A Stone in the Sea (Bleeding Stars Book 1)

"DO YOU SEE ME, SHEA? I SEE YOU." Sighhhhh!!!! There are certain books you read that are so remarkable, touch you so profoundly, leave such a permanent imprint on your heart and soul that you want to exalt about it from the rooftops. Reread over and over again so you can revel in its AWESOMENESS! Well...A Stone in the Sea (Bleeding Stars, book 1 ) is one of those books! I feel all sorts of warm, gushy, euphoric feelings about this novel, I am beside myself . Not even sure where to begin. But first...a confession. I am late to the game. A bunch of my book buddies have been raving about this series for a while, imploring me to "just read this book already !!" but I kept blowing them off because I was not familiar with this author’s work and had so many others books ahead of it on my massive TBR list. Well, I finally did cave and OMG...now I am kicking myself, lamenting: “Why oh why did I wait so long to dive in?” First and foremost, the writing is just mesmerizing! A.L. Jackson's narrative voice is so beautiful and poetic, and pulsating with such powerful, aching emotion it left me speechless...and utterly spellbound!! And Baz...no words! A direct quote from one of my Aussie Book Besties: "I want to marry Sebastian Stone!" Well, honey, you better wait in line because he is the ultimate book boyfriend...a, smokin' hot, deliciously broody rocker with a TORTURED soul! I mean...come on!! I couldn't have dreamed up a more perfect hero. Baz is 100% alpha male....he practically oozes testosterone and potent sex appeal! But beneath the uber-macho veneer is a terribly conflicted young musician whose meteoric rise to fame as lead singer of the Sunder rock band came at the ultimate cost. Too say Baz is complicated would be an understatement. He is angry, volatile, fiercely loyal, kind, noble, drowning in self hatred, regret and self recrimination. Everyone wanted a piece of Sebastian Stone and all HE wanted was be left the heck alone. To stay out the limelight. Regroup. Figure out his next move. Now with his life on the verge of spiraling dangerously out of control, he needs to hole up in Savannah, GA with his baby brother and bandmates for a short spell. Quiet and sanctuary were what he sought, but his plans for keeping to himself in a corner booth at Charlie's bar take a nosedive when he catches the eye of stunning small town waitress Shea Bentley. "Sweet caramel eyes flitted through my mind. Long, long legs. Killer body with a cautious heart. Dark. Light. Heavy. Soft. Trouble. Trouble. Trouble." Haunted by heavy burdens of her own, the sweet , shy, achingly vulnerable southern belle arouses a primal, elemental need in him. To claim! To ravish! To protect! To possess! With every fiber of his being, he longs to be SEEN by Shea, the one and only girl who has ever infiltrated his steely defenses and brought hope and beauty into his tainted, brutally harsh world. And, in return, he is desperate to see her as well. The real women who tries to camouflage a raging storm of hurt behind her sweet, sunny demeanor and charming smiles. "Shea had become the only thing I wanted, this untouchable girl the only thing I craved. I was itching to get lost in caramel eyes and to swim in honey skin. To be blinded by her light while she drowned me in her sea of dark." Their attraction is electric, intoxicating, utterly undeniable. But she is wholesome and pure and there is no place for her quiet, assuming beauty and beguiling innocence in his loud, chaotic, toxic world. Their love is an impossible dream. Or is it? Sometimes the heart wants what the heart wants and there is no fighting fate. Or destiny. But will their long awaited happiness prove to be their ultimate downfall? Sweet heavens…the things this book did to me!. The tangle of heart twisting, soul deep, wrenching emotions it stirred up were beyond words. I felt such a magnetic pull to these protagonists that my chest physically ached the entire time I was reading. A master at her craft, A.L. Jackson evoked such a raw, visceral response with her breathtaking prose and achingly real characterizations that I felt Every Single Thing that Baz and Shea were experiencing. The agony, the ecstasy, "the flashes of fear…the shivers of pleasure "…all of it!