Release Reviews: After All: Kristen Proby
After All
Kristen Proby
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Release Date July 14, 2020
Release Date July 14, 2020
The last sizzling novel in Kristen Proby's Romancing Manhattan series finds a widower falling deeply in love again with a woman who has scars of her own.
When Carter Shaw’s wife died five years ago, he was left to pick up the pieces not only of his own broken heart but also that of his devastated eight-year-old daughter, Gabby—leaving him with no time for anything else, let alone dating. But recently, Carter has noticed women again and soon even begins dating. No one has stuck around for long, mostly thanks to one very angry Gabby.
Nora Hayes has worked as Carter’s assistant for years. Recently divorced herself, Nora spends many hours at the office and helping Carter with his daughter whom she adores. Despite loving her job and being wrapped up in the Shaw family, Nora’s never given her handsome, kind workaholic boss a second thought, especially in the romance department.
But then the snowstorm of the century hits, and Nora finds herself stranded at work with Carter overnight. And suddenly, she sees Carter in a whole new, sexy light. The sadness that’s lived in his eyes for so long has now been replaced with pure, unadulterated lust—and Nora isn’t quite sure what to do about it. For after the pain of her divorce, she never thought she would give love a second chance.
Carter and Nora have always believed in never combining business with pleasure. But how can they possibly deny the all-consuming chemistry between them...?
Carter Shaw has been a widower for five years and has been raising his now tween on his own with the help of family and his dedicated assistant. He is successful and charming, and is just starting to get interested in the idea of dating again but is out of practice.Nora Hayes has worked for Carter for ten years. She does everything at the office and it also spills over into his life and child care. She is intelligent, organized, dependable, fun, and witty. She was married for years and is recently divorced.
They have always just seen each other as work associates and never thought of more, but recently a few heated looks and close calls have made them take notice of the other's true attractiveness. And it is like a light bulb going off. It quickly tumbles into a not-so-secret office romance. In some ways, it seems like it happens fast, but considering they were close for ten years and there are some small time jumps between incidents, it really did not feel too insta-lovey. Their banter is fun, their chemistry is hot, and their lives are already intertwined.
For awhile I was worried that it might just end up being too easy and the characters were too perfect, but I was glad when real life does start throwing them some curveballs. I loved that they had some challenges to navigate and some of it was difficult, raw, and messy. I liked that we got to see them flounder sometimes and not always act perfect and say just the right things. It made it seem more realistic and brought in more vulnerability and emotional depth.
This is an engaging, sexy, heartfelt, single dad, falling-for-the-boss romance. It brings back his brothers-in-law, Quinn and Finn, their loves, his daughter, Gabby, and her grandmother, Maggie. I adored her friend, Christopher, and how London and Sienna pulled her in as well. I loved how this group takes care of each other and is not afraid to say what they really think. And I was so happy to see that it ties the series up with a wonderful epilogue.
Nora has worked as Carter’s assistant for 10 years and since his wife’s death, her duties have expanded to helping out with child care as well. She is recently divorced, and has filled her time with work, work and more work. A few close calls has them rethinking the working relationship they have.
They have always been a team at the office, but when they cross into testing the chemistry between them, their perfect office chemistry takes a hit. This was overall a smooth easy read, but there are some definite growing pains and angst as they work out what their relationship could be. They have known each other as colleagues for a long time, but the jump to something more intimate is quick once they decide to take that leap. I loved watching as they tested the limits of what they could handle between themselves and where they needed pushes from the ones around them, especially when they thought no one knew what was going on between them.
I loved Gabby’s interactions with both of them. Her pre-teen attitude is authentic and adds another element that Nora and Carter must navigate as they test out their relationship. The other side characters also add some fun push and pull for the couple. I missed the second book in this series, but as each book follows a different couple, there is no need to have read all of them to enjoy Carter and Nora’s story.
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Kristen was born and raised in a small resort town in her beloved Montana. In her mid-twenties, she decided to stretch her wings and move to the Pacific Northwest, where she made her home for more than a dozen years.
During that time, Kristen wrote many romance novels and joined organizations such as RWA and other small writing groups. She spent countless hours in workshops, and more mornings than she can count up before dawn so she could write before going to work. She submitted many manuscripts to agents and editors alike, but was always told no. In the summer of 2012, the self-publishing scene was new and thriving, and Kristen had one goal: to publish just one book. It was something she longed to cross off of her bucket list.
Not only did she publish one book, she’s since published close to thirty titles, many of which have hit the USA Today, New York Times and Wall Street Journal Bestsellers lists. She continues to self publish, best known for her With Me In Seattle and Boudreaux series, and is also proud to work with William Morrow, a division of HarperCollins, with the Fusion Series.
Kristen and her husband, John, make their home in her hometown of Whitefish, Montana with their two cats.
During that time, Kristen wrote many romance novels and joined organizations such as RWA and other small writing groups. She spent countless hours in workshops, and more mornings than she can count up before dawn so she could write before going to work. She submitted many manuscripts to agents and editors alike, but was always told no. In the summer of 2012, the self-publishing scene was new and thriving, and Kristen had one goal: to publish just one book. It was something she longed to cross off of her bucket list.
Not only did she publish one book, she’s since published close to thirty titles, many of which have hit the USA Today, New York Times and Wall Street Journal Bestsellers lists. She continues to self publish, best known for her With Me In Seattle and Boudreaux series, and is also proud to work with William Morrow, a division of HarperCollins, with the Fusion Series.
Kristen and her husband, John, make their home in her hometown of Whitefish, Montana with their two cats.
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