No one does single parent, second chance romance like AL Jackson and Pieces of Us is exactly that! You don't need to have read Ian and Jace's story to enjoy Maxon and Izzy either, so feel free to pick this one up now!
Izzy's childhood dream was to be Maxon's wife. Then he crushed her, she left town and tried to move on with her life. She has two amazing sons, one who just got accepted into an experimental trial forcing Izzy to return home. Maxon is now a local cop and lives next to Izzy's parents, so avoidance isn't going to be an option. I love a cop hero!
Pieces of Us will repeatedly punch you in the feels and you will keep coming back for more. Mack broke up with Izzy when they were kids because, like a typical man, it was best for her (according to him). He was a wrong side of the tracks kid with trouble to boot. Izzy's kids are delightful and way too smart for their age. They really added such joy and love to the story. And I loved her parents! Her mom is a hoot! I think these characters were necessary to keep the story from getting TOO HEAVY, you know? Jackson does well of creating angst but not making the entire book angst. That's not an easy line to walk and not all authors do it well. There is some other woman drama that made me want to throat punch Maxon. That's probably what kept this from being a 5 star read for me.
- POV: dual 1st
- Tears: yes
- Trope: second chance romance, single mom
- Triggers: spoiler
- Series/Standalone: standalone within an interconnected series.
- Cliffhanger: no
- HEA: yes with adorable epilogue
other contemporary romance authors like Melanie Harlow, Corinne Michaels, Kennedy Ryan, Mia Sheridan...then you will probably like Pieces of Us!
“I’m not gonna let you fall,” he told her, his voice sounding like laughter, climbing higher and higher, propelling himself up with his hands and feet, so fast she thought he might be flying.
He made it all the way up to where she was, and he looped an arm around her waist and hauled her up so she could sit on a branch, freeing the weight from her arms. And it felt so good and hurt all over and she was crying again.
Relief.
She wanted to hug him and hug him and hug him.
“What you cryin’ for, Little Bird?”
Hiccupping, she wiped the tears and the snot from her face. “Cuz I didn’t wanna die. You saved me.”
He laughed. “I wasn’t gonna let you die, silly. I heard you, and I came running. That’s all you gotta do. Just start yellin’, and I’ll know when you need me to save you.”
She sniffled a little, a smile pulling to her face. “Okay. But what if you’re not strong enough?”
Except, he seemed pretty strong. Maybe even stronger than her daddy. Brave to come rushing right up that tree like it was nothin’.
“Psh. What are you talkin’ about? Don’t you know I’m a dragon?”
He flexed his scrawny arms, his biceps the size of tangerines.
“A dragon?” she asked, curiosity making her eyes pinch.
“Dragons are the strongest and the fastest and the fiercest. So scary. Just like me. Except you don’t gotta be afraid because I’m a good dragon. Even my mama says so.”
“Okay,” she agreed super fast because that sounded just fine to her.
Then he smiled softer. “Little Bird, Little Bird, stuck in a tree.”
She giggled, her heart feeling light. “Dragon, dragon, come and rescue me.”
He grinned so wide that she couldn’t help but laugh again. “That’s right. Just like that.”See full review on The Book Disciple