…and was irresistibly swept up in a riptide of hot, searing, quivering emotion. "Sebastian was never gentle. But I could feel something inside him had slipped. Tripped. As if he’d sat out here alone, and during those passing hours he’d wondered if he’d ever get to touch me again and, now that he was, he was taking everything he could while he had the chance. Frenzied, his thumbs raced along where we were joined. Something about it felt intimate and raw and honest, and I was falling further, being sucked beneath the surface. A stone in his sea. Completely drowning in this man." This is just one mere example of the sheer magnificence of A.L. Jackson's writing prowess …the magnitude of feverish passion this book inspires in me. In ALL her adoring fans!! The plot is provocative, brilliantly crafted, flows flawlessly, and is fraught with such tension and bristling intensity it left me in a perpetual state of breathless anticipation. Bottom line? There is just so munch exquisite beauty and blazing chemistry and astonishing twists and turns to behold in this enthralling romance, and I don't want to spoil any of it. So I will keep mum about the specifics. But I will leave it at this: If you are looking for an epic love story churning with heartbreak and exquisite tenderness, angst and passion, soul shattering tragedy and bittersweet triumph...a romance that will completely consume you, heart and soul, and drown you in such intoxicating feels you won't ever want to come up for air...One Click now! But fair warning it ends in a jaw dropping cliffy that will leave you REELING, so unless you want to risk a nervous breakdown, plan on to immediately submerging yourself in the sequel, Drowning to Breathe. So thank you, A.L. Jackson for rocking my world! Soul crushing heartbreak never felt quite so good!!! #ERRKR

4 “I don’t have time for distractions.” “Butterfly” “You see me” “Dark. Light. Heavy. Soft.” Kisses Wow…what an amazing, emotional storm of a book! Good gravy…this had everything I could have asked for and then some…fantastic, tie-me-up-in-knots angst...incredible passion and chemistry…a gorgeous broken rock star and a heartbreakingly beautiful girl…plus so many feels it almost made my heart explode. I couldn’t get enough of Baz and Shea – finished this book in less than 24 hours and all it did was leave me begging for more! Sebastian Stone…oh Baz…my torn and twisted rock star. He’s a tortured soul…plagued by demons from his past and he’s got the weight of the world on his shoulders. He’s a fantastic mixture of intensity…darkness…with a side of brooding emo artist…and it worked for me in all the right ways. I mean, Baz is, at his core, a musician…guitar, piano, singer…writes songs – he doesn’t have to try very hard to be sexy…but it’s in all the ways he doesn’t try that made me love him more. He’s very self-deprecating…can never see the good part of himself…but he’s got a huge heart and an enormous capacity to love and care for the people that mean the most of him. He keeps very few people close…he’s been burned enough times to know who to let in but I don’t think he knew what he was getting into when he met Shea. ‘But that didn’t change the fact she made me feel different when I was with her, like maybe not every single thing in this world was bad. As if this girl saw me for who I really was and she actually liked him. She’d asked me what I wanted from her. The problem was I had no clue. All I knew was it was more. That I wanted more of her dark and her light and her heavy and her soft. I wanted more of her sweet breaths and more of her pounding heart. I wanted more of her kisses F^@%. I wanted more of her kisses.’ Shea Bentley…my sweet, strong Shea Bear…I have a deep-rooted love for this girl. I love her personality…her strength…her beauty…she’s very calm and unassuming, she kind of flies under the radar. I know that’s a really random thing to say but…overall, I enjoyed Shea…she’s easy to connect with but I always felt like there was more to her….and it’s not until the very end that it kind of all clicks into place and makes sense. And for the record...I was right. She’s determined and focused…kind and genuine…plus she’s a good old country girl through and through. Shea…surprised me…a lot. I’ll be honest, Shea had me fooled…I knew she had secrets…and I thought I figured them all out but I was so wrong. But I think that made me love her even more. ‘When I found him sitting there that first time, I thought I’d known better than to go looking for his brand of heartbreak. But Sebastian had revealed in me everything I’d been missing, stamped out my loneliness and inserted himself in its place. He made me believe in something I’d given up hope on a long time ago because I’d never found it to be real, never believing giving myself to someone wholly was worth the risk. Now I knew better. Now I knew it was worth everything.’ I love the build of Baz and Shea…it was slow…steady…gradual. There was always this simmering passion…unending chemistry between the two of them, but it wasn’t rushed or forced…it just came in, like it was the most natural thing in the world. The chemistry between the two of them is the stuff I live for…the smoldering, the desire, their connection is fierce and hot and I couldn’t get enough. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’ve read Ms. Jackson’s books before and they’re steamy but holy hell on wheels…Baz and Shea are f^@%!