3.5 stars

I had no idea what this book was about or what to expect. I had previously read another book by this author and really liked it, so when I saw this book was available for request I immediately started to read it.

In this book we follow Shay, the only girl in the Jackson family, and Easton Connor, a NFL athlete who returns to Jackson Harbor to fight for a chance to win Shay´s heart.

I enjoyed this book, it was just what I needed at the moment. It is a quick romance book that could help anyone get out of a reading slump. This book has great family dynamic and I am intrigued to pick the other books up just to get more of the family, because even though this book is part of a series it can be read as a standalone. The two characters had a really strong connection so it was a shame to see how long it took them to get back together.

I did find this book to be sometimes very repetitive, especially in the part that Easton would win Shay over and then life would get in the way, and so on and so forth. This book is filled with drama, and while I enjoy drama, sometimes it was too much even for me, but like a said I expected it to be filled with drama so I understand it is an essential part of the story.

My biggest issue with the book and I am sad to say, was Shay, our main character, Shay infuriated me like no other character, I understand she had a low self-esteem, but the things that she allowed are just shocking for me. For example, I hated the fact that Shay had to find out she was the “other woman” in order for her to call it quits with her professor. I mean she wasn’t happy to be in that relationship in the first place and to be that the only reason as to why she broke up with him felt like she was willing to be unhappy just to avoid Easton which felt like the biggest nonsense.

Overall, it was a strong read, if you are looking for a book filled with angst, drama, and a slow burning romance I would totally recommend this book for you. I am definitely still on the lookout for more of Lexi Ryan´s books because it seems that I can’t get enough of her romance stories.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and the author for letting me read and review this collection.

The Boys of Jackson Harbor have a sister, and I looked forward to Shay's story. Lexi Ryan has packed this novel full of issues, at times overwhelmingly so. I dont mind a complicated relationship, or complex characters, but the dysfunctional behaviors displayed by the hero and heroine during their journey to happily ever after were tough to keep track of, let alone reconcile. The story itself was good, I really like the series, and I'm glad I read If It's Only Love. I think it's not typical of Ms. Ryan , and I will continue to read more from Lexi Ryan.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

Title: If It's Only Love
Series: The Boys of Jackson Harbor Book #6
Stand alone: yes
Author: Lexi Ryan
Genre: Romance
Blurb: From New York Times bestseller Lexi Ryan comes a sexy new standalone romance in the bestselling Boys of Jackson Harbor series. Meet single dad Easton Connor as he leaves the NFL and returns to Jackson Harbor to fight for another chance with the love of his life.

***

I don’t regret much.

Not my decision to enter the NFL draft before finishing college.
Not fighting custody of my daughter—even if, biologically speaking, it turns out she’s not mine.
And certainly not seducing my buddy’s little sister ten years ago.

But when it comes to Shayleigh Jackson, my no-regrets attitude stops there. I screwed up royally where she’s concerned. Then I made another mistake when I let her shut me out of her life.

Now after more than a decade living in different time zones, I’m coming home to Jackson Harbor. My first priority is getting my daughter away from the media circus in LA, but the moment I see Shay, I know I’ll stop at nothing to win her back.

So what if she won’t speak to me? So what if she’s changed? So what if she’s fallen for some douchebag professor? I’ve never gotten over her and I know she feels the same about me. I’ve let her go twice. I won’t make that mistake again.

If It's Only Love and all other books in this series can be read as standalones, but you'll enjoy reading them together.

Favorite Quote(s)/Excerpt(s): "If you truly want to be my friend and nothing more, I'll take it and consider myself lucky. But I'm done pretending I'm not in love with you."

"Do you truly not feel this? Did it end for you?" I close my eyes. I need to back away, but I don't want to. She's letting me touch her. Letting me close. "Because it didn't end for me. I don't think it ever will."


Thoughts: I love intense emotions and this book certainly delivers on that!  It can be heartwrenching at times, but that just makes me love a book all the more!  A second-chance romance with a bit of falling in love with your bother's best friend thrown in, it makes for one of my favorite types of books!  However, I love that Shayleigh just didn't sit around and wait for Easton to get his act together.  She tries to move on.  And Easton comes back not expecting her to just fall back into his life like he never left.  Their history is always there between them, both good and bad.  The thing is getting past it together and becoming stronger for it.

