A Stone in the Sea (Bleeding Stars Book 1)

Bleeding Stars Series (A Stone in the Sea & Drowning to Breath) by A.L. Jackson ~ 5 Stars “Love of a voice that was never really heard. Love of a face that was never really seen.” WOW! WOW! What a story! Devoured both books in 2 days. So, here is the thing: I met this beautiful author in Vegas before I read any of her books – she was so nice and gracious btw … I have this series on my kindle and I cannot believe I waited this long to start ;( I am not going to be able to stop now… onto Where Lightning Strikes as soon as I am done with this review. Sabastian is a lead singer and guitarist for the band Sunder. He and the band have it all – fans, fame and fortune. But Sabastian’s life is not perfect by a mile – he has a painful past that causes regrets, bitterness and a frequent temper which stems from his protective nature toward his family. Recent altercations with an executive producer sent Sabastian straight to a retreat in Savannah hoping he could lay low while his team cleans up the mess in LA. Well, Sabastian was laying low alright!!! Wink wink wink One night out at a bar he met a beautiful waitress Shea Bentley. He was drawn to her right away and could not help but want to know Shea more. Shea has no time for distractions – she has responsibilities and also despises the lifestyle of a rock star. But Shea’s body and heart are betraying her mind – will she succumb to the bad mysterious rock star? “He was both the sun and the darkest night. A promise of heaven and the curse of hell.” Here’s the catch though -- Sebastian and Shea both have an abundance of secrets between them. Life is complicated, and when past secrets come to light will they be able to trust each other again? God knows everyone else (with the exception of his bandmates and her close friends) is jaded with lies and deceit. A Stone in the Sea ended with a major cliff-hanger – no spoilers here… you just have to read! The second book picks up where Sabastian finds out who the real Shea is. He could not deal with it. He ran out and left Shea devastated and broken hearted. This is a part where I was really mad at Baz for not thinking things through before leaving – but that’s how Baz is, a hot temper and hard headed. Thankfully it did not take him long to pull his head out of his arse and grovel his way back to Shea. So, the make-up part is always fun and HoT But Baz and Shea both realize that they are so much stronger as a unit and they are determined to get their life back together, to bring down those that wronged them. Justice prevailed in the end. Pretty sweet!!! “But we can run as hard and as fast as we want, and until we put our pasts to rest, they will always catch up to us.” I really love both main characters in this book, even the secondary characters and I am very excited to read about them in the next book. Shea is a strong woman. Despite what she endured in the past she was able to move on and take care of her daughter. I like the fact that she did not heat up the sheets with Baz right away – she is not playing games. Shea is genuinely concerned about attachment to someone who might not in it for a long run – she wants to protect her heart as well as her daughter’s happiness. Baz is sexy, talented, damaged but an amazing guy despite his temper. Deep down Baz is loyal, devoted, caring and protective of those he loves even if it means putting himself in vulnerable situations. Shea and Baz’s story is touching, beautiful, emotional, and full of angst. At times, my heart hurts for them both … Their love for each other, however, is gorgeous - quite passionate, heart-felt, and sexy. The chemistry is very intense and scorching hot. There are also many cute, sweet and tender moments throughout the book, especially surrounding Kallie. Melted my heart how cute and innocent she is. This is the first time I read AL Jackson’s books. It did take me a few chapters to get used to her writing style. I was a little bit distracted at first with the repeated words but I quickly attributed that to the poetic way she tells her story. It’s just her style. It’s gorgeous and I am totally digging it. No doubt this is a fantastic read! AL Jackson, it is so nice to finally meet you and your beautiful characters!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE your stories and cannot wait for more to come!!! “Sometimes when you welcome in something new, the old can no longer remain.”

