“Letting go of those fears was so difficult, but when I finally did, the greatest joy was unearthed”
Although this book is part of the Closer to You series this can be read as a standalone as it is not about the same characters as the previous two books. However, I would highly recommend you do as not only are they a fantastic read, but Christopher does appear in them and you will have a better understanding of the man and the other characters that make appearances.
One thing that you do know when you pick up an AL Jackson book is that it will be beautiful...in the end...but you will have undertaken a major emotional trip to get there. Amy does love a second chance romance and writes them extremely well and this one is no different. It is angsty, it is emotional but overall it was a beautiful read and one that I thoroughly enjoyed.
“But tonight, there was a hostility saturating it, more intense than ever before. Pure sex bidden by a brilliant, raging fury. Like he’d consume me and there’d be nothing left. Ashes. That’s what had remained after he was finished with me the first time. After he’d promised me forever.”
Christopher is Aly’s brother and Jared’s best friend and I have to admit I have always wondered what his story was so I was super excited when AL Jackson said that she was writing his story. Chris and Sam dated a long time ago, for Chris and Sam it was both that forever kind of love, but alas as always, parents interfere as does life and it was not to be. Chris however was extremely affected, it was his first love, his one and only love and Sam had scarred him for life and to this day he remained extremely bitter. He lived his life, flitting from one woman to another, vowing to never let a woman have that power over his heart again.
“You broke up with me, Samantha. Remember? I think it’s time you admitted who broke who.”
Sam and Chris’s separation had scarred her too, even though she was in a relationship, he wasn’t Chris. Chris was the man that Sam measured every other guy up to and no-one ever fit the bill, no-one would ever fit the bill, so she just settled.
“You broke my heart once. You don’t get to do it again.”
A chance meeting at the store leads to Aly and Sam reconnecting, this reconnection means that Sam and Chris’s paths are inevitably going to cross, will the past stay in the past or will these two be able to forgive and forget. One things for sure is that you know AL Jackson will put you through the mill to find out.
“Don’t ever hide your light, Samantha. Let it shine. Let it burn bright. Because you? You’re everything in this world that’s right.”
I have to say, I could have throttled Chris at times, and as much as I understood his reasoning his actions and thoughts totally aggravated me at times. I felt sorry for him, but I just wished he would have opened up a lot sooner. There was a lot of miscommunication in the past, they were younger and naïve, gullible and unfortunately had no-one on their side. I was itching for them both to see the light so I ended up reading the entire book on tenterhooks and with my heart in my mouth.
“I’d sold my soul to Lucifer himself.”
Sam does have a boyfriend, but he wasn’t a good guy. He took advantage of a situation and made it his own. He is never there for Sam and lives his own life as long as she does not live hers. He is manipulative and just one incredibly shady character. This is by no means a love triangle as such but he needs to be dealt with and as usual for overbearing men, he is not going away easily.
“I was tired of it all. How’d I become enemies with the person I cared about most?”
I was totally wrapped up in this story; AL Jackson always manages to deeply entrench me into her stories and characters. Through the flashbacks we were treated to what actually happened way back then and they give you a great insight into the sorry situation that they now find themselves in. You always know that you are going to get a beautifully woven story and this one stayed true to form. These two are now adults and it is up to them to see the errors made in the past and to now focus on if they have a future. There is a lot of soul searching to do and they need to understand what each other has been through. This leads to some amazing scenes and ones that really tug on the heart strings. As much as Chris comes across as an ass at times it was great to finally see those walls coming down and the true man underneath come out. Their chemistry is blatantly obvious, it is hot, it is palpable and it oozes from the page, why fight it...embrace it.
“Christopher took me completely. Recklessly.”
In short I loved it, it was great to catch up with old characters and see how they have come along but it was great to finally get Chris’s story. For fans of this series, it is a must read and for those that are new, jump on the AL Jackson bandwagon and read this series from the start. It is too good not to.
“Never stop believing in magic.”
Buy Links:
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1PeS8Ek
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1CgTTa7
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