A single mother.An up-and-coming drummer with a sordid past. Their paths never should have crossed. But when a senseless crime rocks Mia West’s entire world, she agrees to spend the summer hiding out at her rock-star brother’s mansion in Savannah until the storm blows over. What she never expected was the gorgeous, brooding drummer living in the guest house. His darkness a lure. His gaze a trap. … darkness a lure.
His gaze a trap.
She knows better than to go after what will hurt her most.
Leif Godwin has two focuses in his life: his band, Carolina George, and seeking retribution for what was stolen from him.
Mia was never supposed to be a part of the equation.
Her eyes an appeal.
Her body a temptation.
Touching her is nothing but a sin.
But will loving her destroy them all . . .
A Falling Stars STAND-ALONE rock-star romance from NYT & USA Today Bestselling Author, A.L. Jackson . . .
“An epic rocker romance, and top 2020 and lifetime read! ⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆ but worth 10 soul-kissing stars!” Karen, Bookalicious Babes Blog
“Edgy and sexy and sure to have you clinging to every hauntingly beautiful word from beginning to end. Move aside Lyrik West . . . Leif Godwin takes intense, broody, and sullen to a whole new level, and I AM HERE FOR IT.” – NYT and USA Today bestselling author, Molly McAdams
“I’m dead. Deceased. Put a fork in me. I’m flooded with feels and adrenaline and awe after reading this glorious book! My heart is beating so fast right now. HOLY CRAP! Steam, suspense, and FEELS, FEELS, FEELS! I can’t recommend this one highly enough!” –Lauren Rowe, USA TODAY & International Bestselling Author
“Absolutely adored this story…I expected nothing less with this bloody amazing author. She truly is one of my author Rockchicks.” Kimhe Rockchick
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Forbidden romance + Rock Star + Dark and Moody = my favorite kind of read!
Kiss the Stars is all consuming emotional read. From page 1, you are immersed into Leif and Mia’s world. Their story is intriguing, suspenseful, passionate, heart-wrenching, and a little dangerous. You experience their struggle and determination for forgiveness and ultimately redemption from the demons to free themselves from the pain of the past.
If you loved the Bleeding Stars series, you will really enjoy this one too!
A.L. brings all the feels in this rockstar romance standalone!
I will never tire of reading AL Jackson’s words, but my god, this one might just be one of my favorites. I absolutely loved Leif and Mia, the chemistry between them and the crash of emotions that was splashed across each page. There was a darker feel to KTS than some of her other books, a suspense racing through this that had me on the edge of my seat, and I loved every last minute of it. It took hold of me and demanded my attention, insisting I pay attention to every word as I rode along on this wild ride.
Is it coincidence? One of my favorite AL Jackson characters is Lyrik West, who just happens to be Mia’s brother. I absolutely loved getting another glimpse at his and Tamar’s life, and might have died of laughter reading Brendan’s smart quips at every turn. The kids and the Sunder guys and their girls were a wonderful addition to this amazing book. I also loved the glimpse of the characters in Carolina George, and I’m beyond excited to get to read their stories. This series is fast shaping up to be my absolute favorite!
Kiss The Stars by Al Jackson is the first novel in the Falling Star series and what a start it was. The story blended the rockstars of Al Jacksons Bleeding Star series, Sundar with the rockstars of Carolina George and was engrossing and gripping and will have you hooked until the end. It was angsty, emotional and suspenseful and will evoke a range of emotions from you. You will love Leif and Mia, two complex characters who had such an intense connection and you will feel all the emotions between them. I loved the kids in this story and the appearances of the Sundar guys was the icing on the cake. Kiss The Stars was another fantastic read and I would recommend it to all lovers of contemporary romance.
4.5 stars
My heart! A.L. Jackson has once again managed to pull all the emotions out of me with her gorgeous, poetic, passionate words. The first book in the Falling Stars series – a spin off of the popular Bleeding Stars series – was everything. Angsty, suspenseful, heart-breaking and hopeful. With great tension and longing between Mia and Leif. A.L. Jackson wrote a really beautiful story.
