From NYT & USA Today bestselling author comes a new Bleeding Stars stand-alone novel¿
She is his strength and he is her weakness. And this time he won’t let her go. Edie Evans is gorgeous. Sexy. Kind. She’s also the definition of off-limits. But that didn’t stop me from sneaking into her room to comfort her at night. But guys like me? We destroy everything, so it should have been no surprise … surprise when I destroyed us, too. The night I sent her running, I thought I’d never see her again. Until I saw her standing like a vision in the crowd. Austin Stone is dangerous. Alluring. Tempting. He broke my heart and I refused to give him the chance to do it again. It’s been years since I’ve seen him, and now I can’t do anything but stare at the gorgeous, tattooed man playing onstage. I should run. I know I should. But like a fool, I run straight back to him. Our desire is overpowering. Our need unrelenting. She is my hope. He is my weakness. We should have known a passion this intense would burn us right into the ground.
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WAIT is book 4 out of the 6 books. It is Austin (Baz’s younger brother) and Edie’s story and this one took a bit out of me. It’s another survivor story and unfortunately I was able to relate to some of Edie’s life experiences but it’s written with sensitivity and her reactions and emotions were real and raw and hit you in the gut.
This is a second chance romance and Austin is determined not to F it up this time. Bless him, he’s so beautifully flawed and he just keeps making all the wrong moves. He has demons that he’s trying to overcome and when these two are good together they really help each other forwards on their journey, but they are forever hitting speed bumps.
As always Amy gives us a plot with plenty of suspense and action. Her characters are so complex and full of flaws, but they have good hearts and they so deserve to find joy and peace. Austin and Edie have to work really hard, pushing through many obstacles to get to their HEA. Ghosts from the past are resurrected and threaten to tip their precarious balance of contentment. But of course good overcomes evil and Austin is welcomed back into the Sunder family with open arms.
This one is another emotional one that will tear you apart, but come the end you’ll be put back together and left with the warmth that only a uniting of two damaged souls can give.
Audio review from 2018
This book is superbly heavy wit the angst.
Two very broken souls drawn to each other and fighting to be together.
It took me awhile to get into this book because of that BUT once it got to a smooth story with some bumpy roads I was hooked.
Austin and Edie. Two broken souls helping each other heal.
Beautifully written and the last few chapters and the epilogue made me smile big.
Wait
(Bleeding Stars #4)
Written by: A.L. Jackson
I have one Sunder book left to read and I’m pretty sure I will miss these men and their journey to find themselves and the loves of their lives. The one I think I will miss the most though is Austin.
I’ve been reading about Austin and how his life had been empty even as a child after losing his twin brother. His inability to come to terms with the loss of “the other part of him” had me hoping that he would somehow be able to move along.
It’s in Wait that we also find out more about Edie, Ash’s younger sister. We saw how they both helped each other. Austin holding Edie so she could sleep, while she got shelter and warmth in his arms with Edie filling that hole that was missing in Austin.
Until the one night when she lost her trust in Austin. With Edie gone Austin realized before he could be there for anyone else, he needed to be there for himself. He needed to be able to move beyond the tragic loss of his twin Julian.
Years passed and fate brought Edie and Austin together again, but A.L. Jackson is not going to let these two find each other without giving them a final opportunity of a grand gesture. That is what Austin finally plans to do for Edie but will his grand gesture fizzle or will these two find a way to work towards their happiness.
I’m a sucker for A.L. Jackson, I love her angst, I love her heartbreak, I love when her lead characters realize that they have been made for each other. I have thoroughly enjoyed the entire Sunder series as well as her Falling Stars series, where readers find the members of Sunder helping the members of Carolina George find their happily ever after’s. I have one Bleeding Stars spin off to read and that is Zee’s story and I can’t wait to get to it.
So many times. A.L. Jackson you love to gut me. I had to take a little break from this story because these characters just survive so much in their lives. I did love how fate kept bringing them back together. They were the light to each other’s darkness, filling in a little piece of what was lost and broken.
Austin is still off on his own having left his brother and the band behind. Trying to find himself, he only finds solace in his music. In walks an unsuspecting Edie and these two characters are thrown together again, fate bringing them to one another once again. Past betrayals and new ones, threaten their relationship but the bond that ties them together is too strong.
My heart strings were pulled with this one time and time again. You always love both Edie and Austin through the entire story. You are right there with them through it all the sweet, the profound, the heart-wrenching moments that move you. I came back from my little break and just finished it in one day. I couldn’t put it down and had to find out where the journey would take these two lost souls.
I had been excited to get to Austin’s story and it did not disappoint. Austin and Edie were two broken souls destined to be together. Their stories broke my heart, but the love they shared and grief they overcame was heartwarming. Another great addition to the Bleeding Stars series!
