I wish I could give “Take Me All the Way” by Toni Blake a million stars. What a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful book! I’ve read Toni Blake before and after reading this story I now know that I need to read everything she writes. Even if she writes on a napkin, I want to read it. Needless to say I LOVED this book.
Where to start? First, any author that speaks about the effects on soldiers of war so eloquently and with such compassion has a gold start with me. Post-traumatic stress disorder ( PTSO) is very common in soldiers and Jeremy Sheridan is one of those soldiers. After having served in Afghanistan he still has a lot of guilt and remorse about not only the war but his actions and how they affected those around him. Jeremy is “shell shocked”, not to use the term loosely. He is drifting along and not really sure what to do with his life. He is homeless, jobless and aimless. When his close friend finally tells him he should find some stability he decides to travel to Coral Cove. When Jeremy arrives his life is pretty much the same until he meets Tamra Day.
Tamra was a fantastic heroine with a fantastic hero. Except, of course, they both hate each other, can’t figure each other out, are rude and sarcastic to each other, oh! And did I mention they work together. I absolutely loved their chemistry. They were so perfectly awful together and when they were around one another. Yet, they made perfect sense. Although Tamra isn’t a veteran she is also good at keep people at arm’s length and making sure she stays within her comfort zone. When Jeremy pushes her limits she does what she knows how to do best-she runs. Ironically, later on as the story progresses, Jeremy does some running of his own.
If I could physically place this book in everyone’s reader I would. Tamra and Jeremy are such sweet and wounded souls. They both recognize each other’s pain but can only heal when they are ready. Mixed with some beautiful chemistry, the secondary characters are a beautiful backdrop to previously told stories and the beautiful friendships that bind the characters together. It’s hard to pick one outstanding character, but I have a special place for Jeremy’s cat, especially since he is more of a dog person. Beautiful and heartwarming story! I will be reading more Toni Blake in my very near future!
**ARC provided by Publisher**
