Book Review — To Have It All by BN Toler

“There is magic in this world beyond any explanation. It exists only because a scale steadies the universe, and it is the unknown that keeps the balance. The human race needs miracles; it needs the unthinkable to happen because without it, hope would not exist.”

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This was one of those books I knew I wanted to read the moment I heard about it because it was a storyline I’d never read before! That doesn’t come along every day and I just couldn’t resist especially since it was written by one of my favorite authors! While the story does have a paranormal twist to it, I want to assure you that it’s quite believable. Just enough of a twist to make the storyline possible, but it’s subtle enough that I’m certain that even hardcore contemporary romance readers will accept it. The hero has a heart of gold and he falls in love with the single mom of a little girl when their lives collide in an entirely unexpected and unprecedented manner. While I’ll admit that this story was much less emotional than I was expecting, I still really enjoyed reading something that was just so DIFFERENT!! So if you’re in the mood for a book that’ll deliver a story that isn’t quite like anything else, try this!

Rock bottom.
Liam had set up shop there.

After an accident left him injured and unable to work, it wasn’t long before he ended up on the street with his dreams in the gutter.

This was it.
This was his life.

Until the day he met Max Porter—a man who appeared to have it all. They didn’t meet so much as made eye contact as Max sneered at Liam, the bum occupying precious space on the sullied New York City street.

When Max stepped into oncoming traffic, a lesser man might’ve let him. But Liam risked his life to save Max only to be left to die without a second thought.

When Liam woke up days later, he wasn’t himself…at least he wasn’t in his body.

He was in Max’s.

And with Liam’s body on life support, there was only one logical conclusion: Max was trapped in Liam’s comatose body.

Somehow the twisted hands of fate had given Liam a second chance; a chance to have it all. But with all the perks of Max’s life also came his problems. Finding balance in his new identity was challenged more so once Liam fell for Waverly, Max’s beautiful ex.

Could Liam live out his life as another man or would he pull the plug and let fate decide?

Would he lose his chance at true love?
Would he lose the chance to have it all?

I really felt for Liam. The poor guy woke up in another man’s body disoriented, confused, and completely helpless in a situation for which there was literally no precent. I mean, who do you call? One moment he was alone in the world with nothing to his name, and the next he woke up in the body of an arrogant millionaire… What do you do?

“There was no witchcraft or alien abduction,” I told her.
“It just… happened.”

But for him, everything changed when he met Max’s ex-wife. He naturally couldn’t refuse when she asked to see him (thinking he was Max) but was stunning when she offered him a divorce so that he would never have to see her or the child that Max apparently wanted nothing to do with ever again. This naturally shifted his entire universe.

Unlike Max, Liam had a heart of gold and there was no way he was going to let a child go without a father. But what were the consequences? He couldn’t tell them he wasn’t Max. What if this switch didn’t last? What if he (as Max) became a part of this child’s life only to have them switch back to their real bodies and have Max destroy everything. It was a tricky situation complicated further by his growing attraction to Waverly and his bond with her daughter…

It’s one thing to have your own problems to deal with, but it’s an entirely separate thing to wake up one day and take on absolutely all of someone else’s problems and deal with the consequences of their actions.

“Few people are given the chance to see life in a different way.”

Overall, I loved how different this story was. I applaud the author for taking such a daring plot line and making it work. However, I felt the story lacked the emotional intensity I know this author is capable of writing, but that would be my only complaint — I just didn’t have as strong a connection to the characters as I’d wished, but generally, I was so drawn to the uniqueness of the story that I’m very glad I read it. And also, I really loved the ending!

This book tackles homelessness, mental illness, parenthood, and romance, gives them a supernatural twist, and brings everything all together in a beautiful story of love and second chances. I mean, how can you resist the premise of a kind-hearted, homeless biker mechanic who wakes up in the body of an arrogant, self-centered millionaire only to fall in love with his ex-wife and daughter… If you’re looking for something really different to read, try this book!

“Do you believe in miracles?”

Rating: 4 stars. Standalone Romance with Paranormal Twist.

• Buy TO HAVE IT ALL (Kindle)