I’m always pulled in by A.L. Jackson’s incredible characters. I was taken by Leif right off the bat. A drummer for the band Carolina George. He’s tortured by people and mistakes of his past. Leif villianizes himself quite a bit and he punishes himself by detaching himself from forming any close relationships.
Mia is such a great heroine. We first met her in her brother’s book, Where Lightning Strikes. From then I knew I was going to be a fan. She’s a sweet, strong, kind hearted, single mom who would do anything for her kids. Threats to her and her children’s well being causes her to flee to spend the summer with her rockstar brother and his family in Savannah.
These two are so good together. Two broken, guilt ridden souls who have been through a world of hurt coming together and healing together. As danger looms for Leif, Mia and her kids, their bond only grows.
I love being back in the Sunder world. Even if it’s Sunder adjecent. I missed those boys – now with a bigger clan with all the kids. I will never tire revisiting my old favorites but I’m also excited to see what’s in store for the members of Carolina George.
Kiss the Stars is the story of Mia West and Leif Godwin. Mia is Lyrik’s, from the Bleeding Stars Series, little sister. Leif is a drummer for an up and coming country music band. Mia is a single mom of two young kids and is spending the summer at her brothers mansion. Leif has agreed to help Sunder and is also staying at Lyrik’s mansion for the summer. The two of them are very attracted to one another, but Leif won’t act on it because he thinks he’s bad for her. Mia and Leif have been through a lot in their lives, so it makes sense for them to be careful with one another and their relationship. Leif was a good guy who didn’t feel worthy of Mia. Mia was a strong woman who had never been treated the way she deserved by a man. I enjoyed watching them fall in love. I also enjoyed getting to revisit some old friends from the Bleeding Stars series. This story was definitely a love story, but it was also angsty and suspenseful. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait to see what’s next from Ms. Jackson.
Another beautiful romance from AL Jackson that will leave you starry-eyed for days.
Words that steal your breath, a story that sings to your soul, and characters that steal your heart A.L. Jackson weaves together hope and heartbreak like no other.
“You are the light I stopped believing existed.”
Angst, suspense, heartbreak, hope, love and family fill ever page of Mia and Leif’s story and leave you believing that even on the darkest night the stars shine brightly.
Kiss the Stars is the first stand-alone in the brand new Falling Stars interwoven series that will follow Carolina George (Leif’s band)reader fans will remember them popping up in several seriesand I cannot wait for more!
Kiss the Stars is also kind of a Bleeding Stars spin-offMia is Lyrik’s younger sisterbut you absolutely do NOT need to have read the Bleeding Stars series to enjoy Kiss the Stars. But fans will really enjoy seeing Lyrik and all the Sunder boys in Mia and Leif’s story. And if you haven’t read the Bleeding Stars series, I highly recommend them while you wait for the next installment of the Falling Stars series.
AL Jackson writes the best romantic tear-jerkers that give those heart-warming feels I NEED!! I love her and this book! It’s a MUST READ!
4 Stars
AL Jackson pulled out all the stops with this one as we delve back into the world of rockstars. Kiss the Stars is a passionate, all the feels love story between two people who have more than their fair share of demons between them. If you loved the Bleeding Hearts series, this one will be right up your alley. Great story.
Angela – Alphas Do It Better Book Blog
Gah! AL Jackson can do rockstar romance like nobody’s business! Add in a single parent theme and Jackson’s signature lyrical writing style, and I’m down for the swoon! Don’t miss this emotional new one!
I have so much love for Kiss the Stars!!! It is the first book in the Falling Stars series, the spinoff from The Bleeding Stars series. This series centers around Carolina George, a country band. They were seen often playing at Charlie’s, in the Bleeding Stars books.
In KTS it’s like the the two worlds collide and it felt like I was going home. It centers around Leif, Carolina George’s drummer, and Mia, a single mom of two and sister to Sunder guitarist, Lyrik. God, these two are some of the best characters that AL Jackson has written. They are both a bit broken and fighting demons but they can’t fight their attraction.
