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 … 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 . . .
more
AL Jackson did it again. Broken and put back together. This is classic AL Jackson and I loved it.
I have no words for this book . This book is just phenomenal. Wow ! I can put to words how I feel about this books . This book has all the feels and totally left me breathless and in awe with the brilliance of what a superb author AL Jackson is. This is hands down her best work to date. Hold on hope is one of those stories which leaves an impact on your heart and mind and stays with you for a very long time after you have finished the story.
The story was a perfect mix of romance, emotions angst . The characters and their emotions were so relatable. I loved Evan and Frankie . This book is a pure perfection and a masterpiece and shouldn’t be missed and deserves all the stars . A standing ovation to AL Jackson for this epic masterpiece.
This book is EPIC!!!
When I found out this was Frankie Leigh’s book I screamed, this little girl has own my heart since I met her in Show Me The Way. This story was truly beautiful, Evan and Frankie Leigh were epic. I laughed, cried, swooned… I could not put this book down at all, I loved this book so much!!!
I loved how Evan was so caring, sweet, and protective. He would do anything to protect who he loves. Evan had me wanting to jump in the book and hug him. Frankie Leigh, I have loved her since forever ago, so reading how she has grown up and what has been going on with her was amazing. I loved these two so much, they are fire. This is without a doubt A MUST READ!!!
Hold On To Hope
By A. L. Jackson
Hi! I’m Frankie Leigh and I love Evan Bryant! And, I gave him my whole heart!
What do you do when he took that heart and broke it into so many pieces that I wasn’t ever sure that I would ever be the same?
This story is MAGIC!
We visit Gingham Lakes and reminiscent with characters we’ve met and loved before. We remember the sweet girl and the sweet boy and the love of the childhood that they have had.
However, nothing is the same, it’s broken, everything is broken.
This is the story that reminds us how to love, really love with your whole heart. It’s still a heart even though it cracked and crushed. It’s in those pieces that are riven that they find the path back to love and to each other.
AL Jackson gives us a masterful story of a girl and a boy – if they delighted you as when they were five and eight, they are going to captivate you now.
Hold On To Hope is all about a love that latches onto your soul with no reservation, with no regrets, with no fear, and with no apology, it is that GOOD!
Have you ever been so lost in a story from the very beginning that you completely lost track of time and how much you’ve read? Before you know it, you’re turning the first page into the Epilogue and reading the last words. That’s exactly how I felt while reading Hold On To Hope. I’ve loved Frankie Leigh and Evan ever since we met them as little kids. These two were instant friends. Frankie didn’t think twice about inviting Evan into her world and that’s where the love began. Now as adults, they have an entirely different world to battle. They’ve both grown up and faced battles and made decisions that they never even imagined.
There’s a poetic quality to these stories. This entire series is interconnected in the best possible way. It’s hard to say that this one is my favorite. A series like this makes it difficult to choose, but I’ve had a special place in my heart for Evan ever since I met him. Regardless of his disability, he’s a fighter and always has been. He fights for what he wants and loves. And boy does he love Frankie Leigh! While this is a friend to lover story, it’s also about second chances, and not only between the main characters. There’s so much to love about this book.
Hold on to Hope was all that I hoped it would be and more. Evan and Frankie prove that true love speaks a language that transcends barriers. Whether you’re a fan of the Fight for Me series or reading Hold On To Hope as a standalone, you will enjoy getting immersed in the heartache, healing and hope Evan and Frankie Leigh’s story brings. 5 Stars for AL Jackson who meets and exceeds reader’s expectations.
A new friends-to-lovers from the master of angst – AL Jackson!!! I’m so excited for this release, it looks amazing!
When this book was announced by AL Jackson I debated if I wanted to read it right away. Why you might ask, well I have only read Show Me the Way the first book in the Fight for Me in which Hold on to Hope is a spin off from. I should have known better than to even think this author would not fill in the blanks so I did not feel lost at all. And there is the fact that I would have missed out of one of the most beautiful second chance romances.
Frankie Leigh and Evan’s story was simply incredible with characters that you just found yourself falling in love with. From the main characters to the secondary ones filled with all the family and small-town folks it was just love! And let’s not forget Everett and Milo in some of the cutest scenes!! A romance with a little suspense wrapped into the story. From start to finish this was perfection!!
First let me just say when I heard we we’re going to get Evan and Frankie Leighs story I was thrilled beyond belief. If you’ve read Ms Jackson’s Fight for me series, you know a little about the back story of these two characters, and while children in the previous books, they played an integral part of the story. As kids they we’re inseparable. The best of friends who looked out and took care of one another. Because of Evan’s medical disabilities, Frankie Leigh became Evan’s protector in some ways, always worrying and wanting to take care of him, but as they grew older those feelings of friendship began to change and deepen into a heart and soul kind of love. Eventually as time progresses Evan begins to feel like a burden to those who love him the most. Letting those feelings fester inside of him causes Evan to make a drastic decision that leaves the only girl he’s ever loved absolutely devastated.