$# hot. Like five-alarm-fire hot…and I loved every second of it. Once again, it was all part of that build so watching emotions continue to mount, I was itching for that bursting point…and once they let go…I was in heaven. I cannot get over how much I loved the balance between these two characters…it was effortlessly perfect. She was the calm to his intensity…the quite to his noise…the light to his dark…they’re like the epitome of ying and yang and the peace that they brought each other brought joy to my heart. ‘I swallowed around it and rolled to lie on my side. Like she was drawn, she did the same, and in that second, the world felt small, like the two of us were side-by-side. Like she was right here with me, and those slender arms were wrapped around me. And there was no sound, nothing vocalized, but I could hear her whisper those same words that terrified me. I love you. But she was saying it with her care, with her concern for me. Because she saw me. The real me. The girl didn’t give a f^@% who the world thought I was or the way other people saw me. I’d been so fearful of her knowing, of it changing what we were…how we were. But no. Shea reached in to touch beneath it.’ I know to expect excellence when it comes to A.L. Jackson…she’s just one of the authors that I can count on to give me everything I need…a complete journey with two beautiful characters and all the intense emotions that I crave. We go back and forth between Baz and Shea’s POV’s…it’s never repetitive…they may share thoughts and feelings about a situation that has happened in the previous chapter, but there is no re-hashing past events. I love dual POV so it totally worked for me…but for whatever reason I feel like I had a stronger connection with Baz than Shea…and that’s not usually the norm. Baz just overall is a stronger more powerful presence…and there’s nothing wrong with that…it’s not that he overpowers Shea…I already said I loved their balance…he’s just a very deep, solid character and I enjoyed that about him. I had two teeny tiny pet peeves that happened throughout the book…one, was the way Baz talked sometimes irk’d me…and it’s going to sound really dumb, but when he would say something, he’d drop the “I”…so he would say “Don’t wanna hurt you.” instead of “I don’t wanna hurt you.” I can handle this on rare occasion, but towards the last 30% of the book it started to bother me…for whatever reason I found it forced and it made him sound uneducated…and he’s not a dumb guy. The other thing was the word repetition…this was another thing I didn’t really catch on to until the end of the book…I liked it, at certain points, but the problem is…both Baz and Shea did it. Interchangeably. Two characters don’t think alike and I get trying to tie them together, but it made their POV’s sound too similar and they need to have individual tones. ‘I set my hand on her cheek, words strained as my eyes darted over every inch of her face, memorizing this moment. “I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with you.” A small gasp escaped from between those full lips, and a gentle smile tweaked just one side of my mouth as I tilted my head, shifting so I could brush my fingertips along the butterflies taking flight on her hip, my voice growing softer with the power of this admission. “I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with her.” Tears streamed ceaselessly from the corners of Shea’s eyes, gliding down the side of her face and into her hair as she stared up at me. “Yes, you were,” she said. Wind pummeled at the outside walls, its power matching the devotion I felt inside. I took her hand and pressed it over my pounding heart. “You told me you wanted this more than anything, Shea. I’m giving it to you. All of it. Every piece of me… it belongs to you. I have so much s#!% in my life, and I always thought that was all I was ever going to have. That this life was a trade-off for the band making it, retribution for all the crimes I committed on the road to getting us here. But you changed all that. You gave me hope. Something good to hang onto, and I’m not ever going to let it go.”’ There are so many ways to possibly spoil this plot…things that individually I wouldn’t normally consider spoilers but when the entire story comes together, it’s a crucial detail that could take away from the moment…which I don’t wanna do. I do have to say that overall…I did not see anything coming and that was pretty awesome. Even the stuff I thought I figured out…just…no, I didn’t. At all. Which made the ending even more jaw dropping and as things clicked into place it was like I couldn’t process the facts quickly enough and while it was tearing me up, I was still loving every second. I knew something big was coming but I was not prepared for that. At all…wow…my heart was in my throat and I’m dying! Great cliffhanger…I am so excited to see where A.L. takes Baz and Shea next because…there are still so many things that need to be addressed and I’m itching to see what happens.

