Lead Me Home

A second-chance, friends-to-lovers, stand-alone romance in A.L. Jackson’s Fight for Me series…

 

 

Kindle Ebook  |  Paperback  |  Audio

Signed Paperback

 

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Synopsis

Fourteen years ago, my life changed forever.

My sister disappeared. That day I was selfish. That day I chose myself over her. And that day, I lost everything.

Including Nikki Walters.

She’s the girl I’ve loved my whole life. She’s gorgeous. Caring. Every single thing I’ve ever wanted but denied myself. She was my sister’s best friend, and I destroyed any chance of keeping her.

When her safety is threatened, I have a second chance to do the right thing. But as soon as she moves in, I want her in all the wrong ways.

All it takes is a brush of her hand, and I’m losing all control.

The fire between us is only burning hotter.

But neither of us saw what was coming.

And it just might be Nikki Walters who destroys me in the end.

 

The highly anticipated sexy, suspenseful stand-alone second-chance romance from NYT Bestselling Author, A.L. Jackson.

 

 

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Review

4.5 stars!

A.L. Jackson has finished off her Fight For Me series with an emotional punch, giving us the story of tormented Ollie, and the reconnection that we have been waiting for as he and his childhood sweetheart, Nikki, finally find their way back to each other.

Ollie and Nikki grew up together the best of friends. Together with Ollie’s sister, Sydney, who was Nikki’s best friend, they were absolutely inseparable. Ollie and Nikki’s relationship changed as teenagers and they fell hard for each other, but both of their lives, and the lives of their friends, were completely upended when Sydney went missing. It’s been 14 years, and still nobody knows what happened to her, and while most of their group has been able to move on, Ollie has never been able to, and he lives in perpetual turmoil at the loss of his sister, and the guilt of believing that he was to blame.

Ollie has been a bit of a shadow in these books. He’s still right there with his group of friends, he socialises, he laughs, he has fun, but he’s never really full engaged. And that includes with Nikki. There have been longing glances and meaningful looks, and I knew that there was something there between them, but when we finally get to see it, OMG, it’s so freaking intense!

He groaned in misery and released the words between the manic scourge of his mouth. “I need you, Nikki. Need you in a way I haven’t needed anything in all my life. Take it away. Fuck…please take it away.”
If I could, I would.
It was all I’d ever wanted to do.
“Ollie.” His name was grief.
Love.
Regret.
“I need you, too. I’ve always needed you.”

It’s clear that both Ollie and Nikki are in so much pain. There is so much love between them, and they both know it, but Ollie isn’t prepared to go there, instead punishing himself for the disappearance of his sister, and not feeling worthy of Nikki. It’s a storyline that can be annoying, but A.L. Jackson handles this one beautifully, and I could feel the emotion between them both as they battled with the tumultuous emotion between them.

The problem was?
I just…loved him.
I did, and I had for too many years, and it hurt too much that he didn’t love me back.

“You are everything I ever wished I could have.”

When Nikki becomes the target of violence, Ollie is determined to protect her, bringing her into his home and shielding her like he never got the opportunity to do for his sister. And with the two of them in such close confines, it’s only a matter of time before all of those feels bubble to the surface, and their romantic rollercoaster begins.

I loved this story. A.L. Jackson always writes with such intensity, and I could feel every single thing that was happening between Ollie and Nikki. Ollie’s heartbreak broke my heart, and I ached for him and the pain that he was still so clearly experiencing. But Nikki rocked my world with her strength and her determination to be there for him, and I absolutely loved her no-nonsense attitude as she laid it out for him, absolutely having his back but not putting up with his crap either.

“Don’t want to hurt you, Nikki, and I’m pretty damned sure you don’t want me to hurt you, either.”
She blinked up at me. No reservations when she should be running for her life. “Then don’t.”

And when it all happened for them…. wow. The feels are off the charts, the passion is explosive, and the intensity (yes, that word again), makes you feel it all. I literally squeed out loud in one particular scene. The epicness of the moment absolutely insane. Gah, it was everything!

“Sunshine,” he murmured like praise. “You are light and life. My life. My everything. Let me be yours.”
Tears streaked free, and I lifted my chin, our mouths meeting as I whispered, “I’ve always been yours.”

But danger and violence is sadly never far away. And as Ollie and Nikki are faced with the demons of their past once again, it will put everything that have found together to the test in ways they never could have imagined.

This book was just what I was hoping it would be. Ollie and Nikki’s story completely consumed me, and I struggled to put it down. I loved their story, and the way they healed each other and opened their hearts to each other was so beautiful, and I was completely swept away by their romance.

The couples from the previous books in the series are all a part of their journey, and I loved not only catching up with them and seeing where they were at, but I loved seeing them be there to support Ollie and Nikki. There’s a moment between the boys in this book that had tears streaming down my face… again with the feels! Great stuff!

The only thing missing from this book was an epilogue. I would have loved to see this group again in the future as they live out their HEAs. I wonder whether we’ll get to see that in another book or novella, and can only hope so, because this is a hard group to let go of.

I loved this book. A fantastic end to a great series.

4.5 stars.

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

 

Fight For Me series

 

 

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Excerpt

My heart rose higher in my throat with every pound on the wood. It was as if an accelerant had been poured directly into my blood.

It was close to two in the morning.

Someone showing up at this time of night—in the middle of a downpour, no less—should make me cautious.

If I searched myself, I guessed a little part of me was afraid, but only because I was sure of who was on the other side of the door.

He’d always been dangerous.

Dangerous to my sanity.

Dangerous to my heart.

Obviously, none of that mattered. I was drawn to him anyway.

Tied.

Nothing more than an offering.

I hoisted up on my tiptoes to peer through the peephole, and I sucked in a breath when I saw the tortured face pleading back.

So gorgeous in its hardened, chiseled way. Wind gusted through the longer pieces of his dark-blond hair, his shirt soaked and clinging to his massive body from having to make his way through the deluge that pummeled at the roof.

Quickly, I worked through the lock and yanked open the door.

Chills flashed.

A shockwave.

All brought on by the sight of him.

“Ollie,” I whispered, my spirit in an uproar.

He staggered in with a half-drained bottle of scotch clutched in his hand and kicked the door shut behind him.

He dropped the bottle to the carpeted floor, and there was no time to contemplate the thud before he was stalking my way.

Body massive.

A burly, beautiful, beast of a man.

I took a startled step back, sucking for the air his presence had stolen. Energy streaked through the room.

Those big hands darted out and captured my face in the same second his mouth captured mine.

Lips and tongue and searing heat.

Liquor kisses.

My head spun and need blistered across my skin.

He groaned in misery and released the words between the manic scourge of his mouth. “I need you, Nikki. Need you in a way I haven’t needed anything in all my life. Take it away. Fuck . . . please take it away.”

 

 

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Giveaway

 

Don’t miss our amazing giveaway going on to celebrate the LEAD ME HOME Release!! Grand prize includes signed SHOW ME THE WAY and FOLLOW ME BACK and the entire BLEEDING STARS SERIES Paperbacks!!

 

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. Watch for A.L. Jackson’s upcoming novel, LEAD ME HOME, the third stand-alone novel in her brand-new FIGHT FOR ME 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.

Be sure not to miss new releases and sales from A.L. Jackson – Sign up to receive her NEWSLETTER or text “aljackson” to 24587 to receive short but sweet updates on all the important news.

 

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