TAKE ME ALL THE WAY – Toni Blake
A Coral Cove Novel
Avon
ISBN: 978-0-06-239258-9
December 2015
Contemporary Romance

Coral Cove, Florida – Present Day

After bad luck with men, Tamra Day isn't looking to hookup with one anytime soon, and it helps that there aren't a lot of men in Coral Cove who are available. So when her friends point out newcomer Jeremy Sheridan, she only rolls her eyes. Add in that Jeremy was rude to Tamra when they first met, and she can barely stand to be around the man. But they're soon forced to work together on a miniature golf course for a mutual friend, and the time together has hate turning to lust.  Yet getting to know the surly Jeremy is hard to do, because he's a man who seems bent on making people not like him.

Jeremy returned home from war a hero, but inside he feels like anything but one. Deep inside he has a lot of guilt about the men who died while he lived, and he suffers from PTSD. He spent time in Destiny, Ohio with his sister, then on a whim decided to “visit” Coral Cove. He's staying in a ramshackle motel where a homeless cat has attached himself to Jeremy. Needing some money, he agrees to work with Tamra on the golf course project, but still plans to keep to himself. Yet, being around Tamra, a shaky friendship begins to grow between them. He's willing to have a fling with her, but he's not promising her it will be without thorns.

Jeremy and Tamra haven't had the best of luck in their lives. Her parents emotionally abandoned her as a child when they joined a religious commune. She finally escaped and has been on her own ever since. She sells things she makes down on the docks at Coral Cove. It's a nice little life, and she's content to remain alone. Jeremy is surly and obnoxious to a lot of people, while remaining pretty much a loner. A chance to earn some money comes at a good time since he needs it to help pay his motel room, though it means interacting with Tamra, a woman almost as stubborn as he is. Their clashes drive the conflict in TAKE ME ALL THE WAY, which helps heighten the sexual tension. Can two obstinate people fall in love with each other if they're constantly fighting?

In TAKE ME ALL THE WAY, we catch up with prior characters from the other books in the Coral Cove series, such as Cami and Christy, as Tamra builds a friendship with them. When things get rocky between Tamra and Jeremy, there's nothing better than having friends to eat ice cream and commiserate with. While this tale can be read alone, it's best to have read the other books, LOVE ME IF YOU DARE and ALL I WANT IS YOU to see their romances and how they are connected. Plus, a constant in each book has been Fletcher McCloud's patient waiting game to see if his wife will return home after she walked away a few years ago. The answer is in TAKE ME ALL THE WAY.

There is lots of emotion and heartache in TAKE ME ALL THE WAY as readers will find themselves rooting for Tamra and Jeremy to find their way to each other and fall in love. But love is a rocky road for both. They will need to come to accept that what happened in the past shouldn't stop them from finding love. If you love a raw, emotionally driven romance, then TAKE ME ALL THE WAY is one that I highly recommend.

Patti Fischer