A forbidden stand-alone romance in A.L. Jackson’s Confessions of the Heart Series.
Amazon | Paperback | Audio
Message from A.L. Jackson
My loves!
I am so proud to bring you ALL OF ME!! I am MADLY IN LOVE with this story – Ian and Grace absolutely seeped into my soul and became one of my very favorite couples I’ve ever written. This book…it’s EVERYTHING! I am so excited for you to fall in love with it the way that I did!!
- Sexy Attorney
- Forbidden Romance
- The one woman who will make him question everything
Synopsis
People call me callous. Arrogant. Ruthless.
I call myself tenacious.
One of the most powerful attorneys in Charleston, I don’t let anyone or anything stand in my way.
Until a chance encounter changes everything.
One glance.
One touch.
One night.
It only leaves me wanting more.
But Grace is off limits. Most people would even say forbidden.
Everyone knows an attorney can’t sleep with his client.
Too bad I already did.
And even with the threat of losing everything, I don’t know if I can stop myself from having her again…
All of Me – a Confessions of the Heart forbidden, stand-alone romance
Review
4 stars
Wow, what an intense book! But OMG I’m torn! I loved the story, I love the characters, their journey, and their amazing, beautiful, chemistry-filled romance. It’s absolutely a 5-star story! But I struggled with the writing in this one. AL Jackson is a fave writer of mine, I’ve read all of her books, and many of them are all-time favourites, but I had difficulty fully connecting with this one… but more about that later.
This is the second book in the Confessions of the Heart series. Ian is the younger brother of Jace (hero of book #1), however this book can easily standalone.
Ian is a bit of a dark horse. He’s a successful attorney, dark, dangerous and broody, he is fuelled by hatred and anger that stem from the circumstances of his childhood, and he is driven by his need to succeed. He has no time for relationships or any kind of commitment, and has hardened his heart to love, family or a connection to anybody outside of his brother and his family, and his best friend, Mack.
Grace is a woman at the end of her rope. Sweet and soft, she has been hurt badly by all that life has thrown at her and she is in a world of trouble, the extent of which is revealed slowly throughout the book. She is seeking help for her situation when she runs into Ian. It seems underwhelming to say that sparks fly, because when these two see each other for the first time, it’s so much more than that. It’s an insta-lust, insta-attraction, stars aligning type of moment for both of them, and they are both floored by the connection that they feel. But while Ian is all-too eager to explore their chemistry, Grace has been burned badly before and she refuses to open herself up to that kind of pain again.
He arched a brow, voice so rough and low. “Don’t tell me you don’t feel this. That you don’t want to explore it.”
“Just because I might want something, it doesn’t mean it’s good for me.”
“Oh, I can promise you it will be good.”
It’s intense from the very beginning, and though Grace tries to fight it, she’s powerless against the attraction, and together they are a wildfire of passion, intensity, and all sorts of feelings that neither of them are prepared for.
But when Ian turns out to be the one man who can help Grace with her troubles, their dynamic swiftly shifts from fiery lovers to that that of attorney/client. They can no longer explore their sizzling chemistry, and the fact that they already have must remain a secret…. if only they could keep their hands off each other.
“You make me feel like I’m standing at the edge of something brilliant. Something significant,” I confessed in a twined rasp of words. “You make me feel something…want something that I don’t think I’ve ever wanted in all my life. Something I’m not sure I even understand.”
I really liked the way this story all unfolded. I loved the surprises that popped up, I loved the way the storyline twisted and turned, and I loved the growing relationship between Ian and Grace. OMG, the intensity! The chemistry between them is almost a living thing, their attraction radiating from them whenever they are in each other’s spaces.
“What are you doing to me, Grace? I have no control when it comes to you. You make me want things I can’t have. Make me want to risk things I can’t risk.”
Her fingers dug deeper into my shoulders, words nothing but wisps of need against my face.
“What do you want?”
“I want you. I want to explore every inch of your body. Taste and lick and fuck.”
I want to keep you.
Grace’s situation is complex, but she has the purest heart, and that is shown over and over again. Ian has done bad things and he doesn’t believe he deserves anything good, but he can’t stay away. It’s a really great dynamic that is explored in a lot of depth throughout the story.
“You’re going to ruin me, Angel Girl.”
“And you’re going to save me.”
I should have been completely invested and absolutely sucked in, but I just couldn’t get there. For me, it was because of the writing – mostly with the short, staccato, melodramatic monologuing. It is through the whole book, and both characters did it, and it really broke up the flow of the writing for me. Here’s an example…
This is a really long book, and that choppiness messed with the flow for me. I also feel like it could have been shorter without all of the repetition and over-dramatic descriptiveness about their mad and insane attraction to each other every time they’re even close to each other. They have chemistry, we get it! And Ian’s self-hatred also became a bit wearing after a while. He would repeat over and over again how he’s bad and he doesn’t feel worthy of Grace. Again, we get it! The repetition became frustrating when their feelings had already expressed so clearly and emotively.
But even with those issues, I was still able to appreciate the story, and I loved watching Ian and Grace pull together, fight to right wrongs and, against all odds, fall for each other absolutely and completely.
I grabbed her hand and splayed it across the erratic drumming of my chest.
“Do you feel that, Grace? It doesn’t fucking beat right, but still, it beats for you.”
“Ian . . . my sweet broken man. How am I supposed to live without you now? How . . . when you’ve changed everything? What I want and who I am?”
It’s a long and messy road for them, but I enjoyed watching them worth through it all. The chemistry continues to sizzle, the sexy time is intense and passionate, and the love story is beautiful and so emotional. The whole story is full of feels, with a whole lot of sweet moments that absolutely melted me!
Jace, Faith and their family from the first book are a part of the story, and I loved catching up with them and watching the new dynamics as Grace is brought into their world. It leads to some very special scenes.
I particularly loved the ending of this one. It was surprising, but so right for the story, and I loved the way it all played out. And I finished this one with a big grin on my face, and even a happy tear or two.
So yes, very mixed. I struggled with some of it, but overall it’s a beautiful, beautiful story, full of that intensity that Jackson writes so well.
4 stars.
An Advanced Review 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
Giveaway
Don’t miss the awesome giveaway for the All of Me release!
It’s a Fight for Me Bundle + More of You + $50 Amazon Gift Card!
ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE
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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.
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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