From the New York Times bestselling author of One Last Time comes a breathtaking story about first love, second chances, and starting over.
All I Ask, a new standalone contemporary romance by New York Times bestselling author Corinne Michaels is now LIVE!
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Blurb
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.
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Review
5 blissfully romantic stars!
Oh, Corinne Michaels, you have captured my heart and swept me up into a pile of swoon! I’m a sucker for a second-chance-romance, and while this isn’t exactly second-chance, it’s close enough, and it certainly has all of those feels – the longing, the emotion, and the feeling of finally, as two soulmates come back together in an absolutely gorgeous love story that I couldn’t put down.
Derek and Teagan met in their small-town high school, and though complete opposites (she was the popular mean girl and he was a bit of a nerd), they became unlikely friends which developed into them becoming each other’s other half. The best of friends, they knew each other inside and out and were there for each other in all the ways, Teagan was even standing by Derek’s side when he got married, heartbroken that she missed her chance with the man she secretly loved, but willing to let him go so that he could be happy. And then it all fell apart.
Thirteen years later, Teagan is a single mother to a fantastically precocious 13 year old daughter and regrettably still living in her home town and working in her parent’s business. It’s not the life she wanted for herself, and she’s lost her dreams along the way, but she’s put her daughter first and made the best of it. And then Derek returns to town.
I’ve missed him. He was more than just the man I loved, he was my everything. He knew all my truths and lies. Derek was a part of my soul and when I lost him, he took it with him.
Derek is now a widower with an angry and grieving 13 year old daughter of his own. He knows that he did wrong by Teagan all those years ago, and now he’s determined to make it up to her. He knows it will be a hard journey, but she’s the girl he’s always loved, and he’s hoping that he’s finally going to get his chance.
She’s my something real. Hell, she’s my everything that matters.
OMG, I’m getting all tingly and excited all over again just writing this review and thinking about this story! I could feel everything and I honestly loved every moment of watching these two reconnect. Teagan is so hurt. She’s rightfully confused and angry and still grieving the loss of Derek in her life – both as a best friend and as the man she still very much loves. Derek has a lot of explaining to do and he wastes no time putting it all out there for Teagan, expressing his pain and his regret, and making it clear that he’s there to regain her trust, and oh, the feels!
“I don’t think I could handle the loss again.”
He wraps his arm around my back, forcing me to put my hands on his chest. “Then hold on and don’t let go this time.”
“You’re the one who let go last time.”
The regret fills his eyes. “And I won’t ever make that mistake again.”
We get to see and feel it all in beautifully expressive detail, and I loved it so much! And the romance! Teagan and Derek’s love for each other is so evident, and they don’t hold back when it comes to rehashing the past, getting everything right out there, acknowledging their mistakes and moving forward to recapture their friendship… and more. It’s a beautiful journey as we watch them laugh, tease and cry together, and as their feelings come more and more to the surface, it’s exciting and blissfully romantic as it all unfolds.
We’re two broken souls, searching for something real and have found each other.
Corrine has created two wonderful characters in Teagan and Derek. They are funny, smart and sarcastic, and they have a fantastic sense of playfulness about them, which balances out the emotional stuff so well. I loved Teagan’s strength and vulnerabilities – she’s so relatable! And the relationship she has with her daughter is amazing. And of course I fell in mad love with Derek as the devoted single father who made mistakes in the past but who is making amends and fighting like hell for the woman he loves… *dreamy sigh*
“I love you more than I thought I did before.”
Creating a great dynamic are their two daughters. They don’t get along… at all. Watching Teagan and Derek navigate that, be there for their girls, and develop relationships with each other’s girls is so amazing, and the themes of family are beautifully written.
This book made me laugh and swoon, and I even got a bit teary. There are some dramas for them to sort through, but it’s dealt with sensibly without being dragged out, and their relationship is functional and pretty much angst-free. It’s a fun, sweet, sexy and swoonily romantic story that you can easily and happily lose yourself in, and I loved it so much!
5 stars!
An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by Audible in exchange for an honest review.
About Corinne Michaels
Corinne Michaels is the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller author. She’s an emotional, witty, sarcastic, and fun-loving mom of two beautiful children. Corinne is happily married to the man of her dreams and is a former Navy wife.
After spending months away from her husband while he was deployed, reading and writing was her escape from the loneliness. She enjoys putting her characters through intense heartbreak and finding a way to heal them through their struggles. Her stories are chock full of emotion, humor, and unrelenting love.
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