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.”

Review originally posted at The Book Enthusiast: http://thebookenthusiast.net/a-stone-in-the-sea-by-al-jackson-blogtour-review-aljacksonauthor. I must confess that I am an A.L. Jackson groupie. She has yet to write a book that I haven't fallen in love with and read numerous times, so imagine my excitement when she announced her new Bleeding Stars series. After seeing multiple teasers for the first book, A Stone in the Sea, I may have done a little jig when it arrived on my Kindle. I am sucker for stories about musicians or ones that use music as an important element of the storyline. Sebastian and Shea's story was beautiful, tumultuous, and completely captured my heart. Jackson is a master at evoking emotions that rock me to my core and deeply connect me to her characters. Sebastian Stone is the lead singer for Sunder, a popular rock band. He appears to have it all: the fame, the fortune, and the women, along with a reputation of a short temper. In the face of assault charges, Sebastian and the band head to Savannah, Georgia to stay under the radar for a while. One night at a local bar by the river he meets the beautiful and kind Shea Bentley. Shea is drawn Sebastian's mysterious nature. Although she can sense the danger surrounding him, she can't deny the way he makes her feel. As they engage in a passionate affair, the secrets they are both hiding threaten to end their relationship for good. Sebastian was a complicated man. I admired his fierce protectiveness for his family and his bandmates. He would do anything for those he loved, and that is a very attractive quality. On the outside he seemed like he had everything he could ever want, but on the inside he was a tortured soul holding onto years of guilt. Sebastian was far from perfect, and he had made mistakes in his life that he regretted. Despite his hard exterior, he had a wonderful heart. In many ways he was misunderstood, and I found myself falling hard and fast for him. His tender relationship with his brother Austin especially touched my heart. I adored Shea. She was the light to Sebastian's dark, so sweet and gentle. The pull she felt toward him was strong, and the sexual tension between the pair in the early part of the story was powerful. Despite the warnings of her family and friends about the danger in getting involved with Sebastian, Shea found that she couldn't stay away from him. She was such a genuinely kind soul, and I admit that I was initially worried that Sebastian would hurt her beyond repair. Shea deserved someone who would be devoted to and love every part of her. She was incredibly brave to put her heart on the line the way she did. Sebastian's reservations about being with Shea were palpable and certainly understandable. In the end he couldn't deny his overwhelming need for her. Shea was able to see through the rock star façade to the man he truly was. She made him feel in a way that he had never before, and it was heartwarming watching him fall in the love with her. Shea's love for Sebastian was pure and beautiful. Sebastian did not give himself enough credit for the way he made Shea feel, though. In him she found companionship, hope for the future, and a passion she had never known before. He was everything she needed and exactly what she wanted. As I have come to expect with Jackson's writing, Sebastian and Shea's story was told in the most flawlessly beautiful way. My emotions ran high throughout the entire book as I truly felt every single moment of the couple's journey. It was as if I was right there in the book with them, experiencing their intense passion, love, and torment. Jackson knocked it out of the park with this fantastically emotional roller coaster of a story. I felt so deeply for both Sebastian and Shea. This is the type of story that I love the most, and one that I would definitely recommend. I absolutely cannot wait to get my hands on the next book in the series. *An advance copy of this book was received in exchange for an honest review.*

This book had a lot of potential. She is almost there with lyrical writing but she pushed too hard. She tried to make every sentence breathtaking. If she only used about 1/4 of the triple word repeats, I would have thought it was really cool. As it was, I found myself skimming the 2nd half of the book because the internal dialogue kept repeating. So I don’t mind a cliffy. I knew it was going to be two books so it’s kind of expected. But there were a few things I couldn’t deal with. First off, Baz. I couldn’t get into him. He didn’t come across as the sharpest tool in the shed. Maybe it was his abbreviated way of talking. He seemed to dislike using the word “I”. Like, at all. Secondly, he was really crude. I’m all about the bad language, but using the P word is a real turn off. Plus, his temper bothered me. It made me worried about what would happen if he ever got mad at Shea or her daughter. He couldn’t seem to control himself. And as one reviewer said: Anger issues are not sexy The 2nd thing I couldn’t get past (SPOILER) was the CPS thing. That would never have happened. I had a cps friend once and she told me it takes months and major proven allegations to remove a child from a home. Yet this was managed on a rumor and one day. Plus, as the cps worker is putting her in the car he says, “I warned you not to mess with me.” What cps worker would hear that and think anything he said was credible? Complete, utter nonsense. I liked Shea and her daughter. And I liked the other band mates. And I’m willing to admit Baz sounds physically sexy. He just came across as not the brightest, crude and unable to control himself.

