All This Time

Well, I have just finished All This Time by Annabelle McCormack, one of my favourite new authors (c. 2021) when I read Windswept. Although this title is so different (in good ways) than Windswept some things remain the same.

This book is full of family and friends - because what is a good book without those elements. And yet, how well do we truly know those people? Which leads to the second similar point: secrets. And oooh this book was full of them. Not just one little secret or miscommunication like so many contemporary romance novels, but a whole host of secrets that had a huge impact on the story and its characters.

McCormack has written a beautiful romance novel that will pull at your heart strings, make a perfect fall/winter read and maybe make you want to bake some cookies!

Sam heads home during a snowstorm to welcome her new baby niece to the family and it ends up being the first of many big moments over the course of the next 4 weeks as she reconnects with old friends, revisits her on and off again relationship and tries to reconnect with the hometown she's not sure if she wants to feel at home in. It's a beautiful story and I love the mother-daughter relationship, the complicated friendships and the struggles that Sam deals with every day in this book.

All This Time by Annabelle McCormack is book one in the Brandywood Small Town Romance Series.

This story was absolutely amazing! I loved that with each chapter, I was drawn in more by the characters, the plot, and the overall feeling I got while reading. I couldn’t put this book down, and if I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it constantly!

"She dated his best friend. He left hers at the altar. But this holiday season, the sparks between these frenemies are heating up in this sexy and heartfelt romance about coming home and facing the past."

A stunning contemporary romance with characters I absolutely devoured and wanted to stay with forever.
I’ve never loved a book so much before! I didn’t want it to ever end.
All of the characters added warmth and humour to the world.
The charters are real, funny, raw and just everything I loved in a book!
I love that her characters are real people and flawed humans.
The two had a chemistry they just couldn't deny.
I absolutely love her writing style.
It’s an adorable and fun loving story that will leaving you wanting more.
You will fall in love with Sam & Garrett every step of their journey to love!
The enemies-to-lovers dynamic between Sam & Garrett resulted in some amazing banter that felt like watching a live tennis match.
A steamy, tender read about facing the past and finding forgiveness.
Charming, authentic, and sweet. You'll love this story!

This was the first book that I’ve read by Annabelle McCormack, and I can say with absolute certainty that it will not be the last.
I can't wait for book two I'll Carry You coming this winter 2022!
Happy Reading!!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Victory Editing,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my blog, platforms, BookBub, B&N, Kobo and Waterstone closer to pub date.

Sam returns home and runs right back into the drama and gossip of her hometown. She also runs into Garrett, who dated her BFF and left her at the alter, not to mention is BFFs with her on-and-off- again boyfriend. Sam and Garrett form a friendship and more despite all that is going on with their exes, her family, and the town.

There was so much angst between Sam and Garrett. She was so back and forth that my head kept spinning. But, I LOVED these two together. They were like Joey and Pacey finally ending up together after Pacey makes his move but Dawson kept getting in the way.

This book tackled some heavy topics, such as cancer, alcoholism, and abuse. The effects of these on family and the community played a big part in the story and how the characters related and grew throughout the story. The author did a wonderful job handling all of this!

I keep adding favorite cinnamon roll male characters to my list and Garrett makes the cut!

Thanks to NetGalley for this advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

All This Time is a contemporary romance wrapped in a holiday package. All too often, holiday books lack depth and relatability. This is not the case here. McCormack chose to tackle some of life’s biggest challenges (addiction, affairs, verbal and physical abuse, asking for and granting forgiveness) while still leaving her reader with hope.

Sam and Garett were two of the most complex characters I have read lately. Some of their choices and actions could have been seen as unforgivable. However, McCormack managed to humanize them. She rounded out their characters allowing them to be seen as flawed and relatable.

McCormack is a master writer. She made the town of Brandywood come to life effortlessly. It didn’t feel like I was jumping into their world, but rather had always been apart of it. I fell in love with so many of the side characters.

Needless to say, I am so sad that this book is over! It was a book I didn’t know I needed to read! Being introduced to Annabelle McCormack’s writing is one of the highlights of 2022 for me. She managed to write my idea of a perfect book. Thankfully, this is not the end, as it is the first book in the Brandywood Small Town Romance Series. I will be a loyal reader of this series if every book is as good as this one!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editng for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

My first Christmas book of the season. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. While I didn't love this one as much as Windswept, this was a fast paced, drama filled, Christmas love story. The book version of a Hallmark story with dual POVs and the charming small town setting.

What a charming book, and I highly recommend if you are reading this to stop and go to your local bookstore and pick up this book - because it is so perfect for the holidays! I believe that It is a truth universally acknowledged that anyone who reads this book will find it absolutely unputdownable! Annabelle McCormack is a new author to me, but I now will read everything she writes, and I will continue to do so. Forever. What a wonderful, fun romance! I think everyone would enjoy the sweetness, funniness, the fun and spectacles of this book, while appreciating all the while the simplicity of true love and of this well-plotted love story. Wonderful, captivating writing gives this novel the depth and ability to pull in any reader. Vivid, descriptive story-telling, with interesting characters that have depth to them, and are skillfully rendered. At the end of the book, they seemed more like friends than book characters to me. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough because I JUST HAD TO KNOW how it ended. I highly recommend this author and I can't wait to own this novel in print.