Rex Gunner. As bitter as he is beautiful. The owner of the largest construction company in Gingham Lakes has been burned one too many times. His wife leaving him to raise their daughter was the last blow this single dad could take. The only woman he’ll let into his heart is his little girl. Rynna Dayne. As vulnerable as she is tempting. She ran from Gingham Lakes when she was seventeen. She swore … she was seventeen. She swore to herself she would never return. Then her grandmother passed away and left her the deed to the diner that she once loved.
When Rex meets his new neighbor, he knows he’s in trouble.
Will he hide behind his walls or will he take the chance . . .
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One of the best books I’ve read.
I can’t believe it took me so long to start this author. It’s been a few days since I finished this book, and I still can’t stop thinking about it.
This was such a raw and emotional book. I felt myself trembling, my whole body shaking with fear, excitment, love, angst, hope, grief, happiness. It was a whirlwind of emotions raging inside of me.
Rex is a single father who closed himself for everyone, except for his adorable and sweet daughter, Frankie.
He experienced lost and desperations so many times that no one could ever break his walls. Well, except for Frankie and now Rynna.
Rynna met her share of humiliation, sadness and grief too. And after being running away for so long, she needs to come back to get back her life. She just didn’t expect to find so much more than pain, as love was literally right across the street from her.
It wasn’t an easy path, for neither of them. But it was all about taking the right risks and realizing the importance of every moment.
They had no idea how their lives were connected for the same people, for so many reasons. They had no idea at the beggining how they would change one another’s lives.
But being surrounded by the right friends and families, being willing to take the risks, letting themselves feel vulnerable for each other, it was all it took to show them the way to unconditional love.
I don’t know who I loved the most. Rynna, Rex, Frankie, their friends, grandma Corinne, they were all so amazing, they filled my heart completely.
This book was powerful and so, so beautiful. As I said, I’m still feeling it and I don’t ever want to let this feeling go.
5 LITTLE THIEF STARS
I ABSOLUTELY ADORED THIS BOOK!!
I listened to this on audio and not only was the narration brilliant but it brought the characters, emotions, and feelings to life, I was completely captivated and caught up in Rynna and Rex’s story.
The book begins with Rynna moving back home to her Grandmother’s house with a plan to take over her legacy as the local baker. Rynna was a victim in her childhood of bullying and torment. A sick and twisted joke broke her to the point that she fled and moved away leaving her Grandmother who she loved dearly and had been her only relative.
Single dad Rex, well, all I can say about Rex is, his bark is definitely worse than his bite and I wouldn’t of minded his bite. Rex comes across at first as the guy with a chip on his shoulder, the silent brooding type and rude but put him in the company of his little girl Frankie and he’s as sweet as one of Rynna’s apple pies and oh what a turn on that was.
“All moments matter. We just rarely know how important they are until the chance to act on them has already passed.”
From the moment neighbors, Rex and Rynna meet there is instant chemistry, Rex instantly hates her for giving him feelings he thought he had not only buried but would never feel again.
Two people with hurts in their past, Rynna is a woman wanting to move on and put her past behind her, face her fears now she is back in her childhood town and then you have Rex who can’t let his past go, still living in his hurt and anger with the centre of his world Frankie his only joy. One willing to be brave and another struggling to take a chance.
A beautiful romance with a beautiful outcome and eta. Show me the way is the kind of story that has you thinking that maybe some things do happen for a reason and those reasons bring people together.
A recommended heartfelt romance, brilliantly written with a great balance of emotions and hotness. Told in first person dual pov and leads to a hea. Can be read as a stand-alone.
This is my third five stars read from this author and I cannot wait to read more. A.L Jackson fulfills what I look for in a romance read.
Beautiful writing. Masterful use of tension. Heartbreaking characters. And THAT TWIST at the end…. I couldn’t breathe. This book is phenomenal.
The characters had so many problems that kept being in the way and the book went over and over this. I finally quit reading.
I am not sure if there is anything sexier than a single man trying to raise his daughter. Even a single man with a gruff attitude. Rex fits that bill.
There is nothing sweeter than a woman that falls for a man that is single trying to raise his daughter. Rynna fits that bill.
There is nothing cuter than a little girl that is sweet, sassy, and full of life. One that loves her Daddy, unconditionally. Frankie fits that bill.
