Only You

Denise Grover Swank

Jun 2016 · Sold by Forever

About this ebook

The New York Times bestselling author of the Wedding Pact and Rose Gardner series presents a heartwarming romantic comedy where after a string of disasters, two opposites have just sworn off love—only to have sparks fly when they move in next door to each other.

Romance isn't an option for Holly Greenwood. With her wedding planner career on the line she needs to stay focused, and that means pleasing her demanding boss, not getting distracted by her mind-alteringly hot neighbor . . .

Ex-Marine Kevin Vandemeer craves normalcy. Instead, he has a broken-down old house in need of a match and some gasoline, a meddling family, and the uncanny ability to attract the world's craziest women. At least that last one he can fix: he and his buddies have made a pact to swear off women, and this includes his sweetly sexy new neighbor.

After one hot night that looks a whole lot like a disaster in the light of day, Kevin and Holly are about to learn that true love doesn't play by the rules . . .

Ratings and reviews

Swank has created a fun and real romance with this novel that romance lovers from all walks of life will enjoy. I enjoyed the intricate world building that flowed naturally with the romantic yet meddling plot that Swank pens. The flow of her writing suits the characters perfectly, allowing the plot to flow naturally. It did have a bit of a comedy of errors feel at times which made the entire story even more fun. I’ll admit that I was expecting a bit of a formulaic tale based on the burb of this novel. But I was pleasantly surprised when it definitely blew me away. This was an original and at times comical tale that had me laughing and loving long with the characters. That said, it did take me a bit to get fully invested in this novel, but once all of the characters were on the same page, I couldn’t put it down. Swank has created main characters that I loved getting to know, and allows readers to get to know them within the context of their everyday lives. The interactions between the main characters were so blatantly real that I couldn’t help but envy them. I also couldn’t help but laugh when they finally realized their connection to one another. Talk about degrees of separation. There is actually a great deal of character development throughout this novel, and it doesn’t stop with the main characters. Kevin’s mom was so over the top throughout. She really stood out without overshadowing the main characters. This new to me author is one that I’ll definitely be watching for in the future. Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this work in exchange for an honest review.

Kevin Vandemeer needed a distraction to occupy his mind after a very bad breakup, and his sister Megan found just the thing: a dilapidated house that could prove to be a good investment. One good thing is the pretty woman who lives next door. If only Kevin hadn’t sworn off women for six months… The woman is Holly Greenwood who works as a wedding planner. Holly lives in her grandmother’s house with her cousin Melanie and Melanie’s mutt from hell. Holly is quite the klutz, and when she first comes face to face with the gorgeous Kevin, never more so. She literally makes a fool of herself, but Kevin doesn’t mind because this particular woman is not throwing herself at him; he’s made very bad choices in the past. And his mother is not helping either! ONLY YOU has a very funny beginning, and if at first the story sounded a tad predictable, it was not: this book absolutely delightful and a wonderful change from romances where the characters have heavy issues. Not that everything is light: there’s a touching and very emotional story concerning Holly’s grandmother who suffers from dementia, and a few tissues were needed. The overall tone is fresh and young, the prose unencumbered and quite beautiful, and the story flows easily. The dialogues are witty and feel genuine, and things move along briskly. I particularly loved Ms. Grover Swank’s impeccable sense of timing, which she demonstrated in dealing speedily with some misunderstandings that could have dragged the book down. Both Kevin and Holly are nice, normal people and I thought it was very nice and comfortable. I also very much appreciated that the ubiquitous clichés, when it comes to physical descriptions of the characters, were entirely absent, and that is a big plus. The reason why they can’t get together as they’d like to was perfectly logical, and mostly unavoidable; for once, it never felt convoluted. Kevin and Holly’s chemistry also felt real; I didn’t need to be told, it was obvious. Kevin was the ideal romance hero for me: he is not without fault, and it made him all the more real. Every character is fully-fleshed out, very believable, and while there are numerous players, they are all so well-defined that I never got confused. There were also brilliant twists regarding both Kevin and Holly’s abilities. ONLY YOU is a genuinely charming book, and the more I read, the more I enjoyed it. I was happier after reading ONLY YOU; what more can you ask of a book! I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first read by Denise Grover Swank and I am completely smitten! I absolutely LOVED this book! ONLY YOU is one of the best books I’ve ever read! It’s charming, hilarious, heart-felt and enchanting! I couldn’t put it down! The characters are easily relatable. The dialogue is witty and had me laughing out loud throughout the book. Holly is a strong, hardworking woman with a lot on her plate. She doesn’t need the distraction of her sexy new neighbor…no matter how tempting he is. After a string of crazy relationships, Kevin has sworn off women, that is until he meets Holly. He’s instantly mesmerized by Holly’s awkward charm, blunt honesty and sexy curves. It was a joy to follow their love story through all their cheeky shenanigans along with a brilliant cast of secondary characters including a methodically matchmaking sister, overbearing mother, two onery grandmas, a cantankerous cousin and a cute little kitten! ONLY YOU is one of the best books I’ve ever read. It’s a beautifully written story full of hope, laughter and love. I highly recommend it to every reader! I was gifted an eBook copy from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. All conclusions reached are my own.

About the author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Denise Grover Swank was born in Kansas City, Missouri and lived in the area until she was nineteen. Then she became a nomadic gypsy, living in five cities, four states, and ten houses over the course of ten years before she moved back to her roots. She speaks English and smattering of Spanish and Chinese, which she learned through an intensive Nick Jr. immersion period. Her hobbies include witty (in her own mind) Facebook comments and dancing in her kitchen with her children. (Quite badly if you believe her offspring.) Hidden talents include the gift of justification and the ability to drink massive amounts of caffeine and still fall asleep within two minutes. Her lack of the sense of smell allows her to perform many unspeakable tasks. She has six children and hasn't lost her sanity. Or so she leads you to believe.

You can find out more about Denise at www.denisegroverswank.com or email her at [e-mail].