One wouldn’t expect a sexy-as-sin rocker like Eli Renard to spend time with a woman just as a friend, but that’s exactly what Emersyn Wallace is to him. Just a friend. Even though she’s matured into a beauty, Eli still doesn’t remotely see his childhood pal as a sex-object. When tragedy brings her back into his world, Eli moves mountains to help Emersyn get back on her feet by finding her a job … job as a backup singer for Jacob’s Ladder. At first, Eli is thrilled that Emerysn is along on tour, and he sets out to do his best to help her forget her sorrow through a range of crazy friend dates. But after spending so much time with her in such close quarters, Eli finds his feelings beginning to shift. He no longer sees Emersyn as the once awkward young girl he played some of his first songs with. Soon it’s not only his body that reacts to her, but it’s also his heart. He’s about to learn what a dangerous game it is to dry a widow’s tears.
After losing her husband and singing partner in a tragic accident, Emersyn Wallace spent the last eight months drowning in a sea of grief. With the bills piling up and her family and friends concerned about her emotional welfare, she reluctantly agrees to join the Jacob’s Ladder’s tour. While recapturing her lost love of singing and performing, she finds both comfort and healing in Eli’s gregarious personality and outrageous sense of humor. But as the anniversary of her husband’s death approaches, she finds herself in turmoil over her new amorous feelings for Eli.
Can Eli and Emersyn find the perfect melody to transition from friends to lovers, or will their relationship end out of tune?
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Katie Ashley is a super talented writer. I love her sexy character driven stories with lots of heart.
This was such a perfect friends to lover read! I loved Ms. Ashley’s books since I first read The Proposition series. Eli and Emersyn’s story is so sweet and a little heartbreaking. I couldn’t wait to figure out what will truly happen with the couple at the end.
Emersyn (Sonny) Wallace and Eli Renard have been best friends for over 20 years, since they were 10 years old. They love each other like brother and sister and know about what is going on with each other’s lives. When tragedy struck Emersyn, Eli was there to help his friend get through the hardest time of her life. He and his siblings even offered her a job playing with their band, Jacob’s Ladder.
As they tour together, Eli is always making sure that Sonny is ok with everything that is happening around her. He always knows what she needs before she even realizes what she needs. He is always there to cheer her up and they do fun and crazy things together. Once each of them start to realize that they have romantic feelings toward each other, they both fight their feelings because they are afraid to lose their friendship. Sonny and Eli each struggle on their own with their growing feelings for each other and it just breaks your heart to watch these 2 soulmates afraid to confess their true feelings. Eli has the added issues of thinking that he will always come in second best with Sonny’s past. When they both finally confess their feelings to each other, it is great to see how perfect they are for each other. They just have a few obstacles to overcome with their pasts.
Eli is the perfect friend and partner. He knows how to enjoy life but also knows how to care for the people that he loves. And the things that he comes up with to show Sonny how to have fun is creative and funny! I really love this couple!
First off: this book has a bonus with novel at the end.
Eli and Gabe were twins and Eli is the more fun-loving one.some say men and women cannot be best friends but that is not true between Eli and Emersyn. These two have a lot of history together and when Emersyn needs him most Eli there. Will this be a friends two lovers story? You will need to read to find out.
Awesome read!!! Eli and Emersyn’s story has all of the feels. Get a fan for the video scene. Then an extinguisher for the hotel scene. Lots of angst that goes along with this friends to lovers story. There is a solid storyline that will keep you invested from beginning to end. The epilogue was priceless. Highly recommend.
Friends to lovers. Eli and Sonny have been best friends since they were 10. We see all the emotions involved in falling for your best friend. Mostly being scared. With these two it’s not just them involved, their families are very close also. This was an emotional ride that you will be sure to love.
NO SPOILERS!
Jacob’s Ladder: Eli was absolutely amazing and more perfect that I ever could have imagined! It was a sweet, sexy, emotional, and utterly romantic standalone contemporary romance, and I loved it with all of my heart! The storyline and characters were phenomenal, and I loved Katie Ashley’s writing style. I have read many romances from this author over the years, and Jacob’s Ladder: Eli was definitely one of my top favorites, if not THE top favorite. I hope all of you love Eli and Emersyn’s story as much as I did!
Eli and Emersyn were amazing and I adored them and their story so much. I loved their personalities, red-hot chemistry, and deep friendship/connection they had together. I loved how their relationship progressed throughout, and even though there were a few rocky moments here and there, I truly loved reading every single word of this story. I loved reading the book from both Eli and Emersyn’s POV, and all of their banter and interactions with each other. I absolutely love the friends-to-lovers trope, and Jacob’s Ladder: Eli didn’t disappoint whatsoever. It completely exceeded my expectations, and I was truly ecstatic with the conclusion to Eli and Emersyn’s story. It honestly made me so happy and was more perfect than I could have dreamed possible. The secondary characters were amazing as well, and I loved seeing several familiar faces from previous books.
