Customer Reviews

All That You Are

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

 

 

As a young single mom Dana Jackson is used to facing challenges, but the prospect of losing her livelihood could be the last straw. Dana owns and manages the Blue Note, a popular bar catering to jazz lovers in Ketchikan, Alaska. When the Fire Marshall threatens to close the bar unless extensive (and expensive) renovations are made, Dana finds herself in a tough spot.

Mark Morelli has spent most of his 40 years working in the family construction business in Boise, but finds himself at a professional crossroads. Spending the summer fishing in Alaska seemed like just the thing to clear his head. When Mark sees Dana at the Blue Note he is instantly attracted to the petite beauty. Blessed with good looks and an easy-going charm, Mark is not used to being ignored by women, but Dana keeps him at a distance. Mark decides to use his construction expertise to help Dana save her business, but finds that he'll need to adjust his "hit and run" attitude towards women if he wants to gain Dana's trust.

If you like your romance fast-moving and spicy then this one is probably not going to appeal to you. The majority of the book is spent developing these two main characters and focuses on Mark's courtship of Dana. The Alaskan setting felt very true to life - the author did her homework and it shows! All the characters were three dimensional and well written and the dialogue felt authentic. While I thought the book was well written and enjoyed it as a whole, it was a little too slow paced to really draw me in.

This is the third book in a series featuring the Moretti brothers, but you can certainly read this without having read the other two. The language is fairly mild throughout and the two love scenes are not very explicit - PG rating.

In Ketchikan, Alaska single mom Danalee Jackson runs her late father's jazz club, the Blue Note. She is lonely and struggling to balance managing the bar and raising her son, but loves living in this gateway city to the final American frontier.

With the death of his father, Mark Moretti finished their last job alone in honor of his dad. However after completing the downtown Boise project, he never had time to grieve his loss. Feeling a desperate need to get away, Mark goes off on a summer long fishing trip with no end in mind. In Ketchikan, Mark meets Danalee and her young son, who take away the blue feelings even as he goes back to work renovating her bar to meet the code.

The location and the eccentric Blue Note patrons add depth to an enjoyable relatively simplistic contemporary romance of two lonely people falling in love. The lead couple and her son are fully developed protagonists and the audience will want the best for each of them, but the city and its surrounding area steals the show as Stef Ann Holm vividly paints the landscape. Mark now knows the answer to the Beatles' tune "Where do all the lonely People go?" is Ketchikan.

Harriet Klausner

I have read and love all of Stef Ann's books. But this one was a huge disappointment. I have read both books in this series and loved them. However, I hated this book. The conversation between Mark and Dana was ridiculous and just plain boring. I found myself rolling my eyes every time he called her "sweetart". Just as I thought it couldn't get any worse, he calls her "princess bubblegum". I read the entire book but I struggled through it. The secondary characters in all of Stef Ann's books are usually wonderful and multifaceted. Not so much in this book. I generally keep the books my fav authors have written but this one will is NOT a keeper.

This author is so good at developing characters and making you feel their struggles. I like that the relationships in her book build over time and are based on more than most of the other romances out there.

It is so hard to find a sweet, sincere romance these days that is not crazy or shallow. This kind of book is why I started reading romances years ago. Thank you to the author for a wonderful read.

All That You Are by Stef Ann Holm is another delightful romance filled with real life ups and down.

Dana Jackson took over the running of the local jazz bar in Ketchikan, Alaska after the tragic death of her father and brother. Running the Blue Note and raising her young son takes up every hour in the day. As a single mother she has no time for romance, especially with a man only in town for the summer.

Mark Moretti needed a break after his families company completed a major project in Boise, Idaho. He travels to Alaska for some much needed R & R. His first meeting with bar owner Dana Jackson doesn't end well but Mark keeps coming back to see her. He stumbles upon Dana's bar needed major renovations. He offers his help partly to get closer to Dana but mainly to help him decide the direction of his life.

Mark and Dana start spending more time together at first in regards to the remolding. But Mark has a habit of getting under Dana's skin. He makes her feel things she never thought existed. They both start to have feelings that are beyond a summer fling. What will happen to this budding relationship after summer turns to fall?

All That You Are is another wonderful romance by a keeper author for me. I look forward the next book every time. Mark and Dana don't have an easy relationship but their fight for their love is well worth the price.