*AUDIOBOOK*
5 STARS
I’ve been wanting Austin Stone’s story since he was introduced in Baz’s stories. Why it took me so long to read this until now I’ll never know. This was emotional, gripping, powerful writing. Austin is broken and emotionally scarred. Edie was his first love. He left her broken and hurt. Now she is back and all his emotional scars are being ripped back open. This story is filled of heartbreak, passion, hope and love. My heart was in tatters all the way through this story. These beautiful tattered souls made me FEEL so much! Austin is protective of Edie. He will do anything to keep her safe. Edie is running from her past and when she comes face to face with Austin again she is forced to tackle all that has broken her. This one of the most emotionally written second chance love stories I have ever read. A.L. Jackson’s writing is poetic, lyrical, deep, intense and unique. Austin and Edie’s journey is so incredibly beautiful and cannot wait for Ash’s story next.
Zachary Webber and Andi Arndt are incredible narrators. The emotion, passion and heart in their voices shine through and make this story a fantastic listening experience.
I love a good second chance romance and Edie and Austin’s story was no exception. It was so sad but also so sweet and perfect. I absolutely loved everything about it and was so happy to learn more about Austin’s past.
This book had so much raw emotion. These to lost souls had been through so much heartache and pain in their short lives. They were there for each other and brought out the light in each of them. I absolutely loved this book and loved they found each other again. There was so much turmoil but so much love. I can’t wait to read the last two books in this series. Love the writing, I felt every emotions Edie and Austin were going through. Great storyline and kept me captive.
My heart crumbled for Austin as a little boy and then a teenager in Baz’s story. Struggling with such unbearable guilt. My heart aches for him as an adult,, still carrying it and never being able to find peace…..until Edie.
I love this story of how 2 broken people find each other, heal each other and become one. A close bond and friendship forged in the darkest of days. Being the light each other needed and how their bong organically evolved to a deep undying love.
So far this is my favorite Sunder band mate!!
This book was soul shaking! I felt like I could FEEL EVERYTHING!! Edie and Austin slayed me completely! Totally wrecked me. This is probably the best book I’ve read all year and it’s a book I’ll remember forever. This whole series is so amazing and A.L. Jackson is such a phenomenal writer!
How do I write this review without ripping out a piece of my soul out?
I have no fucking clue!
I’m still a well of guttural emotions!
My heart feels as though it has been ripped out with “Wait,”
lord knows I’ve gone through multiple variations of this review.
“Wait” A beautiful symphony of musical words, depth, heart, broken, fractured, and a storm of betrayal!
Yet, seductive and life-changing all at the same time.
If two souls are destined to be one. Can they then be saved from their demons? From their unknown past? From their lost and hidden lost secrets? Is this fate? Can it be destiny?
There is no force in nature that can stop the truth from being revealed!
It all consuming! When you find healing and meaning. It’s everlasting!
Yes, all these terms and lost promises describe “Wait”!
These are some of the questions running through my mind!!
“I wished upon every damned star in the sky for a second chance.
For something I could do to truly make it right when I’d done her so fucking wrong.
To be good enough for this girl who was so obviously created for me.”
A.L. Jackson lead me on this guttural emotional journey. Where I became unglued, unhinged, and fractured beyond repair.
Where I seemed to leave my heart in fragmented pieces. I’m literally crying this is so fucking brilliant! Where I needed a soul engulfing hug. Just to make sure I was still real! That I was not a character from “Wait”! To lose myself in a book is simply not me!! But fuck it happened!! I’m still not myself days later.
A beautiful symphony of elegant words, depth, and heart.
I truly do not know how A.L. Jackson does it.
Her writing just seems to grow leaps and bounds with every new creation.
She has this unique quality That brings poetry, lyrics, and filmic narrative to life! All while seducing you with every neuron in your body. Every fiber of your being. Leaves you captivated, hypnotized, and seduced with every hypnotic word. Then you’re dying for the next word to come forward. Almost like a movie sequence, that is all occurring in your mind.
JUST BRILLIANT!!!!!
“How do you both break my heart and heal it at the same time?”
You can always depend on AL Jackson to come up with beautiful, poetic and emotional stories. I was exciting to get my hands on Austin’s book because he was such a broken soul in the previous books. I wanted him to forgive himself, heal and find his HEA. I had no idea who his love interest would be, but Edie Evans was the perfect girl for him.
“A strike of light in the darkness. The one to evoke. The one to inspire. The one to instill this burning hope that flickered and flamed at my insides.”
This is a second chance romance. Edie (Ash’s sister) and Austin (Baz’s brother) know each other from before but haven’t seen each other in years. There reunion was emotional and heartbreaking, it was obvious there was still so much love between them. Austin made a mistake and wants to get another chance to make it right. What I loved was that everything in this book was straight forward. No hot and cold or hard to get attitudes. I get really annoyed when certain things are being dragged on longer than it is necessary, I was happy that wasn’t the case in this book. The pace of the reunion was perfect, there wasn’t a moment I was bored and wanted to skip pages. It is important to keep your reader engaged and hooked to the story, which the author did a great job in.
