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BOOKWORM REVIEW: All Grown Up by Vi Keeland

 

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
SPICE: 🔥🔥🔥.5

Valentina Giovanni has given in to her best friend's demands to jump into the dating pool again. It has been years since her divorce, so why not? When a Match.com connection links her to her much-younger summer home neighbor Ford Donovan, Val struggles to reconcile what her practical side is telling her vs. what her attraction cannot deny.

This was a fun, low-angst read. I really enjoyed the natural development of Val and Ford's relationship from neighbors to friends to lovers. Vi Keeland does a great job of addressing key challenges of a reverse age-gap relationship, especially with a divorced single parent.

There is no question that Val and Ford's chemistry is sizzling. I adored their first "long-distance" date, especially how thoughtful Ford was about Val's hesitations. Their emotional connection -- layered nicely with growing tension -- has readers sitting at the edge of their seats with anticipation as we deal through the slow burn. 

There were some loose ends not addressed when the words The End came along, but it did not take much away from a good, spicy, standalone read.

ABOUT THE BOOK

When I first encountered Ford Donovan, I had no idea who he was...well, other than the obvious. Young, gorgeous, successful, smart. Did I mention young? If I did, it bears repeating. Ford Donovan was too young for me.

Let's back up to how it all started. My best friend decided I needed to start dating again. So, without my knowledge, she set up a profile for me on a popular dating site--one that invited men ages twenty-one to twenty-seven to apply for a date. Those nicknamed Cunnilingus King were told they'd go straight to the top for consideration. The profile wasn't supposed to go live. Another point that bears repeating--it wasn't supposed to.

Nevertheless, that's how I met Ford, and we started messaging. He made me laugh; yet I was adamant that because of his age, we could only be friends. But after weeks of wearing me down, I finally agreed to one date only--my first after twenty years of being with my high school sweetheart. I knew it couldn't last, but I was curious about him.

Though, you know what they say...curiosity kills the cat.

My legs wobbled walking into the restaurant.
Ford was seated at the bar. When he turned around, he took my breath away.
His sexy smile nearly melted my panties.
But...he looked so familiar.
As I got closer I realized why.
He was the son of the neighbor at our family's summer home.
The boy next door.
Only now...he was all man.
I hadn't seen him in years.
I left the restaurant and planned to put the entire crazy thing behind me.
Which I did. Until summer came.
And guess who decided to use his family's summer home this year?

MEET VI KEELAND

Vi Keeland is a #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author. With millions of books sold, her titles have appeared in over one hundred Bestseller lists and are currently translated in twenty-six languages. She resides in New York with her husband and their three children where she is living out her own happily ever after with the boy she met at age six.

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