Judith’s review of All He Needs (All or Nothing #2) by C. C. Gibbs
When her tryst with handsome billionaire Dominic Knight gets out of hand, Katherine Hart resolves to cut all contact for good. But Dominic won’t let his object of fascination escape so easily: when they cross paths in a plush hotel in Singapore, their steamy affair is reignited.
But can such exquisite pleasure last?
Kate knows her lover is a man who lives entirely for the chase. Is this reunion a rushing climax before an inevitable fall, or could Kate possess the keys to finally taming the untamable Dominic Knight?
Perhaps one might ask right up front: Is this love affair “too hot not to cool down?” in the words of the old Cole Porter song. Certainly the affair that started out as an eight day fling has blossomed into something quite extraordinary and one that is surprising to both Dominic and Kate. Yet I think this second book in the trilogy All or Nothing is much more of a character study of these two individuals. There is still very much the intense push/pull between these two strong stubborn people, both of whom are really at a loss to explain their continuing fascination with one another. This is especially true of Dominic whose non-relationships with women have been chronicled in the media for years. The reader learns a great deal more about Dominic’s personal life, his family and background, the true nature and back story about his relationship with his parents, and the warm and embracing love he had for his sister and her family.
There was no doubt in my mind that this second book was really a much more in-depth investigation of the deeper nature of the connection between these two people and one which brought the reader into the struggle they both experienced in trying to understand themselves and one another. Their passion for one another never waned but each still felt that need to maintain some kind of separateness from one another. Even though Dominic was a manipulative control freak to the core and even though he managed Kate’s life often without her knowing it, there was that sense through the book that unlike their early connection, their relationship had grown into one that was based on deep regard and a desire to keep one another safe. There were some very stark reminders that the world of international finance can be a very dangerous venue. There are, however, revelations of the extent to which Dominic was prepared to go in order to protect Kate, even at the expense of their relationship and any future they might have together.
This book is every bit as intense as book one. Some reviewers have maintained that they like this one “better” than Book 1. I, for one, think that this book is really different and has to be judged on its own merit and not as a novel being compared to the first book in the series. Just as Kate and Dominic have to expand their knowledge of one another and willingness to be increasingly vulnerable to one another, so this book is taken up with telling of that relational expansion and the deeper levels of emotional connection these two have come to share.
This book like the first novel is beautifully written and is so well put together so that readers keep the story straight in spite of its complexities. It’s beautifully edited and as a reviewer I really appreciate good grammar and spelling. Such books are a joy to experience apart from their content. When the content is as riveting as it is here it just gets better and better. This novel is highly erotic–these two just shoot off sexual sparks all the time. I think the word “insatiable” is probably in order. Yet it is not one that flaunts gratuitous sex–it is all part of the story that seems to hang together as it should. I am definitely looking forward to reading the conclusion of this saga.
I give this novel a rating of 4.25 out of 5
You can read more from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place.
This title is available from Forever Publishing. You can buy it here or here in e-format.
Leave a Reply