This was okay…

I think the hardest thing for me was how dramatic everything was. From the actual drama to the sex talk… it was all so over the top and (at least for the first sex scene) it made it less believable. Trent was this hard ass of a dude and would turn the world upside down for Eden and he made it ABUNDANTLY clear every time he spoke to or about her. I love some love and adoration as much as the next gal but this was a little much.

Gage was a little cutie but AGAIN, he was talking like an 11 year old but he was a little kid? Talking about standards? I know a lot of his dialogue was based on things he picked up from his uncles but it was still like? Make him sound like his age.

I’ve loved AL Jackson for years but this sadly did not do what I was hoping for. It is not an enemies to lovers as well? Not really anyways.

Were there things I enjoyed? Sure. I liked the twist in the end, the writing was pretty good, and I didn’t enjoy Trent and Eden mostly, but it’s a solid 3/5 from me for this one.

Y’all 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 book. This 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌. It had me all 👏🏼up👏🏼in👏🏼my👏🏼feels! I’m talking I started it and finished it in less than a 4 hour period. I 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 it! I completely fell in love with Trent. I felt every single one of this sexy soul’s tortured emotions as if they were mine. And his son Gabe…..❤️.

Let’s not forget Eden…..the sizzling, off the charts, out of this world sparks that flew between Trent & Eden….holy crap! I felt like I would combust every time they were together! I absolutely loved it! Jackson has once again created an unforgettable, absolutely addicting, blissfully sexy, 5 trillion star worthy new book and you can grab it up on August 30th!

* I received a complimentary copy of this book from Author/Publisher and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*

I usually love everything that A.L. Jackson puts out but this sadly missed the mark. I ended up putting the book down for good only about 15% in (6 chapters). The writing style felt different from her typical stories. I also got tired of the religious undertones. Overall I think my expectations from the blurb were pretty high and there was nowhere to go but down once I got a feel of the story and how different it was. I will most likely pick this story back up and finish it when I have more patience but I wouldn't recommend this to anyone looking for a true enemies to lovers story.

Give Me a Reason by A.L. Jackson is the First book in the Redemption Hills Series. This is the story of Trent Lawson and Eden Murphy. This is the ultimate bad man and the sweet women story line. Its one of my favorite romances so this was a must read for me. I am happy to say that it was a page turning read that I truly enjoyed and will be looking for more from this author.

5 STARS!!

I devoured this fucking book! I knew from page one that there was no way I would sleep until it was over. The only problem was I had a birthday party yesterday, so there I was pulling out my phone to the kindle app anytime I was left alone, even for if a minute.

Then we got home and I read until 4 this morning and I do not regret one minute it of. This book was just that good.

The push/pull of their get together was memorizing. I normally can't stand it, but this was written so perfect and my gawd this author has a way with words. I'm currently downloading every other book she has written.

Gage..... He was the perfect little 5 year old that stole my heart. His excitement, his nonstop cheery talking reminds me of my son when he was 5.

Trent..... Perfectly damaged, loyal and guilt-ridden antihero who is changing it all for his perfect little boy.

Eden...... Lost in the past, trying to dig out of other peoples errors, but still the goodness that every soul needs around them. The good girl....the Sunday school/kindergarten teacher....the girl who has lost so much but will do anything to help her dad.

Eden is the light to Trents dark and fucked up life. She is the angel to his demon. From first sight he knows touching her will ruin them both. But can he hold back? Can he continue to live in the dark world of demons now that he has been so close to an angel.

“I’ve been hiding in the darkness for all this time, Eden. Until you came and shed your light on me. Lit up something that’s never existed. Not ever.”

This is officially one of the best books I have read in 2021.

What a rollercoaster ride of an introduction to Redemption Hill! Jackson's novels always have a lot of angst, drama, and slow-building steam that finally erupts. Give Me a Reason is a perfect combination of the 3 and worth the read for sure. The character development is fantastic and her world-building is always worth mentioning, but it's the slow-building angst and steam that keeps me coming back for more! Eden is the perfect good girl with a huge amount of courage and drive. Trent is loyal, driven, hard, and everything Eden isn't, but you learn to love him for it. I truly can't wait to read the other Lawson men's books!!
While I highly recommend the book, I will say the only reason it isn't a 5-star review is that Trent has a sporadic speech pattern of leaving "I" off of the beginning of some of his sentences and every time it pulled me out of book world to re-read it and make sure I hadn't just read it wrong. "Can't think of..." "Want to talk to you" etc. Those are just made-up examples but it is a distracting speech pattern considering he does it every other or every third time he starts a sentence where "I" should be. I understand in the heat of the moment, but not just in regular conversation. I'm not withholding the star because it's a speech pattern I don't appreciate, it's because it disrupted the flow of reading and a 5 star shouldn't do that.

This was a story of two opposite people attracting in the most profound and gut wrenching way.

I did find myself struggling through Trent’s dialogue. With how lyrically focused this was written, I found Trent dropping words in every of other sentence incredibly distracting, so I decided to DNF.

