Review: All Shook Up by Susan Andersen

Author - Susan Andersen
Genre - Contemporary
Series - Baby series #4
Format - Paperback (358p.)
Rating - 3/5 stars
Read an excerpt

New York Times bestselling author Susan Andersen has captivated readers everywhere with her sassy romances. Here, a man who doesn't believe in love and a woman who doesn't trust in it find out just how wrong they can be…

A Man With a Past
J.D. Carver learned life's tough lessons on the streets, so when an unexpected inheritance sends him to the Star Lake Lodge to claim his half, he's expecting trouble. Being greeted with open arms by the whole Lawrence gang—feisty Aunt Sophy and calm Uncle Ben, clearly off-limits Dru and her young son, Tate—just convinces him they're working an angle, and he's determined to uncover it. Even though a tiny part of him longs for the home-and-hearth life they have…

A Woman With a Reputation
Dru's finally beaten her bad-girl reputation, and though the Lodge may not be exciting, she's fiercely protective of her quiet home. Hard-eyed J.D.'s ability to push all her buttons—some of which haven't been pushed in way too long—just proves how wrong he is for her. So why does her son hero-worship the guy? And why does her heart clench when he gets that "nose pressed against the candy shop window" look on his face

In Love… and All Shook Up
They thought they knew everything their lives had to offer… until they met. Can a failed good girl and a guy who never caught a break learn to believe in one another long enough to trust their love?

• Liked •
I love Susan Andersens writing style, it just seems to flow perfectly for me. Which is probably the biggest saving grace in All Shook Up. I also liked the romance between Char and Kev (even though it was only hinted at). The dialogue between J.D. and Dru was enjoyable.

The last third of the book seemed to pick up and move along at a quicker pace compared to the earlier two thirds. There were a couple good moments that I really liked. First, J.D.s reaction when Dru thought she was going to be sick was priceless. And the scene at the end of the book between J.D. and Tate was so moving. And I must say, I really love this cover. Love the simplicity of it.

• Didn't like •
It was difficult to get into the book, and then once in, hard to stay focused and care. It was kind of boring. And the characters weren’t all that memorable. J.D. struck me as anti-social, paranoid, distrustful, ungrateful and insecure. Not exactly how I prefer the heroes I read about to be portrayed. He did seem to be slightly more endearing when he was with Dru or Tate… but not much.

As for Dru, I didn’t like her at all. I can’t pinpoint what it was about her though other than she was completely uninteresting. And I don’t like when a heroine fancies herself in love after one round of sex. Which Dru did… and J.D. was on his way there pretty fast. And at the end she turned into a manipulator. Ugh… that really ruined it for me.

• Final thoughts •
Overall, it really wasn’t a bad book. My issues were just that, my issues. I didn’t hate it, and I didn’t love it. It was just okay.

★★★