I hadn't read any other books in the series, so I'm not sure if a lot of the family aspect is already brought up in other books - but we see Shayleigh going through some stuff with her family too that is just so poignant it brings a tear to your eye.  Needless, to say, I'll be going back through othr books in this series!

Rating: A-

What’s it like to basically love someone all your life? That is the question both Easton Connor and Shayleigh Jackson are asking themselves a regular basis lately.
Easton or East for short. He is four years older than Shayleigh or Shay for short. East is her older brother, Carter’s best friend. Although, he was friends with all six of her brothers. Shay always had a special place in East’s heart being the only girl. When she was scared, had scraped her knee, or just needed to vent he was there for her. The summer she wore that first bikini he was lost.
He was told by Carter and not so nice that she was his baby sister and off-limits. So, he was biding his time. The night he was drafted in the NFL Shay is who he wanted to talk with and who always calmed his anxiety when it all got to be too much. Going to L.A. he would have to figure life out another way.
Life changed in L.A. His love for Shay didn’t, he was homesick. On New Year’s he came home he was back with his extended family which meant Shay. They had their first kiss being she was eighteen. She had school he had football. That night after fooling around she said she would apply for UCLA. Shay was beyond smart.
He rejected that idea when she presented it over text as they were talking. To her, he was rejecting her for the first time. Reinforcing that her curvy girl body was just plain fat to him. She would not measure up to the new beautiful people he was meeting in L.A. All the models and actresses she was seeing in the magazines.
She needed to distance herself. The same thoughts he was having is to step back to let her have her dream. She had higher learning and her dream school picked since she was in grade school, he couldn’t be selfish. Instead of telling her that he just said no.
These two characters have many character flaws that cause you to pause and wonder how they cope. The issues they have to face in their lives are difficult, some are extremely sad, but a lot are funny too. I really enjoyed the family dynamics that singles outs the romance between Shay and East.
I give this: 5 stars. Provided by netgalley.com. Follow us on www.1rad-readerreviews.com.

Lexi Ryan oh how much I love reading her books. It’s always awesome to read her books. Can I just say that when you read this book please have nothing else to do because you won’t want to stop reading it.

Emotionally thrilling, sexy, fun, action packed and heart racing adventure filled with old hurts, tested relationships, witty banter, exciting charters and a thrilling passion that will no longer be ignored..... really enjoyed this journey from beginning to end. Great reading!

I love this author’s writing style. The story is sweet and funny. I love this series. I was anxiously waiting for Easton’s story. Second chance romance are my favorite tropes. This is a great second chance romance. The story unfolds beautifully.

Before Shay and East, I never knew love could hurt so good. If It's Only Love is a reminder that it's okay to shed a few tears. Ryan is an ace when it comes to heartache, but equally skilled at romance. Teen infatuation becomes a heartbreaking love story that was years in the making. Will young love get an adult happy ending? Compelling and endearing meets enduring and emotional to create an unforgettable find.

And finally for the only girl in the clan, Shayleigh. With five brothers it's not hard to believe Shay has the ability to hold her own. She's been protected her entire life and fell in love with her brothers best friend when she was seven. But really who thinks that it will work out in the end?
Easton has always been bigger than life, with an amazing NFL career he's ready to get back to normal. Will it finally be the time for him and Shay to have their moment? Or will life continue to keep them from happily ever after...

This was a good 2nd chance love story. It did take me a little bit to like Easton and Shay though. I just have a hard time with things being left unsaid. All of this could have been avoided if everything was put on the table 12 freaking years ago. I was starting to get into it and then it starts up again more than half way through with them keeping secrets/hiding feelings. I didn’t not like the story because I could understand what the author was trying to convey. It was just a lot of eye rolling on my part because Shay and Easton are grown adults by this point and could tell each other their feelings. If it worked it worked, if it didn’t work then move on. In the end it was all unnecessary because the love that they had for each other came out on top.

Arc provided by publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was not expecting this book at all. I absolutely ate it up and even cried a little. The synopsis makes it sound like this typical second-chance sports romance, but it's so much more emotional than I'd anticipated, and I loved every minute of it.

