All I Ever Need Is You

Always fun

I've enjoyed this series, pretty predictable but still a nice escape from the ups and downs in life

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It could have been so much better

Setting: Seattle, contemporary
Genre: Romance
I like the concept of this series. I enjoy the basic plots. The characters have potential. However, the execution falls short. The more books I read, the better I am able to distinguish good writing from average, so when a book, especially one with as much potential as this one, fails to pull me in to the world the author has created, I am disappointed at the least. Sometimes I even get miffed. This one had me beyond miffed into frustrated. Not to the point where I'd put it down, but still.
Here's the gist of the story.
Adam Sullivan is a excellent, well-known architect specializing in recovering the beauty of old buildings. But he is also a player, dropping women as soon as they start talking about love and happily ever after. Even as he has watched his cousins and siblings find happiness with their perfect-for-them other half, he has sworn off love and marriage. Love and forever? Nope. Never gonna happen. But with all the examples of family members finding love, we never find out why he would have this attitude.
Kerry Dromoland is a much sought after wedding planner who believes in HEA. The weddings she helps couples plan are dreams-come-true. She is - very cautiously - waiting to find Mr. Right in the safe men she occasionally dates. Her family's past disappointments in love have influenced her attitude. Her father's abandonment of the family, her mother's adamant warnings about getting involved with charm but no substance, and the example of her sister's dysfunctional relationship, all keep her from getting involved with pretty much anyone.
When Adam meets Kerry while on a wedding planning favor for Ryan and Vicki (his brother & his fiancée), there is instant attraction on both sides. He asks her out, she says no, he woos her, then she tells him yes. Not to a date, but just one night of no-strings-attached sex. What follows is a rocky road to the conclusion you expect of a romance novel.
What I liked about this book included the basic plot and the suggestion of the characters that could have been. Good bones for a book. However..... I got so frustrated with the lack of action in the story. The author tells the reader what is going on, rather than showing it. I know it is difficult to show all that background motivation through what the characters do and say, but it is possible. Because there was more telling than showing involved, the characters couldn't be fleshed out as well as they could have been. If I could give Bella Andre a piece of advice it would be to gently suggest she take a writer's workshop to get pointers on how to provide the show rather than just telling the reader the story. Maybe she could ask the members of her writers group to show her how to improve in this area, so her stories are more dynamic.
Eva Kaminsky's narration was both good in some ways, not so much in others. She differentiated the characters relatively well. There were only a few instances where I had a moment of confusion. She has a nice voice. However, her delivery is so languid, it made the telling not showing of the story that much worse. To fix this, I increased the speed to 1.25. This required a slight adjustment at first, but once I got used to it (within a couple of sentences) it was comfortable listening.
I got this in a BOGO quite some time ago, but just found it in my extensive TBR library list. This is what happens when you can't resist a sale. Speaking of sales, if you like this series, I suggest you wait for one to get this addition. Otherwise, give it a pass.

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Absolutely perfect!

All I Ever Need is You is my first Bella Andre book, and if her others are anything like this one, then it definitely won’t be my last. I absolutely adored this audiobook – I honestly don’t have a thing to complain about it. The narration was excellent, the story was a joy to listen to, and I loved the main characters.

Bella Andre did a wonderful job writing the burning chemistry between Adam and Kerry – I could feel how much they wanted each other and how they’ve never felt that way with someone else. There’s a spark in Kerry and Adam’s characters that had me connecting with them from the very start, and I couldn’t help but root for them and be invested in their romance.

Eva Kaminsky was spot-on in her narration – her voice is easy to listen to, it flows so well, and I swooned at the way she narrated Adam’s dialogue! She’s now my favorite female narrator and I’m definitely going to go and listen to the other audiobooks in the series just for her narration.

Basically, I loved listening to this audiobook. I adored the sweet, gorgeous romance, and Eva Kaminsky’s narration made it all the more enjoyable. I highly recommend it!

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Another great Sullivan story!

Title: All I Ever Need Is You
Author: Bella Andre
Series: The Sullivan's # 14 Sullivan's # 5
Narrator: Eva Kaminsky
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: 5
Review:

"All I Ever Need Is You" by Bella Andre

What I loved about this read.....

This was a beautifully told fun loving story of matchmaking of Kerry and Adam who fell in love. We find Kerry was a Wedding Planner and Adam was an Architect and true Seattle Sullivan. I loved how this author brought them together in such a interesting way and who knew that from one meeting with the two of them would cause them to have such feelings for each other that would turn into something so beautiful. With Kerry and Adam having different feelings on marriage and love it, one looking for 'true love' and the other who doesn't do long term .... they enter into this hot wild sex fling. What will happen with 'Their Arrangement' as these two get even closer to each other? Will this one night/week at a hotel for sex turn into something that neither one will want to stop until Kerry's family history will get in the way of this relationship? What will happen when Adam lets Kerry know that he wants a full blown relationship with her? What will Kerry say and do now? I really worried somewhat about Kerry's feelings about her father, mother and even her sister to why this relationship will not work with Adam in this monotonous dialog that seemed to go on and on. Be ready for a read of lots of emotions from both of these two main characters. Well, this is where I will say you must pick up this good read to listen to see how well this author will present it all out to the reader. This was very well done in the read. I loved how this author brings out the Sullivan men that do finally face the realities of life and know that they have been bitten by this thing call love as this author bring it all out to so well to the reader as one will see "The Sullivan men do not give up...they go after what they want."

I loved this well written amazing love story where all the characters were all so very interesting. Wow, what a family to be visited with the whole Sullivan family[brothers/sisters/cousins], to that certain moment [Kerry's decoration of her love for Adam] at Brook and Rae's rehearsal dinner and to even in the end getting a little more of what will be coming up next on this wonderful journey of the East Coast Sullivan's. Bring on Drake Sullivan story!

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I have only me to blame for not liking this

Any additional comments?

Recycled Plot. Even Eva Kaminsky couldn't make this any better.

Suffice it to say, I slept through most of this book and did not pay attention to the rest. I think it is because Bella Andre is so familiar to me now, her style, plot, and conflict that I may be experiencing "book fatigue." The Sullivan series need to end or it needs an edgier plot - maybe even a new narrator. I don't think I will continue with this series now until it is refreshed. Would I have enjoyed this book if I haven't read the other 13 in the series? Perhaps - but I was tired of this by book 10, I kept on thinking a refresh may happen in the next book - sadly not.

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Building lasting friendship!!

Another gem by Bella Andre. It was fun to watch both Adam and Kerry fight the obvious attraction, then figure out how to deal with it, and finally embrace it. At the heart of every Bella Andre romance is genuine friendship and respect, and that's the key to forever!!!

Not my cup of tea

Too much sex, not enough story. To be fare, I didn't finish the book. The story line may have developed.

Great storyline! <br />

Loved it so much...it was romantic and made my breath hitch! Good book to read....