Go through about 50% of the book. This one just wasn't for me.

The characters were likeable enough, but I just wasn't enjoying it enough to continue on.

Another fabulous book by Shelley Shepard Gray and a must read by anyone who loves her books. Sometimes God throws someone into our life when we least expect it and this is what this books has in it.

Meredith Hunt has carefully orchestrated her life. She had a bank job she hated so she quit it and eventually opened a Pilates studio. In addition, she volunteers at the local high school, and this brings her even more fulfillment in life. However, one day while jogging, she is mugged and is slightly injured in the process. Ace Vance and his teen son Finn see her fall and quickly come to her rescue.

Meredith wants to just get up and take care of herself, but Ace insists on accompanying her to get checked out - and he never leaves her life after that. Meredith begins to learn what it is like to depend on others, and that includes new friendships that she is forming.

Ace recently moved to Bridgeport with Finn to give him better opportunities, and this includes the fifteen-year-old having the chance to play varsity football for the high school team. This just might give Finn the opportunity to earn a scholarship for college. Ace would move mountains for Finn, especially as Finn was raised by his mother, who was not good for Finn in his life, ever.

As Ace and Meredith begin to spend time together, they realize that, despite the fact that neither of them have time for love in their lives, feelings do begin to bloom. When Meredith experiences problems at her house, Ace really steps up.

There were many things I loved about this book. For starters, Ace's relationship with Finn. I was really moved by some of their conversations. Then when it came to friends and family in this book, I was even more affected.

Whether it is poker, Pilates, the slow burn of the romance developing, this second book in the Bridgeport Social Club series is quite a wonderful read. The trio of friends that formed the social club are finding love, and that is always rewarding. I definitely recommend this touching story.

Many thanks to Blackstone Publishing and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Bridgeport Social Club gets better with the second book, All In. A sweet romance that takes center stage in this story, which typically gets too mushy for me. However, the process of this romance makes this one interesting, because it allows readers to immerse in the development a relationship between two adults, with one being a single parent.

I also find the character Finn a highlight. There's an emotional development with this high school character definitely made All In a story worth reading. The underlying premise of using the tools of a poker game to elaborate on the theme and message of life is an interesting one. However, what makes it more relevant is the idea of a social gathering that isn't about a game, but friendship.

In all honesty, I'm looking forward to Hold on Tight, the next book in the series from All In alone, but after I saw the cover, I know for certain it's on my list of reads!


For my clean readers, please note there are slight profanity in this book.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher. I was not required to write a positive review, and have not been compensated for this. This is my honest opinion.

I received an ARC of "All In" in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. This is the first book that I have read of Shelly's and its the 2nd in the series. I think that Shelly did a great job of creating characters that readers that could connect with in Meredith, Ace and Finn. I think that they could have been more developed. She did do a great job of taking her time building the romance between Ace and Meredith.

One area that I think Mrs Gray did a great job of is building a great storyline. It was a great mix of romance and family. You could see this from the very first chapter to the last one. I really liked seeing the romance between Meredith and Ace but also the relationship between father and son.

Lastly I struggled with this book that it took me a couple chapters to get into it. After Meredith and Ace connected I found the story dragged on. But i stuck through it and it turned out to be a great book in the end. I can't wait to see what she has in story for the series and to read more from this author.

Another great story in Shelley Shepard Gray's The Bridgeport Social Club Series which held my attention from the very first chapter until the end of the book. Shelley's writing captivated me with her knight in shining armor character coming to Meredith's rescue in her time of need. Makes you hope that more people could be like that in today's world. Loved how Shelley incorporated characters from the first book too. Always fun to catch up with them when the stories are linked. Looking forward to book #3, "Hold On Tight".

Shelley Shepard Gray can write some really good romance novels, but more than that she has a way of bringing a freshness to the genre…which is why I read this book even though I knew it wouldn’t be quite on the same…spiritual level as her other series. My thoughts:

What I liked

Relationships. This is a book about relationships and there are a lot of great ones. First, there is Finn and Ace. Ace has always been there for Finn as a dad, but he hasn’t been “all in” like he should be. The novel does a lovely job of showing what surface parenting is verses being a full time parent. It even addresses the problems that might arise when you’re not totally committed. That said, watching Finn and Ace really get to know each other made me really love the characters.

Secondly, there was, of course, Ace and Meredith. I thought Gray did a lovely job of showing a new relationship coming together. There were insecurities on both sides and both characters had past relationships that didn’t end so well, nevertheless that kind of theme of going “all in” was there and it made for a very cute romance without drama. Also, I loved that theirs was a relationship with a lot of give and take. Ace is there for Meredith and Meredith is there for Ace. It was a relationship you could believe in.

