This RITA® Reader Challenge 2016 review was written by Annalisa Gatti. This story was nominated for the RITA® in the Mid-Length Contemporary category.

Here is Annalisa Gatti's review:

FINALLY!

That is my reaction to this book. I have been sitting through three books to get to this story and it was totally worth it!

The book follows Chelsea as she draws up the list for her perfect man and the characteristics that he will possess. None of them are physical traits – it’s more about lifestyle and personal beliefs that concern Chelsea. She doesn’t want someone with a crazy-ex, works nights or weekends, and she wants them to enjoy hitting the town with her.

Sebastian “Bash”, the local bar owner and long time friend of Chelsea’s, offers to help her find the perfect guy. He runs a bar, meets tons of guys; he’s bound to know someone for her. The only problem is that both Chelsea and Bash are nursing crushes for the other. They’ve been flirting on and off for months, with nothing escalating. Bash knows that he’d love to have a fling with Chelsea, but also realizes that he can’t be the man she’s looking for.

They agree to have a fling, scratch the itch if you will, in the hopes that they will both move on to better-suited people. But things never go the way you plan and pretty soon, both are in over their heads. Cue sexy times (including sexy times on the top of a bar). There is also some fun on ATVs and a very cute chihuahua thrown in the mix.

Bash was introduced to readers during the second book in this series. Up until this point, he doesn’t play a huge role. He pops up here and there as the ever knowledgable bartender. Series are always tricky, because no matter what, there will be some backstory you don’t know if you haven’t started from the beginning. That certainly feels true with the Hope series. You can jump in, but it helps if you’ve read the previous ones. That being said, Bash had always intrigued me; he was my Romance Hero catnip – not too perfect and not overly possessive. He was a hot bartender – what’s not to like?!

But Chelsea.

Oh, Chelsea, how I adore thee. I was also excited to finally get into Chelsea, a character that I had really liked in the previous books in this series. Chelsea is depicted throughout as being very independent; she knows EXACTLY what she wants in life and in a partner. She’s not lonely, desperate, or pining away after some lost love; she’s happy with her life, but just wishes there was someone to share it with. I love Chelsea, especially because I felt myself relating to her a lot. She’s got this great sense of humour, isn’t afraid to say things the way they are and she’s great at being by herself.

The way that Burton dealt with Chelsea’s list was great. It’s an asset to the book that Chelsea’s list of must-haves is never taken too seriously. One scene depicts Chelsea and her friends chatting and discussing the list; her friends razz her for creating such a thing, reminding her that it’s nearly impossible to find everything you want in your partner. You fall in love because of who they are, not what boxes they tick.

If Chelsea were even a little more fixated on it, the book would fall apart. It would become too much and she would be a seriously unlikeable character. I never got annoyed with Chelsea and her desire for certain traits in her partner; really a lot of her reasoning made sense and it came from a place of security – she wanted something that would last. She figured that if they shared some of the same interests and lacked a few variables (that crazy ex girlfriend for instance) that they would have more success. I also liked that she never once thought she could change Bash into the type of man she wanted. So often this is true of romance, that the hero just changes like that to be exactly what the heroine needs. In Love After All, I really felt that both Bash and Chelsea compromised, which helped this book succeed.

Overall I loved this book. I had been waiting for it and not once did it disappoint me. It was everything I wanted for these two characters. However, I do feel that this book will only be enhanced by reading the others that came before it. But that isn’t a must. I am certain this book will still charm readers who haven’t followed the series until now. In the end Love After All met my expectations, made me smile like a doofus, squeal with unabashed glee and excited to return to this book again and again.