Now three years later, and Evan is back in Gingham Lakes to the shock of everyone, especially Frankie Leigh, and the only thing is, he’s not alone. Ms Jackson tells a beautiful and heartbreaking story of friendship, first loves and forgiveness. She expertly uses the past history of the characters to let the reader become more engrained with the story, giving us every look into their lives, and the emotional road that lies ahead for all of them. Things wont be easy for them, because little do they know danger is lurking all around them, all while trying to rekindle a lost love, and secrets from the past that could destroy everything!!! This second chance love story is flawlessly written, told in dual povs, with lots of drama and angst. This is one of my top reads for 2019!!
Reading Progress
A.L. Jackson does it again with her new release Hold on to Hope. She has this way to tear your heart apart before she puts it back together, and her latest book is no different.
If you were waiting for the story of Frankie Leigh and Evan with desperate anticipation, it was worth it. All the angsty, drama-filled love is packed into their story and will keep coming at you until the very end.
A.L. has always been one of my favorites and continues to be able to fill me from top to toe with all the feels.
*5 Hopeful Stars *
If you read and loved, like me, the Fight for Me Series then you would have met and fallen in love with little Frankie Leigh and Evan, two adorable children that almost stole the story. I think AL Jackson was very brave to write their story as she knew how much they would be loved and she honestly knocked it out of the park.
Once I started this book I was completely hooked and didn’t want to put it down. I mean seriously, adulting would just have to wait! AL Jackson has delivered one flawless book that’s well paced and completely grips you from beginning to end on this emotional rollarcoaster. I am not even going to lie, tissues will be needed.
Whilst this can be read as a standalone I would recommend reading the Fight For Me Series as these characters are family, not by blood but by choice, their stories, what brings them together and binds them is important. Plus its an awesome series so why wouldn’t you want too.
Frankie Leigh and Evan are all grown up now. Their childhood friendship has grown into something so much more, these two are soulmates, the other half to each others souls. They were so close until the day Evan left without notice. He walked away from the girl he loved and his family for three years. Now he is back as he needs his families help and realising leaving was the worst mistake but he is going to do whatever he has to fix it and win his girl back
How does A. L. Jackson do it? So emotional. So swoony. So, so good. LOVE!!!!
Evan and Frankie, a story full of emotions, their chemistry is undeniable, the mystery behind it all will keep you reading, the suspense will have you on edge and the romance will swoon you away until the last page. This book is a beautiful story on how they find their way back to each other. The heartache is worth it, this is a story I wanted to read but now I encourage everyone to read it you will be surprised by it all.
Okay, so if you know me at all, you know how I feel about a good tear-jerker. Get the tissues, and get ready to Hold on to Hope!
A steamy page-turner from the amazing A.L. Jackson!
Love, love, loved this book so so much. No one does angst like AL Jackson!
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 . . .
AL Jackson is a master of her craft – even her titles give me the feels she puts in every one of her books! It’s this aching need – I LOVE IT!!
You have to read this book!
Give me a childhood friends to lovers story and I’m sold!
I was right to be excited about Frankie Leigh and Evan’s story.
I think A. L. Jackson gave us the perfect book for these two because it hit the mark on all points on what I wanted to see for Frankie Leigh and Evan.
When you go in on a book by this author, expect to be torn apart and then pieced back together in the most beautiful way. Her characters love hard, play hard, fall hard and always have a hard road ahead, but the outcome is worth all the pain.
Hold On To Hope most definitely fits that mold and had me absolutely in love with these two.
Boy and girl are best friends.
Girl loves boy forever and always.
Boy feels the same but doesn’t think he deserves her, so when he can, he leaves her.
All grown up, the woman still loves the man.
The man still loves the woman…..and now he’s back.
Their journey is filled with obstacles, secrets and pain, but it just goes to show you, when there’s a little bit of hope….love can truly conquer all.
This is a stand alone but I would highly recommend picking up the Fight For Me Series so you can get to know them when they were young and become addicted to the characters you meet in this book (if you haven’t already).
Any and all books are (to me) a must read by this author and I can’t wait to see what’s next in her lineup.
4 stars
I wanted to read this book just because it was A.L. Jackson. It was on my TBR even without me reading the blurb so when I actually started reading it I screamed because I didn’t know it was about Evan and Frankie Leigh. I loooooved FIGHT FOR ME series and I loved them as kids, so it was a pleasant surprise to read about them as adults.
Evan and Frankie known each other since they were really young. They grew together and became best friends that love each other more than anything. When they became adults something happened and Evan thought it was best to leave town. A few years later he comes back because he have to figure out something and then he finally figure out that Frankie is really the love of his life.
It was amazing being back in this world. I enjoyed that the old couples were here too. I also fell in love right away with the new character. It was love at first sight the same way he captured Frankie’s heart and attention. And OMG! The way Frankie and Evan love each other? I want a love like that!
I only think that was so little parts about the mystery it was thrown in the story and it also was resolved SO fast, in just a few pages. But the parts about the hero and heroine? That was amazing!!! As I said it, I loved them in SHOW ME THE WAY and FOLLOW ME BACK and my love for them only increased here. Evan is still the most beautiful boy inside out.
HOLD ON TO HOPE is about two things I adore in a book: friends to lovers and second chances. I cried a little bit at the end because Evan and Frankie, like their parents, have the biggest heart in the world. I really recommend it.