New York Times bestselling author Lorelei James kicks-off her Want You Series with a Lund family cousin hot enough to melt the ice and mend a broken heart.Former NHL star Jaxson Lund has returned to the Twin Cities, but he’s at loose ends, unsure if he belongs at Lund Industries, or where he stands with Lucy, his ex-girlfriend and mother of his daughter, Mimi. Despite the signs she’d like to … signs she’d like to leave him in the penalty box, the attraction burning between them reinforces his determination to prove that he deserves a second chance…
Lucy Quade is in a good place with a steady job, a nice apartment, and a well-adjusted daughter, which is why she’s hesitant when Jax insists on co-parenting. It’s not that Lucy doesn’t trust Jax…she’s just unconvinced he can handle multiple responsibilities when he’s been singularly focused on playing hockey. But when issues arise with Mimi, Lucy’s shocked at how levelheaded and paternal he acts, giving her a glimpse of the Jax she used to know, the sexy, sweet man she fell for years ago.
Once Lucy lets her guard down, Jax goes all in to show her how good they are together, but will their past remain too large an obstacle to ever overcome?
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Somehow I think this book is the best I have read in this series, I know this is a spin-off of sorts but I love the Lund family and this book hits me in all the spots.. I really loved Jax and Lucy; these two have dealt with every possible situation as a couple and as co-parents but they have found a way to make it through. It is not always easy or quick but love like this refuses to be denied!
Jax has made some serious mistakes in his life but his biggest regret is the way he handled things with Lucy and Memes and now he is determined to make it right…
Lucy has never expected much from men but Jax hurt her and now she is trying to move on, but her heart isn’t ready yet…
Definitely a must read book, you will fall in love with this family as quickly as I did!
This was a wonderful second chance romance. I really liked the ups and downs as Jaxson and Lucy come together and fall in love all over again. It was sweet and playful, emotional and intense. I enjoyed it all!
Ms. Lorelei James rocked my reading world hard with I Want You Back. In a world created within written pages, Ms. James takes a fantasy like situation, enriches it with real life trials, temptations and events giving this reader her first 5 star read of the year.
Jaxson Ludd had everything any man could want. The beautiful woman at his side, the angel of a daughter, a family that loves and supports him and a career that he loves. Jaxson tossed a good bit of that out the window when his fame and excess became more important than his real life. Jaxson hit rock bottom, paid a price, got help with his addiction and is back. Ready to make amends, right some wrongs and be the man he should have been before.
Lucy Quade’s life has been shaken up once again. Basically easing her daughter as a single parent. Now with the ex back, and to stay, he’s found a way to insert himself into her everyday life. While happy that her daughter has her father in her life on a more regular basis, the emotional turmoil, both good and bad, that man creates within her, makes Lucy crazy. He all but broke her, yet he creates so much for and within her, she can hardly see straight.
There are so many things I loved about I Want You Back. Two people who came together to learn to be good parents for their child. Jaxson and Lucy are an amazing couple who worked painstaking hard to get themselves where they wanted to be. The baggage these two carry would cost a good portion of Jax’s fortune to fly. The characters are complex with layers that have layers. They grow personality and together throughout the story. I loved Jaxson stepping up to be a real father, not just the fun dad who gives and gives. While Jax royalty messed things up, Lucy was not without fault and she owned up to it. The way Ms. James places the flashbacks of the story are seamless and comes off like a daydream. While giving wonderful insight to the characters and story. I adore the solid family bonds and connections. Which if you have read Ms. James you will know is one of the pieces of the foundation of her stories.
I Want You Back is an emotional, eye opening and thought provoking read. Jaxson and Lucy will break your heart, put it back together all while dancing a slow dance of attraction and chemistry, remembering the past while trying to have a future. Ms. James gave me everything I needed, wanted and more.
Disclaimer- I’m not a sports fan in any, way, shape or form. Actually hate sports is a description for what I feel about sports. Hockey plays a huge part of I Want You Back and yet not enough to outright over power the story. There was a particular blow off some steam skating session that turned into a very humorous scene that I very much enjoyed.
Jaxson Lund has everything he could want a successful hockey career, successful business, and a family that wants him to be the next CEO of Lund Industries. Well almost everything, he has to prove to the woman he loves that he is hanging around and that she can trust him.
Lucy Quade has been raising their daughter on her own for the last eight years while Jaxon fulfilled his dream of playing hockey and traveling the world. She doesn’t trust him with her heart but when it comes to their daughter she’s all in and they are a parenting team. Jaxson is keeping secrets from her like the fact that he bought the top floor of the building she’s living in, the bar they met, and how much he really just wants her.
I loved these characters their story was one that was touching, easy to relate to, and they were always throwing little curveballs at us. I love the Lund family, they are always there for one another and have each others backs whether they are brothers or cousins. After Jax’s major screwups and secret reveals I was happy to see that they got the HEA we were hoping for and their daughter eventually came around too.
