All In by L.K. Simonds

About the Book

Book: All In  
Author: L.K. Simonds  
Genre: Women’s Fiction  
Release date: May 7, 2019

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?


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My Review

Deep breath ... ok I'm ready to give this review. This one was a tough one to review ya'll. I really had to think it through and absorb the book. So first up, let me say this book is for adults only mostly because the premise delves into the life of a person in bondage to sin that is desperate for happiness because they don't know the Lord. I think reading this book was very uncomfortable, but necessary because we have to remember none of us, none of us, is anything without the Lord. Our sin is no less than anyone else's because the Lord is truly perfect and holy, and this books smacks us in the face with that truth. This book also opens our eyes to the desperation those without the Lord experience, and reminds us rather than being judgmental thinking how could someone live in this horrible sin? We should see them as God does, and realize the hopelessness they feel. When we look through those eyes, we have compassion, and show them the love we have found in Jesus and let Jesus do the work of changing their lives. I feel I have never read a book that puts us into these people's shoes more realistically. The characters were complex, salvation was clearly presented, and the emotion was very, very real. People live this in real life, ya'll. We need to understand their feelings. The quality of writing was excellent as well. 

Second part to my review- while this book was obviously not meant to be pleasant or comfortable, there were aspects that made me uncomfortable because I didn't feel the detail was necessary. One was the sensuality. It was realistic, and that is not what bothered me- it was the detail. Some detail was necessary to understand why the character turned to that, but it was just too much. Also, language. I can forgive some mild language, but it makes me shudder when someone takes the Lord's name in vain, and I felt that was completely unnecessary. I understand again the reality of it, I just felt it didn't have to take that form. Last, the theology. While I found the salvation message to be done well, some very controversial theology just about ruined the book for me. I think the book could have done without it because it alienates readers when you include such controversial theology, and in reality, isn't the point of Christian fiction to point the world to the Lord? It's sad to me because a book about not being judgmental ended up feeling judgmental if you didn't jive with the theology presented outside of the salvation message.

Overall, this one is tough to read, but I feel like everyone should read it because it is the most realistic take I have seen on a modern person struggling to do life without God, and I feel that is something we all should understand. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book, and all opinions given are entirely my own. 

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.

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!

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