The combination of these three souls (yes, little girls have souls now) makes for one of the most touching, passionate love stories I’ve read in a very long time. Of course, Rex and Rynna each have their crosses to bear, their demons to conquer, and their own way to find. But what is better than finding their way to each other. What a wonderful story, what a journey to take and what a love to find!
Wow. It was touch and go there for a while whether my heart was going to recover. This book put me thru all the emotions. From a giddy giggle when Frankie Leigh is in the room (that child can light up any room she’s in), the horror when Rynna faced the evil that drove her away, down right sobbing with despair of lost love, to the overwhelming need to yell and scream for help for these amazing fictional characters that seemed so real, then finally to the effervescent love that was able to triumph over everything.
This author is always a 1-click must read. She puts so much heart, sweat and tears in her work. I devoured this book (like her others) in about 12 hrs. OMG, and let’s not forget about these amazing narrators. Zee Web is one of my FAVES! Get this book!
A.L. Jackson… That is all I need to hear to one-click something without looking at the blurb. Once again, A.L. Jackson brings it!! When I pick up one of her books, I know that my heart is in for a rollercoaster ride. Once again, she did not fail me.
Show Me the Way is the first book in A.L. Jackson’s new Fight for Me series. Teaser… I have read the other books in the series, so I can tell you that Fight for Me is a series of a group of friends that each find love. I kind of feel like it’s my own Cheers!!
In She Me the Way, we get Rex’s story! I loved this storyline. Rex & Ryanna’s story drew me in and had me smiling and crying all at the same time!
If you have not read any of Amy’s work, you MUST read something… anything that she writes! Show Me the Way is a perfect place to start!
~ Review by Heidi Pharo
Loved this well-written, emotion-packed read. I was pulled in, I experienced the feels, and I adored the characters.
The narrators of the audiobook were absolutely perfect.
I am really liking the books and writing of this author. I always love a single dad/mom story and this one was no different. The way you could feel the love and chemistry between the characters. That feeling is very important. You never know how it will go but when it works, you have something special 🙂
Rex is very skeptic and bitter after his wife left him and their daughter behind and doesn’t let anyone close to him but when Rynna comes to town, he feels a connection he can’t explain. But no matter how she makes him feel, he doesn’t want to have anything to do with her. But no matter what he does, he can’t deny the attraction he has for her. Will he ever let her get close?…
Rynna has been on the run for what feels like forever and when her grandmother dies, she goes back to the town she wanted to leave behind so badly. And when she meets Rex, the gravity towards him gets stronger every day but he won’t let her close.
And when both their past comes back to haunt them; will they ever find their way to each other?…
What happens to a man when his first love disappears and his second attempt is more about loyalty than love? And what happens to that same man when his second attempt drives away in the night? He shuts himself off from the possibility of love, raises his daughter alone, and drifts from day to day. Until one day, his world is shaken on its axis and he fights the gravitational pull as hard as he can. Will he take another chance or remain locked inside himself forever?
And what happens to a woman when she runs from a town where it seems everyone has betrayed her? What happens to her when she finally returns to the town she abandoned? Will she be ready to face her demons? Will she take her grandmother’s advice and seize her chance at love when it comes along? Will she be able to fight the gravitational pull she feels towards the closed off, angry man across the street? Will she be able to set him free from his rage and help embrace a future filled with love?
And what happens when the source of his pain crosses paths with the source of her betrayal? Will they weather the storm and save each other?
Overall this was a pretty moving story. There are a few unanswered questions (namely what happened to Sydney), and I wonder if they will be answered in the coming books. Frankie Leigh was a delight to read. Enjoy!
AL Jackson, through her lyrical writing style, has once again grabbed her readers by the heart with her newest title, Show Me The Way. This isn’t just a story about the struggles of a single father trying to avoid falling in love with his across the street neighbor. This book sets you as an extra watching as two people meant for each other face the issues of distrust built from the slaughtering pain of being with the wrong person in their past and continuing to pay the price for doing so.
NO SPOILERS!
Show Me the Way was a sexy and emotional standalone contemporary romance, and I really enjoyed it! The storyline and characters were wonderful, and I loved A.L. Jackson’s writing style. Show Me the Way was my first novel from this author, and I’m looking forward to reading more, especially the rest of the Fight for Me series.
The storyline was good, but unexpected. It had been a while since I’d read the synopsis for Show Me the Way, so I didn’t fully remember what the story was about before diving in. It was definitely an emotional roller coaster filled with a lot of heartbreak, turmoil, and anguish, which I wasn’t prepared for. There were a lot of moments that I loved, but also ones that I didn’t. There were some parts that were difficult to read and get through, at least for me, but they might not be what you’re thinking. Show Me the Way was more serious and emotionally draining than I thought it’d be, but I still really enjoyed going on Rex and Rynna’s journey.
