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A review by julie_loves_books
Wait by A.L. Jackson
4.0
“How do you always manage to do this to me?”
“Do what?”
“Make me feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be.”
“Because you are.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I love A.L. Jackson and I love this series, but this book didn't grab me as much as her others have. Edie and Austin both have traumatic pasts. Two broken people fighting their inner demons. Afraid if they filled the void inside with something good, that they would be moving on from a past that they felt they shouldn't be.
I thought this would have been a much more emotional read, but I didn't feel the pull toward these characters or their story as I have with the others. The emotional connection just wasn't there. And, although I love this writing style, I didn't feel it worked as well here as it has in her other books.
I think one of the other things missing was the band. I love them all and they've been pretty prominent in each of the other stories. I hope we get more of them in the next two books.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“An old friend.” Labeling her as only that? It felt like another damned betrayal. Because she’d been everything.
“She’s really pretty, yeah?” A disoriented chuckle rumbled in my chest. Pretty. Not even close. She was fucking gorgeous. It was like the girl had been created just for me. A replica of my every fantasy.
Sure. I’d met her a few times through the years when we’d been nothing more than little kids. Then? It’d seemed like nothing. Now? It felt like everything.
Fuck. She made me insane. Crazy with lust and delirious with devotion.
Like she couldn’t help herself, she looked back. Back at me. Into me. It felt like with just that look she could reach in and touch all the places that had only ever belonged to her. Hers. I’d been hers for so fucking long.
“You ran.” It was a gruff murmur, my fingertips moving to flutter along the sharp angle of her jaw. Because God. I just needed to touch. Her brow pulled with uncertainty, words soft and sad.
“It sounds to me like you’ve been running, too.”
“Yeah. I’ve been running.” I squeezed her a little harder. “And I don’t believe for a minute it’s a coincidence I found you, either.”
“How do you always manage to do this to me?”
“Do what?”
“Make me feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be.”
“Because you are.”
Her exterior had grown so strong. Kinda like me. Youth scraped away by the years. Yet I knew the inside still harbored all those broken pieces. My mirror.
“Just because we’ve never actually had sex doesn’t mean we weren’t lovers.”
“Do you feel that, Edie Evans?”
“What?” she mumbled, her face tucked against my chest, like she was speaking directly to my heart.
“Me.”
“Did you know she’d come back to me?” I whispered into the driving wind.
Baz had always worried I’d finally go tumbling over the edge. Harm myself in some way because I was missing this piece of myself. A piece I wasn’t ever going to get back. An unknown feeling gripped me. As light as it was heavy. Maybe I’d always known there was a reason. A reason I was here. Tied and bound in an entirely different way. And I knew…I knew. The reason was her.
That’s what I wanted. To be her meaning.
“You steal my breath.”
“And you make me weak,” she returned.
“Gorgeous,” he murmured. He brushed his fingers higher, shivers racing as he traced the line of my jaw. “So damned gorgeous. Can’t see straight when I look at you. Or maybe I’m finally seeing everything right.”
“Do you have any idea how good it feels to wake up next to you?” Awe filled my tone.
“It couldn’t have possibly felt as good as it felt waking up next to you.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Edie, because there’s no place in the world I’d rather be than right here with you. So I’d say that ranks it up there somewhere in the range of magical and miraculous.” My throat swelled with affection.
“What’s above miraculous?” I questioned, eyes flitting, searching that striking face. Slowly, he shook his head.
“There’s no such thing.”
“Just…be careful with me.”
Trouble. Yeah. That girl was disorder and the perfect kind of chaos. Sweet as sin. Soft as snow. Firelight.
Bessie was an old girl, dinged up body and rusted from the sea. I’d scrounged together enough money when I’d first left L.A., knowing if I wanted to roam, I needed a ride. I’d figured she wouldn’t get me far. Yet somehow she’d taken me exactly where I needed to be.
“She doesn’t look like much, but she brought me to you.”
“Maybe the emptiness is meant as a reminder. Maybe it’s a gift so we don’t ever forget. So we don’t really have to live without them.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Promise?” She smiled a shy smile. “This almost feels…like a dream.” I tugged her close, murmured at her mouth.
“You are my dream.”
“I was waiting for him.”
“I’m going to love you forever. Touch this body every night. Kiss these lips every morning.”
“Do you feel that?”
“What?”