Received ARC in exchange for voluntary honest review.
I don’t give 5 stars often but when I do, it’s because the book and author deserve it. I would give this one more than 5 stars, if I could. This story about Jax and Lucy was worth the wait. (I hate waiting for a new book from Ms James, I understand it and was worth it). The fact that Jax was a hockey player was icing on the cake for me, love hockey much more than football or baseball. Both Jax and Lucy were quick witted, the dialogue easy to read. When I met both Lucy and Jax from previous books, I wasn’t sure how I would like them. Jax came across as a spoiled, cocky athlete and Lucy came across as not very nice. Wasn’t sure how I would like a whole book dedicated to their story. Boy, was I wrong. I should have had more confidence in Lorelei’s writing because this is probably my favorite of all of her books and that says a lot. I love all of her books, which I can’t say for any other author that I read. All I can say is “Run, don’t walk” to read this book. You don’t have to read the previous books about the other Lund family members, but it helps to get to know the family’s history.
4.5 stars
My love for Lorelei James knows no bounds.
Her Need You series (where this series spins off of) is one of my favorites, so my LJ standards are always set very high.
No disappointment here. For reference, Jaxson is in the Need You series and has some very serious addiction issues and is a real jerk.
I Want You You Back is Jax’s chance at redemption with his family, his ex and his daughter. I’ll admit to some frustration with Lucy but I understood her own frustration with Jax and all the crap he put her and her daughter through.
I loved I Want You Back, it’s a fantastic redemption and second chance love story.
Lorelei James always sets the bar high and with I Want You Back she has once again blown me away. The second chance story between Jaxson Lund and Lucy Quade is not only a story between two jilted lovers, but also a story about their precocious daughter, Mimi, a story about reconnecting with family, and a story about rebuilding a new life upon a lot of burned ashes.
I once heard that falling off the wayward path isn’t done in just one step. It begins with stepping off the trail, yes, but since you have the opportunity to step right back on the path it’s easy to right your wrong. However, the more you commit that act, hence stepping off the path again and again, eventually that trail you’ve taken gets further and further away. It eventually leads to more bad decisions until it becomes the norm of your everyday life. The good news is you always have the opportunity to find your way back from the wayward path, but just like stepping off wasn’t done in one step, neither is finding your way back.
What exactly am I talking about?
Jaxson Lund had stepped off the path and didn’t like the man he had become. He hid it well because no one in his family knew, nor his teammates, or even the media had caught wind of the mess he’d made of his life. However, once he decided to wake up and finally make a change, he began by walking that long road towards the man he used to be. What kept him up nights, he worried if it was too late and all the damage he had caused would be forgiven. Would the people in his life forgive all the wrongs he had done while he had living on the wrong path?
Lucy Quade had been a single mom since the day Mimi, their daughter, had been born. Jaxson made her life miserable most of the time given he was an absent father, an alcoholic, and self-absorbed. There was a point early on in their relationship when she had loved him, but it also hadn’t surprised when Jaxson proved her right knowing that all men cheat and all men leave. When Jaxson retired from hockey and moved back to Minnesota full time, she wasn’t sure how their strained relationship would factor into spending time with their daughter. She wasn’t about to dwell on the how’s and why’s he seemed different than all the other times he’d attempted to visit in the past, but frankly she was tired of arguing and perhaps she owed it to their daughter to get along.
This is a beautiful story of redemption, not only in Jaxson’s life, but for those IN his life. Let’s face it, we all get wiser, or should, as we age. We learn from mistakes and grow from those mistakes. I Want You Back is so much more than just a love story. The title is the perfect homage to everything the journey of the story leads the reader on. Getting back to a better you. Getting back to better relationships. Getting back to a better work life. Getting back to parenthood. Getting back the love you’ve missed. Just getting back to you. Jaxson and Lucy want to get back to each other, but it’s a tangled road that they both have to walk alone before they can reach the same destination.
One last note…One of my favorite scenes is when Mimi is acting out, basically being a demon child, because let’s face it, those of us with children, who’ve watched children, even been around children know what those moments are like. Children, even good children can turn into satan and we don’t want them anywhere near us, but unfortunately we are the adult and have to deal with the demonic child. In I Want You Back in this particular moment of frustration Mimi bursts into tears and cries for her mommy after being all kinds of hellish for poor Jaxson. Jax is smacked with the ugly truth that even though he may love his child he doesn’t like her very much and he silently wishes for his mommy too. I’ve personally had moments with my own children such as these and I love my children dearly, did I always like their behavior…eh. Lorelei brings her characters into my house where I have lived these tiny moments and that is why her books are so special to me. Her writing is family.
