There's More To It by Allie York - Book review

Published: 21 June 2021
Series: Single Dad’s Romance #4
Pages: 123
Warnings: Language

Workaholic Sebastian Keller wasn’t expecting to adopt the kid he befriended in his building, but now he’s invested and he will do whatever it takes, even if that means faking a relationship with Stevie Summers. She’s down on her luck, he’s trying to become a father, together, they can help each other, but can they stop themselves from falling in love? Readers will love this fake romance featuring a swoony adoptive dad. Fall in love with your next book boyfriend with There’s More To It by Allie York, the next book in the Single Dad’s Romance series.

I’m Sebastian Keller and I’m a workaholic.

Multi-million-dollar companies don’t run themselves and I work hard to keep mine at the top. Befriending a kid was never on my agenda, but the second I set foot into my new apartment, he’s there to show me the ropes. When his foster family can’t keep him anymore, my choice is clear. The only thing I need to make him part of my life is something money can’t buy. A girlfriend.

I’m Stevie Summers and I’m barely scraping by.

I was on the right track. I had a fiancé, a job, and a degree. Until my fiancé cheated, and my mom died. Now I’m back at home scrambling for work and trying to pay my dad’s bills. I can forget about my love life entirely. Until a blast from my past comes into my life with an offer, I’d be stupid to refuse. Play his girlfriend. In return, he pays the bills. I’d be stupid to say no, and even stupider to fall in love.

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There’s More To It Starts off with a flashback to where we first meet Sebastian & Stevie as kids. They were were best friends when they were young and grew up together. Each had a crush on the other, but neither knew. Fast forward and it’s 15 years later, with Stevie and Sebastian not having had any contact with each other since going off to college.

The grown-up Sebastian is a hard boss, who expects total commitment from staff. He works 12-16 hour days, having managed in the course of 5 years to go from still living at home, to total business success. When we first meet his adult version, he is in the process of moving into the penthouse of a building that his company has just purchased. He makes no time for relationships and isn’t looking to change that situation at all.

On the day that Sebastian moves into a new apartment, he’s greeted at the door by a boy who questions him to make sure he’s not a thief. The boy’s name is Grant, & from that point in they strike up a friendship. It’s simple, not particularly deeply described, but it just happens. And when Grant’s foster family can no longer keep him, it quickly becomes apparent that Grant and Sebastian will become a family.

To add to Sebastian’s list of new people in his life, along comes Stevie. Their reunion comes out of the blue for both of them, when Stevie is Sebastian’s meal delivery person. They have a short, somewhat awkward chat, before she leaves, thinking she won’t see him again. But then they meet accidentally again only a day later, with Sebastian giving her his contact details the second time. From there they start slowly, rebuilding their friendship text message by text message.

When Sebastian’s plan to foster Grant really ramps up and he’s told that having a significant other in his life will help his application, he goes to Stevie and pleads his case. She agrees, and that is when they really start to spend time together and become comfortable with each other again. They start out only pretending, but it doesn’t take long for it to become obvious that the old feelings are still there, and they start to become stronger.

There’s nothing terribly deep about this story. We get to know the main characters well enough to like them without really ‘knowing’ them, and the secondary characters don’t really get much time in the spotlight, but they get enough attention to keep them from being one dimensional or dull. I would have liked a little more reason to get attached to the characters though, as I didn’t really find myself feeling much for them individually. I liked the story as a whole, but I generally enjoy being able to get a bit closer to each character than I did in this case.

This isn’t the story to pick up if you’re looking for a riveting page turner that will keep you re-hashing it in your head long after you’ve finished, trying to work out all of the plot twists. But if you’re looking for some light entertainment to keep you relaxed without taxing the brain too hard, this is perfect.

Thank you to The Indie Pen and author Allie York for sharing a copy of this e-book with me.

Allie is a mom and domestic canine appearance technician by day and an author by night. She loves all things nerdy, strong coffee, and cozy mysteries. If there’s a fandom to be in, she’s probably in it and has a soft spot for happily ever afters.

Seven single dads, all from different walks of life and doing the best they can to raise their children – are ready to make you fall in love.

From the celebrity dad just trying to protect the ones he loves from the spotlight…to the silver fox who’s out to prove it’s never too late to have a family of your own – this single dads collection guarantees to bring you a whole lot of love and of course, a happily ever after.

Look no further, your next book boyfriend is here!

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