I just could not look past the writing style. That being said, it was still a beautiful love story that many will enjoy.

This was such a wonderful story about two complete opposites who are drawn to each other and trying their best to fight their chemistry. I really enjoyed these two together. Trent was HOT!!

This had so many of my fav things including a SEXY, tattooed alpha (my FAV) who also is a single dad with a motorcycle! 🙌🔥 plus the grumpy/sunshine (sweet) girl trope! Did I mention he's protective? SWOOOON! 😍 His son, Gabe is an absolute sweetheart!!

So obsessed with the single dad trope right now! I just adored every minute of this!! They had a sizzling chemistry together and I loved how they both cared for each other. All of the characters were so loveable!!! Definitely recommend if you love a good single dad book or a hot protective alpha who doesn't think he deserves love!

3.5-4/5 stars
“But the thing about vulnerability? It didn’t always make you weak. Sometimes the only thing it did was make you fight harder.”

Thank you to NetGalley and Valentine PR& Literary management for providing me with an eArc of this book. All thoughts and opinions on this book are my own.

This book made me emotional. I cried as well as blushed at certain moments.
I loved Eden’s and Trent’s love story. It had so many ups and downs as well as just so much sexual tension.
Eden and Trent are complete opposites and I liked how that factor kept putting instances in the way of their relationship.
There were a lot of my favorite tropes used in this book, like the forced proximity, opposites attract, as well as the good girl and guy from the wrong side of the tracks trope.

My favorite character was definitely Gage. He was like the glue and every time he talked, I had to smile. He was so cute and just how I imagined a kid at his age to be like.
I liked how his relationship with his father, Trent, was portrayed.
The “my father is my hero” image is actually very realistic because kids usually focus on the good stuff and it made this story even better, since Trent had his bad sides.

The writing style was also interesting. I love it when books have flashbacks and in this book, they changed from first person to third person during it.
Plot wise, I thought that the middle was the strongest. The ending wasn’t anticlimactic but I thought that the beginning was a bit fast at moments.
The story started of really fast paced and I was a bit confused on how each character somehow knew each other so quickly.

Lastly, the mystery was amazing. I did not see the plot-twist coming at all, but in the end, it actually made a lot of sense.
In the beginning, a lot is unknown and I like how more and more secrets are revealed the more you read.

I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a good dark romance story that has characters with broken pasts.

Honestly, it has been a hot minute since I have read AL. One chapter in I knew I had to go back and read her catalog. I am a reader of dark books so I thought maybe this wouldn't be my cuppa, I was so wrong.
I loved Trent and his heartbreaking backstory. He was a man with a history that was filled with trauma, grief, and crime and I ate that up. Trent knew he was never meant to have anything good and that included the pure Edan.
Edan grew up completely different than Trent. She loved her father dearly and went to church and taught Sunday school. Their paths cross when Edan needs to make some fast cash to help out her father and she gets a job at Trent's club. One-touch is all it takes for these two to feel the spark.
This story is full of angst and twists and turns and HOLY PLOT TWIST!!!
I really enjoyed this I just hope Jud and Logan get stories Oh and Tessa!!!!

HOLY WOWWW!!! TRENT & EDEN!! I saw this cover and read the blurb and was hoping the NetGalley Gods would smile down on me and grant me this book and I was so EXCITED to get it! First of all, I was shocked when I realized this is my first time reading A.L. Jackson....like HOW!? What have I been doing with my life.

Give Me a Reason was freaking fantastic! What a ride! Adrenaline pumping, dangerous, fast paced, mysterious, swoony and romantic!

Trent took my breath away, even though all he saw when he looked in the mirror was a savage, damaged and vicious man I could see everything else underneath. All of his pain and guilt, his transgressions that constantly picked away at him even though he was starting a new life, a better life for his son Gabe with the support of his brothers Logan and Jud (who I adore)

Eden is so kind and sweet and just an all around good person, she's a kindergarten teacher and teaches Sunday school at her dad's church, when she and her father are betrayed by someone they both thought they could depend on she takes a risky second job to make ends meet.....turns out the new job? Trent owns it.

No one can deny the spark between these two but they are the definition of opposites attract, things only get more complicated when Trent pulls up at student pick up and finds out Eden is Gabe's teacher!

the push and pull, the side glances, the intense feelings, the beautiful relationships between the brothers and the heart warming moments with Gabe all collide to make this a read that I couldn't put down! And that TWIST!!! I'm sorry, TWISTS!! AHHH! Didn't see them coming!

This was one wild ride!

I was thoroughly entertained when it came to this book, it was definitely really fun to read, and it was quite enjoyable too! I really enjoyed the story, the characters were the best part though! Gage is just the sweetest child ever, too adorable honestly. This book had forbidden romance vibes with a bad boy, good girl premise, which I love, and I thought that was done super well in the book! Also, I almost cried, many, many times while reading.

I'm so excited to read about the other brothers!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and A. L. Jackson for the earc in return for an honest review.