ALL THE WAY is the first book in Kristen Proby's "Romancing Manhattan" series. London Watson is a glamorous dancer and star of Broadway, and her personal life is just as dramatic as any role she's played on the stage. London's parents recently died in a fire and she is estranged from her drug addict brother. She retreats to a beachside home to recover emotionally from her parents' sudden death, as well as recover physically from an injury that is keeping her from performing. Unassuming attorney Finn Cavanaugh hasn't had nearly the exciting life that London has, but he is exactly the kind of "Clark Kent" nice guy hero I crave. While beachside neighbors, London and Finn get to know each other better and a passionate love affair develops. Hooray! ALL THE WAY is a must-read for contemporary romance fans and readers who love nice guy heroes.

I think it's great that London and Finn are mature adults rather than inexperienced youths who don't know much about life or relationships. However, their experience has also made them set in their ways and leads to some trouble communicating. The sexual element to their relationship is never a problem for this couple, and Kristen Proby packs ALL THE WAY with several sensual and delightfully steamy scenes for romance fans. London and Finn butt heads when they fail to directly express their thoughts on how they expect a relationship between them to work. Several things are thought to be implied yet obvious, and explosions occur when they exasperate each other with their assumptions. Finn is a lethal combination of sexy, smart, and sweet, but he occasionally thinks he's helping when London views his actions as dictatorial and dismissive. Thankfully these two both have people to confide in and act as a sounding board. Finn has his brothers, and London has her friend Sasha to listen but also point them in the right direction.

ALL THE WAY is a story with a lot of sizzle and a few scares to entrance readers. In addition to the romance, Kristen Proby injects a little danger and suspense in ALL THE WAY with some unnerving occurrences to torment London as she tries and sort out her love life. Although the love story remains paramount, there are a few genuinely terrifying moments in ALL THE WAY. I look forward to the next installment in Kristen Proby's "Romancing Manhattan" series.