All I Want

By: J. Daniels

Narrated by: Stella Bloom

Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's Summary

From New York Times and USA Today best-selling author J. Daniels.

The second book in the Alabama Summer series.

Luke Evans is a heartbreaker. I didn't want to give mine to him. Not when he kept me out. He gave me enough, just enough to make me fall in love with him. I say this to convince myself. But I know the truth. I would've fallen in love with him at a distance. Handing my heart over to Luke was the easiest thing I've ever done. I was naive when I wished for more, when I hoped he wanted the same things I did. I try to hate him. I try to forget him. But it's not that easy. Love is a ruthless bitch, and I'm her latest victim.

Tessa Kelly is a man-eater. When she sets her sights on you, she doesn't just consume your heart: She goes for your soul. What we had was perfect, real, and all I would ever want. But she destroyed it. She destroyed us. I try to hate her. I try to forget her. But it's not that easy. Love is for people who have hope, and I have none.

Warning: This book contains adult themes.

©2014 J. Daniels (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

Beautiful narration and a breathtaking story!

Heart wrenchingly good!!!
I absolutely loved Luke & Tessa's story! J. Daniels certainly knows how to write a beautiful love story! I laughed, I cried, and I felt all the emotions of the entire story.
I loved Tessa's kick ass character! She's strong, beautiful, feisty, funny as hell, doesn't take shit, and fights for what she wants!
Don't even get me started on Luke and all his sexy hotness!! The tatted, tortured, bad boy, with all his underlying sweetness.... swoon!!!
I love the group of friends in their circle, the bond they all share, and how they are all there for each other. This story becomes a part of you and sucks you in! I highly recommend this as a must read!!!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

It's Hot but I have heard hottet

Any additional comments?

This book is a good listen. It's not great but it will keep your attention. Most importantly I would listen to it a second and third time. It's a fun listen.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Surprisingly not annoying

I read 3 and then 1 in this series and couldn't walk away without completing #2. The whole time I was think of Tessa, who in small doses in the other books was fine but her character could easily become the ruin of a book. Surprisingly, it was okay. She wasn't as grating as expected and there was less of the little boy with his funny way of speaking. Reed's cameos provide humor and the book has some good issues explored. Not bad for the summer.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

A BITTER-SWEET ROMANCE THAT WAS SIMPLY YUMMY

Luke and Tessa's three months turbulent sex only relationship, and their inevitable break-up was captured, scene by emotional scene, in book 1 of the Alabama Summer series but it's painfully and briefly revisited from Chapters in this book so you don't necessarily need to have listened to Where I Belong first (but sadly you'd be missing a great book). Their break-up was because Luke wouldn't let Tessa, or love, in because of the heartbreak, anguish, destruction and pain loving someone does to a person when they leave. And Tessa judged and kept something back from Luke. So, for Luke, it's best never to fall into that trap and he should know because his world fell apart when tragedy struck many years ago in his young life and he was still living with the consequences. So, for those three months, he shared his body but not his secrets however Tessa wanted to know and trust the man she was crazy about.... but unfortunately for her that road led to relationship suicide.

With this book, it's been a year since the break-up and Luke's 'dipped his wick' into oh so many eager and willing females but never the same woman twice.... no emotions, no tender feelings and definitely no ties - simple, just slot A into B and wait for C and never repeat. Luke is a gorgeous, sexy, cocky, arrogant, moody, brooding Alpha Cop and Tessa is loud, sassy, loving and funny and, for the past year, they have tried to stay away from each other. It's not because deep down they don't feel the chemistry, the pull and the intense lust they have for one another but the anger, animosity and pain towards each other over their break-up masks the heartbreak, the raw feelings of loss and the what might have beens. Because beneath it all lies regrets, unspoken tender words of love and ignored soul deep belonging. But slowly through jealousy, passion filled verbal sparring and heated kisses they find each other again however, despite everything, Tessa realises nothing has really changed which eventually takes its heartbreaking toll as, once again, Luke's painful memories and secrets are still not shared which rips this couple apart. Leaving the heartbreak of two lost souls needing to, but incapable of, moving on.... without each other.

This was a listen that drew me in and I couldn't stop it until the end. It was emotional, powerful, funny, heartbreaking, sexy and the dual POV well written and narrated Chapters just flew by. There's drama when Tessa tries a Dating Agency with near deadly consequences and plenty of angst when Luke finds out about it, angst as they fight their reactions to each other and angst and heartache when they finally give in. Mia and Ben (from book 1) are in several of the Chapters as Mia is Tessa's best friend, Tessa is Ben's brother and Luke is best friends and Cop partners with Ben and it's nice to catch-up with what's going on in Mia and Ben's HEA relationship.

