Customer Reviews

All Shook Up

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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?

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.

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.

I loved Susan Andersen's other books, so I was eagerly awaiting ALL SHOOK UP. I was not disappointed - in fact, I didn't want it to end!

J.D. Carver is spoiling for a fight when he arrives at the Star Lake Lodge. His best friend back in Seattle has put him in a very uncomfortable position, and J.D. is having trouble believing that his former mentor, Edwina, had no sneaky ulterior motive in leaving him part ownership in the lodge in her will. Drucilla Lawrence is not only the manager of the lodge, but she also practically grew up on the property with her Aunt Sophie and Uncle Ben. Now, she sees it as a secure place to raise her son, Tate. She does not welcome the idea of a newcomer into her sanctuary, no matter how good his suggestions are or how mind-numbingly attractive he is. Star Lake is a small town - residents (and readers!) can just sit back and watch the sparks fly between these two stellar leads!

J.D. and Dru are two people who have deep-seated emotional problems, but recognize that love is worth any amount of risk. J.D. has never had a reliable source of emotional support in his entire life, and it's heartwarming to watch his reactions to Dru's lively, happy, caring, and unconventional family. Dru fashioned a support system for herself, but is still self-conscious and uneasy around the idea of commitment. The way J.D. changes her outlook on this aspect of her life and relationships is terrific.

With ALL SHOOK UP, Andersen delivers a style of writing consistent with her previous works: snappy and funny without skimping on deeper emotions and passion. She's taken a disparate set of characters - "bad" city boy, "good" country girl - and brought them together in such a way that readers can see their similarities. It's not a case of opposites attract; it's about soul mates finding one another.

ALL SHOOK UP is a meaty, satisfying read, one I'd recommend to both old and new fans of Andersen.

Drucilla Lawrence is possessive about her new-found security as the owner of Star Lake Lodge - and even more so with her son, Tate. It all crumbles with the arrival of her unexpected partner J.D Carver, who inherits his share of the property from Great Aunt Edwina. Her aunt Sophie and Uncle Ben has done some snooping and finds out that J.D has a rough past toughing out on the streets. There will naturally be some friction what with J.D's paranoia about the ardent Lawrence gang - but what he fails to anticipate is the spark of attraction towards Dru. The banters and sexual innuendoes are enough to drive him crazy but not enough to abandon his logic. The betrayal in his past makes him retreat from love; the Disney-que family warmth enshrouding him since he arrived makes him cringe with cyncism. It is a life that he has sworn off with his sordid past. Dru realizes that J.D is the man for her and she is determined not to let him go, however when a sabotage endangers the Lawrence clan, J.D believes he is responsible for bringing them here, he is all the more disillusioned and believes that leaving Dru might be the best option for them....

You may wonder why Susan Andersen's latest is a sensation as a top pick for RT and Amazon editors with its uninspired story plot. It is straight-forward storytelling with delicious chemistry between the studly, muscle-bound J.D and the sassy Dru. Yet its unpretentiousness and honest emotions may shook you raw - J.D's reservations towards the kindness stems from an insidious betrayal where Aunt Edwina accused him wrongly of a theft. In the later part of the novel, he finds himself too impetuous, unheeding of edwina's apologies. His pride and tenderness makes him an endearing hero. Dru's initiative in taking her own happiness into hands is refreshingly independent and laudable. She is not afraid of getting scarred, so long as she convinces J.D of her love. Their love is a triumph especially when J.D undergoes an agonizing lesson of accountability and letting someone to brave the storms together.

The charms of witty quips and sexy banters aside, ALL SHOOK UP strums with heartfelt passion between flawed characters. No doubt the storyplot is obsolete, but for a romantic comedy, it shakes the readers up with enlightening maturity on simple values of responsibility and forgiveness. The exquisite tenderness in the epilogue is an emotional rollercoaster ride. It will send you tremors even in its aftermath - and it's that good.

This book was a fast read, containing good dialogue, humor (which I especially like)and the sex scenes were played just right. Having read all of Ms. Andersen's books I find I truly like her style of writing. The premise of the story is not completely original...bad boy meets good girl etc. But that's really why we buy romance books anyway. Ms. Andersen, I felt did a great job at portraying a responsible single mom. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes contemporary romance.

I'm about half way through ALL SHOOK UP, and am really enjoying it. Unless it goes seriously downhill from here, I have to give it at least 4 stars. This is the first romance book in quite a while that I've really looked forward to reading. The characters are smart, sweet and realistic, and the setting (a camp/lodge on a lake) is quaint and romantic. For my taste it combines the right amount of lightheartedness with a tiny bit of substance (relationship between single mother/young son, male lead dealing with unfortunate past, etc). This has been my favorite Susan Anderson book. If you like a light, sexy read with plenty of humor, quaint setting, homey family values, you will definately enjoy this book.

The Star Lake Lodge in Washington State has always been a family affair as no person that is unrelated to the Lawrence clan has ever owned an interest in the business. However, the entire family from Dru to her Uncle Ben to her Aunt Sophie is stunned that deceased Great Aunt Edwina gave her share to an "urban" outsider, J.D. Carver.

On the one hand, J.D. looks forward to leaving the rat race of construction in Seattle. However, on the other hand, he expects a war with Edwina's relatives. To his shock, although the three adults and Dru's son obviously see him as an intruder, they still warmly welcome him to the lodge. Instead of gracefully accepting their hospitality, J.D. looks for the underlying motives, a left over from his deprived childhood. Of course, Dru shares his suspicions and soon his love. However, his past creeps up to the lodge, placing everyone in danger and making J.D. realize that he must leave his Eden and the people he cherishes and loves for their sake.

Bestselling author Susan Anderson provides her audience with her usual mixing of humor, tension, and a great cast that makes her novel so popular. Her current tale, ALL SHOOK UP, is a fabulous contemporary romance that works because the key five charcaters seem genuine. Most readers will relate to the kindhearted yet boisterous Aunt Sophie and the quiet but caring Uncle Ben. They along with Dru's preadolescent son provide the depth to a poignant drama starring two wonderful lead characters.

Harriet Klausner

This is the first book I've read by this author--and I'll be ordering everything else she's written!! The characters were "real," the dialog snappy, and the love scenes very hot. The plot and its suspense weren't real deep, but it was good summertime get-me-away from-my-daily-routine stuff. Try it; I think you'll like it.

Not only is this an emotionally compelling story - his past as a troubled child and her concern for her son's future keep them at arm's length for a while - but it is very sexy as well! What a great combination! The love scenes are some of the best I have read from Ms. Andersen, very erotic *and* tender at the same time. This one is on my keeper shelf!