All Shook Up [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Susan Andersen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2002

New York Times bestselling author Susan Andersen has captivated readers everywhere with her sassy romances. Here, a man who doesn't believe in love and a woman who doesn't trust in it find out just how wrong they can be...

A Man With a Past

J.D. Carver learned life's tough lessons on the streets, so when an unexpected inheritance sends him to the Star Lake Lodge to claim his half, he's expecting trouble. Being greeted with open arms by the whole Lawrence gang—feisty Aunt Sophy and calm Uncle Ben, clearly off-limits Dru and her young son, Tate—just convinces him they're working an angle, and he's determined to uncover it. Even though a tiny part of him longs for the home-and-hearth life they have...

A Woman With a Reputation

Dru's finally beaten her bad-girl reputation, and though the Lodge may not be exciting, she's fiercely protective of her quiet home. Hard-eyed J.D.'s ability to push all her buttons—some of which haven't been pushed in way too long—just proves how wrong he is for her. So why does her son hero-worship the guy? And why does her heart clench when he gets that "nose pressed against the candy shop window" look on his face

In Love . . . and All Shook Up

They thought they knew everything their lives had to offer . . . until they met. Can a failed good girl and a guy who never caught a break learn to believe in one another long enough to trust their love?

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Setting: Contemporary Washington state

Sensuality: 8

An unexpected inheritance that gives him a share of an eastern Washington resort lodge couldn't have come at a better time for J.D. Carver. He's fed up with his life in Seattle and heads for Star Lake Lodge expecting to be met with hostility from the other owners. What he finds is the warm and welcoming Lawrence clan. J.D. takes one look at beautiful Drucilla Lawrence and immediately wants her, while Dru says hello to the handsome carpenter and begins to hyperventilate.

Neither of them are pleased by their instant attraction, for J.D.'s childhood spent in foster homes has taught him not to trust anyone, and Dru has purposely closed her heart to romance following an involvement that left her alone and pregnant. But J.D. is determined to claim his inheritance, and that decision compels him to remain at the Lodge, thus enmeshing himself in the Lawrences' daily life, especially Dru's. When unfinished business from his life in Seattle appears to threaten both him and the Lawrences, J.D. has to think fast before someone is killed. But could the threat to Dru's and J.D.'s hearts be even greater than the threat to their lives?

Susan Andersen doesn't miss a beat in this refreshingly down-to-earth take on a man and woman hit with lust and love at first sight. City-bred and street-smart, J.D.'s character is every bit as on target as Dru's good-girl psyche, while the secondary characters are equally fascinating and well developed. All Shook Up is a perfect balance of romance, humor, and suspense. Don't miss this one.--Lois Faye Dyer --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Readers will appreciate the well-drawn, saucy characters and witty exchanges that garnish Andersen's latest (following Be My Baby) rags-to-riches romance. When construction foreman J.D. Carver inherits part ownership of a swank lodge, he accepts the windfall with relief (to be leaving "Rat City") and some measure of suspicion. Having been raised on the mean streets of Seattle, drifting from foster home to foster home, J.D. can't believe that a foster mother who had once tossed him out after accusing him of theft is now leaving him her estate. Moreover, his new business partners, Dru Lawrence and her Aunt Sophie and Uncle Ben, are just too nice about the whole thing. Despite J.D.'s overly suspicious nature, he is strangely attracted to Dru's "girl-next-door" charm, and an engaging but fitful romance develops between the two. A perfect balance of femininity, spunk and vulnerability, Dru is an unusually likable heroine, and J.D., in his struggle to let go of his past and become part of this "Disney" life, is a fine hero. Unlike many romances that are merely light entertainment, Andersen's winning tale echoes with themes about learning to love, trust and believe in the goodness of humanity. (Jan. 9) Forecast: With a plot line and characters that will remind many of Ally McBeal or Sex in the City, this book, if marketed well, will have some TV fans reaching for the shelves rather than the remote.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press (November 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786242728
• ISBN-13: 978-0786242726
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,461,241 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Susan Andersen writes contemporary--some claim humorous--romantic suspense. Her books have spent many weeks on the USAToday and New York Times bestseller lists, and have twice been included in RWA's Top Ten Favorite Books of the Year. the proud mother of a grown son, she's a native of the Pacific Northwest, where she lives with her husband and two cats.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All Right Susan!, January 16, 2001

By 

MaryannJr "MaryannJr" (PHILADELPHIA, PA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: All Shook Up (Mass Market Paperback)

I really love Susan Andersen. I can't help it. No matter what kind of day I'm having, I can manage to sink into one of her stories like I do into my favorite chair. I look forward to ripping open my Amazon.com box and tearing into each new novel.Her characters are always fun and quirky , and seem to share a sometimes off-kilter sense of humor. 'All Shook Up' is no exception. I loved Dru. Here, we finally have a single mom who doesn't drone on for page after page about how life handed her the fuzzy end of the lollipop.Unwanted by her own parents, and forced,at 19, to raise a child on her own, Dru loves her son to pieces, and faces each day with a smile and a positive outlook. And J.D.? Oh,well. Ladies, how could you not love a guy who lives in faded jeans, crisp white T-shirts and has the shoulders of a football player?? Susan Andersen has done it again. This book is a bit lighter in tone than 'Present Danger', but still completely enjoyable. Her stories always make me smile. And isn't that the point of romantic fiction?

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful read (4-plus stars), February 7, 2001

By 

Carol A. Strickland (NC, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: All Shook Up (Mass Market Paperback)

Terrifically-drawn characters move this book. Everyone in the range of the Star Lake Lodge is a person I'd love to know, even down to the guy who runs the hardware store who sneaks a smoke out in back even though he's on oxygen.

The love story has a good bit of chemistry, the family is charming, the threat is definitely scare material. For a while I was afraid that Best Friend's predicament was going to be the basis for another book but no, it's wonderfully resolved as well within this novel.

Lovely and nice and funny and goes quite well with a bubble bath.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Susan Andersen has a tremendous talent., June 15, 2002

By 

Wanda S. Loyd - See all my reviews

This review is from: All Shook Up (Mass Market Paperback)

I have read most if not all of Susan Andersen's books, and loved each one. This one was good, if a bit different from the others. Her characters are believable, the story lines hold your interest, and the locations are realistically protrayed. This one lacked some of the humor the others have, but was still very funny in many spots. A good read. I recommend.