“Five but worth 10 soul-slaying stars!” Karen ~ Bookalicious Babes BlogFrom NYT & USA Today Bestselling Author A.L. Jackson comes the next sexy, gripping Bleeding Stars Stand-Alone Novel…I’m Ash Evans.The life of the party. Hot. Rich. Charismatic. A tattooed rock star with the world at my feet. I burn through women faster than the strike of a match.I’ve embraced my lifestyle and live it to … match.
I’ve embraced my lifestyle and live it to the fullest.
Until the day my lifestyle caught up to me.
Willow Langston found me at my lowest.
Literally.
Facedown in a puddle of my own blood.
I owe her my life and I have three months to repay that debt.
What I never should have done was touch her. Kiss her. Take her to my bed.
Love wasn’t supposed to be a part of the equation.
I gave up that nasty complication a long damned time ago.
Now I want her more than my next breath.
But she doesn’t know what I know.
Do I leave to protect her? Or can I face my demons and ask her to Stay?
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Best Book Ever!!!!
This has been my favorite book so far and I fall deeper in love with this series and A.L. Jackson each time I pick up a book in this series. This book made me cry and left me feeling very emotional.
Audio review from 2018
This book was beautiful.
Ash and his cocky ways. It finally catches up to him. I enjoyed every second of this book.
The last two chapters and the epilogue were gorgeous.
Stay
(Bleeding Stars #5)
Written by: A.L. Jackson
I have a few free days this week and the weather is either hot and humid or stormy and rainy, the perfect time to catch up with my A.L. Jackson reading.
This woman can make you laugh and cry at the same time. When I recommend her to friends I will also tell them to keep a box of tissues on hand because your feelings get rolled over by her characters and their story.
I have loved Ash Even’s since he first appeared in the Bleeding Stars series. Now I’m privy to what made Ash he man he is. Willow Langston makes you want to scoop her up and bring her into your family because family and love means everything to her.
After saving Ash’s life, he feels he needs to repay her somehow and Ash is a pushy man who doesn’t know how to take no for an answer. So they strike a bargain, a bargain that changes feelings, opens hearts and eventually may just break both of them.
Keep those tissues on hand, as with any of A.L. Jackson’s books I can guarantee you are going to need them.
I have loved Ash since book one and couldn’t wait for his story. This was absolutely my favorite book of the series. Ash and Willow’s stories were heartbreaking. I loved the steadfast hope and love that Willow held onto even as her world continued to fall apart. Ash learning to forgive himself and learn to accept love again both broke and mended my heart. This story was phenomenal!
5 Heartfelt Stars!
This book…one of the best EVER from AL Jackson! Ash and Willow’s story is one of those stories that is so good I can’t quite put into words what exactly I want to say. You can’t help but get sucked into their story from the very first page. I was so torn reading this one, and I mean torn because I wanted to devour every single word as quickly as I could because it’s that good, but I wanted to read slow and savor what I was reading too….See? Torn!
This is one of those stories that you feel your heart being shattered for these two, but by the end, you’re okay because AL Jackson has put it completely back together again. This is one of those stories that you just have to read and experience their story yourself. Never have I felt so much loss and heartache for two people. Two lost and broken souls that find each other and heal each other. Yes, I know this is book five, but it can be read as a standalone. Don’t wait! You’re going to want to read this one! Keep your tissues handy….you’ll most likely need them <3
Angela – Alphas Do It Better Book Blog
Okay this book got me so bad. Ash Evans totally stole my heart, his connection with Willow was beautiful and the twist that A.L. Jackson threw into the story… Gah, I’m not about to spoil it for you. You’re just going to have to go read it for yourself!
I loved finally getting Ash’s story. I always wondered what was lurking inside of him. Always the life of the party but you knew he was covering something up. My heart hurt for Willow. We know right away a lot of what she has gone through in her life. She was definitely broken but trying to be strong. I loved the two of them together their chemistry was scorching. Was heartbreaking to finally find out what happened in Ash’s past. Story got a bit angsty then but didn’t last to long. Good storyline I have loved all the stories in this series and can’t wait to read the final book but will be sad to have the series come to an end.
A heartwarming journey with twists and turns.
This is the first book in the series for me and although I haven’t read previous books I came across no spoilers, so this can be read as a complete standalone.
