ALL I WANT IS YOU – Toni Blake
A Coral Cove Novel
Avon
ISBN: 978-0-06-222952-6
June 2014
Contemporary Romance

Cincinnati, Ohio and Coral Cove, Florida – Present Day

Since the shock of her parents' tragic deaths, Christy Knight has struggled financially and emotionally in life. When her only living relative, Grandpa Charlie, calls her and mentions he is running low on money and he will have to figure out how to pay for the retirement center he lives in, Christy decides she needs to find a rich man to marry. But her efforts to find the right man are thwarted, especially one night when she is locked out of her house. Neighbor Jack DuVall comes over to help her by breaking down the door, and Christy feels an immediate zing of attraction, but he's all wrong for her because he isn't rich. However, they begin a friendship, and when she mentions she's going to Florida to visit her grandfather, he offers to go with her. Platonically, of course.


Jack isn't really poor, but after learning from Christy that she's looking for a rich husband, he figures he better keep this to himself after having been already burned by his ex-wife's gold digging ways. He's intrigued by Christy, telling himself he won't act upon any possible feelings he might have for her. But that's hard to do when you're sharing a hotel room with a woman you're attracted to. Each day—and night—they get to know each other more, Christy and Jack grow closer. Even after he kisses her he pulls away from going any further. He doesn't feel he can trust her since she already made it clear that the only man she wants is a rich one.

After her parents died in a fire leaving nothing behind—no money and no memories except in her mind—Christy has tried to move on, but financially she barely gets by. Her beloved grandfather is the only anchor in her life, and when she learns he may have to leave the care facility, Christy panics and decides to aim high with a rich husband. Things don't work out, and after Jack “rescues” her, they slowly build on a friendship. She plans to go to Florida to see her grandpa and to also try to sell refurbished jewelry pieces she makes, and is surprised when Jack offers to go with her. Christy is already feeling that zing of sensation around Jack, but tells herself she can't get involved with him because it would ruin her plans. He feels the same, though his issues are more about trust. Whenever Christy turns, there is Jack – supportive and ready to lend a hand. It would be easy for them to fall in love, but can either of them be honest with the other?

ALL I WANT IS YOU is loosely tied to Toni Blake's <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Destiny series as Christy is friends of the main characters from the books, so readers will feel as if they already know her. Feeling lonely and wondering how she'll make ends meet, she goes out on a limb to decide to attract a rich man. After Jack's divorce, one can understand why he feels jaded toward women, but that doesn't stop him from falling for Christy. At the age of twenty-four, she has gone through so much. There's no doubt she loves her grandpa, but should Jack step in and help her? She has to learn to stand on her own two feet after relying on her parents growing up. Jack struggles over when he should tell Christy the truth, while she struggles with her ever growing feelings for a man she shouldn't be falling for. As a secondary story within a story, Grandpa Charlie relives his first love—and the way things might have been. Readers are definitely in for treat.

A tender, yet passionate tale of a couple recovering from their losses and finding a way to happiness, ALL I WANT FOR YOU is a great beach read as love, sun, surf and all things summer fill the pages.

Patti Fischer