This was an emotional story wrapped up in an intriguing little package. It was so easy to fall into the lives of these characters and feel their story in your bones. First of all, I have to say that I have a love-hate relationship with this author's storytelling. On one hand, the writing is smooth and flows nicely. One the other hand, the way the author repeats words continuously throughout the text aggravated me to no end. There is no doubt that Jackson's writing is captivating at times but the way that she evokes emotions in her writing can sometimes be dramatic. I really enjoyed these characters. Baz and Shea are both very emotionally charged characters. They are both characters that are hiding things and trying to trudge through all the bad shit in their lives to make it out unscathed on the other side. It was so easy to get emotionally invested in these characters. I really loved the depth that they had and their character growth was fantastic. I also really loved the secondary characters, especially Baz's brother and bandmates. There are so many more stories to tell with this crew and I cannot wait to read the rest of this series and discover them all. The romance in this story was very intense. The connection that Baz and Shea shared was visceral. It was so electrically charged and immediate. The only problem that I had with the romance was the instalove nature of it. Baz and Shea are both attracted to each other, whether it be their looks or the energy between them. They gravitate towards each other without any real substance or time spent together. It was easier to swallow the longer the story progressed, but it was still in the back of my mind. Nonetheless, their romance was super hot and ticked off all the other boxes for me. The plotting of the story was great. There were things that I didn't see coming. The story totally captured my attention and kept me wanting more. I loved how all the pieces started to fall together at the end of the book and that cliffhanger had me itching for the next book in this series. Overall, this is a powerful story that is full of so much emotion. This is a story that will capture your attention from the start. I am really eager to see what happens next in Baz and Shea's story and to read more about the other characters in the other books in this series.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and the sequel. Very well written and kept me turning each page wanting more, more, more. I was cheering Baz and Shea along right from the start, and was swept up in the anticipation, tension, passion, lust, frustration, love, anger and elation of their story, and I'm so pleased that the baddy got his comeuppance in the end! A.L Jackson's writing flowed really well and the editing was spot on. I've found another really good author and want to consume all her stories.

I've waited months to read this one. Not because I thought it would be bad as I'm a huge fan of AL Jackson's books but because my friends told me it ended on a big cliffhanger. As the second book should be published in 2 days now I went to read this one yesterday. And I read it in one sitting, litterally. Now, I'm mad I did not wait another day or two because I still have to wait! I'm dying of frustration right now and don't have any nails left "unchewed". The story is not a really complicated one, even if the main protagonists have secrets we learn throughout the book (the biggets being Shea's secret and it explodes like a nuclear bomb at the end of the book) but the feelings I got from reading She and Baz's story overwhelmed me completely. I could not be detached, the were drowning me in their emotions. Shea is such a beautiful and luminous heroine. Baz is gorgeous (yes ladies he is HOT), dark, tormented and drawn to Shea's light. They were so right together, there is no other words. They deserve their HEA and I hope they'll get it in Drowning to Breathe. I've faith in AL Jackson, she always give HEA. Well, mind you, she never ended a book with a cliffhanger before this one so I hope she won't change with the "and they lived happy ever after"! So now, fingers crossed, only 2 days to sleep (yes, I feel like a kid before Christmas) but it's still too long!

