A best friends-to-lovers stand-alone romance from NYT Bestselling Author A.L. Jackson

 

“My FAVORITE!! The love, the bond, the soul connection…. there will never be a love as destined and powerful and sweet and beautiful as the once in a lifetime love of Evan and Frankie Leigh!!!!!!!!”
~USA Today Bestselling Author Lauren Rowe

 

Amazon  |  Paperback  |  Audible

 

✓ Best Friends-to-Lovers
✓ Second Chance
✓ Single Dad
✓ All the Feels

 

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Blurb

A best friends-to-lovers, stand-alone romance from New York Times Bestselling Author, A.L. Jackson . . .

Evan Bryant wasn’t your typical hero.
But he was mine.
Broken by the worlds’ standards, he was still the strongest boy I would ever know.
My best friend. The boy I’d given everything to. My heart, my body, and the promise of forever.
The day I’d needed him most, he walked away.
He left me shattered and questioning the love I’d thought we’d shared.

Three years later, I wasn’t prepared for him to return to Gingham Lakes.
It wouldn’t have mattered if he still wasn’t the most beautiful man I’d ever seen.
My fingers still would have ached to caress his skin.
My body still would have begged to get lost in his touch.
And my heart . . . it would have always sung his name.
But time changes things. With it, secrets that could ruin everything.
Can we find a way to love again, or have the fears of our past stolen the hope of our forever…

 

 

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Review

4.5 “you are my favorite” stars

Oh, the feels! The epic, heartwrenching feels! I’ve been so eagerly awaiting this story, and I absolutely devoured it. Evan and Frankie Leigh’s beautiful second-chance, friends-to-lovers romance captured my heart, and I loved their story so much.

This book is a standalone, but it’s a spin off from the Fight For Me series. Frankie Leigh and Evan were introduced as children in that series (Frankie is the daughter of Rex from Show Me the Way and Evan is the son of Hope from Follow Me Back, both a big part of their parent’s stories and adorably irresistible on their own. They became instant best friends when they met, and grew up completely enmeshed in each other’s worlds, setting the stage for this, their epic love story.

Evan was born with a genetic heart defect. His health difficulties meant that he needed multiple surgeries, including a heart transplant, and resulted in him being deaf. His battles were a big part of Hope and Kale’s book and he survived it all, but in his early 20s it all became too much and he took off and cut off all contact with his friends and family. Now, three years later, and just as unexpectedly as he left, he is back… and he is not alone.

Frankie was left shattered when Evan left. The love of her life, he was her everything, and when he left she was left with just a letter, a broken heart and so many questions. She has tried so hard to move on, but with one glance at him she knows she hasn’t.

“There is no amount of time that could ever erase who you are to me.”

As old wounds are torn open once again, Evan begins to realise the magnitude of the mistake that he made in leaving, and oh, my heart! I was so devastated for all of the people that love him so dearly, and for Evan himself when he sees the damage he has caused. He vows to make it right, to make it up to the people he hurt so badly, and to win back the heart of the only girl he has ever loved.

“There hasn’t been a single day since the day I met you that I didn’t love you, Frankie Leigh … You belong with me. Just like I belong with you.”

But it won’t be easy. Frankie is understandably terrified to trust that Evan won’t leave her again, and though her heart aches for him, she tries to listen to her head and protect herself.

But Evan is one determined man-in-love, and it’s only a matter of time before their undeniable connection sucks them both in.

“Let me love you.”
…”As long as you promise never to stop.”
“Never.”

The love between these two is just amazing. You can feel it! You can feel their connection, the bond of friendship and the deep, undying love that they have for each other. They are each other’s whole worlds, and the passion, intensity and all-consuming need for each other just drips off the page.

Reaching out, I signed against the scar on his chest where his beautiful heart hammered at his ribs. YOU ARE MINE.
Evan dropped his forehead to mine. “You are my everything.”

So. Much. SWOOOOOOON!

But there are secrets from the past between them that have the potential to break their hearts all over again. And danger is lurking, threatening everything that Evan and Frankie are building together.

It’s a dramatic read that is full of feels, and I was sucked in from start to finish. We see glimpses of Evan and Frankie together over the years, helping us understand the depth of their connection, and they are just so beautiful together. We also get to see the couples from the Fight For Me series, and I loved seeing them in their roles as parents to grown up children – still supporting them and being there for them in every way that they can, that was really special to see.

Confession: I usually get a bit turned off by overly poetic, gushy writing, and I’ve struggled with that in A.L. Jackson’s more recent releases. Yeah, it was there again, with all of the metaphors and excessive emotion… Not a spoiler, but an example…

… But the more I got sucked into this book, the less it bothered me. I was so caught up in the love story, and I was experiencing everything right along with them that I just let go and went with it.

This is a really beautiful story. Not the ideal path that you wanted these characters to have to go down, but there is this sense that it happened as it was supposed to happen, and I loved watching them work through it all and find their way back to each other

“I’m finished living my life without you in it.

I loved this one! 4.5 stars.

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

Hold on to Hope is a spin off from the Fight For Me series

Meet Frankie and Evan as children in Show Me the Way and Follow Me Back

 

 

 

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Excerpt

Hold Onto Hope

Prologue

 

Moonlight poured in through the window where I leaned over the desk, soul twisted in two as I struggled with the decision that had to be made.

Memories spun through my mind in the most violent storm.

Battering and bruising.

I felt chained by them. Forever tied to the past where I’d been condemned.

I’d tried to change it. Tried to fix it. But I’d already caused more pain than one person should have to bear.

The only thing I could do now was sever the ties.

End this before it was too late.

Loving her had been the easiest thing in the world.

Letting her go the most brutal.

Every cell in my body wept with the sorrow of it as I leaned over the piece of paper.

The words flowed over the page.

Bitterness and regret and the little bit of hope she’d left me with.

Before I could do something selfish like change my mind, I stood, grabbed my bag from the floor, and tossed it over my shoulder.

Then I walked out the door and I didn’t look back.

Because I knew there was no atonement for this sin.

No amends that could rewrite what had been written in stone.

Nothing that could change who I was . .

 

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Giveaway

 

 

 

To celebrate the release of Hold Onto Hope, A.L. Jackson is giving away a $100 Amazon Gift Card!

Enter Giveaway Here

The Escapist Book Blog is not responsible for this giveaway

 

 

 

 

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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.

Her bestselling series include THE REGRET SERIES, CLOSER TO YOU, BLEEDING STARS, FIGHT FOR ME, and CONFESSIONS OF THE HEART novels.  Grab A.L. Jackson’s latest novel, HOLD ON TO HOPE, a best friends-to-lovers stand-alone romance.

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.

Be sure not to miss new releases and sales from A.L. Jackson – Sign up to receive her NEWSLETTER or text “aljackson” to 33222 to receive short but sweet updates on all the important news.

 

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