always.
Can these two find the middle ground needed to make them happy??
Okaaay. This is going to be long. And a spoiler. So the short and sweet is this book is great. Buy it and read it. It’s funny, snarky, smexy, hot, touching, insightful, poignant, inspiring and heartfelt. A fantastic read with two wonderful, fatally human and completely endearing characters that you can’t help but love. All that and a peanut-gallery cast of raucous, well-meaning, delightful secondary characters that we’ve come to know and love from the other books in this series. If you haven’t visited these first responder heroes from Omaha, you’re missing out on so much! Start with this book, or any of the others, and escape into this wonderful fictional world.
Now, for the spoiler. First, kudos to Nicholas for creating a heroine with a chronic illness. This one was near and dear to my heart and brought back things I hadn’t thought about for decades. I remember the days of the slow, insidious betrayal of the body and mind I’d been familiar with all of my life. And then, finally a diagnosis, an answer, to explain what was happening. Then people not believing, thinking I was faking things because I looked like nothing was wrong, especially my boss (and female role model, at the time) who scoffed at the term “fibromyalgia” and forced me to quit my job. Then years of trying to not be a victim to the lack of energy and interminable pain, the dozens of prescribed medications, the depression and mental confusion so persistent I could no longer read my way through a light-hearted romance, or even a short magazine article.
So I identified with Isabelle, remembering my early days of the disease. I was cheering for her to take control of her illness and find out what works for her. Yes, it’s easy to say she should have taken control of her illness. She should have educated herself. She should have figured things out without any reliance on Shane, but if you’ve never had to deal with a chronic illness, you really have no idea what someone in that situation “should” do. Yes, I would have loved to see her figure things out sooner, but I cut her some slack because she was dealing with a major loss; everyone grieves differently and it takes time to find the new normal. I was fortunate to have my own Shane who was a positive encouragement, trying to fix what he could, but still letting me take responsibility for my health and setting my own limitations. And though we don’t get the rest of the story after the HEA, with the ups and downs and highs and lows that are an inevitable part of the illness, I have to believe that Isabelle and Shane were able to work through things together and find the right balance for Isabelle to be as healthy as possible, because that’s what I did.
For all the other Isabelles out there, figure out how to take control of this illness, rather than it controlling your life. It will be more work than you’ve ever done, but the potential payoff is huge. This disease is different for everyone, and what worked for me may not work for you, but it’s in your hands, so keep trying until you find the right thing, or right combination, that works for you. Over a decade later, I’m still symptom free and I have my life back, including the reading I so dearly love. I believe that it’s possible for you, too. There are some great online resources, so surround yourself with those that encourage you to make positive changes towards a happier, healthier life.
Nicholas has easily become a must-read author for me, but after reading this book she holds a special place in my heart. It’s not often we see an author take a chance with a main character and love interest who has significant limitations, because it’s just too risky to make them stand out so much from the norm, but those are the books I find most rewarding to read. They warm my heart, fill it to bursting, leaving me with an abundance of hope and restored faith in humankind. That’s something that is often lacking in today’s world, and something I think we all could use a little more of. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you Ms. Nicholas.
Unique take on loving someone with a chronic condition. This is the first book I’ve read that gave one of the main characters a fairly unknown chronic condition to deal with. Shane and Isabelle have an established relationship at the beginning of the story and the book details the journey as they attempt to see where that relationship goes from here. One of the things I most enjoyed was the way Erin Nicholas fleshed out Shane’s background, fully explaining why he approached life the way he did. This helped his responses to the situation he found himself in feel authentic. Isabelle knew that the way things had been going in her life wasn’t going to work long term with her condition, but she had been putting off making changes. She confused me a little because she spent part of the book gung-ho to make changes and part refusing to make the changes she knew would improve her situation. Finally the secondary characters that popped into the story were a riot and knowing that most of them have their own stories that I can eventually read excites me.
I loved reading It Takes Two by Erin Nicholas, book two in her Just Everyday Heroes: Night Shift series, formerly the Counting on Love series. This is Isabelle and Shane’s story. Isabella is one of the fun-loving, trouble-making Dixon sisters who try to get away from the watchful eye of their older brother Conner. Shane Kelly is a fun-loving cop friend of Connor’s, who’s fallen for her.
Before a medical issue can force Isabelle into changing her crazy lifestyle as a party girl, she thought Shane could be the perfect guy for her wild and crazy night. Six months later she is still seeking him out and can’t seem to let go. Shane Kelley has fallen fast and hard for Isabelle. He won’t take no for an answer after numerous requests that she move in with him. He thought their biggest obstacle was her brother Connor but it seems there is something bigger causing the problem; Isabelle is keeping a secret from him. Isabelle and Shane take a humorous road trip to see if they can truly make it work between them. Each stop, on their way to a vacation house, has humor, angst, trials and truths. There might even be a little fun game included in their adventure, not known to all the parties involved.
Ms Nicholas did an excellent job telling Isabelle and Shane’s story, taking the time to let us see what it is like to fall in love, have life throw curveballs, and see how we are able to react to these situations in a way that will build our relationship rather than tear it apart. A relationship can be a good thing; it can even be the best part of life if we handle it well; which we may not always be able to do.
This wonderful story drew me into the lives of her characters, making me forget the world around me. I had trouble putting this book down, turning page after page, not letting go until I turned the last page, still wanting more and really looking forward to the next book in this series. I highly recommend this book to other readers.
Really enjoyed reading this emotional, sweet, sexy, engaging romantic journey filled with secrets, uncertainty, love and passion and the an amazing group of family and friends…..
Isabelle and Shane have been the perfect fun couple for over eight months then Isabelle decides she needs to break up only Shane is not ready to let go…. Loved every emotionally thrilling, sweetly sexy and heart pounding twist and turn as they discover there is so much more to each other as their relationship grows stronger…
Shane and Isabelle captured my interest in She’s The One and I fell head over heels for them here!
Shane is larger than life. He’s always the life of the party and prone to over the top gestures. Isabelle loves that, but because of a life changing diagnosis, she simply can’t keep up. So she breaks up with Shane, or at least tries to because neither one is ready to let go. What follows is a road trip that is part hysterical and part heart wrenching.
I loved the way Isabelle’s health was handled here. Everyone was having a hard time coming to terms with what her diagnosis meant, most of all Isabelle. The ending was perfect and I can’t wait to read Emma’s story!!
A heroine with fibromyalgia–finally! As a sufferer of fibro and someone who reads 180 books a year, I can tell you that a main character with the condition doesn’t happen very often and this one is a first for me. Kudos to Ms. Nicholas for not only being brave enough to tackle the condition in her book, but doing so in such an extensive and caring way. She gave Isabelle not only the widely known symptom of muscle aches, but included the fatigue, fibro fog (brain fog), sensitivity to bright lights and the ever present threat of paying the price the next day for being too active. She explored the hardships that relationships go through due to the changes in ability to do things that plague the fibro sufferer. I don’t think this subject could have been dealt with any better than the way Ms. Nicholas did it. Five stars just for that!
This book didn’t just deal with illness. It dealt with the romantic relationship between Isabelle and Shane with humor, compassion and heat. Isabelle’s condition did require more of Shane than either he or she thought he was capable of. The “mystery game” that took place during the trip they took supplied comedic relief when the other may have been overwhelming. I really enjoyed this book!
This book was fun, witty, had me laughing out loud a lot. Shane was the life of the party and wanted everyone to have fun. Isabelle was a mess with her booty calls and unusual places to have fun! Loved every minute of it and learned a lot about a health condition that I did not know much about, Loved this book and so looking forward to the next. I am in love with all of these great characters.