Willow and Ash’s story is one of fate, heartwarming, cruel and beautiful all at the same time.
Ash is the front-man of a famous band, he’s a man-whore, a player, he is a girls dream one night stand, until he gets beaten up, left for dead by a group of men and the boyfriend of a woman who didn’t say she she had a boyfriend when she slept with Ash.
Lying semi conscious, willow finds him outside her shop and calls for help.
Willow and Ash have an instant connection.
Willow is meek, caring, gentle, a complete opposite to what Ash would normally be attracted to, she’s the kind of woman Ash normally avoids.
Although this is a rock-star story the plot is solely focused on the characters rather than Ash’s career and what he does and there is very little regarding other members of the band.
Ash and Willows journey is heartwarming, I always enjoy a story where the man-whore changes his ways for the right girl, I enjoyed it, the twist was a little hard to swallow but I swooned at Ash’s change of heart and loved the hea.
I listened to this book as part of a box set Heart Break. 3 books for one price, Stay is the first book, Jessica Hawkins and Corrine Michaels to follow, loving it.
A perfect weekend read.
Every book I’ve read in this series has been my favorite and then I think the next surely couldn’t live up to the one before but good God! Every single one so far has slayed me and Stay didn’t disappoint AT ALL! I was not expecting Ash and Willows story to be what it was and the twist?! Holy Moly! A.L. Jackson is a writing Goddess! She is officially one of my top 1-click authors! So much heart pounding passion in every one of these books! I loved Ash and Willow’s story! So well written! Thank you for such an amazing story and series! It’s now time for me to read Zee’s book and I don’t have a clue what I’m getting into but I know it’ll be epic!
“Stay is an undeniably heart-stopping, breathtaking, and poignant story! That will steal your soul like a thief in the night!”
You will be driven into a dramatically yet, blissful and hypnotic loving rapture that will rock you to your primal core! Every word swirls with elegant romantic poetic nuance weaving and etching itself into your soul as these pages will resonate and endure with you forever!
There comes a time, when you finally find it–yes you find that that one special book! You, know that kind of experience you have been looking for! These bound of pages will splinter your run-of-the-mill exceptions! These pages of romance pages bring you, to your breaking point –where there seems to have no return, as you are set off-kilter that rattles your mind, body, and soul. Then you will be left speechless and in tears—that will hold you, prisoner! Keeps you captive as it creates a downcast shadow, where you find yourself buzzing! Like starving yourself of oxygen to your brain, for some sense of normalcy.
That is Stay !!
A.L. outdid herself by bringing Ash’s story to life. I often think of her books as earth sharing. Yes in every sense of the word! She brings you to your knees as her beautifully poetic written pages unfold before you. But, it is her personal film-like visions that are intertwined in her stories that bring her visions alive.
Pure soul-defying magic! That will leave you in a book coma!
Plus if you haven’t read the other books in the series. Do so ASAP! “The Bleeding Stones Series is a breathtakingly modern-day, Gone with the Wind series! With a devastatingly beautiful Rocker twist!”
Although this is Book 5 in the series, it’s the first one I happened to read and I really liked it. This author has created a great cast of characters and an interesting story line showing that even when life throws you massive challenges, it often leads to life altering changes that can only be due to FATE. No cliffhangers and I can’t wait to read the rest of the books in this great series.
If you search hard enough, you can find beauty in the most inconspicuous places. You can find love when you aren’t even looking for it. You can find compassion when you think you don’t deserve it.
Ash and Willow’s road to each other is filled with heartache, heartbreak and mistrust.
Willow finds Ash at his lowest point, but also at a time she needs something to believe in.
“One thing you never do is mistake broken for weak” – what a profound statement.
This statement solidifies everything this story stands for. That being broken does not have to be the end all. You pick up the broken pieces and find the strength to put them back together.
What a wonderful, heartbreaking, love story. Watching two lost souls find each other and find love is always worth more stars than we’re allowed to give.
