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

Come to Me Softly (Closer to You #2) by A.L. Jackson

Publication Date: June 24th 2014 by NAL

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

About the book:

From the New York Times bestselling author of Come to Me Quietly comes a scorching new adult romance in the Closer to You series.

A second chance at life…
A second chance at love…

Jared Holt never thought he deserved either—until he found both in the arms of Aly Moore. Aly has loved Jared for as long as she can remember, and she’s more than ready for the future they’re making together. But Jared can’t help remembering his own family. And he’ll never forgive himself for what happened to them. How can he allow himself the very happiness he once destroyed?

To live a life worthy of Aly, Jared knows he has to stop running and finally put his past to rest. But when he decides to face his demons head on, he encounters more than he bargained for: a dangerous mix of jealousy, lies, and dishonest intentions. When those intentions threaten Aly, Jared loses all control, giving into the rage that earned him his bad boy reputation years before. And he’ll fight to protect her no matter what it costs…even if he destroys himself in the process.

My Thoughts:

*******Spoilers ahead if you haven’t read the first book.*******

Come to Me Softly picks up with Aleena and Jared’s reunion after three months apart when he realizes he can’t live without her and comes back.  Jared is both scared and cautiously excited about Aly’s pregnancy, but he’s is still haunted by the guilt from his past.  Jared feels he doesn’t deserve Aly or the happiness she bring, but he’s no longer willing to part with her.  So these two commit and resolve to do whatever it takes to make it work.

Aly is beyond thrilled that Jared came back, but at the back of her mind she knows that if Jared doesn’t deal with his guilt and pain they won’t ever be able to make a true go of things.  But Aly’s willing to be patient for Jared to realize that he is worthy of their happy future.

“God, Aly, what did I ever do to deserve you?”

I pressed myself to him, to his gorgeous body and the power that radiated from his spirit. That warmth covered me whole. “It doesn’t work like that.  We don’t earn love…it’s a gift we’re given.”

My heart went out to Jared both in this story and the first one, because he shouldered so much guilt and pain that he clearly didn’t deserve.  I was excited that he wised up enough to realize that he and Aly belonged together. These two were meant to be from childhood.  I wanted nothing more than for these two to have their HEA because unrequited love stories always get to me, and there were big payoffs in this installment in that regard. They are so utterly sweet together, and you just feel the intense, burning passion they have for each other.  But I knew as a reader that Jared was ticking time bomb waiting to explode.  I was happy that it wasn’t near as bad as I expected and that Jared and Aly dealt with things pretty maturely.

Come to Me Softly is beautifully written, and A.L. Jackson really can make you feel all the powerful emotions of her characters.  But here’s the tricky part, while I did really enjoy this story, I didn’t love it. I felt Jared and Aly’s inner thoughts were too repetitive.  Their feelings on each other and the battles they faced were repeated over and over and I ended up skimming parts because it was too much for me. I just wanted the story to move on.  I feel like this story could’ve been shortened by about 50-100 pages.  Still, even with that issue, my heart soared with joy for Jared and Aly by the end.

 3.5 Suns

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The publisher generously provided a Paperback copy of Come to Me Softly to one Waves of Fiction follower. Open US residents only.  Just fill the rafflecopter for a chance to win.

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