All Over You by Beverley Kendall

All Over You by Beverley Kendall

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Excerpt

A year later and the term hot and Scott are still hopelessly entwined in my mushier-than-oatmeal brain. Maybe it’s the whole rhyming thing.

Or maybe I’m thinking about him because lately he’s been driving me insane. I swear, these days every time I turn around, he’s there watching me in this brooding sort of way and looking annoyingly sexy while he’s at it. Honestly, it’s enough to drive a girl to drink. A lot.

Anyway, that’s what tonight is all about: going out, having fun and hooking up with a super-hot, leave-Scott-in-the-dust guy. I refuse to spend another weekend like I’ve spent too many this last year: smiling on the outside and going through the motions of moving forward, when inside I’m standing absolutely still.

I need to move on with my life.

Scott and I are over. Done. Finis. Kaput. Our relationship coffin has long been nailed shut. And I should know because I’m the one who’d swung the hammer hard enough to make it impossible for even a crowbar to pry the damn thing back open.

Time. To. Move. On. Rebecca.

Which is exactly what I plan—correction—what I am going to do tonight.

My Review

My Interest

An ex of mine once philosophised that you should never go back, moving forward is the key. It’s not a very happy thought for those whose love has gone awry, though sometimes I can concede the point. Generally you break up with someone for a reason, so it’s conceivable that second chance romances are doomed to fail. Yes it’s conceivable, but letting go of a loved one is often the hardest thing to do. You’re letting go of more than just a person. You’re letting go of dream, a plan, an identity. Sometimes your letting go of even more than that.

I loved the snippet above. The smoldering nature of Scott and Rebecca’s unresolved breakup. How is it that people split up, when they really don’t want to? I wanted to know and I wanted to see them overcome whatever it was and get on with a lifetime of loving.

Plot and Pacing

I was a little bit disappointed with the beginning of this novel. Rebecca is quite young and I found that disconcerting. What reads as a wry self depreciating sense of humour in the excerpt translated as immaturity in the novel. Shock, shudder and GASP... could I actually be too old to appreciate this novel? Don’t ask, I absolutely wont answer that. Ok so maybe I’m not 20 anymore but I can still enjoy an angsty new adult romance. I love those novels.

Happily this novel picked up the pace soon enough, and I found myself wanting to know Scott’s secret. What wasn’t he telling Rebecca? I wanted to google him (google a fictional character) because Beverley Kendall the author wasn’t in a hurry to disclose that information. Since google was the majority of the reason Scott was keeping his secret, then I guess his (and Ms Kendall’s) motivation to keep certain things hidden played out well in the novel.

The Characters

Rebecca as the heroine of this particular tale, was consistently portrayed throughout, fortunately her stubbornness didn’t overrule her libido in the bedroom or things with Scott might never have been resolved. The reason for her reluctance to try again, without giving anything away also leant an element of truth to the story. 

Scott, however was quite adept in reading Rebecca in one scene, and surprisingly unaware in the next. I would have like to seen his insight into her motivations more consistently portrayed throughout the novel. He allowed the love of his life to push him away after a rather pivotal event and did not seem to realise what it was that Rebecca was really running from, it certainly wasn’t Scott. 

Something Extra

Two other characters, whose romantic life intrigued me, were introduced in this novel. My hope is that since this book is promoted as An Unforgettable You Novella, their story will feature in another of Beverley Kendall’s works. Isn’t that the real litmus test of an author to a reader, would I read more by that person... In this case. Yes, yes I would.

My Rating

❀❀❀

Disclaimer

I obtained an ARC from the publisher with a view to providing an honest review. The thoughts expressed above, are entirely my own. I don’t really like the concept of rating novels as they are subjective and subject to change. A five star book today, may be re-evaluated when compared to future novels.