Worth a credit? Yes and I'm eager for more please.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

Little Nolan was a sweatheart!

Minor spoilers alert!!!

★¸¸.•*¨*•★Unabridged Audiobook Info★•*¨*•.¸¸★

Writing style: Dual POVs
Cover and chapter design: I love this cover – the purple and banners, the male models defensive pose and the pop of neon blue for the title. I also dig the cursive font for the chapter heading and overall chapter block heading style.
•*¨*•
Dual format read – check!
•*¨*•
Overall rating: ★★★★☆
•*¨*•
Performance ratings (Stella Bloom and Eric Michael Summerer): ★★★★★
These two narrators make such a fantastic team! I’m so glad they both returned.
•*¨*•
Story rating: ★★★☆☆
Tessa’s opening thought cracked me up! But overall, the plot direction for Tessa and Luke’s romance frustrated me a lot. The subplot with Luke’s dad was an interesting complication, and Tessa’s nephew Nolan was as adorable as ever.

We were first introduced to Tessa and Luke in Mia and Ben’s novel when they casually dated before they split up over a significant misunderstanding. In their own novel, it felt like to me they spent too much time not being together. For a while, they each moved on or tried to poorly. Mad props to those lovers who met online because Tessa’s dangerous experience with online dating reminded me of why I’ll probably never be brave enough to try it. Luckily, Luke came to her rescue and reset their relationship button for a bit.

My favorite scene involved little Nolan. Luke’s new job opportunity inspired him to ask Nolan to do him an important favor.

“Your Aunt Tessa might be a little sad when I’m gone. Do you think you could give her a lot of hugs for me?”

Nolan’s mouth turns up into a crooked grin. “I wike hugging Aunt Tessa. She smells like strawberries.” He puts his hand up to the side of his mouth and leans close to my ear. “And she lets me have cookies when Mommy says I can’t have any.”

I loved when Nolan remembered to hug his Aunt Tessa when he discovered she was indeed sad. And I wanted to applaud Mia when she texted Luke all kinds of wisdom about his mistaken choice to bail on his 2nd chance romance with Tessa. Obviously, it was a big relief when these two finally reunited and committed to communicating openly and being each other’s main source of emotional support.

•*¨*•
Up next in this series:
When I Fall (Alabama Summer, #3) focuses on casual sex maestro Reed and new-to-town spunky Beth. I continued my binge read via audiobook because the two narrators were a huge draw!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Love it

This book will have you laughing, crying happy and sad tears, angry, scared, happy and hot! It's packed full, and you won't want to stop listening once you start. It has lots of hot steamy scenes as well, and both narrators did an excellent job.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Awesome

I loved the first book as I thought what the heck and got the second. So glad I did this was just as great as the first. I am intrigued by the third but will wait a bit I think before I get it. 😀. This one though well worth the credit.

14 of 23 people found this review helpful

Not my cup of tea

Really did not card for the female narrator. I had a difficult time completing the listen.

What a physically charged book! AMAZING narration

SO I thought Ben was a sexy talker, I was wrong LUKE EVANS holds this candle. Luke and Tessa have one of those loves to hate relationships. Tessa has more balls than most men, she is not afraid to stay strong and not allow people to push her around, except for when it comes to Luke.

Luke has a hard time opening up, but he can't stop his pull for Tessa even when she is driving him crazy. They had an amazing three months and he was finally allowing his heart to love, until she broke up with him. Now this past year he struggles to keep Tessa out of his memory.

I think this quote says it all about this couple.
"It's possible to hate someone, to look at them and wish you weren't aware of their every move, and to want them more than you've ever wanted anything in your life.”

They have to fight for their emotions to keep moving. The way the audio readers read this book they hit all the highs and lows with each emotion. You can feel the raw passion Luke has for Tessa and hear the hurt Tessa has for when Luke will not open up to her. I loved the back and forth and truly the beauty of this couple. Amazing job in the series.

Another great read

I love this book even more than the first in this series if it’s possible. Tessa and Luke is having sort of a relationship when something happens to break them up. After a year it all gets even more complicated.

Grumpy Luke is completely adorable and irritating but Tessa can handle him.

The writing style is easygoing and filled with dialogues and there’s no no unnecessary descriptions of surroundings. I enjoyed this book very much and the audio is great listening to.

Lots of feelings and hot love scenes is very describing for this book.

5 stars ⭐️ from me for a good love story with well written characters I don’t want to say goodbye to.