Book Review: All I Ask by Corinne Michaels

This was such a wonderful story, full of so much heartbreak and hope. It was beautifully done. Teagan and Derek were such great characters and I enjoyed their story immensely.

All I Ask by Corinne Michaels

From the New York Times bestselling author of One Last Time comes a breathtaking story about first love, second chances, and starting over.

Teagan Berkley is trying her best. A single mom raising a precocious teen, she may have given up on her dreams, but she's accepted her life in her small beachside hometown. Now the one person who abandoned her when she needed him the most has returned, bringing back memories of what might have been.

Derek Hartz arrives in town with a teenage daughter - and he's full of guilt over his failed marriage and the way he ended his friendship with Teagan. He's determined to set things right with her, but first he needs to gain her trust. Something he's not convinced he deserves.

As Teagan and Derek open up to each other and confess their deepest secrets-it's impossible for them to deny what's always been between them. But just when their happily ever after is within reach, their complicated history surfaces again and threatens to keep them apart. Forever.

4 out of 5 stars

This was my first Corrine Michaels book and it won't be my last. I loved the emotional roller coaster of Teagan and Derek coming together, learning their histories, their heartbreaks, and watching them rekindle their friendship. It was a beautiful story!

I really liked both Teagan and Derek. I enjoyed learning about their friendship, their feelings, and what they were going through. This is told from both the past and present and it was nice to get both of those perspectives. There's a lot of heartache and anger happening that they both had to deal with and I thought it was well written, pulling me in. I liked the build, the anticipation of them seeing each other, discovering what the other one felt, and how it grew. They were so sweet together and I loved seeing them reconnect and their amazing bond.

There's a lot of tension, mild drama, teenage attitude, and angst. There were just a lot of raw and real emotions and I felt it all. I was glad that mixed in with the emotion and drama, was Teagan’s fun, self-deprecating humor that helped to lightened things up. Even though there's a lot of emotional things happening, I felt it was a fast-paced, easy read. The conflict was resolved easily and I found a few things slightly predictable. The bottom line for me was, I couldn't put it down and I was completely invested. I needed these to be together, to work through those past hurts and come out on the other side.

I thought this was a really great story and was thrilled with the outcome. I need more Corinne Michaels in my life!

Complimentary copy received for honest review.