A Stone in the Sea is one beautifully written story that captured my heart. In A Stone in the Sea we meet Shea and Sebastian (Baz) who both have secrets they are hiding, and shouldn't be wanting a relationship, but the chemistry between these two is too hot to ignore, so things definitely heat up between them. Throughout this book we get to know a lot of Baz's secrets and his past, but Shea really doesn't know that Sebastian Stone is really the troubled lead singer of a heavy metal band. Things between Shea and Baz are complicated at first, and then the pull they have towards each other is undeniable and they finally give in. I loved seeing this with them , and getting inside both of their heads to understand what they were thinking and why they behaved the way they did. There are many ups and downs in this story for Baz and Shea and it's definitely a rollercoaster Things are great, then horrible, then great, then bad, and then absolutely wretched for them, but I have a feeling they can come back from it. Where Baz is dark, Shea is light, but what both of them don't see is that both of them have a bit of both in them. Both are harboring secrets, and both are protecting the ones they love. Baz's and his friends and brother's story is heartbreaking and I really want to see these characters get a happily ever after. Not just Baz and Shea, but Austin, and the rest of the guys as well. Baz and Shea's relationship is definitely complicated and there is a lot of drama, secrets, and lies in this book, but I enjoyed every second of it. We got to know a lot of Baz's background, but really didn't get to know Shea's secret till the last few sentences of this book, and to say I was shocked is an understatement. I am grateful that the second and final book in this series is out already so I can immediately dive into it and find out how things play out for these amazing characters. There is a lot of story packed into this book, and it's quite amazing. A.L. Jackson has an amazing way of telling a story and this book is no different. The angst, the fear, the tension of these characters pulls at your heart strings and I became so deeply involved in Baz and Shea's story that I forgot everything else going on around me. That's how you know you've read an amazing story!

