Cami Taylor: a blackjack dealer, a bestselling author, and a fraud. Cami’s boyfriend, Joel, loves her in spite of her flaws. He wants to marry her, buy a house on Long Island, and raise a family–a life that’s a million miles from Cami’s idea of happiness. Her therapist suggests compromise and trust, but Cami bolts like a deer. She breaks off the relationship and launches on a new quest for happiness, not knowing that a nasty surprise waits around the corner. What follows is a fight to the death. Who will be the one left standing?
About the Author:
L. K. Simonds is a Fort Worth local. She has worked as a waitress, KFC hostess, telephone marketer, assembly-line worker, nanny, hospital lab technician, and air traffic controller. She’s an instrument-rated pilot and an alumna of Christ for the Nations Institute in Dallas. All In is her first novel.Learn more about her on Facebook
or on her website www.lksimonds.com
More from L.K. Simonds
How I came to write ALL IN.
Back in the 1990s, I was vacationing in NYC with my buddies. We got out the phonebook—as we always did while traveling—to see how many people with our last names were listed. In that thick Manhattan phonebook was one listing for a person with the same name as my friend’s. Two initials and a surname, as a single woman might’ve listed her number back in those days. The address was only a few blocks from our Midtown hotel, and we joked about calling to see if she was a long-lost cousin, who might take us to her favorite shops and restaurants.
We didn’t call, but the “what if?” stuck with me. What if you did call? What if the person you called was in crisis? Or about to face a crisis? What if that serendipitous phone call resulted in a friendship that became a lifeline? That notion was the inception of ALL IN.
ALL IN is my first offering as a novelist—my best writing to date. I hope you enjoy it!
This book started out a bit different from most Christian fiction I am used to reading, or at least what I would consider Christian fiction. I guess, the fact is, the writing is truly a reality of the world we live in, however, I was quite uncomfortable reading various parts of the book that were a little more detailed than I typically find appealing. There was quite a bit of sex outside of marriage, a hook-up, drinking, smoking, etc.... and I was eager to see where the author was going with all this....
Cami was an interesting character. She honestly seemed like the typical woman in today's day and age. She had some serious emotional issues, stemming from growing up in a dysfunctional family, but she was working on addressing them. Those "issues" played out in her every day life choices. However, this book is also a tale of redemption. I think one of my favorite people in the book is Kate. She seemed to radiate peace and joy.
I would warn against younger teens reading this book due to content. As for recommending... if you are not opposed to reading a book that has pre-marital sex, alcohol, and a pretty liberal lifestyle broadcast on the pages, then you will probably enjoy it. If your views are very conservative, this may not be the one for you.
I received a copy of this book courtesy of the author and Celebrate Lit. I was not asked to review positively and all opinions are my own.
Blog Stops
Just the Write Escape, July 18
Reflections From My Bookshelves, July 19
Carpe Diem, July 20
For Him and My Family, July 21
Through the Fire Blogs, July 22
Moments, July 23
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 24
Seasons of Opportunities, July 25
amandainpa, July 26
Pause for Tales, July 27
janicesbookreviews, July 27
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 28
Texas Book-aholic, July 29
Inklings and notions, July 30
A Reader’s Brain, July 31
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, L.K. Simonds is giving away a $25 Visa gift card and a hardback copy of All In!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/e545/all-in-celebration-tour-giveaway
This book sounds like a really great read.
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting. Hope you get a chance to check it out.
DeleteI'm glad you gave some content warnings! I share my books with my grandmother, sometimes without reading them first, and she would definitely oppose this one.
ReplyDeleteYes, it just felt appropriate to at least give people a heads up. I am not opposed to the content, as I said, it is definitely the way non-believers live these days. It was just not my typical read.
DeleteThanks for sharing your book and I enjoyed getting to hear about it
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by!!
DeleteThank you for being part of the tour.
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by.
DeleteThank you for your review and thanks to everyone following the tour. Please believe with me that as unbelievers read this novel, they will find the limitless love and redemption of our Lord Jesus in its pages. Grace to you!
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by the blog. I completely understand where you are coming from and yes, praying those who read this will find Jesus in its pages. It isn't the typical Christian fiction I am used to, but if the audience you are writing to is non-believers, it certainly fits the part. I have many unbelieving friends and I could see them in the pages of this book.
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