Jacob’s Ladder: Eli was a sweet, sexy, emotional, and swoon-worthy standalone contemporary romance, and I absolutely loved it! Katie Ashley did an excellent job with this book, and I was more than happy with the outcome to Eli and Emersyn’s story. I loved and adored Jacob’s Ladder: Eli with all of my heart and soul, and would highly recommend it and the entire Runaway Train and Jacob’s Ladder series! I love Katie Ashley’s books so much, and can’t wait to read more!
Eli and Emersyn have been friends for a long time. When Emersyn experiences a tragedy in her life, Eli steps up as a friend to help. This is a friends to lovers romance. A wonderful read!
I received an arc and am voluntarily leaving a review.
4 to 4.5 stars
Eli and Emersyn have been best friends since they were ten years old, so they have shared pretty much every major event in each other’s lives. When Emersyn got married, Eli was there to help her celebrate and when her husband died unexpectedly he was there to hold her up in her time of need. When Emersyn falls into depression, Eli and the guys offer her an opportunity to go on tour with them. They see it as a win/win: they get a talented performer who is a known entity, and they can help her find her way back to a little bit of happiness again. Fortunately she agrees!
Eli has been thinking about the future more now that Abby and Gabe have found their significant others, but he has never considered Emersyn in that light. They have an easy connection and camaraderie but neither can understand why outsiders continually assume they are a couple. Oh, to be on the outside looking in…
Slowly realization starts to creep in for both Eli and Emersyn, and close proximity leaves them nowhere to hide from newly discovered feelings. There is a great range of reactions from horror, disbelief and guilt all the way to sweet and then sexy moments that leave them in need of a fan! Ms. Ashley takes them – and the reader- on a wonderfully heartbreaking and heartwarming journey that I really enjoyed!
A wonderful friends to lovers HEA! I loved this book and the way that all the cross over characters get molded into this book! Katie Ashley does it again getting me to feel all the emotions and to invest in story! Great Read!
Jacob’s Ladder by Author Katie Ashley is a story of friend zone limbo between Emersyn and Eli. They are both afraid that if they leave friend zone that they may lose each other. They are lifelong friends and treading murky waters. They have so much to lose. Will they both reach the clarity that they see have so much more to gain by stepping forward and taking a chance together?
This is a story of close bonds, difficult situate and deep feelings. It also is woven with humor, heat and sweet times creating the perfect storm of a story!
This is the definition of friends to lovers all the way. Friends since they was kids, both exceptional musicians. But when one faces tragedy, the other sets aside their feelings to help them overcome their grieve and in the end they fall in love.
I received a free copy of the book from the author.
Eli is the second book in the Jacob’s Ladder series but it can be read as a stand alone. I enjoy reading rock star romances and this one is no different. Eli is the lead singer for Jacob’s Ladder. He and his siblings started the band years ago as a Christian Rock band but moved to Country Music later in their years.
With their new sound they need a fiddle player. One who just happens to be close to the band – Emersyn. She’s been a family friend for years. With the loss of her husband Eli thinks this might just help bring her out of mourning. Otherwise she’ll just waste away.
Eli and Emersyn are bff’s. They’d never considered being anything more – until that seed was planted. Every one could see it they just needed a nudge. This story is fun and definitely eye opening for the couple. Their banter back and forth is great. You can tell these characters have respect and love for each other in their actions and words.
This book is definitely another great edition to Katie Ashley’s repertoire.
This is a fun and moving friends to lovers romance. Eli and Emersyn have been friends since they were kids. On the surface, Eli appears light-hearted and never serious. But he has a great capacity of love and compassion and will do anything for his friends and family. Including his best friend Emersyn. When she needed him most he was there comforting her and keeping her together. Now he gives her a job on tour and they are closer than ever. They have the funniest friend dates and their banter is hilarious. But now their feelings are growing beyond friendship and they are afraid to ruin the best relationship they’ve ever had. I really enjoyed this fun and sexy story even when I want to shake some sense into both of them. I am a sucker for the grand gesture and this one had me in tears. This story is entertaining, moving, and so sweet & sexy. I can’t wait for more from Jacob’s Ladder.
Tragedy is the beginning. What began as a shoulder to cry on after a devastating loss, takes a long standing friendship in a surprising direction. Katie Ashley finds inspiration within the most heartbreaking of circumstances. Emersyn and Eli are soulmates. Friendship has created a bond not easily broken, but emotionally draining. When life gets in the way, fate has a way of coming full circle. Eli is a gateway to second chances. It’s a heartbreaking, uplifting, fine tuned love song that began as a solo, but was destined to be a duet.