Rockin' & Reviewing: Elizabeth York

Title: All I Ask

Author: Elizabeth York

Genre: Contemporary/Romantic Suspense

Release Date: May 23, 2017

Photographer: MHPhotography
Designer: MGBookcover & Design

My name is Devan Anderson and I am a photographer and the by-product of a cheating father and a childhood evaporated by illness. I'm stubborn, protective, but I care more than I let on. What does a girl like me do when I taste life for the first time?

I'll give you a hint. It isn't what you think.

My name is Ian Jensen and I am a Pediatric Oncologist that works day and night with kids that prove to be braver than I. I am open to Nerf gun fights, having fun, and taking control. What's a doctor who lives life by the book do when given a new chapter to live in?

Ask me again tomorrow?

What happens when a photographer set to live in the dark meets the doctor that lives in the light? What happens when our world collide?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

I felt out of place when the yellow vested valet smirked at my car and held my keys like they could infect him with being poor. F*ing pauper cooties.

Had I been dying, I would have cut your balls off and fed them to you. Prison doesn’t look so bad when you have no time left. Remember that.

We have come here to join Doctor Ian and Miss Devan in holy mattress-money… If anyone here thinks that Miss Devan and Dr. Ian don’t need to be married step forward now so Lydia and I can run over your toes with our wheelchairs, and pop you with marshmallows from our rubber band guns… I was granted the power of being ordinary by the internet and my mom’s credit card so what I say rings true. My judgment is that these two are husband and wife till they get wrinkly, slow, and their teeth fall out.

I think we could benefit from the ticket sales soaring if there was a cat fight… I bet she is a hair puller… She won’t punch because she might break a nail.

My Review:

I struggled with this book and am struggling with this review as well as with forming a coherent conclusion on a rating. I enjoyed a great deal of All I Ask, although it went off the rails a little over half way through. The premise was sound, the characters were unusual, and there was an intriguing mystery beneath the surface. There were also many delightful scenes of stellar humor, a blossoming and transformative romance that brought the main characters to life, steamy sensual scenes, and heart squeezing exchanges. However, the storyline veered off track and became mired in Devon’s dismal angst, over the top melodrama, and tiresome obstinance. I would easily have rated the first half of the book four stars, although the mid to ninety percent of the book were a disappointing two to three.

Empress DJ

Author Elizabeth York has been writing for about seven years. Located in the southeast, she spends her days drinking sweet tea on the porch with her laptop in hand. She has devoted her life to her family and her books. With the loss of her Father to cancer in 2010 she makes "Dear Daddy" dedication pages in each book and donates 10% royalties to cancer research.

Elizabeth was given a 2015 Author of the Year award sponsored by 31 blogs for her role in helping her fellow authors and her writing. She was also accepted into the Romance Writers of America organization in May of 2015.

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Title: Water Wishes

Series: Water Series Book #2

Author: Elizabeth York

Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense

Release Date: January 6, 2016

Candice Monroe had a fiance Chase Matson who she thought was dead. After his funeral she found comfort in the arms of his partner, Jason Monroe. This new yet old love led her down an aisle as wedding bells sang.

Shock and dismay hit as her deceased fiance stood alive and well in the back of the church as she said her vows.

People she thought were dead are very much alive. Love she thought she lost was merely buried under pain. Not being able to grasp the emotional turmoil Candice does what she does best... runs.

Will she ever stop running?

Which man will she choose?

Can she be the hero or will she become a victim as the game of rush and roulette began on her life before she even knew it had.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Book 1 - Wishing on the Water

“I had never heard of a toasting farewell until my mom’s funeral. People went to dinner and everyone ordered a shot; they drank to her arrival in heaven. They drank to her no longer being in pain. They drank to seeing her again one day. I wondered what the point was, but it seemed to help my dad, so I went with it and toasted ‘cheers’ with the apple juice in my cup, too.”

“Phrases that began that way never ended well. I always cringed at those words. Can we talk? Yea I hit your car. Can we talk? I killed your dog. Or my favorite one: Can we talk? I hate you. Whatever was at the end of her sentence wouldn’t be good.”

“I am not dumb, Jax. I see the photos online. I was in your house when she was trying to check you for strep throat with her tongue.”

“We can either jump on the bed like children or rock it like adults!”

“You went from beating someone up to being flirty. I swear you women are like rollercoasters. I never know which way you’re going to go next.”

Book 2 – Water Wishes

“I wanted to make her fertilizer and plant a rose garden over her, but I was going to be the bigger person.”

“Chase seemed to pop up like a pimple on prom night. Always in the wrong place at the wrong time, and you don’t know how the hell he got there.”

“My mom used to say if something is weighing on you. Then go watch something worse and you will be grateful for the minor issue you started with.”

My Review:

I struggled in determining how to rate this series. This series is what I would consider an angsty and melancholy read, which, admittedly, is not my cup of tea - despite the occasional humor and delicious sensual scenes. I suffered more than a bit from the constant angst as well as a case of whiplash from the heinous back and forth and selfish behavior of one of the most unlikable main characters I can ever recall. However, the story was also intriguing, compelling, steamy, and well written, some much so and to my consternation - I could not stop reading it!

The story line was up and down - full of broken promises, regrets, betrayal, guilt, resentment, and jealousy; yet tempered with smoking hot and steamy bits, fun humor, and witty banter during the up periods. My biggest issue was with the main character of Candice – she was a deplorable person and a general asshat… I had a hard time caring about her. She was immature and extremely selfish, and caused considerable pain to everyone who cared about her as her default setting was that of an escape artist. However, I did enjoy her sense of humor and her periods of “thinking with her writer brain.” I snorted and totally agreed with the observation she made of herself when she noted, “I sounded like a trailer park reality series.” Yes! Spot on! Poor Jax, I wondered if he was a masochist as the delicious man just kept letting her wound him, she must have had magical lady bits.

Book 1 ended in a wicked cliffhanger that I would have been fuming about and stomping my little foot had I not already had Book 2 loaded on my precious kindle - so - be warned.

Empress DJ

Up and coming author Elizabeth York has been writing for about seven years. Located in the southeast, she spends her days drinking sweet tea on the porch with her laptop in hand. She has devoted her life to her family and her books. With the loss of her Father to cancer in 2010 she makes "Dear Daddy" dedication pages in each book and donates 10% royalties to cancer research. Take the time to get to know the characters and you will love them as much as she does.