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All He Ever Wanted portrayed the theme of complications of love. Throughout the book, Nicholas struggles with his feelings towards Etna, and whether they were sparked by the fire in the hotel and the rush of surviving, or whether she was really meant for him. Etna has her own internal struggle with love that we find out later in the book that affects the rest of her life. Etna became more cold and emotionless and let no one behind her walls. Because of this, Etna was saved from the pain of loving another, but saved from the joys of love also. The individual struggles with the idea of love from both characters introduced very unique perceptions of how love affects one's life.

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Later in the book, we find out that Etna has a past with another lover. The man she loved was forbidden to her by the man's family, and her heart was broken. Since then, she has never felt any feelings for any other man. She confesses that she wished she could have loved Nicholas, but there was only room in her heart for one.

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Etna performs her marital duties but with no emotion, and this frustrates Nicholas to some degree. During the day, they raise their family and Etna proves to be a loving mother, but at night shows no affection or compassion towards Nicholas. Nicholas wonders why he isn't enough for Etna.

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Nicholas decides to visit Etna at her sister's estate impulsively to try to win her over and make her agree to his proposal. Etna's sister and her husband are not very kind to Nicholas, but allow him to meet with Etna anyway. Nicholas notices how her family treats Etna, and wants to desperately free her from the rule of her family. Nicholas begs Etna to reconsider, and tells her that he loves her. Etna stays emotionless, as she normally does with Nicholas, and says that she will marry him, but cannot truly say that she loves him. Nicholas agrees, and believes that he will somehow convince Etna to love him.

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When Nicholas doesn't hear from Etna, he contacts her uncle. Nicholas is informed that Etna had been called on by her sister to be the caretaker of her sister's children in the home that was originally meant to be bequeathed to Etna. Etna didn't wish to burden her uncle with her presence, so Etna agreed to go with her sister. In leaving, Etna left a letter with her uncle for Nicholas which denied his proposal, and wished him the best. Nicholas was driven mad with grief and longing for his lost love.

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Set in the 1900s in the midst of a chaotic fire in the Hotel Thrupp, Nicholas notices Etna by a streetlamp with her elderly aunt and is captivated by her odd beauty and makes it his mission to marry her. Nicholas wonders whether his attraction for her was brought about by surviving the fire together, or because he really was attracted towards her.

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Nicholas knows Etna's uncle from working at the Thrupp College, and begins to court Etna by taking her on various outings. Etna is a guest in her uncle's home, making her feel like a burden and cooped up in the house under awkward circumstances, and thinks of these outings as only a way to escape the awkward tensions at her uncle's house.

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After many outings and polite talks, Nicholas makes the decision to propose to Etna. Etna is taken aback by his proposal and gives him no answer. She only stands emotionless and rigid, and Nicholas' colleague Moxon runs into the two. Nicholas never gets a straight answer from Etna, and when he presses for an answer she tells him that she will need a week to think over his proposition. During this week, Nicholas is frazzled and emotionally distraught from the anticipation of her answer.