“He kissed me in the midst of it all. As if I was the center of his world. And I knew without a doubt, this boy was the eye of the storm. The eye of my storm.”
Both Austin and Edie are broken and emotionally scarred. Both have them went through a very traumatic past. It broke my heart to read those particular scenes in the flashbacks. Austin makes such a big tranformation from the young depressed teenager he was in the first two books in the series. But he is still fighting his demons. I loved how they healed each other and had someone to talk to. They were a perfect match and I couldn’t get enough of them. I loved that we got a glimpse of the old crew towards the end. I really miss them and I can’t wait for Zee and Ash to find their HEA!
“The girl who blew me away every time she stepped into the room. Stealing more and more of my breath. Becoming my air.”
Wait is a very emotional read with heartbreaking scenes but also a beautiful story of how two broken characters heal each other. I am glad Austin and Edie finally found closure and can move on and live a happy life. They both deserve it so much! Wait is a great addition to this amazing series and the author keeps on delivering quality, engaging, and emotional reads. AL Jackson is an automatic one-click author for me because she just doesn’t disappoint! Make sure to grab this book when it releases!
A.L. Jackson reminds me each time I pick up one of her books why she is one of my favorite authors and why I love her books so much. Her writing is addictive. It draws you in like a sweet lullaby, so poetic and lyrical.
I knew before I ever picked up Wait that it was going to be one of the most torturous and emotional reads in the series. But nothing could have prepared me for Austin and Edie’s story. If you’ve read the first three books in the series you know a bit about Austin’s struggles and his past. He is such a tortured soul, but he is trying to do better, to grow up, and make his brother Baz proud. He just can’t seem to let go of the guilt weighing him down and pulling him under. Enter Edie the one girl Austin has ever loved and who’s heart and trust he broke. This time Austin is determined to get it right.
Austin and Edie share a history that is so deep and a bond like no other. They are connected by their horrible past and are swept up an undeniable amount of guilt and shame that they see in each others eyes. Their story is about love, forgiveness, growth, family, heartbreak, and learning to move forward and taking what you want no matter how scared you are. God, this book scratched at my soul. Wait is heavy with emotion. The kind that leaves a lump in your throat and unshed tears in your eyes. But at the same time its so beautifully dark.
I loved Austin’s tortured soul. He wants so bad to be happy and enter the light, but the darkness weighs him down. He fells undeserving of life anything good, but can’t help wanting Edie. He does everything to how her he can be what she needs. I loved that he did everything he could despite fighting his own demons. I loved his and Edie’s history together. Edie was as tortured as Austin and I loved her. I wanted to sweep her up in my arms and tell her it was ok. The way she put her trust in Austin was so heartwarming. Her history brought me to tears. This story was beyond anything I could have imagined. I loved Austin reconnecting with his brother and figuring out where he belongs. It was probably one of the most beautiful moments in the book that was packed with so much emotion, it nearly ripped me to shreds.
All I can say is that I loved this book. Amy does not disappoint. I am absolutely ruined after reading this book. My heart was so heavy with emotions when I finished, I couldn’t sort them out. The writing does not disappoint and adds to the story in the most beautiful way. I highly recommend this book, although I suggest reading the series in order. If you want a heartwarming romance with lots of depth and emotion, this is for you.
Edie Evans is a beautiful young woman with a tortured soul. Austin Stone is a lost young man, also with a tortured soul.
Their brothers are in a band together when they first meet as teenagers.
When Austin truly sees Edie, and her pain; against his better judgement, he wants to be her saviour.
That first night that Austin sneaks into Edie’s room, against her fear; she finds peace.
They feel.
They love.
They heal.
They wait.
Together; they make mistakes, they dream, they fight, they break and they mend.
This is the first book from A.L. Jackson that I have read, and I was really excited.
I didn’t rate “Wait” any higher than 3.5 stars purely for a personal reason. I felt the first half of the book was somewhat repetitive and I also felt it took too long to explain the tragedies that Austin and Edie faced as kids, that broke them.
On the reverse side of that, however, I am so glad that I persevered through the beginning; because I was completely caught off guard in the last couple of chapters – where I was in tears from the sheer beauty of A.L. Jackson’s writing.
I am really intrigued to read more of A.L. Jackson’s work and to meet more beautiful characters in her stories.
*ARC kindly provided by Author for an honest review *
I’m not sure how each book gets better and better but AL Jackson is rocking it! This story will pull at your heartstrings because of the heartache both of these characters have been through. They have so much emotion from their past that they are holding on to but need to leery go of so they can find their way back to each other. Be prepared to have your heart shredded and pieced back together slowly.