Customer Reviews

You're All I Need

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

O.k. Love the cover. I'd give it 5 Stars for that alone. Also, the plot was pretty good. 4 Stars. I LOVED the whole blond-haired Frenchmen thing. He could woo me any day in French and in France! I loved how he spoke the language to his woman at times. Unfortunately, it goes downhill from there.

Good plot, but Boring. Boring. Boring plot development. Tia was a grown behind woman (a very successful career woman, mind you), who needed to be delivered from her overbearing, controlling mother. I mean REALLY?! There were parts in the story where I was literally rolling my eyes (GAG!). I skipped much of the family dialogue, which mostly boiled down to "You're Black, Tia. Christophe is White." (Flip a few pages.) You're Black, Tia. Christophe is White. (Flip a few MORE pages). "Christophe is White, Tia. You're Black. No child of mine is dating a White man!" (Did I mention that Tia was a grown behind career woman?)

I grew tired of the whole Black/White thing. Duuuh! It's an IR romance for crying out loud! Get on with the story! I HATE it when an IR author wastes so much time on race and racism. I know that racism and ignorance in America exists, but good grief! I'm reading your IR romance for a temporary escape. So please spare me the details on why my great, great, great grandpa Joe is rolling over in his grave because his granddaughter is dating a White man.

Also, Tia's grandmother and mother had me tripping. They carried on so ignorantly at times concerning Tia's beau that I skipped much of what they said.

Check it out at a local library, if I had absolutely nothing else to read on a rainy weekend on the planet Mars? Maaaaaaaybe. Buy it? Not!

Tia Edwards works in the legal department of a French automotive company. She has completed her bachelor's degree and has plans to go to law school. Her long-term beau, Darnell, thinks that school and her job has taken up too much of her time. Tia's and Darnell relationship becomes more difficult when Chris Jensen is transferred to Tia's office from France and Tia helps Chris adjust to his new life in Detroit.

I really enjoyed Chris. He was compassionate, nurturing and a thoughtful man. Tia was relatable. She was ambitious and devoted to her family. I also like how the author dealt with the interracial dating subject. The matriarch of the family dislike of Chris and Tia's relationship was very transparent. Her reaction to the couple was realistic(not saying it was right). There are still people, especially older people, who still feels this way. Tia's mother, Jackie, also disliked Tia's Chris relationship. But Tia mother Jackie disapproval was more so about losing her daughter than Chris being white.

The plot is classic; protagonist must choose between family and love. Although the plot is classic, You're All I Need, does not add anything new and doesn't stand out among the countless tales out there.

This is my first book from this author and I enjoyed the story about a handsome French man and a beautiful Black woman. The only bad part is that she spends to much time with parts of the story that doesn't add to the story. Each chapter had to much fluff, was she trying to add words to meet a quota? Stick to the basis and it works.

Nia Edwards loved the mother/daughter relationship she had with her mother; loving the extra attention she would receive, believing her mother needed her more than anyone else. However, in Karen White-Owens' You're All I Need, "Mommy's Girl" is taken to a whole other level.

Mrs. Jacqueline Edwards was a fierce protector of her children, and held to certain standards when it came to them, but when her daughter, Tia, brought Christophe Jensen home to meet the family, Jacqueline did more than hit the roof. Christophe was not only from France, but he had blonde hair and blue eyes, and entered Tia's life by way of the same law firm for which they both worked. Nia may have been in a relationship at the time, but the sparks upon introduction were mutual and continued to grow as Tia helped Christophe get acclimated to Detroit.

Once Tia and Christophe made known their intentions to Tia's family, the more Mrs. Edwards voiced her opinions, making it openly known that her daughter should stay close to her at any cost. An unexpected illness suffered by the family's matriarch was just the excuse Mrs. Edwards needed to convince Tia that she needed her, changing the relationship Tia had with Christophe.

Will Tia hold fast to her promise she made to her mother, or will she be able to pull away and live her life and make her own adult decisions?

I enjoyed reading You're All I Need as it addressed bi-racial relationships and the difficulties that arise within families. I recommend this book to everyone who loves romance, especially those in bi-racial relationships.

This book was provided to me courtesy of the publisher for review purposes.



Review by Sharel E. Gordon-Love
APOOO BookClub

First of all I have to say that Tia's mom gets on my nerves. She is so hell bent on having Tia around that she will do anything to keep her in Detroit.

Chris is a lawyer coming from France to the legal department where Tia works. Sparks fly as soon as they meet, but Tia already has a boyfriend Darnell. The relationship between Tia and Darnell wasn't the greatest. Tia's twin Nia sees Darnell with another woman and tell's Tia.

Whenever Tia is around Chris she just can't help how she feels about him, but she isn't sure about how he feels about her. It would have been nice if this book would have gone back and forth between Chris and Tia and have his point of view too.

One problem with Chris is that he is white and Tia is black. Tia's grandmother totally hates whites. She says you can't trust them. She thinks they are tricky and sneaky. Tia's mother really doesn't like Chris either because of the fact that he is white.

Tia and Chris do end up dating despite what Tia's grandma and mom think, but then Chris gets called back to France. Tia's grandma is in the hospital and she really wants to be with her and her family. Tia's mom is begs her to stay and says they need her help. Mia tells Tia that her mom is just trying to keep her in Michigan. She said the family can take care of grandma just fine. Tia doesn't know what to do. You have to read this to find out how it ends!