“It didn’t matter what sea I brushed up against. He was always there. Waiting for me.” I am ashamed to admit that this is the first book I’ve read by A.L. Jackson, but let me shout at the top of my lungs it will not be the last! I have a number of this author’s books on my kindle, and I will be reading every single one. “Find love and bring it here.” Two hearts, two souls, one incredibly damaged, hardened, protected, haunted. The other bruised, caring, patient and kind this is where A Stone in the Sea begins. Sebastian Stone is the lead singer in the popular rock band Sunder. He and his band mates have been ordered to lay low in Savannah, Georgia while their legal team and agent try to sort out his last altercation. Shea Bentley is a small town girl, a waitress in a local watering hole, named Charlie’s. Both have very special someone’s in their lives. Someone’s they are willing to sacrifice everything for, and will protect to the ends of this earth. When Sebastian finds himself wandering into Charlie’s one evening after going stir crazy, sitting around waiting for answers, he couldn’t have known his life was about to change, forever. Shea’s not interested in dating, or anything that can be deemed as a distraction. But when a handsome, sexy, tattooed, man sits in her section one evening, and orders a very expensive tequila, her entire axis tilts. “My heart thudded and I couldn’t stop from taking a startled step back as a slow slide of attraction trickled beneath the surface of my skin-like feathers touching me everywhere-before it gathered to flutter low in my belly.” An intense attraction forms, curiosity seeps in, and from that moment on, it becomes painfully aware, there is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, it refuses to be stifled, pushed aside, or denied. Collision course. These two souls, their hearts, their bodies, are meant for one and other. The sexual tension is thick, and heady. The immediate connection, stronger than either has ever felt before, it’s more than lust, it’s profound. “What scared me the most was the intensity of his stare telling me that he knew exactly what I wouldn’t be able to resist and he wouldn’t be opposed to using it against me.” But old wounds and secrets are simmering below the surface, just waiting to boil over. Shea’s taken a leap she never believed she could and against her better judgement she’s let this dangerous man into her heart, into her home, she’s allowed her walls to crumble. Sebastian is resistant, he’s in denial, yet he’s unable to resist this woman, who cares for him, and accepts him for who he is, who he really is. She cares nothing for his fame, his money or connections. She just wants him… “Everyone wanted a piece of Sebastian Stone.” The depth and emotion that flows through this book is beautiful, haunting, and poetic. A.L. Jackson’s writing is exquisite, her prose elegant and lyrical. Her words flow like water over the grains of sand she describes so exquisitely in her story. The visuals she paints in your mind are vivid, so much so, that I was transported into this world, she had created. The connection I felt to these characters was intense. I felt all of their pain, conflict, love, passion, fear, insecurities heartbreak and loss. Shea is incredibly strong, resilient, independent, and caring. Sebastian is incredibly raw, tortured, secretive, and passionate, he has not had an easy life even though he now has fame and fortune on his side. These characters were just magnificent and impossible not to love, their story simply breathtaking. This book will leave you in an emotional lurch, but it’s worth every tortured, stunning moment. Drowning to Breathe, releases June 22, 2015 and it cannot possibly get here fast enough; I need answers, and fast. “I didn’t know what it really meant to miss someone until I was missing you.” “I never needed anyone to love me until I needed you.”

After reading Wait by AL Jackson, it was so good that even though it said it could be read as a stand alone I knew I had to know more about all the characters in this series, so I went and got all the books and the first one is A Stone in the Sea. This book is amazing! In this first book of the series we get to meet all of the band members, but it really is about the story of Baz(Sebastian) and Shea. This book caused me to feel all kinds of things, love, hate, anger, love, peace, frustration, unconditional love, and it also caused me to feel sorrow. I guess what I am trying to say this book will make you feel everything, all at different times. After getting into a fight with a terrible man, (Martin Jennings) that has wreaked havoc on Baz and his brother, Austin, as well as causing the death of another member of the band, (Zee's brother,) Baz, along with the whole band-Ash, Lyrik, Zee, and his brother Austin, go to their manager Anthony's home in Georgia to wait out all the mess that has happened so that Baz's lawyer and Anthony can keep Baz out of jail. While there Baz meets Shea, a beautiful woman whom he instantly feels an attraction for- like no one else ever before. At first Shea won't go out with Baz as she knows that once he finds out she has a kid he will be like all others before him that do not want a woman with a child. After Baz sees her in town with a little girl that looks just like her, he is stunned! Yet her beauty and love for her daughter shines through her eyes and Baz can't stay away! They go out for a while but then the band is called back to LA., Shea is heartbroken as she knows she will never see Baz again. Love is a funny thing however and Baz, after going to the court meeting, a week later, goes back to find her! He is in love and he is crazy about her daughter who calls Baz-"my Baz". Things happen that are unbelievable! You have to read this book to see what happens. This book ends in a terrible cliffhanger but luckily you will be able to jump into book two. I am so glad I found AL Jackson and her Bleeding Heart Series, and I know you will be too. If you want to read an awesome book, not just a typical romance novel, pick up A Stone in the Sea, I know you will be glad you did! I gave this book 5*****Shining Stars and the audio book is really good, also! Drowning to Breathe is the second part of 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.!