Member Reviews
An adorable second chance Christmas romance. I’d give this a 3.5, rounding up. It had some of my favorite tropes- forced proximity, single bed, and romance authors poking fun at themselves. An easy read to get you in the holiday mood!
this book was perfection. i loved the almost fourth wall breaking we got because the main characters were romance novelists. the way they scoffed at every trope happening to them made me chuckle. i think i was a bit hurt with how the miscommunication trope broke them up the first time but i do appreciate that they were young and now they are old enough to understand that no matter what, they were meant to be together.
i just love a christmas in new york and this was a fun way to give us some of that while also pulling our characters into those tropey situations we all love.
thank you putnam and netgalley for the copy of this book!
I enjoyed this one, though it felt a little bit rushed. There were a few times where I couldn’t figure out how the relationship had gotten to where it was and I wish a few side characters had been fleshed out.
Thank you netgalley for the arc of all i want is you in exchange for my honest review. This book is the perfect short and sweet holiday second chance romance. Nick & Jessica are thrown together by their publisher for an award presentation at a Christmas inn. A large storm and a room reservation mishap created a forced proximity romance to ensue. Will Nick & Jessica have their happily ever after? Four stars.
I love a Christmas romance and this one was cute! I do love a one bed trope so this one hit the spot and was right in time for the holiday season!
Five stars, absolute gem of a book!! This is a perfect holiday/winter read because of the cozy vibes. I LOVE a forced proximity trope!!! Also was such a sucker for these two being writers (the dream!) and omg the part when they're co-writing the steamy scenes were HOT. Loved it!
A very cute, forced proximity/second chance/only one bed/Christmas read. All the tropes, all the fun, plenty of steam. The characters were interesting, slightly one dimensional but enjoyable to read. Being trapped at a hotel in the snow added to the Christmas atmosphere but you could definitely read this any time of year. Not over the top Christmasy. All in all a good time!
All I Want Is You…. Is absolutely correct because I needed a book to pull my from the reading slump I’ve been in, and that is 1000% what this one did for me! And it was everything and more that I could have asked for…
Read if you like:
🎄 Holiday Romances
🥈 Second Chance Romances
❄️ Forced Proximity
❤️🩹 Mending Broken Hearts
🔥 Sizzling Chemistry
🥵 Steamy Banter
OMG, the chemistry, the banter, the spice…. And everything nice between these exes with some forced proximity as they get snowed in at their publishers retreat and just so conveniently have to share a room as Jess’ reservation gets somehow missed and her very hot ex Nick just happens to be there to offer up his room for her to stay.
The forced proximity mixed with the tension and broiling chemistry between these too was just absolutely chef’s kiss and loved every second of it!
I also really loved the way their third act seperation was written where they both had to come to terms with why they broke up 5 years prior and Nick finally moving from grump unwilling to write an HEA to giving Jess the HEA they both deserved!
Thank you so much to Putnam for my ARC in exchange for my review! I can’t wait for Falon’s next book!
All I want is your was such a fun holiday read! This is second chance romance between rivals who are reunited when Jessica is asked to present her ex with a writer of the year award. Still sore from their breakup 2 years ago, when Nick breaks up with her at Christmas after landing his first if book deal, Jess hopes to get through it and get home. But of course, this is a romance, so not only does a snowstorm hit during the awards snowing them all in, but Jess has a problem with her reservation and no room. Nick invites her to bunk with him, and of course there is only one bed!
I really liked both these characters. We do get dual point of views, so it is clear from the beginning that Nick is still in love with Jessica, What is not clear is why he broke her heart the way he did. I honestly thought it would be hard to see his side. Jess is certainly understandable in her reasons for not wanting to interact with him and we see how hurt she still is about him. Over the course of the next few days, thanks to the snowstorm, Nick and Jess are able to find some common ground and definitely still feel their attraction for each other. But can she understand and actually forgive him?
I was surprised how much I loved this one. It is paced great, and a fairly quick read at 250 ish pages. I was able to binge it in one day and felt fully invested in the story and the characters. Who wouldn't want to be snowed in at a cute country hotel near Christmas? I loved it!
This was such a cute little book, it was incredibly short but it was just a fun little holiday second chance romance. Could it have been longer? Yeah, but it was still good.
I LOVE a second chance romance and this little book has all the tropes, only one bed, forced proximity, lovers to rivals to lovers, miscommunication :/ but its discussed.
Now I read the version released on Netgally so I do not know what the other 70 pages of this book are about, is my only qualm about this book is that its too short? Yes. Will I read the actual book? Maybe next year and ill compare but as it is on netgally this book is just so cute and fun and I like it a lot. I'm sure that a lot of content hides in those 70 pages so I look forward to it eventually. Maybe this book becomes a 5 star read.
While I usually love Falon Ballard's novels (Lease On Love was so good!), this book missed the mark a little. I liked Jess'point of view but did not like the chapters of Nick's point of view. They were overly crass (leaning more into Tess Bailey style romance). The plot was not engaging or very believable, I did not connect with the backdrop of the publishing world. I will gladly read future Falon Ballard romance books but this was not a great one for me.