Thank you Lorelei James for making me part of your family!!
I’ve been waiting for Jaxson’s story since he was first introduced in the series probably because I am a huge hockey fan and it is one of my favorite sports to read about. After everything that Jax has done I wasn’t sure if he could be redeemed but I am so happy he was.
While playing in the NHL he let the fame & party atmosphere influence him and it cost him the love of his life and to miss quite a few years of his daughter’s life. He is now retired and sober and ready to concentrate on what’s important- his family. I love how we get to see how Jax and Lucy met and how they feel about the time they were together. Jax has a lot to make up for and with Lucy’s trust issues stemming from her childhood & what Jax did to her he has a rough battle ahead of him. He slowly shows both her and Mimi that he is there to stay and be there for them from now on through little & not so little gestures. At the same time he is trying to figure out what he wants to do with the rest of his life. He is expected to join the family business but is not sure if that is the best fit. I love Mimi she is great and I love how she had a true and honest reaction to the fact that her parents are going to give being together another try. The question is can they make it work after Jax reveals his biggest secret of all? I Want You Back is a fantastic second chance story that I highly recommend. I cannot wait to see where this series goes from here.
Lorelei James has scored another goal with this book. The spin off from the Need You Series, this book was so witty, comical, down to earth, real problem solving type events. I loved Jackson and Lucy’s story so much.
Jaxson Lund, has retired from NFL hockey after his bad boy ways lost him the only thing that he truelly loved. He’s now back in his home town and making things right. Including being a father to his daughter.
But his biggest plan is to get his family back. Now he must open up and reveal his secrets to Lucy. He only hopes that she gives him a second chance.
Whilst reading the blurb for I Want You Back, I was instantly intrigued, but more so worried than any thing. See, Lorelei James is a new author to me, so I was not sure of her writing style, or if she would write about some major NO GOES of mine, with this certain kind trope. She surprised me in so many ways, especially the way she went about Jax and Lucy’s story. James, wrote their story in such a classy way, even though this book features anything but , if that makes sense. Jax and Lucy’s story was most definitely not an easy one, there was many hardships. Hardships, that at times were hard to swallow. This author had an astronomical way of making their story seem, so authentic, so real, that I felt at times, I questioned if this was a work of fiction or not. The banter was absolutely astounding, and one I can very much relate to. I also am usually not a fan of past and present in books, but Lorlei sure knows how to weave the past and present so well together, that it made the story, that much more realistic. I applaud this author for not following in line with most authors, when it comes to most attributes of the Hero. She hit many points that are most definitely not common in the romance world. That took guts and what sets her apart from other authors. I am trying to cautious of what I write, because in order for you to understand either Jaxon or Lucy’s actions, you have to go back to the past and see why things are the way they are. You will better understand, the need for redemption, even though it may not be deserved. It may even make you look at your own situation a bit differently, like it did me. Sometimes in life, it takes one thing to change the course of the rest of your life, but what you do with that information, is entirely up to you.
*I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK A MILLION TIMES!
*Reviews For Reviews From The Heart
This book is everything. I loved it so much. Jax is sweet, responsible, strong, loving and vulnerable all at the same time. This is just the best story.
Jaxson Lund knows he hasn’t been a good father, for the last eight years he has only made a few attempts to spend time with his daughter. His career in the NHL has kept him on the road and away from her, but it’s also enabled him to make excuses to not be around for her, and her mother Lucy too. He has spent the last few years drinking, carousing with women, and trying to get over being crushed by the woman he loved. But no matter how many liquor bottles he fell to the bottom of, or nights he spent with random women, he just couldn’t stop the feelings for Lucy from bubbling to the surface.
When Lucy found out she was expecting he offered to help her, but his intentions didn’t seem genuine, and he wasn’t exactly giving off a responsible air, or making her feel welcome in his life. Not to mention it would have required her to give up a lot of her own, so she decided to do it on her own. But a lot has changed for him in the last eight years, and he wants to prove to her, and his daughter, that he is a better man… he just has to hope they’ll believe him, and be willing to give him a shot.
As soon as I read the synopsis for I Want You Back something about it struck a cord with me, and made me feel like I needed to read it, and I am so happy my instincts lead me to it. This one was really tough on my heart, and gave my emotions a serious work-out, but there was a beauty to be discovered there too. The situation these characters found themselves tangled up in seemed impossible. But little by little I saw growth and forgiveness, a relationship start to take shape, and eventually love begin to bloom, but not without a few setbacks. This was such a beautifully crafted story, it shined a light on addiction, and also showed the importance of forgiveness. I really encourage anyone who stumbles across this one to take a chance on it, within it’s pages you’ll meet some endearing characters, that have an unforgettable story to tell.
I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, via NetGalley, and I am leaving my honest and unbiased opinion.