Friday, June 28, 2019

BLOG TOUR - Jackson


I am thrilled to be a part of the amazing Blog Tour for Jackson by Emily March. Included is the book description, excerpt and review.

DESCRIPTION:


From New York Times bestselling author Emily March comes Jackson, the newest novel in the critically acclaimed Eternity Springs series.

Sometimes it takes a new beginning

Caroline Carruthers thinks she buried her dreams along with the love of her life…until a stranger named Celeste dares her to chase a dream all on her own. Moving to Redemption, Texas, is chapter one in Caroline’s new life story. Opening a bookstore is the next. Finding love is the last thing on her mind as she settles into this new place called home. But when she meets a handsome, soulful man who’s also starting over, all bets are off.

to reach a happily-ever-after

Jackson McBride came to Redemption looking only to find himself, not someone to love. Ever since his marriage ended, he’s been bitter. Sure, he used to believe in love—he even has the old song lyrics to prove it—but the Jackson of today is all business. That is, until a beautiful young widow who’s moved to town inspires a change of heart. Could it be that the myth of Redemption’s healing magic is true…and Jackson and Caroline can find a second chance at a happy ending after all?

BUY BOOK LINK:
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250314918 



Please enjoy the following excerpt:

Chapter One Excerpt


Nashville, Tennessee

Bang. The judge’s gavel fell and officially crushed Jackson McBride’s heart. He closed his eyes. Bleak despair washed over him. Up until this very moment, he hadn’t believed she’d take it this far.

He’d thought she’d come to her senses. He’d thought she would recognize that this proposal was not only nonsense, but truly insane. He’d believed that somewhere deep inside of her, she still had a spark of humanity. That she wouldn’t do this to him. To them. He’d been wrong.

Damn her. Damn her and the yes-men she surrounded herself with. Damn them all to hell and back.

The enormity of what had just happened washed over him. Oh, God, how will

I survive this?

On the heels of his anguish came the rage. It erupted hot as lava, and it fired his blood and blurred his vision with a red haze of fury. He’d never hit a woman in his life. Never come close, despite plenty of provocation from her direction. In that moment had she been within reach, he might have lived up her accusations.

It scared the crap out of him. That’s what she’s brought me to.

Abruptly, he shoved back his chair so hard that it teetered, almost falling over. He strode toward the courtroom exit. “Jackson? Jackson, wait!” his attorney called, hurrying after him.

Jackson waved her off and didn’t stop. There was nothing left to be said. Nothing left to be done. No place left to go.

No little girl waiting at home to hug and cuddle and kiss good night.

The tap on the toes of Jackson’s boots clacked against the tile floor of the courthouse as his long-legged strides ate up the hallway. He shunned the elevator for the stairs and descended three flights at a rapid pace, then headed for the building’s exit. In a foolish bit of positive thinking, he’d driven his SUV to the courthouse this morning. Now the sight of the safety booster seat in the back seat made him want to kick a rock into next week.

He didn’t want to go home to a quiet, empty house. He shouldn’t go to a bar. Alcohol on top of his current mood could be a dangerous combination. Somebody probably would get hurt.

He got into the car and started the engine. For a long moment he sat unmoving, staring blindly through the windshield, his hands squeezing the steering wheel so hard that it should have cracked. When his phone rang, he ignored it.

A couple of minutes later, it rang a second time. Again, he ignored it. When it happened a third time, he finally glanced at the display to see who was calling. His cousin. Okay, maybe he would answer it.

“Hello, Boone.”

“How did the hearing go?”

Jackson couldn’t speak past the lump in his throat, so he said nothing.

Following a moment’s silence, Boone got the message. He muttered a curse, and then said, “I’m sorry, man. So damn sorry.”

“Well, it is what it is.”

“You can take another run at it.”

“Yeah.” In three years. Three years. Might as well be three decades. He cleared his throat and changed the subject. “So, how are things in Eternity Springs?”

“Good. They’re good. My friend Celeste Blessing visited my office a few minutes ago and spoke of her granite-headed cousin. Naturally, I thought of you.”

“Naturally,” Jackson dryly replied. But he felt a little less alone.

“Do you have plans this weekend? I could use your help with something.”

Pretty convenient timing. Knowing Boone, he had a spy in the courtroom. But Jackson wasn’t in the position to ignore the bone he’d been thrown. “I’m free. Whatcha got?”

“I’d like you to meet me at home.”

Jackson straightened in surprise. “You’re going back to the ranch?”