Thirdly, Meredith and Finn. I think it would have been easy for Gray to gloss over Finn and Meredith’s relationship but she does a lovely job of crafting their relationship outside of Meredith and Ace.

Fourthly, friendship in general. Ace has his friends and Meredith has hers. I think the overarching theme of this series is the importance of stepping out of yourself and developing relationships…especially when it’s not easy or comfortable.

What I didn’t like

There were four points of views in this novel. One of those povs could have been cut.

There was a moment or so when I wanted to tell Meredith to have some backbone. She was supposed to be withdrawn and independent, but every decision she made seemed to come from someone who was just needy.

I will say that though I knew this wasn’t going to be a “Christian” romance per se, I was still surprised by some of the choices the author made. And not necessarily in a good way. When I consider all of the other books she has written, I was left more than a little confused about things.

Overall, I read this book because I wanted something light and fluffy. I got that. But. I just may not be reviewing this series anymore on my blog as it not within the purview of my typical reviews.

**I received a copy of this book from Blackstone Publishing through Netgalley. My opinion was not affected in anyway.**

Get ready to be All in when you read this book! Seriously, I was devoted to reading it in one sitting/stand/ walking through my house holding my kindle day. I didn't give it up and just like the characters, I learned something about myself and love. It is funny how books can make a reader grow just by falling into the story.

Like Take a Chance, All In is more than just a romance.  There is the relationship between Ace and Meredith, but we also have Meredith learning to open herself up to others, Ace & Finn developing a better relationship, Finn settling in to a new school, and Finn's interactions with the awkward girl next door.  (I do wish we'd gotten a bit more there.  I think that there was so much opportunity to develop not only their interactions together but also the way they are viewed by other kids.)  It all works together to create a beautiful tapestry capturing small town life.  

I will say that Gray pleasantly surprised me with the ending.  I thought for sure I knew where things were going and the conflict Ace & Meredith would have to face before they could have their HEA ... but I was wrong!  I love a book that doesn't take the obvious angle.  

All In is a lovely, sweet, and believable story of finding love and belonging.  Shelley Shepard Gray is a skilled writer, drawing her readers into the character's lives and making them feel real.  I really hope she continues bringing us stories from Bridgeport.  

~Those who are fans of SSG's writing need to be aware this is a different style than her previous Amish romances.  Like with the first story in this series, I think that a lot of people think they know what to expect and then are surprised by a clean but more contemporary romance.  Just a warning :) ~

All In
Bridgeport Social Club Series - Book 2
By Shelley Shepard Gray

Blackstone Publishing - February 2019

Contemporary Romance


Meredith Hunt was finally happy with how she was living her life. No longer attempting to please her mother, she ditched the career that didn't fit her and had opened her own Pilates studio. She also volunteered at the local high school. When she is pushed down and has her bag stolen, it is one of those students and his father that come to her rescue. Not only finding her bag, although items were missing, but also helping her out by taking her to urgent care and then home.

Ace Vance had decided to follow his friend and move from West Virginia to Ohio. He felt the change would benefit his son Finn. When he and Finn come to Meredith's rescue, and then spends some time with her, he finds himself cautiously optimistic of a new relationship. However, his first focus is his son. He was learning that Finn's life had been much more difficult with his mother than Ace had ever realized.

All In is a sweet romance with engaging characters facing difficult issues. Due to the difficult relationship with her mother, Meredith has learned not to rely on anyone. Ace is slowly learning the impact of Finn's mother in his life. It was sweet watching them all gravitate to each other. Also highly enjoyable was a friendship that starts between Finn and the next door neighbor. The only drawback was Ace's smoking in his vehicle with his son, and Meredith being rather enchanted by that.

Kathy Andrico - KathysReviewCorner.com

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
You can purchase a copy for yourself on amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/All-Bridgeport-Social-Club-Book-ebook/dp/B07H4VC11G/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=All+In+by+Shelley+Shepard+Gray&qid=1552664246&s=gateway&sr=8-1
We begin this book on a beautiful Saturday where Meredith is blindsided as she was shoved as she was walking. She is a little dizzy and shook and she opens her eyes to a scruffy man who she thinks is dreamy. She is a bit bruised and hurt. This man's son catches up to his dad and takes off to see if he can get her bag with her keys, ID, etc. Finn returns with her bag, but her wallet is missing, but gratefully her keys were found. Mr . Vance helps Meredith to the hospital. We are then taken on quite the romantic journey between Mr. Vance and Meredith.
This was quite a sweet story with a little action involved. I was on the edge of my seat through this book. Shelley Shepard Gray always has such wholesome books. I was happy with the ending, not too sappy. I look forward to the next book!

