Saturday, October 24, 2015

review || JACKSON'S DESTINY { blog tour } by C.A. Harms


Limitless Publishing | October 20, 2015 | Contemporary Romance
Sawyer Brothers, book 2
★★★★1/2

SOURCE: HEA BOOK TOURS

Shaken to his core, the loss was excruciating…

Jackson Sawyer was strong, confident, cocky, and arrogant, but when he loved, he loved hard.

The Sawyer family was faced with a tragedy that rocked their foundation. Jackson, however, was hit the hardest. He’s the one who can't seem to rise above the grief.

It has overtaken him…

Until he finds Bailey Whitmore. She also has a darkness she just can't shake. Yet she hides it well—tucking her sadness away, and shadowing it with a spunky attitude.

But those demons have a way of showing up when you least expect it…

Love is intense.

Loss is inevitable.

Pain and anger are unavoidable.

Will they find the strength to rebuild their tainted hearts together?
Or will it go against…Jackson’s Destiny?

{ about c.a. harms } .

Author C.A. Harms is like any other addicted reader.

I enjoy happy endings in my love stories. Loving those scenes that give it the needed angst and heat to keep you hooked and wanting more. Just enough drama to make her heart race and your stomach flutter. I haven't always been a lover of Romance and had once been addicted to a good Mystery. Just recently I have taken on a new liking and now I am addicted to Romance Novel.

I am a Limitless Publishing Author and love sharing my stories with my great fans. Feedback is great and I really enjoy interacting with my readers. I live in Illinois and enjoy spending time with my husband and two children.

You will always find me with my kindle or paperback in hand as it is my favorite pass time. And I never leave home without a small notebook. You never know when an idea for a new story will strike.

{ excerpt } .

I heard Olivia’s laughter just before the front door opened. “I did not,” she said.

“Oh yes you did,” Jackson insisted as he dropped his keys onto the table next to the couch. “Thank God it wasn’t Bailey’s Jeep. Hell, she would flip her shit if it was.”

That comment caught my full attention. “What happened?”

They both turned to face me, and Jackson grinned. Pointing toward Liv, he continued to taunt her with his orneriness. “Little Miss Speed Demon here wrecked my truck.”

Olivia’s eyes widened, and she looked like she was panicking. “You liar. You said you’d never tell.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. The two of them were always so funny together. They would pick and prod at one another, always trying to get under one another’s skin, even over little things.

“Bailey is different,” Jackson said as he walked around the counter and placed his hand on my hip. “She’s the cool aunt who’s with the cool uncle, and she ain’t gonna say shit. Are ya, babe?”

Before I could answer, he leaned forward and placed a kiss against my lips. Not one of those soft, sweet kisses but one of the hard, loud ones that was playful and full of silliness.

“Besides, I need her to run into town and pick up the tire after Booker gets it mounted and balanced.”

“Tire?’ I asked.

“Yep. Never yell ‘squirrel’ when a teenage girl is behind the wheel.” Jackson widened his eyes. “I should have just let her hit it.”

“There was no squirrel, you fool,” Olivia fired back, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I know. It was a reflex test, and darlin’, you failed that shit,” he told her with a chuckle.

I was so damn lost at this point. “Wait, what happened, exactly?”

“This dumbass yelled ‘squirrel,’ and I freaked out. But there was no damn squirrel; he just wanted to see how I would react.” She looked away from me and narrowed her eyes at Jackson. “He scared the hell out of me, and I ran off the road.”

“‘Ran off the road,’ hell,” Jackson barked. “She went down in the ditch and blew out my tire. Bent my rim to shit and crushed my running board.” He leaned over the counter, placing his elbow on the marble top. “Oh, and let’s not forget about the hood and windshield.”

“What happened to the hood and windshield?” I asked.

Jackson stared at Olivia, and she stared back at him. They were waiting for the other to explain.

“Fine,” Olivia huffed. “I hit Mr. Burk’s irrigation equipment. Well, just the side of it. It scraped the hood and cracked the windshield. But in my defense, it’s the dumbass’s fault for yelling ‘squirrel.’”

I could no longer hold back my laughter. I bent at the waist, and tears blurred my vision as I howled. Jackson was right; I wouldn’t say a word, but I sure as hell was going to take a few minutes to be amused by the situation he and Liv had found themselves in.

{ review } .

I knew in RYAN'S LOVE, when Jackson and Bailey went hiding away, that I was going to love their story. And true enough, I did.

C.A. Harms opened this book with yet another tragedy, and I'm fast learning she writes these scenes well. Where Ryan's book opened with the unexpected death of his wife, this one opens with a Sawyer family death that rocks the entire family -- but hits Jackson especially hard. And watching her friends hurt brings back grief and heartache that Bailey, herself, went through in the past.

When one looks at the framework of JACKSON'S DESTINY, if you hadn't read the previous book Jackson and Bailey's relationship seems extremely fast. Sure, there are the words that they had been circling one another for some time, but without having read it, you don't get the sense, necessarily, of the feelings these two have. So in that sense, it's helpful to read the previous book.

But if you can get past that -- this book completely stands alone fine.

...except I read book one, so I was excited to finally pick the brains of Jackson Sawyer and Bailey Whitmore.

"She had a dirty mind like a guy and a mouth like a sailor, but she was sweet as honey when you got her alone."

Jackson's possessive streak for friend-turned-lover was lovely to watch. This big bad Sawyer brother has a super large soft spot where Bailey was concerned, and I absolutely adored him. I loved watching the soft side of him come out, both with his family and with Bailey. I loved that when he told her she had his corner, and he had hers, that he then backed that statement up. As much as I loved Ryan's story with Amber and his daughter, I think Jackson may be my favorite Sawyer brother (oh, and no worries, there's plenty of comedy with Olivia Sawyer is concerned).

Beyond the Jackson and Bailey front, though, is the Sawyer family and my goodness, I love the lot of them. I love Momma Sawyer; I love Bailey's relationship with (someday soon sister-in-law, but currently BFF) Amber; I love the boys' relationship with their mother.

But I really really love the interactions between Jackson, Ryan, and Noah. Those brothers, gosh, I loved them to pieces. I loved the teasing, the ribbing, the smart-assed remarks. I loved the banging down the bedroom door and teasing about just how loud certain somebody's got at certain times...

...[Noah and Ryan] simultaneously began imitating Bailey.

"Oh my God, Jackson."

"Yes, yes...oh my God."

Just loved them.

Next up is Noah's book, and the way that man has been burned... I'm excited to watch him find his forever love.

{ previous reviews in series } .

RYAN'S LOVE 4.5 { review }

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