Book Review | Hold On To Hope – A.L. Jackson (Fight For Me Series, Book Four)

Hold On To Hope
By: A.L. Jackson

Series: Fight For Me
Book # In Series: 4 of 4
Trope: Small Town Romance
Publisher: A.L. Jackson Books Inc.
Publication Date: October 28th, 2019
Format: Kindle ARC received from the author
Rating: 5 stars

Blurb:

A best friends-to-lovers, stand-alone romance from New York Times Bestselling Author, A.L. Jackson . . .

Evan Bryant wasn’t your typical hero.
But he was mine.
Broken by the worlds’ standards, he was still the strongest boy I would ever know.
My best friend. The boy I’d given everything to. My heart, my body, and the promise of forever.
The day I’d needed him most, he walked away.
He left me shattered and questioning the love I’d thought we’d shared.

Three years later, I wasn’t prepared for him to return to Gingham Lakes.
It wouldn’t have mattered if he wasn’t the most beautiful man I’d ever seen.
My fingers still would have ached to caress his skin.
My body still would have begged to get lost in his touch.
And my heart . . . it would have always sung his name.
But time changes things. With it, secrets that could ruin everything.
Can we find a way to love again, or have the fears of our past stolen the hope of our forever . . .

Evan and Frankie Leigh are two of my most favorite characters ever. So when I heard they were getting their own story I was over the moon excited! I entered this book with no expectations and I finished it with my heart feeling more full and happier than it’s ever felt, while reading, before. This story touched a place deep in my soul.

In My Own Words:

All Evan wanted was a chance to live on his own without someone always looking over his shoulder. Not only that he also wanted to spare his family and friends the ultimate hurt when his time eventually ran out. And because of his heart transplant he knew it would run out sooner than most people’s lives. So one night he ups and leaves everyone he loves behind.

Frankie Leigh felt immense heartbreak the day she woke up to find a note from her best friend and the love of her life telling her to let him go. Now three year’s later, that heartbreak still continues to seep into her soul. But she’s found it in herself to patch the break and move on.

That is until her former best friend comes riding into town with a two year old baby boy at his side. Frankie Leigh never thought her heartbreak could worsen. Well she hasn’t felt anything yet.

My Thoughts:

Since the very first moment I was introduced to both Frankie Leigh and Evan, It was love at first sight. As children I connected to them on such an emotional level, it felt a little surreal. So when I found out that A.L. Jackson was not only bringing them back but also giving them their own story, I was over the freaking moon.

When Hold On To Hope landed on my kindle I stopped everything that was going on that day and sat down in a quiet room and dove into this book…. And I didn’t leave that room until I finished Evan and Frankie Leigh’s story. So believe me when I say, pick this book up on a day you have absolutely nothing going on. This story will consume you.

I absolutely adored Frankie Leigh as a child, but as an adult…this woman is unstoppable. I loved everything about her from the emotions to the strength she showed. My heart broke throughout this whole story for her, but it especially broke when her secrets were exposed. I’m not even kidding when I say I felt ALL THE FEELS.

Evan is a very relatable character. Everyone has felt, in one point of their life, the suffocation that surrounds them in the form of a worrisome family. So Evan did the only thing he could think to do in this kind of survival. He ran and tried to find a new life of his own without everyone looking over his shoulder and waiting for the time when he takes his final breath. I completely understand why he ran and I admired his strength when it came to turning his back on not only his family, but his support system in order to find a life that was truly his own. Most would see this as a sign of weakness, but I only found true strength in his actions. Evan touched a place in my soul. I’ll never forget this character or his story.

Overall, Hold On To Hope was a wonderful story with a lot to take in. The immense emotion spilling from each and every page is just one of the reasons why I kept coming back for more. I loved seeing the adult versions of Frankie Leigh and Evan. To be honest, there wasn’t a single moment I didn’t love about this novel. A.L. Jackson hit this one right out of the ballpark. She definitely brought all the feels to this second chance romance.

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