This story is an angsty and emotional rollercoaster ride with twists that I didn’t see coming. I found myself crying a few times with the heartbreak that both Leif and Mia have faced. It felt like I was living it with them! This author though, she has a magical way with words and I found my heart to be so happy at the end.
*4,5 stars*
I’ve been a fan of this author’s books for a while now and I’m always looking forward to reading a new book coming out. I really enjoyed this story and the chemistry between Mia and Leif. A mystery that slowly unravels and definitely will make you guess until the end what was going on…
Mia’s a single mother that has been through something horrible and something that she hasn’t really dealt with. She and her kids are spending the summer at her brother’s place, trying to catch their breaths but the past won’t let her go and a threat is looming over her. When she and Leif first meet, there’s something about him that is mysterious but he also oozes a danger that she doesn’t know what to do with. When fate seems to bring them together again, their attraction toward one another is getting harder and harder to deny but Leif has a past of his own that is coming closer each passing day and when everything collides with Mia’s past, they’ll both have to fight hard to overcome it all…
A heartfelt journey with all the feels. Love me some AL Jackson to really pull on those heart strings!
HAVE YOU EVER CAUGHT A FALLING STAR? BECAUSE I JUST CAUGHT 5!!!!!
AL Jackson dives back into the music world with this Bleeding Stars cross-over novel, “Kiss the Stars.” It’s the first of 4 novels in her brand new Falling Stars series, which begins by shining the spotlight on drummer, Leif Godwin, of Carolina George.
As most AL Jackson fans know, Carolina George has been touted as a popular country band, making cameo appearances in several of this author’s novels. For years, we’ve watched them linger in the background, successful in their own right, but still skirting the edges of stardom. Now, at long last, Carolina George takes center stage, as AL Jackson shifts her focus in their direction.
First to be showcased in this stand-alone novel is Leif, and in true AL Jackson fashion, his and Mia’s story is nothing short of heart-wrenching. An angst-filled, romantic suspense, boasting the requisite happily-ever-after, “Kiss the Stars” promises to rip your heart to shreds, before piecing it back together and leaving you craving more! And as an added perk, fan favorites, Lyrik and Tamar (Where Lightning Strikes), are prominently featured throughout this novel, with occasional appearances by all of the Sunder men, along with their respective wives and children.
Next up is Emily Ramsey’s story—lead singer of Carolina George. With no wait time between these two stories, it is currently available as an Audible Original, entitled, “Catch Me When I Fall.”
When Lyrik West’s (oh yeah that Lyrik-the rock star!) sister, Mia, is caught in the crosshairs of a murderer, she and her two children leave LA and her ex-husband for the sanctuary of Savannah where Lyrik’s band is making a new album. Needing a drummer, Lyrik calls on someone he trusts from his past, Leif Godwin, to fill the role temporarily.
Leif’s been laying low and taking his rocker drumming talents to the country music side, playing with the up and coming band Carolina George. Basically hiding out behind the country music façade until he can execute a long awaited revenge.
When Leif and Mia meet sparks fly. Both try to resist the pull and heartbreak that is inevitable, but when their pasts are exposed and collide all bets are off!
Great rocker stand-alone!
A.L. Jackson is back with another gorgeous rock star and the woman who brings him to his knees!
Kiss the Stars is the first book in the new Falling Stars series, focusing on the band Carolina George. You may be familiar with this band, since they’ve popped up in multiple other books. If you’re not, that’s okay, their time has come to finally shine in the spotlight, literally and figuratively.
Leif Godwin is the drummer for Carolina George, a man with a whole slew of demons in his past that he’s trying to keep at bay. He’s asked by Lyrik West (remember him?) to play with the band for a few months and when he does he meets Mia West, Lyrik’s younger sister. She’s a single mom of two kids and she is also battling some demons of her own right now.