The characters were great. Rex Gunner and Rynna Dayne were wonderful, and I loved them so much. I loved their personalities and red-hot chemistry together, and how most of their relationship progressed throughout. I loved reading the book from both Rex and Rynna’s point of view, and most of their banter and interactions with each other. Rex’s daughter, Frankie Leigh, was absolutely adorable and completely stole my heart. I love when young kids are in books, and she was such a sweet and lovable child, and I couldn’t help but smile when she was in a scene. I loved Rex and Rynna’s friends as well, but there were two characters that I loathed with my entire being, and they were the main reason I gave Show Me the Way four stars instead of five. Rex and Rynna had a lot of drama and emotional baggage from their pasts that bled into the present, and it was a lot to absorb and process. Rex and Rynna’s story had plenty of trying moments throughout, and while it wasn’t an easy journey, I was very happy with the conclusion.
Show Me the Way was a sexy and emotional standalone contemporary romance, and while I didn’t love everything about it, I would recommend it to anyone that loves drama, angst, and tons of emotion in their romance novels. A.L. Jackson did a good job with Rex and Rynna’s story, and I was pleased with the outcome. Show Me the Way was my first A.L. Jackson experience, and I’m curious to see what the rest of the Fight for Me series will bring.
“All moments matter. We just rarely know how important they are until the chance to act on them has already passed.”
The blurb of this book summarizes this book perfectly, so I am not going further into the plot. Show Me the Way is about two broken characters, Rex and Rynna, who have been burned in the past and have a hard time trusting people, especially Rex does not want to open up and trust new women. Fortunately, Rynna was more open and went out of her way to live her life and not let the past dictate her future. That doesn’t mean she isn’t careful. When Rynna first met Rex, he was very rude to her. His daughter, Frankie Leigh is his world and he has no place for anyone else in his life, especially women. Rex and Rynna both feel the attraction between them, but Rex is not keen on acting on it. On the other hand, Rynna does want to explore this feeling. Rex definitely didn’t make it easy on Rynna for her to get to know him. However, piece by piece she chips away at the wall he built around his heart.
“Rynna. Fucking Rynna. Little Thief. Trying to steal my heart.”
I have a soft spot for single dads so I really loved how protective Rex was of his beautiful and cute daughter. I was glad the author had Frankie Leigh play a somewhat large role in this book. I also enjoyed the interaction between Rynna and Frankie Leigh, it just made me so happy. The story had a great pace, and the author took her time in developing the relationship between characters. There were a couple of twists, of which I predicted some of them, that added a suspenseful spin to the story. I also really liked the side characters, and I hope they’ll get their own story. Show Me the Way is a very entertaining, but also emotional contemporary romance. The sex scenes were very hot and I loved them. This is a great first book to the new Fight For Me series, and I can’t wait to see what AL Jackson has more in store for us.
‘Maybe I’d known it then. That this girl would wreck me. Because I could feel myself coming apart piece by piece.”
Wow…..no one does the feels like this Author. Poetically romantic, it just blows you away how beautifully written it is. Completely enchanting, Rex and Rynna meet by chance, and even though there’s no denying it, they have to overcome a whole mountain worth of obstacles to get where they can trust enough to take a chance on each other. When you read it entirety, you will be blown away at just how much they go through….The twists make the pages go quickly, as you demand to find it all out, as it culminates into an unbelievable conclusion!
“He was looking at me as if I weren’t real. As if I were a fantasy. Something he could never deserve or hold or keep. When he’d already won every part of me. Body and mind and quivering soul.”
Poignant, yet real and don’t forget the hot factor, the Author leaves no detail unanswered and once again weaves together such a layered and romantic tale that left me in tears and epically sated. Angsty, stunning, and intoxicating!! I thank the Author for providing a copy to review!!
~~~Erika, Book Haven Book Blog
I’m not sure its possible to not love everything this woman writes. This book was absolutely stunning. I was drawn into these two characters with painful pasts trying to make a future for themselves. This book had a smile permanently painted on my face, but it also has beautiful moments that are like punches to the gut and will have you desperate to keep the floodgates at bay.
