All That I Am

by Rachel Brookes

Sasha has felt the weight of grief not once but twice in her life to date, the first being the day she arrived home from school at the tender age of 15 to discover that her mother had left and had no intension of ever returning and then again, when her father passed away.

Although she wasn’t on her own, her brother was on the scene, following the death of their father their intrinsically tight bond became unceremoniously strained.

So, taking all that into account I wasn’t surprised how Sasha lived her life, keeping everyone at arm’s length and making sure that she kept her attachments to the bare minimum. She lived by the once bitten twice shy adage but was that a forever default or was there the opportunity for change?

Well, I wasn’t sure to be honest but I had hope that this feisty woman would find a guy that would be her happy ever after…I just didn’t expect it to be someone like Detective Ben Hunt.

Ben was every inch the alpha male and he made no apologies for that fact but after trying to steer clear of Sasha, he knew he was fighting a losing battle because in his heart, staying away was never really going to work for him and if he had his way she would soon see that he was a man that got what he wanted and that meant her.

I admired the way he set about breaking down the carefully constructed barriers that she protected herself with, but would she let him in or would the effects of her past ensure that her heart stayed as guarded as it always had? Could this defiant man get to the core of her issues and win her over or was it all going to be in vain?

I thought the author presented a story that was a neatly tangled romantic mystery, there was more going on than just the relationship woes of Ben and Sasha, the town has its own issues, one that seem set to consume everyone, Ben was feeling the heat from all directions, so protecting Sasha while trying to protect the town had his loyalties torn.

I thought the author was mindful in the crafting of both Ben and Sasha, they were strong personalities and it was a delicate balancing act to ensure that their connection stayed intact but she also presented some secondary characters that I would love to hear more from. The humorous tone of the book was also a very pleasant surprise.

An emotional twister that leaves it late in the day before revealing its secrets, this is a super story that I will undoubtedly read again very soon.