I loved how Amy wrote this book as a crossover novel from the Bleeding Stars series. It was so awesome to get to spend so much time with Lyrik and Tamar and their two kids. We spend a pretty good amount of time with the whole Sunder crew along the way and it felt like coming home.
Leif and Mia’s story is full of passion and heartache, suspense and danger, redemption and forgiveness. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, Amy is the master at breaking my heart while reading, and then lovingly and painstakingly putting it back together by the time the book comes to a close. My heart hurt so much for both Mia and Leif and what’s transpired in their lives. But in true Amy fashion, she pulls all the strings together to tie this story up with a beautiful ending.
I am so excited to start the journey this new series will be taking us on!
Kiss the Stars is a Falling-Stars standalone novel by A.L. Jackson. Mia and Leif’s story will melt you. Leif’s past is heartbreaking and tragic. Mia is what he wants but feels he can never have. He can’t fight the pull he has towards her and her two precious children. He wants to protect them. These grieving souls finding healing in each other. Will it last or will the past outrun the future?
Overall Grade: 1/2
If you fell in love with the rock stars of Sunder in A.L. Jackson’s Bleeding Stars series, then you WANT to read Kiss The Stars, Jackson’s newest offering. A standalone in her newest series, the Falling Stars series, Kiss The Stars marries the rockstars of Jackson’s group, Carolina George, with the rock stars of Sunder. It’s a story about brokenness and finding a completion in another person when you believe your penance for past sins shouldn’t allow it. As we found with the men of Sunder, Leif, the hero of Kiss The Stars, is more of the fraught heroic type, something we adore about Jackson’s stories. He’s a compilation of pieces broken by devastating events while seeking retribution for his losses. Jackson’s heroine, Mia, has also been fractured by the death of her best friend. Grieving and feeling lost, while needing to be stalwart for her children, she’s searching. One night, these two damaged souls meet, and their chemistry is electric. It is here where Jackson does her best work. It would be easy to simply love this story, but, to be honest, Kiss The Stars has the same sensibility as her Bleeding Stars: a hero or heroine finding redemption in the love of their soulmate. This reads as an extension of that series, offering us more connection to their world. It reminds us why we loved their stories as the heroes and heroines fight to overcome life’s challenges to find their happy ending. Kiss The Stars offers all of the best parts of Jackson. So…why should you read it?
There is a lyricism to this book. When I first read the books from the Bleeding Stars, each book read, to a certain degree, like a songbook of sorts. Her prose reads like song lyrics. Jackson is the queen of well-placed fragments that create a cadence to her words that feel like the poetry of a song. If it isn’t intentional that her stories for rock stars would offer this lyricism, then she easily intuits the presence of these characters through her words.
The characters of Mia and Leif are crafted in a way that creates an emotional connection from its start. These two are different sides of the same coin of tragedy. While their tragedies are very different, they are both struggling with living an abundant life. In meeting each other, they find life again. Jackson builds their relationship beautifully on the page, capturing them between equal parts of deflection, connection, and attraction. From one moment to the next, Jackson holds her readers captive to an emotional spectrum of frustration, tears, and happiness. Everything is here in this story, meaning this story is for everyone.
As she has shown us in the past, A.L. Jackson is a consummate storyteller. She stamps her books with her own style, punctuated with well-placed fragments and metaphors. In Kiss The Stars, readers will find the tale of Mia and Leif, two people destined for each other yet with the potential temporality of a falling star. Thankfully, the endearing love of these two is a reminder that love will always conquer the sins of our past, even when we believe ourselves unworthy of that love. If you missed those broken heroes from Sunder, then Kiss The Stars should be at the top of your Kindle library or e-book.
Kiss the Stars is a new standalone from A.L. Jackson. I absolutely LOVE her writing and I swear each book is better than the last!!! In this story you meet Mia. She is a single mom who’s life has ran into some trouble. Leif is the drummer of a band and who is currently trying to lay low. The two of them meet and all the feelings start! Lots of emotion, love, laughter and steamy scenes make this book one of my favs!!! I absolutely cannot wait to see what Amy releases next!!