Yall it is holiday romance SZN!! This was my first one of the year and MAN do the rest have a lot to live up to!
I've adored everything that Falon Ballard has written and this one may be my favorite!
Jessica is a romance writer who takes her craft seriously, even if she has limited success. She's blocked out her most serious relationship, with fellow romance writer Nick, which ended abruptly and without any explanation. What has made it even harder is that Nick's career has blown up - and he has become the posterboy for the genre at their shared publisher. So she doesn't have much choice when she is asked to present him with an award at their publisher's annual holiday party. It is the first time they have been together since the breakup - and when they finally talk they realize they are both in a slump. So naturally the best idea is to attempt to write together once they are trapped in a snowstorm...
I couldn't put it down, and every part of it was pitch perfect - the characters! the chemistry! the backstory! the use of tropes! I sometimes struggle with the main conflict in romances because it can feel inauthentic, but that was not the case here. And all of it happening during the holidays at a picturesque holiday inn where they get snowed in - what more could you ask for?!
Five stars for this one! Move it to the top of your holiday TBR immediately. And big thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for this ARC!
This was a cute idea, and I liked it up until the end. I didn't think she should have forgiven him so easily for the why and how he dumped her 5 years earlier.
I didn’t like this :( I found it crass and there wasn’t much plot aside from the sexual tension Nick and Jess feel. I’m not a fan of second chance romances and I find books set in the publishing world to be trite and tacky. So really, I wasn’t not set up to like this one.
I 4.5 stars!
I read this in one day. It’s just so so good and a quick holiday read! It gave me all of the vibes I wanted it to. Second chance romance, enemies to lovers, just one bed, forced proximity. Due to a winter storm, they were stuck in an adorable inn together. As tensions rise, these two are realizing maybe they can make it work after all. Their undeniable attraction to each other was my favorite part. The spicy scenes are great! I was scared I wouldn’t be happy with the ending. But I was 🩷 the story was really sweet!
I really loved all of the cute Christmas graphics at the start of a new chapter! It’s so festive ❤️
Thank you Putnam and NetGalley for a copy of All I Want Is You by Falon Ballard in exchange for an honest review!!
I have read so many Falon Ballard books and I love her books and characters! I think she’s such a great writer. All I Want Is You was such a fun holiday read and I enjoyed the plot! I love second chance romances and the slow burn was pretty fun for this! I have recently really loved this trope with authors too!
This holiday romance did just what I needed it to do. Our two main characters find themselves snowed-in at a resort in the lead up to Christmas. Ex-lovers and ex-writing companions, Nick and Jess (and, yeah they know) are forced to confront the reasons for their split as well as the reasons they still work so well together. We get theres-only-one-bed, pining, a flash of fake dating and the whole time the chemistry sizzles. This book didn’t reinvent the genre or anything, but I didn’t really need it to? Had a great and cozy time reading.
A short and spicy second chance romance with forced proximity and only one bed while stuck in a hotel during a snowstorm. The perfect set up for Nick and Jessica to snuggle while sleeping and talk about what went wrong the first time.
I adored this sweet holiday romance so much! The second-chance at love story was well written and an enjoyable rekindling without there being too much of the break up and aftermath rehashed to reach full devastation levels. I liked that it was so sweet and tender while the dual POV and flashback chapters built the tension and chemistry. I didn't know if I'd be as into a holiday book while reading in August but Ballard absolutely had me instantly craving the cozy Christmas spirit. I was also SO thrilled to see the writerly angle on this book with two romance novelist main characters and a whole cast of publishing people. As a romance reader, this really enhanced my enjoyment ten fold! And, the comments about miscommunication reaffirmed that Ballard is an author I will come back to again and again. Her last book has a strong miscommunication theme and I really didn't love it. "All I Want Is You" was a delight that I will likely return to for a comfort read around the holidays!
Thank you NetGalley and Putnam Books for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. "All I Want Is You" by Falon Ballard hits shelves September 24th!
Jessica Carrington has always loved Christmas, but when her boyfriend broke up with her on Christmas Day five years ago it changed her view on many things. Even though she writes romances for a living, she has a hard time believing that she’ll one day get her own. When the publisher she shares with her ex asks her to present him with an award at the annual holiday gala, Jess knows she can’t say no. Nick Matthews broke Jess’ heart but also his own five years ago, and now writes romances without happy endings. A fluke snowstorm traps Nick and Jess at the inn where the gala was held, forcing them to finally confront their past.
I loved this one! Falon Ballard writes some of my favorite banter and this one was no different! It was in equal measure funny and heartfelt. I loved Nick and Jess and their messy past that made way for a beautiful future. I’m also a huge fan of “it’s always been you” and that trope is executed beautifully here!
This isn’t quite a novella at 256 pages, but it’s a fun and fast read that is perfect to squeeze in this December!