Blog Tour & Giveaway: Lost to You: A.L. Jackson

by - Friday, February 01, 2013


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People come into our lives. Some stay, and many go. Some build us up, while most tear us down. They become our friends, our enemies, our lovers, our tormentors. 

Christian Davison came into mine, and I knew I’d never be the same. 

To Elizabeth Ayers, New York City had always been a dream. She’s worked her entire young life to make it here.

Groomed to one day take over his father’s law firm, attending Columbia University was Christian Davison’s only option. 

Neither wanted anything more until they sat across from each other at a café table after being paired as study partners.

Christian wants her, but Elizabeth knows better than to give into their intense attraction. Yet there is little she can do to stay away. 

Lost to You, the prequel to the bestselling romance, Take This Regret. A New Adult novella, recommended for readers 17+. It’s unnecessary to have read Take This Regret to enjoy Lost to You.



This novella shows us how Christian and Elizabeth meet at at Columbia University. They are immediately drawn to each other. 

From the moment I saw her, I knew something about her was different. I just never imagine it would change my life. 

There was no way I could allow myself to get lost in this guy, and by the thoughts that smile had left swirling through my head--that stomach-flipping, heart-lurching, earth-shattering smile--I knew just how easily I could.

The way that they begin as study partners then develops into a deep meaningful friendship before becoming romantic is endearing and realistic. You can feel the want, the need, the deep feelings these two have for each other. They each filled a void for the other just by being each other's best friend. You can also understand their reluctance to ruin their special bond by making it romantic. Even though I have read Take This Regret and know what happens later, I was totally enthralled in the relationship of this couple. Their love story was so sweet and so beautiful. I did not want it to end. 

I love Elizabeth's strength, kindness, intelligence, and determination. And Christian was as swoon worthy as an 18 year old as he was in later life. Before meeting Elizabeth, Christian was a partier and one night stand magnet. But you begin to see that even though he is cocky and self assured, that he is also vulnerable. You learn more about the relationship with his parents and how they shaped his views on life. I loved seeing him realize his feelings and how protective he was of Elizabeth. 

"You don't even understand, Elizabeth. You've pretty much made me think I was losing my mind since the moment I met you."

But Christian was none of those things. He was complicated, both selfish and kind, thoughtful and mindless, generous with a tendency toward greed. 
And he was anything but plain. This beautiful man stole my breath with a simple look and had me shaking with the mere brush of his hand. 
Once, Christian had been a mistake I couldn't afford. Now, he's become someone I didn't want to live without.

It was hard to see them struggle at times during this book. It was such an emotional journey for them both. And it is set up just perfectly to lead right into Take This Regret. My heart just clinches thinking about it. 

"Don't ever leave me, Christian."
"I couldn't." 

I cannot say how much I adore A.L. Jackson's writing style. She just draws me in and I am gone. This was no exception. I devoured it in one sitting, absolutely loved it, and am about to go back and re-read Take This Regret now to continue their story uninterrupted. This was a sweet, beautiful love story and I am so glad that she chose to go back and tell it.

Thanks to AL Jackson for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. Release Date is January 31, 2013. 


See Kim's 5 star Reviews of Take This Regret and When We Collide
(see  below for your chance to win signed paperbacks of these books)



"The friendship we both needed was blossoming, growing, emerging into something indefinable."

I first found A.L.  Jackson when I read Take This Regret and I was so moved by her story of heartache and love that she instantly became a favorite of mine. I adore stories that are filled with angst, love, chemistry, mistakes and second chances. AL gives us all of this in Take This Regret, and she does it to perfection.

Lost to You is no different, other than it leans more towards a sweeter tale of how Christian and Elizabeth became to be. It held less drama and more character development into their history and why their relationship in Take This Regret was such a roller coaster filled with turmoil and distrust. However, it was by no means any less significant. The writing is flawless and the emotions executed were intense. The chemistry between them was off the wall, in and out of the bedroom.

"Christian had become a mainstay in  my life, my closest friend, the one who I felt securest with. He was a comfort that wrapped around my body and spread all the way to my bones whenever he was near."


The first time Christian saw Elizabeth he just knew he had to have her. It was lust at first sight. Elizabeth being the smart girl that she is denied him, knowing she would just be one of many girls. What I adored about this story was their relationship grew as a slow build up. It wasn't instant love, these two worked at finding what they so cherished. Their love grew from their friendship and their different fears of committing. Neither was what the other expected. I felt like the story also grew along with them, allowing the reader to fall just as much in love with them as they did each other. I was able to follow this with ease as I experienced their love story through both Christian and Elizabeth's eyes. I absolutely adore when an author tells us not only the story through the eyes of the heroine but also the hero. Everybody knows men and women never see things in the same light, so it makes it fun to see both perspectives.

"That night has been ingrained in my mind as one of the best and worst nights of my life...the night I first kissed you and was foolish enough to lose you all in the same heartbeat." 

While Lost to You was a sweet and loving side to their relationship, these two also had a few moments of turmoil. I felt it was fitting with the story line, and let's face it there is always bound to be some misunderstandings and insecurities when you are crossing the line from best friends to soul mates. There is so much more at stake if the relationship fails.

My heart broke for them, and I felt myself tearing up on more than one occasion. I think that this story meant so much more to me because I already knew the heartache and struggles that Christian and Elizabeth have gone through with their relationship in the previous book. Take This Regret shattered my heart and put it all back together again with AL's amazing writing, so I was able to really appreciate seeing this side of them. Having read Lost to You, I now see them in a different light, parts of their story from before are now clearer and make more sense to me. Promises were made and promises were broken. There is no easy way to come back from the consequences of that.

Thank you so much to A.L. Jackson for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Lost to You in exchange for an honest review and providing the giveaway.

 
Follow A.L. Jackson on Facebook and her blog. Purchase books by A.L Jackson on AmazonBarnes and Noble, and Smashwords.


A.L. Jackson 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 beautiful children. Her favorite pastime is spending time with the ones she loves.


Enter Giveaway Here:  
AL Jackson is graciously supplying us with a SIGNED PAPERBACK copy of your choice. You can chose from Take This Regret, Pulled, or When We Collide.
 

Sorry but only open in the US....
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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3 comments

  1. Read Lost to You last night and loved it! Haven't read Take This Regret yet, but can't wait -- I already love Elizabeth and Christian. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Take this Regret will rip you up and put you back together.

    ReplyDelete