It's less of a second-chanced romance and more of a bad-timing-over-and-over romance, and I think the way Lexi Ryan handles the time shifts in the narrative--the then and the now--is really masterful. It turns out this is the last (or most recent) in a 6-book series, but I didn't feel lost at all. Also--it won't be the last Boys of Jackson Harbor book I'll be reading.

It's a very talented writer who makes you feel what you're reading. I loved this book, I've read one other book from this series but they can definitely be stand alone books. I loved the drama of this story, there is some back and forth as far as the timeline in concerned. However, I was hooked, I just wanted to know more of Shay and Easton's story. I highly recommend this book!

3 stars
I loved this series, this book though, was not my favorite. I didn't all the drama and issues that the couple dealt with, with other people. It didn't feel like a romance when we are dealing with them being with other people

This story tore me up and made me too anxious. Way too anxious!
I had to keep skipping around. And then going back. I was on pins and needles. I loved Easton... I hated him... I loved him...hated him...
These two were meant to be together, but one thing after another kept tearing them apart. Be sure you know what you are getting into if you decide to read this one.

This is book 6 in the series. I have not read the previous books and had no issues with reading this one as a standalone.

This is the first book that I have read by Ms. Ryan and I am wondering what has taken me so long to do so. She writes a really good single dad/friends to lovers/best friends’ sister second chance romance. I mean you get it all with this story and I loved it. Shay and Ethan have known each other forever and she has always had a crush on him. Ethan has always had a thing for her as well but with her brothers always warning him off, it wasn’t able to happen. There was always the pesky timing problem but now since they are older, there is really nothing standing in their way – too bad that wasn’t the case. They will have to fight to get their HEA and the journey was worth every turn of the page.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC of Lexi Ryan's last book about Jackson Harbor. I have been fully invested in these books since book 1 and had actually bought all the others. This was on my to-read list. I am a huge fan of Lexi Ryan and her writing style and I was sorry to see the series end but since we are out of siblings I guess there was nowhere else to go with the story. It was the perfect ending. If you read the other books you need to read this one. quickly. go, do it now.

If It's Only Love is a beautiful story of second chances! I entered this series a little unorthodox, as I'm reading the 6th book in a series, but I'll immediately be going back to the beginning to read them all! Easton has made mistakes in his life, but his dedication to those he loves will make your heart skip a beat. I love the interactions between all of the characters and how all roads lead you home. Such a wonderful book, that I'll definitely read again and again!

I've absolutely loved this series. If It's Only Love is Book 6 of ‘The Boys of Jackson Harbor' series, but is a complete standalone.

Oh wow! Shay and Easton's story is a rollercoaster ride, with twists I just didn't see coming! The obstacles they face really put their relationship to the test. And Easton really stole my heart!

The book goes back and forth between the past and present, so we get to learn their full story – no stone was left unturned!

Sorry to see this series come to an end – loved every word!

Easton and Shay's history was so heartbreaking. The reasons for them being apart were pretty good ones, but he could have handled it better. I really enjoyed this story and seeing how hard Easton worked to show Shay how he felt. It just missed 5 stars for me because I did fell that there was a bit too many obstacles for them. Clear communication would have helped. Loved the epilogue!

Easton and Shayleigh have a long history, and it's the kind of history that makes for a great second chance story. It's full of romance, of missed opportunities, of 2nd chances, and star-crossed lovers. It's a 2nd chance, or really a 3rd or 4th chance for the characters, and while there have been reasons that they wouldn't work in the past, the relationship seems that it actually might work this time. Maybe. Yes, there are still things in their way, but this time, Easton is all in, and he is in Jackson Harbor to get rid of one of the issues, them living in different cities.

There's such a connection between them, and it's there, and it's strong from the very first time you see them together. It's one of those connections that make you wonder why it hasn't worked out yet. But, then you learn what has happened to them, and why they are not able to get together.

All of the flashbacks work, and they draw them together and make their relationship into something incredibly strong, and with this strength you believe in the relationship.

So, why the 3 stars? I can't say here. It's not because I don't know, as I do. But, it's a spoiler. And, while it worked for the story and I believed the resolution around it, I didn't love it. And, I know this doesn't make a lot of sense, but there's just not a way to explain this without going into the thing that happened that I didn't love and didn't totally work for me. There's not really anything else I can say as I don't want to ruin the story for others.

Overall, I did enjoy this title and I do recommend it.