This book was very good and I would definitely recommend people read it!

I love this story line it kept me turning the pages. I like the idea of a black female training a French attorney. The lovemaking was steamy and he knew her needs before she even spoke.

Sometimes you find love in unexpected places and that's what happened to Tia. She became friends with a co-worker from France. Chris was on a temporary assignment in the legal department. Chris was a handsome, charming, sensitive, patient, generous man. He was perfect for Tia. They became lovers then embarked on a relationship. I liked the romance between Chris and Tia. They were perfect for each other. I liked that the relationship was slowly developed. Chris was devoted to Tia. He was thoughtful and he stood up for Tia. I liked his interaction with her family. I liked that the work place was featured, that Tia's co-workers, friends and family were in the story. But the girl had issues. Major Mommy Issues. Her control-freak mother was determined to hold onto her daughter at all costs. She was a bigot. Her mother (Tia's grandmother) disliked and distrusted white people. However, grandma was more accepting of Chris than her own daughter. I disliked how the manipulation of Tia derailed Tia and Chris and the story. If Tia had been stronger and more assertive, the issues would have been dealt with sooner. I would have liked to see more of the story from Chris point of view and an inclusion of Chris' family and friends. A longer book might have accomplished that. Tia's mother ruined the book for me. I wish the author could rewrite Tia's character, deal with the drama sooner and give Chris more scenes and include his family and friends. If you can overlook Tia's mother, this book is a keeper. Right now, I can't.

Okay I really liked this one. The characters were well written. Chris & Tia were white hot together and I was rooting for them from the moment they met. I love that we were givin a glimpse of the everyday working lives of these people involved. From their families to their friends. Everything was very realistic not far fetched or hard to imagine. Some could argue that this is what made it kinda boring, but I say that's what made it interesting. The only one I could not stand in this story is Tia's mother. Although she did the right thing in the end which is what she should have done in the beginning, this did not redeem her @ all in my eyes. Bottom line: This woman is a straight up BIGOT! I don't care how certain explanations were made to try to soften this fact. Maybe it's because I know that people like this still exist, maybe it's because not only am I the product of an interracial relationship, I happen to be married to a white man who is the father of our child. Maybe it's all of the above and the fact that manipulation is a sure way to get popped in my book. People have died for much much less.

All in all I do feel as though towards the end, the story focused way too much on Tia and her issues with her mom but I understand why, it's just that it took something from the HEA. Which was still good, it just could have been better. OH did I mention how hot Chris was?!!! I would certainly recommend this read. =)

I found the description of this book interesting, so I bought it and I was not disappointed. All the elements needed to create a romantic story are present in this book. The mother/daughter relationship had me in tears!! The male lead in this book was so loving and caring....a real Prince Charming without being syrupy sweet. I give this book 4 stars!!

"You're All I Need" is a sweet, engaging and fast read that is the best IR romance that I have read in months. Tia Edwards is an ambitious legal assistant whose latest assignment is to help Chris Jensen, an ex-pat French attorney acclimate to living in Detroit. Although there is instant chemistry between the two, Tia is involved in a long term relationship. Besides, Chris is only temporarily in the US, so nothing can happen between them. The two become friends as well as business colleagues and eventually they fall in love.

I liked Tia. She was smart, hardworking and ambitious. She loved not only Chris, but her close-knit family as well. She was a sensitive, loving character that had flaws, but I understood them and gave her a minor pass on her "to- stupid-to- live" moments. Her reservations regarding the relationship made sense and she had common sense most of the time.

Chris was a dream of a hero. Smart, handsome and funny, he was interested in Tia from the start and wisely bided his time to get what he wanted. I liked this character and his quiet, understated strength. He wasn't wimpy and he wasn't any kind of pushover. He put up with some ill treatment from Tia's family, but it wasn't because he was weak. It was just the opposite. He was a rock that knew what he wanted and was prepared to do whatever it took to get it.

The normal obstacles of disapproving family rear their ugly head here. But most of that had to do with the prospect of Tia moving to France as well as the interracial angle. Some readers would balk at Tia's and her mother's relationship. I gave Tia a little more leeway than some readers might. This aspect of the story may turn off some readers. I just rolled with it.

A major good point was Tia's twin, Nia. I loved Nia and her acceptance and encouragement of the relationship. So many times, authors only write about disapproving family. It was great that Tia and Chris had an active cheerleader in their corner. It was also great that Tia had someone with some common sense whispering in her ear when she needed it.

Characters that you like are all well as good, but chemistry is king. It took time for the relationship between these two characters to build. But that only made it the relationship seem more substantial. Tia and Chris cared about each other long before things became physical between them. It was a natural progression to things that I enjoyed.

I did have some minor quibbles with the book. The whole scene where Chris meets Tia's grandmother was a little overly dramatic for my tastes and the dialogue was a little stiff sometimes.

Minor quibbles aside, I really connected with this book. It was sweet and romantic. "You're All I Need" was a welcome change of pace. If you can overlook a few minor quibbles, this may be the book for you. I would give this book 3.5 stars,but since that isn't an option, I'll go with 4 stars.