Most of All You: A Love Story Paperback – October 17, 2017

A beautifully raw, utterly heartbreaking, completely gut wrenching story filled with hopeful warmth and tender touches that will wrap you up in a myriad of emotions all while comforting you in the miracle of faith. Faith in oneself, faith in others, faith in dreams, faith in hopes, faith in words, faith in actions, faith in a past and a path of a new future. A story of suffering, overcoming, escaping and finding a path towards survival while they attempt to leave the past behind; one choosing to stay present and move forward with a purpose, while the other escapes and finds no purpose in anything. Each needs the same thing, yet one searches for it, while the other hides.One clings to the pastOne embraces the futureOne sees a dead endOne sees the possibilitiesThis story forces you to find understanding, strength, determination, friendship, sacrifice, forgiveness, faith and ultimately…LOVE. A life full of promiseA life changedA loss of innocenceA loss of freedomA fear of lonelinessA fear of trustingA desire to seekA desire to hideA need for moreA need for hopeA dream of….LOVE Two people coming from similar traumatic pasts; Crystal is stuck there and Gabriel is waiting and daring her to move. He allows her to learn from him at her own pace, giving support and nurturing her through one of her darkest hours. He opens himself up to her in all the ways that matter; providing her with safety and protection, along with all the doors she needs to finally choose her change. There is no pressure, there is no force, there is no complaining, and there is no insult. There is only patience and the wait that comes with the hope that your efforts help and heal the person that has come to mean the most to you. Because LOVE is patientThrough the haunting past of loss, pain and the struggle to move forward that is almost tangible, Crystal settles for a life of self-deprecating and self-loathing acceptance that she will only ever have what she has now. She believes options are out of her reach and the excitement of possibility is something that she should not wait around for. Yet it does not stop her from watching in wonder as Gabriel embraces each day at dawn like a blank canvas ready to be painted in the brightest colors of his life, nor does it stop her from feeling a sense of fear because he treats her differently than any other before him. The respect and kindness that Gabriel shows her is like a soothing balm to the very hurt, ache and scars from wounds that run so deep they are part of the fabric of her soul; stirring the uncertainty within her that one day soon the other shoe will drop. And just like in Cinderella, Gabriel is there…ready to pick up the shoe and put it back on her with the most deliberate and delicate of touches to ensure she knows just how much she is worth. Because LOVE is kind And while it is truly a daily struggle for Gabriel to help Crystal heal and see her worth, he never denies her the time and space she needs to come to terms with all that is new. Instead he shares his joy with her. He shares his hopes with her. And he shares his canvas with her. Each morning he allows her to share in his life’s painting in the hopes that she, too, will add her own color to his canvas. She struggles to find her place and the right color to express how she feels, but they both see the very good in each other and want the other to be happy and have everything. Because LOVE… It does not envy There are no grand gestures, only moments. Small fragments of time shared between two characters that lost more than they ever gained. Moments so innocent and sincere that your heart feels as if it is being crushed in the truth of its purity. Moments that seem so simple, yet are the most monumental in their journey together. There is no competition. There are no celebrations in triumph. There is only understanding. Because LOVE…it does not boast And while Crystal continues to struggle with the concept that she is more than the sum of her circumstances, Gabriel continues to show her that he is, in fact, everything he wants to be because of his circumstances. That life, while taking a different path than he expected, or even wished for, he is where he is meant to be, living a life that was custom made just for him. He shows her the portrait of his life, and he does it without reservation. Because LOVE…It is not proud There are setbacks and self-inflicted wounds, as well as defensive coping mechanisms designed to keep a distance from one’s heart and the new found affection surrounding them, but no records are kept, no sins left unforgiven. There are no plans for retaliation, no desire to hurt in return. There is only affection and the need to forgive the wrongs and do right. Because LOVE…it does not dishonor others. It is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered and it keeps no record of wrongs Adversity lurks around corners of the outside world. Those who think they know better disrespect. Those that do know better leave a mark. And those who are up to no good try to defile all the good that is left. But through it all, Gabriel is steadfast in his resolve. He is firm in his feelings. And he is loyal in his efforts. There is no allowance for hurt. There is no allowance for interference. And there is no place for lies. Because LOVE does not delight in evil, but rejoices in truth. It always protects But sometimes it is true that only time can heal wounds. And even though some wounds never fully heal and the scars always remain, in time, the light drives out the darkness, and the good drives out the evil. The despair fades in the shadow of truth, and the light within shines through the fractured soul. Healing is hard, acceptance is harder. Moving on seems unlikely, and trusting impossible. But through it all there is patience, kindness, acceptance and understanding, which slowly chips away the pieces of the wall of protection to expose a heart steeped in fear, but full of promise, potential and joy brought to light by the careful crafting of a man whose hands expose the hidden beauty of things unknown that lie beneath a surface often thought not penetrable, but result in remarkable things of beauty. Because that is love. And LOVE always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres Love never fails.

“The force of our connection shocked me, as if he had reached out and touched me in some way I didn’t understand, and certainly never experienced before.”“It was too much. This. And him. And it was worthless because I couldn’t help him. He needed someone warm and caring, someone who would nurture him and piece together the broken parts, someone who would look in his eyes and be his calming spirit. I was not that girl. I couldn’t even begin to piece together all my broken parts as I’d lost them long ago.”“He wanted to give me the peace of this moment, the…poetry of this place, the romance, the scents and the sounds and the serene beauty all around us. He wanted to give me love. And, God, I wanted to take it, I was just so scared to reach out and grab it. Still so fearful it would be taken away. And if it was, I would never be able to go on. I would never recover.”True to Mia Sheridan fashion, Most of All You takes you on a heartbreaking and difficult journey. You know from the very first page, that this book is going to take your emotions on an intense ride and that the road to happily ever after won’t be an easy one.Told from dual points of view, Most of All You follows the story of Gabriel and Crystal. They are brought together in the most unlikely of situations. They are opposite in every possible way, yet are both broken, lost and trying to escape their pasts. Their story is highly addictive and compelling; you won’t be able to put it down. The chemistry between Gabriel and Crystal is beautiful and intense. You can’t help but root for these two characters as they try to navigate their way through life.Most of All You is a well written and completely unforgettable. This is a story of defying the odds and overcoming your fears. It is a story of letting go of the past and finding the strength to stand on your own. It is a story of pain and heartache and forgiveness. And in the end, it is a story of unforgettable and true love. It is a love story that will give you all the feels and is a tale that only Mia Sheridan could write.