Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Book Tour for Wait by A.L. Jackson (Review & GIVEAWAY)


Readers looking for an emotionally intense read that will break you down while building you back up will get just that with this fourth installment in the Bleeding Stars series.  Keep reading to get a tempting taste of this powerful tale of second chances and coping with the past found in Wait by A.L. Jackson, along with my impressions of it, then add it to your bookshelf.  In honor of this unforgettable read make sure to fill out the form below for the chance to win a Coach wristlet and copies of the previous books in this series too!

She is his strength and he is her weakness. And this time he won’t let her go.
Edie Evans is gorgeous.
Sexy.
Kind.
She’s also the definition of off-limits.
But that didn't stop me from sneaking into her room to comfort her at night.
But guys like me? We destroy everything, so it should have been no surprise when I destroyed us, too.
The night I sent her running, I thought I’d never see her again.
Until I saw her standing like a vision in the crowd.
Austin Stone is dangerous.
Alluring.
Tempting.
He broke my heart and I refused to give him the chance to do it again.
It’s been years since I’ve seen him, and now I can’t do anything but stare at the gorgeous, tattooed man playing onstage. I should run. I know I should. But like a fool, I run straight back to him.
Our desire is overpowering.
Our need unrelenting.
She is my hope.
He is my weakness.
We should have known a passion this intense would burn us right into the ground.

EXCERPT:

"Shit,” I hissed, bracing myself against the spray of the icy shards pelting from the shower head.
I sucked in a breath, released it between clenched teeth, and forced myself fully under it.
Head dropped and chest heaving as rivers of ice-cold water slicked down my shoulders and back.
But it did nothing to lessen the need. Gave me no sanity or pacification.
Because all I could think about was the girl on the other side of the door.
My girl.
In my bed.
Wearing just her panties and my shirt.
An angel I wanted to dirty.
I always had.
Love was messy like that.
All of my restraint scattered. I gripped my cock. Squeezed the base. My mouth dropped open at the pressure of my hand against my rigid length.
A fool thinking it might be enough.
Shit.
God, I was a bastard, but there was nothing I could do before I was giving in, leaning forward and bracketing my forearm above my head to hold my weight.
Water pounded down on my head and back while I pounded my fist against my dick.
Trying to keep silent when all I wanted was to moan, teeth digging into my bottom lip as I pictured the girl spread out for me.
My breaths were coming short.
Panted and hard.
I gave into imagining the sounds she would make when I finally got to bury myself in her body.
A soft, soft gasp.
I slowed, trying to convince myself that throaty sound was all in my mind.
Just another part of this fantasy.
Until I heard the small thump against the wall.
Shit.
I mashed my eyes closed, like it might hide me.
Conceal the depravity of my actions after I’d just been comforting her hours before.
Heart thrashing, I turned and moved far enough to peek out the small section where the fabric shower curtain hadn’t been drawn fully closed.
It was just a little sliver that left me exposed.
But it was enough. When I peered out, I was looking right at my girl pressed up against the wall.
She stared right back at me.
And I wanted to be horrified, my mind scrambling to conjure every weak apology I could summon. Ready to fucking grovel to keep her from turning and running once again.
Because that’s exactly what I expected her to do.
But her expression…her expression clutched me in the center of the chest and sent what little brain function I had left stampeding south.
Red, lush lips were parted, her hand pressed to her hollow of her throat, pupils dilated so big that her hooded, cerulean eyes appeared black. Needy breaths werecoming at me from that sweet mouth like a goddamned freight train.
Desire swelled in the confines of the too-tight room.
Alive.
She pressed deeper into the wall as if it might support her weakened knees.Head rocked back. Thighs squeezing together.
Motherfuck.
My hand shot to the shower wall to steady myself. “Warning you, Edie, you need to get out of here. Right now.


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MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:

After reading the synopsis of this book you sense that there will be something about it that will linger with you long after the cover is closed.  From the first page to the last readers will find themselves on the rollercoaster that makes up the relationship between Edie and Austin, and the pain of their pasts that still lingers, that brought them together years ago.  It's a relationship full of heartbreak, doubts, and fears but it's ultimately uplifting as it builds them back up from the lows their emotional baggage took them to.  It's a tale that captivates and consumes readers.  It's a tale that will leave them teary-eyed one moment then cheering the next watching these likable characters bruised by the past rise triumphantly in each other's arms.

From the moment readers meet Austin they see a young man weighted down by guilt as brothers with a tight bond were torn apart by tragedy leaving its mark on the survivors.  Austin's teeming with musical talent but the death of his brother has kept him from pursuing his desires.  It's left him punishing himself with drugs at first then denying his true love while staying on the fringes of the music world despite the talent pouring out of him.  For so long he's been running, not wanting to disappoint others, but when Edie comes back to him he can run no longer.  All the pain he's caused out of his own guilt he now works wholeheartedly to make amends for.  It's a gutwrenching path he's chosen with a few bumps along the way as a vile man from both of their pasts comes back to ruin the HEA within their grasp.  Austin is an unforgettable character, powerful yet bruised and weakened by his past.  You want to ease his pain but it's clear he's brittle, ready to break completely at any time.  Finding Edie again though gives him strength, brings him back from the edge, opening him up to infinite possibilities he's been denying himself.  Austin's compelling and engaging and kept me turning the pages long into the night with a personal history that held me captive.

Like most young girls Edie once wanted to have fun and flirt with cute guys and a summer spent with her rock star brother gave her the chance to do just that. A moment of flirtiness though soon turned into a betrayal taking her heart, soul, and childish dreams with it.  Into her darkness came Austin, the lone bright spot after an act that left her shredded and weighted down by guilt and grief over not being able to stop what happened to her.  While their mutual grief bonded them together it ultimately tore them apart through regrettable words and unrelenting self-doubts.  Though the years and miles separated them they were still bound to each other and when they once again find one another the path to HEA is bittersweet and rocky when her past comes back to taint the future she's found with Austin.  It all leads to tears and heartbreak watching two people so deserving of happiness fighting so hard to get it.  Edie's an appealing young woman with thoughts and feelings that make her easy to relate to.  The glimpses of her youth add to the heartache you feel for her and the journey fate forced on her, a journey that's unforgettable and powerful in its depiction.

Ms. Jackson has tapped right into reader's hearts with this emotionally intense tale of broken dreams rising out of tragedy and betrayals.  With Austin and Edie Ms. Jackson has crafted characters that readers can relate to on every level, find themselves sharing the same air with as each of their hurts soon become ours. It's a read that pulls you in wholeheartedly, fully immersing you in each hurt and triumph as you work your way through the Kleenex box.  Along with these powerful main characters comes a cast of secondary characters that grab your attention and leave you wanting more of their stories.  Their support is unwavering and adds a familial vibe to this unique group of people just when Austin and Edie need it most.  Though this is part of the Bleeding Stars series, with bits of the rock star world showing up towards the end, this story stands strongly on its own.  Those who haven't yet read this series shouldn't let that deter them from this powerful read.  It's a story that takes you to epic highs and to heartbreaking lows and it's ultimately a ride that I was honored to have taken and one I recommend to other lovers of romance too!

My rating for this is an A.

*I got this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.

AUTHOR INFO:

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, as well as the newest BLEEDING STARS novels. Watch for the next installments, WAIT and STAY, coming in 2016.
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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