“Me.” I caressed his twisted brow.
“I’ve always felt you.”
“Do what?”
“Make me feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be.”
“Because you are.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I love A.L. Jackson and I love this series, but this book didn't grab me as much as her others have. Edie and Austin both have traumatic pasts. Two broken people fighting their inner demons. Afraid if they filled the void inside with something good, that they would be moving on from a past that they felt they shouldn't be.
I thought this would have been a much more emotional read, but I didn't feel the pull toward these characters or their story as I have with the others. The emotional connection just wasn't there. And, although I love this writing style, I didn't feel it worked as well here as it has in her other books.
I think one of the other things missing was the band. I love them all and they've been pretty prominent in each of the other stories. I hope we get more of them in the next two books.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“An old friend.” Labeling her as only that? It felt like another damned betrayal. Because she’d been everything.
“She’s really pretty, yeah?” A disoriented chuckle rumbled in my chest. Pretty. Not even close. She was fucking gorgeous. It was like the girl had been created just for me. A replica of my every fantasy.
Sure. I’d met her a few times through the years when we’d been nothing more than little kids. Then? It’d seemed like nothing. Now? It felt like everything.
Fuck. She made me insane. Crazy with lust and delirious with devotion.
Like she couldn’t help herself, she looked back. Back at me. Into me. It felt like with just that look she could reach in and touch all the places that had only ever belonged to her. Hers. I’d been hers for so fucking long.
“You ran.” It was a gruff murmur, my fingertips moving to flutter along the sharp angle of her jaw. Because God. I just needed to touch. Her brow pulled with uncertainty, words soft and sad.
“It sounds to me like you’ve been running, too.”
“Yeah. I’ve been running.” I squeezed her a little harder. “And I don’t believe for a minute it’s a coincidence I found you, either.”
“How do you always manage to do this to me?”
“Do what?”
“Make me feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be.”
“Because you are.”
Her exterior had grown so strong. Kinda like me. Youth scraped away by the years. Yet I knew the inside still harbored all those broken pieces. My mirror.
“Just because we’ve never actually had sex doesn’t mean we weren’t lovers.”
“Do you feel that, Edie Evans?”
“What?” she mumbled, her face tucked against my chest, like she was speaking directly to my heart.
“Me.”
“Did you know she’d come back to me?” I whispered into the driving wind.
Baz had always worried I’d finally go tumbling over the edge. Harm myself in some way because I was missing this piece of myself. A piece I wasn’t ever going to get back. An unknown feeling gripped me. As light as it was heavy. Maybe I’d always known there was a reason. A reason I was here. Tied and bound in an entirely different way. And I knew…I knew. The reason was her.
That’s what I wanted. To be her meaning.
“You steal my breath.”
“And you make me weak,” she returned.
“Gorgeous,” he murmured. He brushed his fingers higher, shivers racing as he traced the line of my jaw. “So damned gorgeous. Can’t see straight when I look at you. Or maybe I’m finally seeing everything right.”
“Do you have any idea how good it feels to wake up next to you?” Awe filled my tone.
“It couldn’t have possibly felt as good as it felt waking up next to you.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Edie, because there’s no place in the world I’d rather be than right here with you. So I’d say that ranks it up there somewhere in the range of magical and miraculous.” My throat swelled with affection.
“What’s above miraculous?” I questioned, eyes flitting, searching that striking face. Slowly, he shook his head.
“There’s no such thing.”
“Just…be careful with me.”
Trouble. Yeah. That girl was disorder and the perfect kind of chaos. Sweet as sin. Soft as snow. Firelight.
Bessie was an old girl, dinged up body and rusted from the sea. I’d scrounged together enough money when I’d first left L.A., knowing if I wanted to roam, I needed a ride. I’d figured she wouldn’t get me far. Yet somehow she’d taken me exactly where I needed to be.
“She doesn’t look like much, but she brought me to you.”
“Maybe the emptiness is meant as a reminder. Maybe it’s a gift so we don’t ever forget. So we don’t really have to live without them.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Promise?” She smiled a shy smile. “This almost feels…like a dream.” I tugged her close, murmured at her mouth.
“You are my dream.”
“I was waiting for him.”
“I’m going to love you forever. Touch this body every night. Kiss these lips every morning.”
“Do you feel that?”
“What?”
“Me.” I caressed his twisted brow.
“I’ve always felt you.”