Esta é uma resenha difícil de escrever eis que este livro me evocou emoções conflitantes. Enquanto algumas partes de sua estória me consumiram completamente e me deixaram sem ar, outras realmente conseguiram me entediar. O que definitivamente me atraiu foi a escrita lírica da Sra. Jackson, que tornou tudo um pouco mais mágico, já que o enredo a princípio traz o velho chichê de duas pessoas com um passado conturbado que não querem um relacionamento, mas que acabam não resistindo a paixão que sente um pelo outro. Temos um herói sexy, tatuado e com um coração enorme e uma heroína doce e misteriosa. Mas, há outras facetas nesta narrativa que doam uma singularidade a mais para a trama e das quais eu prefiro não mencionar - já que o melhor é ir desvendando aos poucos e por si só as suas camadas. Sebastian Stone é um rock star e ele não está nada bem. A sua vida está se despedaçando. Uma vida marcada por perdas, decepções e pelo peso da responsabilidade. Ele é incrivelmente leal e protetor, principalmente no que se refere aos seus companheiros de banda e ao seu irmão mais novo. Contudo esta característica protetora já o trouxe vários problemas... ele está, agora, enfrentando uma ação criminal que poderá coloca-lo atrás das grades e por isso, o seu agente decide manda-lo para Savannah, na Geórgia, a fim de afastá-lo um pouco do burburinho da Califórnia. Savannah é uma cidade essencialmente country, talvez lá ele consiga um pouco do sossego que ele tanto almeja... Shea voltou para sua cidade natal na Savannah para escapar do seu passado e ela não tem tempo para distrações. E por distrações eu quero dizer o incrivelmente lindo, deliciosamente sexy e misteriosamente enigmático homem que passou a visitar todas as noites o bar em que ela trabalha e pelo qual ela sentiu uma atração avassaladora desde a primeira troca de olhar. Sebastian e Shea são dois personagens bastante parecidos. Eles são leais, altruístas e almas torturas que tentam fugir dos erros do passado. O encontro entre eles é rápido e intenso. Nenhum dos dois quer se envolver com outro, mas o magnetismo que eles sentem é mais forte que qualquer pensamento racional. E eu não posso mentir, eu senti esta atração em meus ossos. Jackson fez um excelente trabalho ao retratar a conexão carnal entre nossos heróis. Romances do tipo instalove realmente não me atraem, contudo o fato da autora não ter feito eles se apaixonarem loucamente logo de cara foi um alívio. Afeição a primeira vista eu posso entender. O amor entre eles foi sendo construído aos poucos. Contudo, apesar de eu ter sido vendida completamente no que se refere a atração fatal experimentada por nossos protagonistas, o abrochar do amor não me convenceu tanto. Em partes eu me vi completamente investida na relação deles, em outras eu já não estava mais ligando tanto para este casal. E apesar de outros mistérios trazidos pela narrativa, por vezes eu não me encontrei mais tão compenetrada na leitura. A Stone in the Sea traz uma estória que foca muito mais no romance e na angustia do que no humor. Aqui não há diálogos espirituosos, mas a autora compensa ao entregar um enredo incrivelmente poético que definitivamente me deixou suspirando. Mas, o livro não termina aqui... ele traz uma reviravolta em seu final que eu não consigo dizer se me deixou ansiosa pelo próximo volume ou com raiva da autora - já que eu acredito que esta estória tenha se arrastado um pouco e talvez pudesse ter sido amarrada em um standalone. A Sotne in the Sea faz parte de uma trilogia que continua em Drowning to Breathe que será lançado em Junho de 2015 e conclui em Through the Storm, a ser publicado em outubro deste ano.

I'm not sure I have the adequate words to sum up just how AMAZING this author's writing is. Her books are so much more than a collection of words. The way she describes thoughts and feelings with with such thoughtful beauty and sensuality is so all-consuming! I am completely addicted!

Thank goodness I don't have to wait to read Drowning to Breathe, It would kill me, I've got it all lined up ready and waiting. Everything I have read from A.L. Jackson has been fantastic, she never disappoints but what she does do is torture us by ending her stories on a cliff hanger only to be carried on into the next book, she did it with The Regret Series and The Closer To you Series always leaving you wanting more. Baz and Shea's story is full of intrigue from the get go you are trying to read between the lines, lots of things going around in your head trying to work out what the story is behind both of them they each have secrets but A.L. Jackson' s doing what she does best, dropping little hints and teasing us, we have yet to find out the true story with Austin and how his twin brother Julian died we now know he drowned but how it actually went down we don't know. All the way through this book we've wondered about the history behind Shea and Kallie but that was put on the back burner because of all the drama that came with Baz but we knew it was only a matter of time before it all came crashing down and it certainly did just that, who'd have thought that is was going to be all down to Martin Jennings, what a nasty piece of work he is. Kallie was a true sweetie who stole the show and hearts of all the Sunder guys more than once and I have to say the scene where she's taken away is awful.. Heartbreaking. We know now that Shea and Baz have a lot more in common than they realised but where do they go from here?? I'm about to find out.! A Stone in the Sea is a brilliant story that is beautifully written and yes very poetic and so much meaning to every sentence but that's only to be expected from this great author. Thank you for these great stories.!