This is the second Shelley Shepard Gray book I have read and I enjoyed it. There was one point where I felt like the story lagged a bit but otherwise it is a well written romance. The characters are likeable and their connection and complications feel real and relateable.

Caution: Review contains one major spoiler. You have been warned.

Shelley Shepherd Gray is better known for her Amish romance and Christian historical romance. As far as I know, this is her first general market novel [I now find it's the second in a series, so it's at least her second general market novel]. I knew it was a general market romance novel when I requested it for review, so I knew I couldn't hold the plot and characters to the same standard as I might hold my more common contemporary Christian romance read.

Yet this still managed to disappoint.

(You know how I said this review contains a spoiler? Well, if you don't want spoilers, now is the time to click away.)

I don't like writing reviews that contain spoilers beyond the obvious: if a novel is a murder mystery, someone dies. If a novel is a medical thriller, someone gets sick. If a novel is a romance, two people fall in love.

So that's half the spoiler for All In: this is a romance, and two people meet and fall in love. We know that's what happens in a romance. We're not reading to watch them get together. We're reading for the journey.

And the journey in All In was fun. Sure, I think Ace is a pretty dumb name for a hero, but I can look past that. I can look past the tattoo, and the fact he's the single father of a teenage son who was conceived in less than idea circumstances (hey, that provides a lot of room for a redemptive plot). I can even look past the fact he smokes (although I'm not so sure how Pilates instructor and health nut Meredith Hunt can get past that).

Here's what I can't get past. (Remember how I warned you about the spoiler? It's from the last chapter, so it really is a spoiler. Here it comes.)

Romances are supposed to have an emotionally satisfying ending. At least, that's how Romance Writers of America define the genre. Many readers refer to this as an HEA or happy-ever-after ending. In some romance novels I've read, this HEA ending is the couple deciding to try and overcome their differences and start a relationship. More often, it's a proposal scene. Sometimes there is a wedding (although that might be reserved for an epilogue).

In All In?

The book with a TITLE that implies the couple will be all in? As in, fully committed to each other?

The big climax is Ace asking Meredith to move in with him and his son and their puppy. Roommates with benefits? That's romantic? I didn't find this emotionally satisfying at all. It felt like cheating. It made me feel stabby. To make it worse, Meredith thinks:

All in meant that she could give 100 percent.

Yeah. She's giving 100 percent, but Ace isn't. If Ace was "all in", he'd be offering to marry her. Not have her move in and cook and clean for him and his son and the new puppy (because you can't tell me she won't end up doing the lion's share of the housework.)

Shelley Shepard Gray is a strong writer. The characters are excellent—I especially liked the interactions between Finn and Alison (even if they did detract from the Ace/Meredith story). The plot was solid ... well, except for the stabby climax. But I'm not the only person who thinks this kind of ending is a let-down. My romance reader friends agreed with me - roommates with benefits is not the happy ending we are looking for.

Overall, I thought All In was a solid romance novel let down by the last chapter.

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Such a good book!I like the idea of a social club for men. It is so much more than just a poker night. This is a time for the guys to get together and bond with each other. Poker is just the means to justify the end result....Guys communicating with each other and helping each other out.Meredith and Ace have two totally different agendas...Meredith is a very confident yoga studio owner who is trying very hard to prove that she doesn't need a man in her life. Things do not bode well for her in that area as the book opens with her being mugged on a running trail.Our introduction to Ace is swoon worthy. He sees Meredith lying on the trail and runs to her rescue, literally. He takes care of her and gets her back home in the most endearing way possible. (being a  southern momma, I hope my grown sons treat women the way Ace treated Meredith)These two may have chemistry, but nether is looking for this encounter to lead to anything romantic. Ace is focused on his son Fin and providing a good home life for him in this new town. Meredith has been hurt in the past and is only interested in being the best yoga instructor she can be.Little did either of them know, but they both need the help from their friends and acquaintances. Ace gets his help from the Bridgeport Social Club and Meredith gets hers from neighbors, friends and her Lunch Bunch.Both learn that leaning on each other is not such a bad thing after all. If you like great characters,  just enough tension to keep a story moving, and wonderful dialog....you will love this book. I look forward to the next book in the series. Hold on Tight.

I wanted to like this cute, sweet story. But by the end, I just felt like things weren’t developed as well as I needed them to be in order to feel invested in the characters, and their stories.

Ace is a recent transplant to the town of Bridgeport, Ohio. Having followed his friend Kurt, he has hopes of making a more stable life for his 15 year old son. When he and Finn rescue Pilates studio owner Meredith after a mugging, Ace discovers that maybe Bridgeport is where he’ll find a better life for himself as well.

