A stand-alone second-chance romance in A.L. Jackson’s Confessions of the Heart Series
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Synopsis
Maxon Chambers has a way of stealing all the attention.
All my affection, and all my dreams.
What I needed to remember was he’d stolen my good judgment and my virginity, too.
When he broke up with me, I ran across the country and swore I’d never return to Broadshire Rim.
But here I am, thirteen years later.
Maxon is all grown up.
Sexier than sin and more tempting than ever.
A detective on the Charleston force, he lives on the outside of safety, devoted to protecting the people of his city.
But with the way he’s looking at me now? I’m pretty sure what needs protecting is my heart.
Can we mend the pieces of us? Or will he leave my heart shattered forever . . .
Review
“Loving you was the only truth I knew … The only thing I ever did right. The only thing that has ever been real.”
4 stars
A beautifully emotional second-chance-romance with all the feels, A.L. Jackson has delivered another passionate and intense romance as she finishes off her Confessions of the Heart series with Mack and Izzy’s story.
Mack is a detective, and the best friend of Jace and Ian from the previous two books of the series. This one can be read as a standalone, but be aware that there is some background context in the earlier books.
Izzy and Mack grew up the best of friends. They lived next door to each other, and though their home lives couldn’t have been more different, they shared a connection that became their whole worlds. When Mack needed to escape his abusive father, it was to Izzy that he fled to for comfort, and she was always there for him, right up until they were teenagers and everything changed between them. He knew that she was too good for him, but it didn’t stop them from falling in mad, wild love, even if, in the end, he broke her heart and she left town.
It’s now 13 years later and Izzy has moved back home to get a fresh start. She has been through a lot and is now a single mother to two boys, and even though she knew coming back to town meant she would be facing up to her past, when she and Mack come face to face, it rocks them both.
She’d been my beginning. The girl had breathed her beauty and grace and goodness into my being. Made me think I could be something better. Saw me in a way I’d never seen myself.
In the same way, she’d been my ending.
My collision.
The breaking point of who I’d been and who I’d come to be.
From the moment Mack lays eyes on Izzy again, he knows this is his chance to right the wrongs of the past and get back the woman he has always loved. He is sweet, earnest, and open about what he wants, and from the very beginning, his devotion to winning Izzy back is just beautiful!
“Never expected you not to move on with your life. It’s what I’d hoped you’d do. Find something better. But I’d be a liar if I said I’m not fucking thrilled that you’re back.”
But he has a battle on his hands as he confronts Izzy’s fears about all that he put her through in the past, and he has to prove that he’s a changed man if he wants any hope of a future with her.
“You hurt me, Maxon. You hurt me somethin’ fierce. I’m not sure I can handle that kind of hurtin’ again.”
Then she left me there, my fists clenched at my side, a silent promise on my tongue.
She was mine.
And I’d never let a fucking thing hurt her again.
This is such a beautiful love story! There is so much emotion between these two, it’s clear they still love each other deeply even despite their years apart, and OMG, the feels!
“There’s never been a single day in my life when I didn’t want you. We are endless.”
But they have a lot to deal with. There is broken trust and a whole lot of hurt on both sides, and my heart ached as they began to work through it all. Most of it is beautifully handled, and I loved how open and honest they were with each other, but I did struggle with a particular aspect of this book… beware spoiler…
But the beauty of the story and the strength of the love between Mack and Izzy dragged me back in, and I started to feel it again.“I don’t want to go on living this life without you in it … Don’t want to spend one more day without you by my side. One more night without you lying next to me. Let’s love again, Little Bird. Love me the way I love you. And I promise, I will never let you go.”
One of the highlights of the book for me was the relationship that Mack creates with Izzy’s sons. These boys are just fantastic, and the way they eagerly accept Mack into their lives is so beautiful, as is the way he opens his heart to them. There are lots of fun and sweet moments between them, and even a few that had me tearing up. Their relationship is so beautifully heartwarming and the way they come together as a family is just gorgeous.
“I want you. Want you more than anything I’ve ever wanted before … Want a family.”
His throat bobbed with turmoil. “A family, Izzy Baby. Never had one before. And the only person I have wanted that with is you.”
There’s a bit of mystery and suspense with Mack being targeted by a criminal element in town, but that happens in the background of his and Izzy’s reconnection and doesn’t overtake the romance, which I was really happy about.
We also get to catch up with the couples from the previous books. There was been some progression for both Jace and Ian, and I loved seeing where they and their families were at.
The book ends in a great place, finishing off Mack and Izzy’s story, and the series, really nicely.
4 stars (would have been 5 without the thing).
An Advanced Reader Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Confessions of the Heart
More of You (#1)
Review
Buy: Amazon | Paperback | Audio
Excerpt
His head rocked back and forth, his body shaking, shoulders pumping up and down.
“Izzy,” he murmured, so low, my name a needy groan.
“Maxon.” I shouldn’t have said it because it came out sounding like a plea.
“Little Bird,” he whispered, his lips featherlight where he painted the words along the length of my jaw.
A gasp left me on a breath as a riot of sensation erupted. Tingles streaked, gooseflesh rising in an undulating wave.
“So pretty,” he mumbled.
He exhaled a breath that became mine.
Our noses brushed.
Back and forth.
Back and forth.
Oh, God, what was he doin’?
Flames flickered beneath the bare caress. The man my fire, my cold body begging to come alive under his scorching touch.
I whimpered, sagging against the wall when he stroked his hands down my sides and slipped them under my dress, palms riding up the outside of my thighs.
Better question was what I was doing. But there was no reason. No sanity in the middle of this.
No logic where heartbreak and hope met.
“You are so fucking sexy.” His confession was a growl. Deep and dark. “Do you have any idea what it was like sitting across from you all night? What it was like waking up with you asleep in my chair? Like staring at the sun, knowing you’ll go blind if you look for too long, and knowing taking in that beauty for even a second would be worth it.”
He nudged forward, erasing the space between us, and his hands spread wider.
Desire raced. A flashflood of need that shivered across my flesh.
His mouth traced the shell of my ear. “Want to stare at you forever. Get lost. Take you. Possess you. How’s it possible you’re here, Little Bird? You came back to me. Feel like I’m dreaming.”
“It was you who didn’t want me.”
His hands tightened on my thighs, tugging me forward against his hard body, eyes pinned on me. “There’s never been a single day in my life when I didn’t want you. We are endless.”
Giveaway
Don’t miss the awesome giveaway for the Pieces of Us release! It’s the first two books from the Confessions of the Heart Series + Kindle Fire + Polaroid Camera + All the Goods!
ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE
The Escapist Book Blog is not responsible for this giveaway
About the Author
A.L. Jackson is the New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance. She writes emotional, sexy, heart-filled stories about boys who usually like to be a little bit bad.
Her bestselling series include THE REGRET SERIES, CLOSER TO YOU, and BLEEDING STARS novels. Grab A.L. Jackson’s latest novel, MORE OF YOU, the first stand-alone novel in her brand-new CONFESSIONS OF THE HEART series.
If she’s not writing, you can find her hanging out by the pool with her family, sipping cocktails with her friends, or of course with her nose buried in a book.
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