Review & Giveaway: Come to Me Quietly by A. L. Jackson

Come to Me Quietly (Closer to You #1) by A. L. Jackson

Publication Date: January 7th 2014 by NAL Trade

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks

About the book:

Aleena Moore is content with her life. She has goals and dreams and an easy smile. She also has a secret she holds locked inside.
Jared Holt believes he doesn’t deserve to love or be loved. He destroys everything he touches. Haunted by the mistake that shattered his life, he’s fled from the memory of that pain.
Jared doesn’t know why he’s compelled to return, but finds himself drawn back to the place where it all began. The exact place where it ended. When he runs into his childhood best friend, Aleena’s older brother Christopher, he agrees to share Christopher and Aleena’s apartment while he looks for a place of his own.
Aleena is no longer the little girl Jared remembers from his past and evokes feelings in him he never wanted to feel again. Terrified of destroying her, he fights to keep her away. But her touch is something he can’t resist—the touch that sealed his fate.
Their pasts are intertwined and their futures uncertain. The only truths they know are the secrets they whisper in the night.

Arlene's Thoughts:

“Everything about him was dangerous. Just as dangerous as he was beautiful.”
Wow! Amazing story that was told in dual perspectives that were equally powerful and passionate. Come to Me Quietly is my first encounter with A.L. Jackson, and I promise it won’t be my last. From beginning to end, Aleena and Jared captured my heart and attention with their dramatic tale of redemption and love. Beautiful!! Every part… absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!

In Come to Me Quietly, Jared finds himself returning to his hometown after being gone for years because of a tragic accident that changed his life forever. Aleena and Christopher were his best friends that truly never recovered from his disappearance, so when he comes, they embrace him for what little time they know they’ll have him. Aleena has always had deep seeded feelings for Jared. He watched over her and was careful to always protect her, so when they collide after six long years of distance, they struggle with the feelings that erupt from their encounter. What begins is not only a friendship that defined both these characters, but a love that might destroy them as well.

“Her fingertips softened as they traced along the outline of my sins, as she caressed the markings of every mistake I’d ever made as if this girl somehow found some kind of beauty in them.”
Jackson’s writing is absolutely lyrical and passionate with constant reminders that her characters are flawed yet redeemable. There were multiple passages that I found myself rereading for the sheer beauty in the words. Jackson truly knows how to pen a story that captivates her readers and embraces them with her ardent narrative.

“I should never have come here. It was all too much, this place that echoed my past and thrummed with familiarity. I refused to take comfort in it. Most of all, I fought against the desire to stay.”
Come to Me Quietly is never over-dramatic, but I always felt like I was on the precipice of impending destruction. Both Aleena and Jared share a story that kept me at the edge of my seat as these two find each other after years of distance and pain. I loved how the backstory unfolded with careful grace. As each event was presented, it carefully layered itself into the folds of this intricate story of love, destruction, friendship and loss. My heart broke for Jared as he battled his demons and failed at every attempt for a new beginning. Aleena was the perfect balance of steady for this volatile character.

Overall, I loved Jackson’s style of writing and how she built her storyline with slow building passion. Aleena and Jared were perfect characters that took me on their journey of redemption and love. I can’t wait to enter the next chapters of their life in Come to Me Softly. I’m sure it will be just as riveting and captivating. Love!

5 Suns

Rachel's Thoughts:

I’m a sucker for unrequited love stories.  Something about that yearning from afar that brings a little sadness and always pulls at my heart strings. 

Jared and Christopher were neighbors and best friends from a very young age with Christopher’s little sister Aly always trailing behind.  Jared was always Aly’s hero, looking out for her and including her even when Christopher thought she was nothing but a pest. Aly’s heart never stood a chance and she fell hard and deep for Jared early on.  Sadly, tragedy struck Jared’s family and everything fell apart. 

Jared knows it’s a bad idea to come back home, but it’s an even worse one to accept Christopher’s invitation to stay at his apartment until he gets a place of his own.  Everything he touches, he destroys, and even if he didn’t Jared doesn’t feel worthy of friendship or any sort of happiness.  Add to that is the undeniable and powerful attraction he feels for Aly. She’s all grown up and gorgeous! Their childhood connection is stronger than ever, but Jared knows he must resist or he’ll risk ruining yet another life.

Aly's never moved on since Jared left, but he’s back and she’s so happy at finally having the chance to show him how she feels.  But she’s also very worried. Aly can see the pain and self-blame coming off him in waves. Jared’s a mess, and he pushes Aly away every time she gets close.

My heart ached for both Jared and Aly.  With all the self-loathing Jared is wrapped up in, I knew this wasn’t going to be and easy ride and it wasn’t.  Still, I knew Jared wouldn’t be able to resist Aly for long, because the ache and desire between these two was palpable and intense.  He wants to protect and possess Aly at the same time, but he doesn’t feel worthy. 

“You make me fucking crazy, Aly. Dangerous. It’s like all I want to do is protect you even though I know I’m going to end up hurting you. And God, it kills me to think of hurting you.”

I grasped his face between urgent hands. “Then don’t.”

Jared found a safe haven and comfort in Aly, and I just desperately wanted things to work out for them! The mystery of their tragic past was slowly revealed, and some of it I guessed, but there was an uncanny revelation near the end that surprised me!

Come to Me Quietly is a beautiful romance filled with longing and tragedy, but also with hope, joy, and passion!  A.L. Jackson’s writing skillfully stirred up strong emotions and feelings, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Aly and Jared next.

Favorite Quote:

“What do you see in me?” For a moment she just looked at me, intensity pouring from her, before she drew me down to bring us chest to chest. Her breath came as a whisper across my ear. “I see beauty and pain. Joy and sorrow. I see the good and I see the bad…and I love it all.”

A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

5 Suns

About the Author: 

A.L. Jackson is the New York Times bestselling author of Take This Regret and Lost to You, as well as other contemporary romance titles, including Pulled and When We Collide.

She first found a love for writing during her days as a young mother and college student. She filled the journals she carried with short stories and poems used as an emotional outlet for the difficulties and joys she found in day-to-day life. 

Years later, she shared a short story she’d been working on with her two closest friends and, with their encouragement, this story became her first full length novel. A.L. now spends her days writing in Southern Arizona where she lives with her husband and three children. Her favorite pastime is spending time with the ones she loves.

Connect with A.L. Jackson

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And now for our giveaway!  For one lucky Waves of Fiction Bloglovin follower, we are offering a paperback copy of Come to Me Quietly by A.L. Jackson. Simply follow us via Bloglovin, fill out the rafflecopter and leave a thoughtful comment for the author or about the book. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Good luck!!

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