There are plenty of things to like about this story. The characters are realistic and relatable, and there are several storylines going with side characters. The hero and heroine meet, get to know each other, and develop a relationship at a realistic pace. And I really appreciate how the author doesn’t create unnecessary angst for the sake of building drama. Several times I thought I knew how things were going to go down, and the characters instead behaved like adults. That was very refreshing!

However, not much really happened in this book. They meet, they both experience a cute amount of “does he like me” and “is she interested in me” doubt, they go on some dates. Their banter wasn’t particularly clever or witty. It was just...nice. And the one instance of suspense/drama that may have been related to her mugging seemed out of place, wasn’t developed well, and ended anticlimactically (other than to show the heroine had good friends).

Overall, All In lacked the charm that was present in the first book in the Bridgeport Social Club series, leaving me disappointed and trudging through the book over the course of five nights (which FYI that’s a long time for me to read a book). I’ll give this series another try since the first book was a solid read - hopefully the next one will hold my interest better.

* thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

A cute love story between a Pilates studio owner Meredith and a single father Ace who repaired classic cars.

My first book by Shelley Shepard Gray, the story had be identifying with both the characters as they were both closed off in the beginning and slowly opened up when the pages turned.

Love happened between these two characters unexpectedly when a mugging caused Ace to enter her life. The characters developed slowly and it was fun to see them start to trust each other, rough edges and all.

The book was well written in most parts. I thought it would be a clean read but does have its expletives/innuendos. I didn’t like the main character thinking smoking was cool. But to each his/her own. And I didn’t like the poker references, probably because I don’t play poker

Overall, barring a few scenes, skimming a few parts, the story was a sweet romance, read in 2 hours.

Ms Gray's Bridgeport Social Club Series has already become a favorite of mine. After reading the first in the series, "Take a Chance", I jumped at the chance to read the second in the series "All In". I haven't been disappointed.

In fact, the second was even better and included characters from the first. But you are grabbed right off by the mugging of main character, Meredith Hunt, the local Pilates instructor who actually owns the business. Ace Vance and his fifteen year old son, Finn, immediately come to her rescue but Meredith is not use to depending on someone; however she needs medical attention and transportation so she reluctantly takes them up on their offer of assistance.

Over time Meredith and Ace begin to see each other and, though they each have their issues, they see the best in the other and reach out of their comfort zones. Finn, in the meantime, struggles at school and in his neighborhood to make friends and belong. It is sweet to see how his kind and gentle neighbor brings the best out of him as well.

I highly recommend this series with 5 stars. Thanks to Blackstone Publishing for allowing me to read this book from Netgalley.

I am used to reading Shelley Shepard Gray in her Amish genre. I was pleasantly surprised to find this book. I really enjoy her writing style. She does great research for her story lines. Her characters are relatable. They really pull you into the story.

Meredith is a strong independent woman. When she finds herself in a scary situation, Ace and Finn come along in the nick of time. However, Meredith has a real problem asking for help. However, Ace can be stubborn. Thrown together by this criminal act, Ace and Meredith try to fight the growing attraction. The last thing either one wants is a new love interest. But will they be able to resist? I love how Ace is such a old fashioned gentleman. He wants to take care of Meredith but doesn't want to seem too pushy. I really enjoyed their story. I look forward to future books in the series. I received a copy through Netgalley. A review was not required.

Meredith Hunt owns her own Pilates Studio in Bridgeport, Ohio. She happily lives a single life. Her mom is toxic and is never happy with what she does or accomplishes. Her father disappeared when she was five years old and she has no other family. Her clients at her pilates studio have become her family and, for now, that is enough.

Ace Vance moved to Bridgeport from West Virginia to get away from his son’s mother and to offer Finn a better life. Finn is a great football player and Ace is hoping that moving them will offer Finn opportunities for a college scholarship. Ace also was able to get a great job as an auto mechanic. Life is good and he isn’t interested in a relationship with a woman. He and Finn are fine by themselves.

While hiking on a trail, Ace and Finn came across Meredith immediately following a mugging. They took her to urgent care and stayed with her until she was taken care of. Ace was nothing like Meredith had ever been interested in. He was a tattooed, cigarette smoking man who showed her incredible kindness. Meredith was nothing like Ace had ever been interested in or thought he could ever have. The more time he spent with her the more he wanted to be near her. Was it possible for them to go all in? Would the payoff be worth the risk?

I really enjoyed this book. For the most part the book was a clean read. There was an almost sex scene and minimal foul language. I loved how Meredith and Ace and Finn learned to depend on each other and how the relationships they formed helped to heal the wounds that had been created from prior toxic relationships. The supporting characters were wonderful and well developed, also.

I was given an arc copy of this book and I willingly offer my review.

Having read some of this author's books, I thought this would be a contemporary Christian story but it's not. This is more of a Harlequin romance story. I was disappointed but know some readers will enjoy this quick read.