4.5 STARS!!!
I absolutely enjoyed Willow and Ash’s story. I devoured this story from the very beginning until the very end. Their story was one of pain, loss, insecurities and so much more. The attraction and chemistry between them was undeniable and I loved that their story wasn’t one just filled with sex scenes. Ash secret was one that caught me completely by surprise. However, I loved the way he reached out to Willow with the letters and the coordinates and the ending was definitely worth the chase. The one thing that was missing for me was more detail in the epilogue. I wished it was just a little bit longer since it was an epilogue. I felt as if I waited the whole story for the HEA and soon after it happened the story was over. The epilogue was so short it those few sentences could have been added to the last chapter. With that being said, I wish there was more but I still enjoyed this story and I would recommend it to readers that enjoy a good romance.
Stay is so emotional, so raw, and so mesmerizing! A.L Jackson is sti fairly new to me. This is only my 4th book by her, but she knows how to pull her readers in, and how to pull the stings of their hearts. Willow and Ash are perfect, beautiful and so amazingly brilliant. I did not want to leave this world she created, and i cant wait to immerse myself in the rest of Jacksons worlds!
“We bled with the stars. Where they streaked and wept across the endless sky. Infinite. Burning bright right before they quickly burned out. Ashes.”
I have been following this author and reading her books since the beginning of 2013. She is one of the few authors whose books I automatically one-click without even reading the blurb, which is a huge deal for me. AL Jackson writes like a poet, and her words feel magical to me. It always makes me want to read as slow as possible to savor each and every word. I can trust that she will deliver a beautiful story that will touch me deeply. I love the Bleeding Star series, and every member of Sunder has a special place in my heart. However I had been waiting a long time on Ash’s book.
“Love is never cut and dry. It’s messy. Confusing. Sometimes it’s ugly and sometimes it;s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen.”
Ash is this happy-go-lucky, easy-going guy who is always making everyone laugh and messing with them. I should’ve guessed that he had demons. He was broken and didn’t think he deserved happiness. He had been punishing himself for so long that it became second nature to him. Reading the flashbacks were really heartbreaking and I couldn’t contain my tears. He wanted to stay in the darkness, however the moment he met Willow she became his ray of sunlight. Willow was a perfect match for Ash. I loved how they met and how their relationship developed. She is shy, sweet and selfless. She never pushed Ash and he never pushed her. Like Ash, Willow had gone through some really traumatic incidents as well. She lost everyone that was dear to her. Ash and Willow were two broken people who healed and completed each other.
“I want to own you, Peaches. I want to awaken what’s been lying dormant. Bring it to life. Watch you glow.”
Stay is a great addition to the Bleeding Stars series. I really enjoyed this book and loved seeing Ash and Willow heal. I especially enjoyed seeing Willow come out of her shell. I also loved seeing what the rest of the gang were up to. Now I can’t wait to see who Zee wil end up in Stand. He is the most mysterious character of them all and I have no idea what to expect. His story is a second-chance romance so that has me even more excited.
4 & 1/2 stars.
What an emotional roller coaster! Well written story, with more tears falling than I care to shed on a book. I prefer humor to tears. Loved the characters of Ash & Willow. I felt for all of Willow’s losses in life. Ends with a fantastic HEA. The story is stand alone, but leaves you wanting to know the other band-mates stories. Definitely worth reading.
This book wrecked me. It was sooo good-full of emotions and a twist I didn’t see coming. Ash and Willow are two complex characters, both suffering but handling it in two different ways-one by being the life of the party and the other hiding inside herself. I don’t want to give any spoilers-you have to read it yourself.
It took me a day to put my thoughts together to write this review which probably won’t do it justice. After reading Ash and Willow’s story I was left without words. They were two beautiful broken souls who found each other; however, there was one devastating secret that threatened to tear them apart. With each page I read I was more and more emotionally embedded in their story. I couldn’t stop reading, unable to put it down. This book was filled with so much intensity and chemistry between the two they were burning up the pages. AL Jackson does not disappoint and by the end of this story I realized I had just read the most breathtakingly beautiful story of 2017!
What a phenomenal read! An emotional story that will pull at your heartstrings. All the FEELS! My favorite story to date in this series, and quite possibly my favorite of all of AL Jackson’s books. Ash, is sexy, cocky, and has a huge heart. He embedded himself so deep into my soul, how could you not fall in love with him. Willow, don’t mistake broken for weak, had me rooting for her throughout this book. Love her sweetness. She was perfect for Ash. I highly recommend reading this! Ash will go down as your absolute favorite Sunder guy.