Blog Tour and Giveaway: In the End: Erika Ashby
In
the End
Erika Ashby
*Novella-Prequel to Moving Forward*
Jake Reynolds’ life had always been perfectly mapped out for him as he was growing up. The only time he ever felt like he had any control over it was when he was inside the cage—the same cage that held no for sure outcome. In his twisted mind being inside that ring with his opponent was the most freeing feeling. In that moment alone he was able to let his perfected guard down and be who he wanted to be.
From the outside looking in, everything about Jake’s life looked perfect, but he knew that he wasn’t. His whole life had been set up for him before he was even born, and even though it’s not the life he wanted, he continued living it.
When you have everything you could ever want at your fingertips, why screw it up?
That was his mindset until the night Jesika showed up at his fight. He knew she was different from the get-go. He also knew he didn’t deserve her, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to try. Jake had skills inside and out of the cage and he was known to always get what he wanted no matter the risk. But was he willing to change who he had always been in order to keep the one that he thought was worth the fight? Will it all be worth it in the end?
Other Books in this series:
Book 1: Moving Forward: Jesika and Derek's story:Goodreads/Amazon/B&N/Kim's 4.5 star review
Book 2: No Going Back: Seth and Mallory's story:
Goodreads /Amazon/B&N/Kim's 4.5 star review
Upcoming Book 3: Holden and Danielle's story Save Me From Me: Goodreads
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They say the moment you know you're going to die that your life will flash before your eyes. I never really believed that to be fucking true until the moment it happened to me.Finally we get to see Jake's letter that Erika Ashby taunted us with at the end of No Going Back! He left a letter for Jesika with Douglas but for some reason he held onto it for two years after Jake's death before delivering it.
Now in Moving Forward we learned of Jake's lies and secrets and his death set off a domino effect in the lives of Jesika and Derek. We were supposed to dislike Jake and I did. He had done some bad things, had lied to his wife, and he died before giving us his story other than the little bit in the prologue.
But in this short novella pre-quel, we finally get Jake's story and I have to say that it made me really like him. Yeah, he made mistakes, but you could feel his love for Jesika and Jaxon, and my heart literally broke for him. This novella takes us through his very long, deep, heartfelt confession letter surrounded by the story of how he and Jesika met and a short version of their relationship until his death. We get the full story of the night he made his big mistake. It also delves into more with his relationship with his cousin Holden and why he left.
"You're mine, baby. All. Of. You...And I'm yours. All. Of. Me. I love you Jesika, and I've never loved anything in my life. you are the exception."
This really tied together things from both Moving Forward and No Going Back. And even though I knew the outcome, I felt the love, the heartbreak, the guilt, and the fear from Jake all the same. Yeah, he should have come clean with her sooner and he did plan to. But we all know that did not happen. I loved his point of view. He was foul-mouthed, determined, and knew what he wanted. His emotions were raw and powerful. His letter was intense, passionate, and contained full disclosure and honesty. It was a poignant, heartfelt story from a man who made a mistake that changed his life and the accident that changed the lives of his family.
"I love you Jesika. More than you will ever know and I hope that in the end, you realize that."
So if you have read this series, definitely go back and read about Jake. And if you have not started this series, then read In the End and follow it up with Moving Forward and No Going Back. It makes me look more forward to Holden's book Save Me From Me.
Thanks to Erika Ashby for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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Being born an "Army Brat", Erika Ashby has been residing in Oklahoma the last 10 years finally putting an end to the nomad tendencies she had grown accustomed to. She's a happily married woman who has 5 kids between her and her husband. She has an insane passion for music and embraces her Inner Groupie any chance she has. It wasn't until the age of 29 that she realized she also had a hidden passion for reading; before then she claimed to have hated it. Six months after unlocking that deep desire she never knew she held, she turned the key to another chapter of her life which has become the desire to write. And the rest is still history in the making.
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