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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Heartwarming and Fun!, April 12, 2007
This review is from: All or Nothing (Coxwell Family) (Paperback)
Zachary Coxwell is intelligent, charming, and funny. But due to unresolved family issues, he's avoided making commitments other than to his dog -- picture an apartment empty of furniture. Then he meets Jen Maitland to whom he's instantly attracted, and he dedicates himself to making her smile -- even if that means singing Elvis on karaoke night!
Jen Maitland has commitment problems of her own after a successful battle with cancer. Afraid to embrace life, she sets only short term goals, like waitressing and knitting small fruits and vegetables. She seems perfectly content until her mom threatens to play matchmaker unless Jen brings a date to Thanksgiving dinner. Enter Zachary Coxwell - gorgeous, materialistic and shallow. He's the perfect fake date to stop her zany, liberal family from meddling - they'll hate him on sight. Instead, they adore him. And when Jen sees that there's more to Zach than she first assumed, she finds herself trying to make him smile.
Zach and Jen learn they have more in common than outward appearances would suggest, and they're thrown off balance when unexpected feelings emerge. Soon, furniture appears in Zach's apartment, and Jen's knitting projects grow, symbolizing their newfound courage to move forward and their hope for the future. Still, they must learn to trust themselves, their families, and each other, if they're to get at the truth of who they are beneath their protective layers. Only when they take that leap of faith can they resurrect long-buried dreams, and love without holding back a part of themselves.
Zach and Jen's tender emotional journey is both romantic and fun. The story also celebrates family, as Jen's colorful relatives weave their way into your heart with some of the funniest and most poignant scenes in the book. Also, though All or Nothing stands alone, the endearing Coxwell family (Zach's mom and siblings), from Cross's other books in the series, makes an appearance. Be prepared to laugh and cry -- it's that kind of novel.
The author's lovely prose, rich characters, and witty dialogue help make All or Nothing a great read. I highly recommend this story.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
complete and satisfying, June 20, 2008
This review is from: All or Nothing (Coxwell Family) (Paperback)
Oh. My. Goodness. I cannot believe that I didn't figure out until halfway through this book that it's the fourth book in a series, particularly since I've read and loved the first three: Third Time Lucky, Double Trouble, and One More Time. At least that tells you that they can definitely stand alone.
Jen Maitland is a cancer survivor, sort of. I'm not sure why the back cover copy and the reviews all dance around this--it's made clear on page 6--unless maybe it's because they don't want people to think it's that kind of book. You know, the uplifting (read: maudlin and melodramatic) story of someone's battle with cancer. Because it's not. But I can tell you that Jen's a cancer survivor because I'm also explaining what kind of book this is.
She's been cancer-free for a year now, but she's mostly living in limbo--working as a waitress, living with her mom, slowly paying off her medical bills, knitting fruit. Small fruits. When the story opens, she's up to an avocado.
So her mom, who's stuck in the 70s, asks her if she's gay, because she hasn't seemed interested in men, then recommends that she find somebody and have sex, and challenges her to bring a date to Thanksgiving dinner. Between Jen and her sister, they come up with a plan to get Mom off Jen's back: find an obnoxiously yuppieish yuppie to bring to Thanksgiving dinner--her mom will hate him and won't invite him back, and Jen can continue her status quo with a fictitious boyfriend.
Enter Zach Coxwell, who's meeting old law school buddies for lunch at Jen's restaurant. They're arrogant and rude, and Jen assumes Zach's just like them. But he stays after the others have gone, then leaves her a huge tip. And when she follows him out of the restaurant to protest, she blurts out the invitation to Thanksgiving dinner.
But Zach's not like his friends--he's the black sheep of his family, a law school dropout, who's spent his life trying to live down to his father's low opinion of him. Jen's family may be wacky, but at least they're loving; his is cold and proper and they've rejected him.
Jen and Zach both have huge obstacles in their path, but in the very best romance tradition, there's a synergy between them, and they're stronger together than they are apart. They don't solve each other's problems--they just provide a catalyst and support.
There are laugh-out-loud moments, like at Thanksgiving when Zach's never-fail lawyer jokes are falling flat, and tears-running-down-your-cheeks moments. There's humor and joy and pain and love and sensuality.
All or Nothing is a wonderfully complete and satisfying story. I'm convinced--I've put Claire Cross and all her alter-egos on my to-look-for list.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Charming, witty and unpredictable, January 1, 2008
This review is from: All or Nothing (Coxwell Family) (Paperback)
I enjoy stories about people who make changes in their lives, what motivates those changes and how they do it. That is what this story is about. Zach makes the most changes and in unpredictable ways. I liked seeing the way that telling someone the blunt truth, even though it might hurt feelings, can help someone turn their life around. The characters are interesting. Several conversations are funny and witty with some laugh out loud moments. It's a charming story. I'm glad I read it. Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: one.
This is the second contemporary book by Claire Cross that I have read. The other is One More Time. I enjoyed both of them. I tried one of her earlier works titled The Princess, written under the name of Delacroix. I found it lacking. It seemed as if it had been written by a different author. Maybe I picked the wrong earlier book to try, but I don't plan to read any more of her earlier Delacroix works.
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