What I love about the characters A.L. Jackson writes is the depth that she goes to to bring these characters to life. Rex and Rynna have suffered tremendous pain in their pasts. While Rynna returns home done with letting her past control her life, she sets out to embrace all the things she truly wanted in her life. To be back in her hometown and baking pies that her granny taught her. Rex is a prisoner to all his regret and harbored guilt. He’s afraid of moving on and being hurt or hurting anyone else. But Rynna is such a strong character that she breaks down Rex’s walls and steals his heart. Don’t me wrong, Rex is hella broody in the beginning, but there was no denying the obvious attraction between Rex and Rynna. The scorching attraction was palpable and so delicious. I couldn’t get enough and just wanted them to kiss already. I swooned as their relationship grew into something more. And Frankie. Little Frankie Leigh, Sweet Pea straight up stole my heart.
I really loved this book. A.L. Jackson always brings her A game and Show Me the Way is a stunning novel that does not disappoint. This is just the beginning of what is sure to be another amazing series by the oh so talented A.L. Jackson.
Holy emotional train wreck. I literally am speechless about this book. It was freaking amazing. Rex and Rynna are just so perfect for each other, IMO. Both had pasts that affected their future and both fought for each other. They make you believe that true love exists. And let’s not forget my favorite, Frankie. That little girl stole my heart from the beginning. Rynna is probably one of my favorite female characters. I related to her in some compacity. And Rex? Holy cow, I definitely wish he existed. This book is filled with emotion, love, heartbreak and more. You’ll laugh, cry, get mad, get happy and fall in love. Fantastic book.
Favorite Quotes:
Gramma had always told me all you needed was to speak of the devil and he’d appear.
Do what makes you happy, child. In my experience, joy is a choice. Life is rough. Don’t expect it not to be. But if we aren’t laughin’, we’re crying. Choose to laugh.
How the woman still had the power to send a rush of embarrassment flooding my face, I didn’t know. But there I stood like a twelve-year-old kid who was trying to come up with an excuse for his mom finding his dirty magazine stash under his bed.
You know you’re in love when their happiness counts more than yours. The key is your happiness meaning most to them, too. Put those two together? That’s magic…
My Review:
This was my virgin voyage with A.L. Jackson, and I was transfixed, enthralled, and riveted to my kindle. I had been hearing about her books for quite some time – but I totally get it now. The gal has mad skills and awe-inspiring word-craft. I want to stop time and read everything she has ever written. The plot was highly intriguing, taut with tension, well-paced, and divinely crafted. But even better were her characters, oh yes… they were alluringly complex, wounded, and devastating – I adored them! And toss in a precious pink tutu wearing preschooler with adorable articulation error and then add in a few breath stealing sensual scenes – sigh – it was golden. Fangirl down!
AL Jackson never ceases to amaze me with her beautiful words. This book was everything and so much more. Rex and Rynna’s story was full of hurt and heartache that you could not help but feel for them. Rex was definitely one sexy as hell single dad with one huge chip on his shoulder and kept everyone at arms length with the exception of a few close friends. Rynna was a beautiful woman who had went through hell and back, now comfortable with who she was and not backing down from any challenge set in her path. The two of them together was explosive and inevitable, their chemistry was of the charts. Their story will have you so spellbound that you won’t realize you read the whole book until you see those two little words that will have you screaming NO!!!!! This was such a heartbreakingly beautiful story that you will be compelled to read and not want to put it down, so good luck!
I can not say enough about AL Jackson and her writing style. I love it and this beautiful story about chances, forgiveness and love. You will fall in love with Rex, Rynna and Frankie Leigh. Their journey will melt your heart, make you swoon, break your heart and mend it back together. A must read!
Show Me the Way is the first novel in the latest series by Al Jackson. This book had a bit of everything, swoon worthy romance, sexy scenes, complex developed characters, some adventure, some drama, a hint of mystery, kidnapping, lies, deceit, friendship, twists and turns and so much more.
Filled with emotion, this story will have you hooked. You will be invested in the characters until the end. Rex and Rynna, two individuals hurt by past events, had amazing chemistry together. However it was Frankie Leigh who stole the show at times with her adorableness. The secondary characters were also quite awesome and all greatly added to the story.
This novel was a roller coaster of emotions, Al Jackson did a great job of making you feel happy, sad, angry, scared and at times even exasperated. This story was told in dual POV with flash backs to the past. I enjoyed this novel . It was a good start to this new series and I can’t wait for the next book. .
**I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this novel.**