Second chance romance.
Separation 10 years. He breaks up with her and the reasons are revealed via flashbacks.
No cheating.
No ex-drama but meddling and secrets about dead husband revealed.
No details of Hero's love life in time of separation, heroine has a 3 year old daughter and her husband has died.
No details of intimacy between anyone other than the Hero and heroine.
Good secondary characters.
Cute kid.
HEA.
Epilogue.
Bonus chapter via link provided at the end of the book, can be read with internet access. ( )

Find this review and others at Carlene Inspired.

Faith is trying to recover, to move forward from the pain of her husband's passing and to embrace life again, but the notes won't let her. Someone wants something from her and it's starting to seem like they'd do anything to get it. Then Jace arrives, the man she once desperately wanted to return, the man who turns her entire world upside down again. He offers protection though, along with comfort, understanding, and a chance at moving on. She promised herself he could never have her heart again, but he holds the key to it and to all the answers that she's been missing.

"I could feel him taking pieces of me when he dropped his forehead against min and breathed me in, his eyes squeezed tightly closed."

I read this like it was a movie script; the characters acting out the scenes in my mind, the drama gripping me in its clutches, myself perched on the edge of my seat both afraid and anxious for what was to come. A.L. Jackson takes us on a new angst-filled journey in More of You, the characters all stuck in a state of unease, with questions of what if, and who, and why running through their minds. It's a second chance romance with a hint of suspense and mystery, one of my favorite types of stories. Faith and Jace have considered themselves Beauty and the Beast since their youth, unaware just how true those titles would become as adults. Faith is trapped in her big home, in a town that currently terrifies her, left with more questions than answers. She's scared of the dark, of the truths she doesn't know, unaware that she is the light that will reveal everything. Jace is lost, he has all the money he needs, he and his brother and safe, but nothing has been the same since the day he walked away. He's handsome, broken, and desperate to protect the girl he should've never left behind. The past may be too much for them to let go of and old hurts may be impossible to fix.

"It feels too complicated. Everything's twisted and mixed in a way it never should have been."

This book starts out in an unexpected way and I wasn't sure I was reading a romance or a thriller at first. More of You is a surprising novel, filled with emotion and a lurking sense of danger that only makes you want to read faster. It's angst, but not in the way you might expect. Faith and Jace's history is beautiful and painful all at the same time, a memory for them that was filled with love and trust and now is marred by a jagged break. It's the type of wound that could be healed, but can also be made larger. Jace forces Faith to face him, to see him protecting her even if he can't promise her more yet, but she's desperate to protect the one thing he's always had, her heart. On top of all this, there's threatening notes and a murder that amps up the tension. The pace is quick, one moment we're seeing Faith and Jace driven by the lust they've always shared nd in the next we're wish the sirens of a cop car would draw closer.

"Every step brought her closer to where I was. The girl filling the air."

More of You is a stunning new release from A.L. Jackson and absolutely has me excited to see what's in store for the rest of the Confessions of the Heart series. Faith and Jace were incredible main characters, but I've got to admit I really can't wait for the secondary character's stories now. The world building and character development in A.L. Jacksons novels are unrivaled, old fans and new fans alike are going to love this book and new series.

ARC provided. ( )

AL Jackson is the QUEEN of book feels! Her stories are all emotive and raw. More of You fits in perfectly with what you expect from her books. Second chance love story, star crossed lovers, with danger and drama to boot!

Jace was the bad boy she knew she shouldn't love. Ah teenage love! You know it always ends with drama llama and Jace and Faith's story is no exception. Flash forward 10 years and Jace is back and Faith is still so destroyed from his actions. But, she might actually need him. Now, if you have read my reviews, you know I'm not a huge fan of the angsty, overly emotional stories. But, what I enjoyed about More of You was that it wasn't JUST the angsty emotional. I liked the thread of suspense woven into their second chance story because it provides more umph to the story.

Faith's story was difficult. She has had a crappy 10 years while Jace was gone and it was sad. My heart hurt for her and when Jace came back, I wanted to protect her-because she shouldn't have to endure more! It would just be unfair! She is certainly a heroine you not only root for, but love. Thankfully, Jace was worthy of her! Their chemistry is combustible for sure-Jackson always does a great job writing chemistry.

For fans of second chances, broken characters, and blistering chemistry, More of You by AL Jackson is a must read!

• POV: dual 1st


• Tears: yes


• Trope: second chance


• Series/Standalone: stand alone


• Cliffhanger: no


• HEA: yes with epilogue

Similar angsty romances like From Here to You by Jamie McGuire, Ultimate Sacrifice by KC Lynn, Lev by Bella Aurora...then you will probably like More of You!

 


More of You








“Let me take care of you.” The words grated from my tongue.

She blinked at me. “Why did you really come here, Jace? After all this time? After all these years? What is it you want?”

You.

“I need to be here. I tri—”

The confession locked in my throat, and I swallowed hard, forcing it out between the constriction I could feel baring down on every cell in my body.

“I tried to stay away. But I couldn’t. Not knowing what’s happening. Not knowing what you’ve been through.”

Not knowing just how fucking deep Joseph had gotten. Not knowing the lengths those assholes might go to. I was getting a better and better idea of what that might be.

Protectiveness swelled.

An anger so intense I saw black curled through my muscles.

I could feel it, a wire tripping somewhere inside me, one of those pieces I’d been trying to keep contained, held back, ripped free.

No way in hell was I backing down from this. No way in hell was I walking away from her.

“I’m moving in.”

She reared back. “What?”

“You heard what I said.”

A heated anger rushed in to take over the helplessness. “Well, I thought I did . . . and what I think I just heard you say was you’re movin’ in here, and that’s not goin’ to happen.”

“You need someone here to look after you. Besides . . . there are what? Eight rooms here? You will hardly notice me, and someone needs to be here to watch over things.”

“And you think that job lands on you?” It was all a rushed horror as she pushed back her chair and stumbled to her feet.

Energy flashed.

So intense my chest tightened.

Painfully.

Protectiveness pulsing out. Filling everything.

“I think that’s exactly what it is.”

Harsh, hoarse laughter rocked from her, and she was biting at her lip like she wanted to bite back her words.

“You are the last person I want movin’ in here. I already told you, all of this is too hard. It feels too complicated. It’s hard enough you bein’ outside. You want to take up the inside, too?”

I edged closer, breathing in all that intensity.

Taking it on as my own.

Standing next to the girl felt like inhaling life.

Did she think this wasn’t going to be brutal for me, too?

My voice quieted, though it was hard as stone. “You aren’t safe here. You’re scared. You can’t deny that.”

I edged closer, and she edged back. She hit the wall behind her.

She was so close.

So damned close I wanted to take one step closer and feel all of her. What it was like to be against that skin.

Her words were so rough she could barely force them out. “Then I’ll call my daddy to come and stay.”

My fingers were back to toying with a lock of her hair, my head angled to the side. “Let me take care of you, Faith. Let me be the one.”

“Jace—”

“Please . . . let me do this for you. I’m your family, whether you like it or not.”

“This is a terrible idea,” she whispered. Like it was her last plea.

“It might be the only good one I’ve ever had.”

 

See full review on The Book Disciple ( )