All That You Are (Center Point Premier Romance (Large Print)) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Stef Ann Holm (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2009 | Series: Center Point Premier Romance (Large Print)

Single mom Danalee Jackson owns the Blue Note—an Alaskan bar offering nightly jazz and a cocktail of regulars who have an opinion about everything. Between dealing with her son's dad, a failing float-plane business and her bar's code violations, Dana has no time for romance.

Mark Moretti is burned-out after finishing his father's legacy project, the multimillion-dollar Grove Marketplace in downtown Boise. He's ready for a break from the family construction business—maybe for good. And a summerlong fishing trip looks like just the ticket.

When a canceled flight leaves Mark stranded in Ketchikan, he finds himself at the Blue Note. One look at the exotically beautiful Dana and he decides to stay in town. But her fierce independence not only could jeopardize Mark's help with renovations—it could also bring their mutual attraction to a screeching halt.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fans who have followed the escapades of the older Moretti brothers in All The Right Angles and All That Matters will enjoy meeting wild-child Mark, age 40 and facing a midlife crisis. While spending the summer in Ketchikan, Alaska, he's thrown out of the Blue Note bar and into love with its beautiful proprietor, Danalee Jackson, a part-black, part-Chinese 28-year-old with a murky history, a young son and a policy against dating customers. When the Blue Note is cited for building violations, financially strapped Dana accepts Mark's offer of help, and their relationship unfolds through verbal jabs that turn gradually into conversations. Tin-ear dialect and Mark's alpha-male aggression will turn some readers off, but Holm's affection for her characters and the beautiful setting lend a hint of savor to this sweet soufflé. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

About the Author

Stef Ann Holm lives in Meridian Idaho, a small suburb of Boise. She has two beautiful daughters, and one space cadet dog who will stare for hours at any food substance. She loves hot summers, sunshine and floating in water--even if it's a plastic pool in her backyard.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 423 pages
• Publisher: Center Point Pub; Lrg edition (November 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1602856206
• ISBN-13: 978-1602856202
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,798,836 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Laid-back romance with intelligent characters, October 9, 2009

By 

L. Burns "Bigdog Mom" (New England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: All That You Are (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars enjoyable relatively simplistic contemporary romance, October 10, 2009

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: All That You Are (Mass Market Paperback)

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

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointed!, October 15, 2009

By 

Avid reader "READER" (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: All That You Are (Kindle Edition)

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.