“No. Not there. I’m never going back there. However, I am talking about Texas. The Hill Country in particular. A little town west of Austin called Redemption.”

“Redemption, Texas?” Jackson repeated. For some weird reason, his heart gave a little skip. “Why there?”

“It’s a long story. Too long for a phone call. I’ll give you the entire skinny when I see you. When can you get there?”

After today’s debacle, Jackson had absolutely no reason to remain in Nashville. “When do you want me there?”

“I’ll be in later today. I’m in Austin now. I’ve been helping a friend with a project. I have a flight back to Colorado Sunday evening. The earlier you can get here the better, but I’ll make anything work.”

Jackson figured the distance and the drive time. “I’ll meet you tomorrow afternoon. Where?”

“Great. I’ll text you the info when we hang up. Bring camping gear.”

When a sound behind him had Jackson glancing up into the rearview mirror and the booster seat caught his notice, he made an instant decision. “Can’t. I’ll be on my bike.”

“You’re gonna ride your motorcycle all the way from Nashville?”

“Yes, I think I am.”

“Okay. I’ll bring stuff for both of us.” Boone hesitated a moment and added, “Hang in there,

Jackson. It’ll get better.”

No, I don’t think it will. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Jackson ended the call and finally put his SUV in gear and backed out of the parking place. With the distraction of the call behind him, fury returned, and by the time he reached home, he felt like a volcano about to explode.

He threw a handful of things into his tail bag, filled his wallet with cash from his stash, and ten minutes after his arrival, he fired up his bike and took his broken heart and headed out of Nashville. He left behind his home, his work, and his one reason for living, his six-year-old daughter, Haley.


From Jackson. Copyright © 2019 by Emily March and reprinted with permission from St. Martin’s Paperbacks.

MY THOUGHTS:

Title:   Jackson
Author:  Emily March
Series:  Eternity Springs: The McBrides of Texas Trilogy #1
Genre:   Romance
Publisher:   St. Martin's
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:  320
Date of Publication:   June 25, 2019
My Rating:  4.5 Stars

Caroline Carruthers is doing some work in a town called Redemption. While there she gets terrible news about her husband and has to return home. Before she gets that phone call she meets Jackson McBride. The two strike up a strong friendship. While it is true that they had sparks, Caroline is devoted to her ailing husband. 

Jackson is home in Redemption because he and his cousins have inherited property. Jackson has a chance to make something of his life. This is especially important to him because he is now divorced and has very little visitation with his daughter. He was a very successful songwriter but has lost the ability to write music. Rebuilding a ranch with his cousins may not have been his dream in life, but it could be truly fulfilling for him. 

Jackson was really hurt when his ex, who is quite a famous singer, cost him everything. So when he is drawn to Caroline, it is rather a relief that she is married. He certainly is not looking for love. While learning about Redemption, while Jackson is planning his future, he and Caroline spend a bit of time together. Due the sad news Caroline received, Jackson makes sure she gets home safe and he then plans on getting his life started. All of this is in Part One of the story, which sets a fine basis for a warm, engaging read.

Quite honestly, several things change during the course of this story. For starters, Caroline suffers a great loss and decides to return to Redemption to live. Meanwhile, Jackson has been working on finding ways to spend more time with his daughter. He also is looking for that missing magic in his life, the magic that made him a creative song-writer. 

Lines were never crossed with Jackson and Caroline. Their brief friendship slowly begins to turn into something more. It was refreshing, however, to see Caroline's honesty about her feelings in her previous marriage. Being a widow isn't easy, especially in the case where she genuinely loved her husband. Jackson is still dealing with baggage from his marriage. So, things progressed for Jackson and Caroline at a very nice pace.

Jackson is rich with characters from the previous series, but it offers a fresh face, Haley, Jackson's six-year-old daughter. I loved her in this book and I think her addition to the story added quite a nice layer. Another thing that made this story refreshing - and a bit frustrating - was Jackson's songwriting and what motivated him. But, it was handled with aplomb and kept me drawn to the story. There were some very touching scenes in this book and I literally could not put it down.

Jackson is the first book in a new series by Emily March. It is a spinoff of the long running Eternity Springs series. I do wish that I read at least part of the first series, because of some of the characters that appeared in this book. However, this is Jackson and Caroline's story and it read quite well as a standalone. I look forward to reading the other two books in this trilogy.

Many thanks to St. Martin's and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Emily March is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the heartwarming Eternity Springs series. A graduate of Texas A&M University, Emily is an avid fan of Aggie sports and her recipe for jalapeƱo relish has made her a tailgating legend.




4 comments: