Tuesday, 17 March 2020

*** RELEASE DAY REVIEW *** ALL I ASK by Corinne Michaels



From the New York Times bestselling author of One Last Time comes a breathtaking story about first love, second chances, and starting over.

Teagan Berkley is trying her best. A single mom raising a precocious teen, she may have given up on her dreams, but she's accepted her life in her small beachside hometown. Now the one person who abandoned her when she needed him the most has returned, bringing back memories of what might have been.
Derek Hartz arrives in town with a teenage daughter - and he's full of guilt over his failed marriage and the way he ended his friendship with Teagan. He's determined to set things right with her, but first he needs to gain her trust. Something he's not convinced he deserves.
As Teagan and Derek open up to each other-and confess their deepest secrets-it's impossible for them to deny what's always been between them. But just when their happily ever after is within reach, their complicated history surfaces again and threatens to keep them apart. Forever.
 





Some stories take hold of your heart and don’t let go.  That’s what All I Ask did to me. 

All I Ask is a second chance, friends to lovers’ romance that grabs from page one.  Teagan Berkley is struggling as a single mother of a teenage girl.  Every day feels like a fight to survive in a small town where everyone knows her business and adores the father of her child.  Derek Hartz returns to town with his teenager burdened with the guilt of failing his wife, who recently died, and his childhood friend Teagan, who he deserted years ago.

I related immediately with Teagan.  It is a struggle to raise a child alone especially when the money is tight, and the world around you seem to do everything possible to make life harder.  I hurt for Teagan often when she questions her parents’ attitudes toward her.  I love her relationship with her daughter, Chasity.  Chasity is a mature child for her age, which is expected living in a small town with people talking behind your back always.  She doesn’t fit in at all.  She finds solace with the animals at the local vet where she volunteers.

Derek isn’t my favorite character in the beginning.  He feels wimpy in the beginning, but the more we get to know him, the more we see his heart is in the right place.  He wants to do the right thing by his wife and child.  While their marriage wasn’t great, they were a team raising their daughter.  Now he feels everything he does for Everly is wrong.  Derek hurt his best friend Teagan, and the more he learns how she suffered the more guilt he feels.  These two single parents are stepping lightly around everything past and present. 

I love the way Corine Michaels blends real-life situations with the right mix of emotion, humor, and romance.  Teagan and Derek take their time dealing with their past and present.   It is believable the way  the two main characters deal with their past decisions before making any commitments.  It is also touching that both parents put their child front and center.  Finally, the ending is extremely satisfying and swoon worthy.  Another Michaels’ homerun.

5 STAMPS


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