Contemporary Romance
Title: Take This Regret
Author: A. L. Jackson
About the Book:
There are some mistakes we make that we will regret for the rest of our lives. For Christian, it was the day he betrayed Elizabeth.
Christian Davison has a plan for his life. He is determined to become an attorney and to one day take his place as partner in his father’s law firm. Nothing will stand in his way, not even Elizabeth Ayers and their unborn child.
After Christian cuts her from his life, Elizabeth spends the next five years struggling to provide for her daughter and willing to sacrifice anything to give her child a safe, comfortable life.
For five years, Christian has regretted the day he walked away from his family and will do anything to win them back just as Elizabeth will do anything to protect her daughter from the certain heartache she believes Christian will bring upon them.
When Christian wrestles his way into their lives, Elizabeth is faced with asking herself if it is possible to forgive someone when they’ve committed the unforgiveable and if it is possible to find a love after it has been buried in years of hate. Or are there some wounds that go so deep they can never heal?
They say everyone deserves a second chance.
My Review:
Christian and Elizabeth were madly in love with one another until Christian makes a choice that drives a wedge into the relationship.
I love a good contemporary romance. Many times I find the plot very similar to other romances, which is kind of what I expected here, but that was not the case. This book reminded me of the great many romances out there, but also had family conflicts which reminded me of novels by Kristin Hannah and Barbara Freethy.
Elizabeth was a great mother who had taken her circumstances and done the best she could for herself and her daughter, Lizzie. Lizzie is adorable. I definitely fell in love with Lizzie as her dad did when he first met her. Christian is a great man, who made some poor choices and is trying to rectify those the best way he knows how. I think his father may have had some influence on these choices, but when Christian grows up, he can see clearly for himself.
Even though this love story is mainly about the love between Christian, Elizabeth, and Lizzie, I can see the side love stories of Christian with his mother and father, and Elizabeth with her friend Matt and cousin Natalie. I really enjoyed Natalie’s character. She was supportive to Elizabeth and Lizzie, but very smart on her own. She was able to see things clearly and did not judge according to the past. She provided a fresh perspective and balance to the characters.
There is a lot of relationship drama going on within the love story among the characters, but I enjoyed this. There is a lot of growth between couples and families. I think Christian’s mother is one strong woman, but only after she realized her weakness.
Very well written and worth your time to read if you love romances. There is some strong language and a few descriptive sex scenes.
A.L. Jackson first found a love for writing during her days as a young mother and college student. She filled the journals she carried with short stories and poems used as an emotional outlet for the difficulties and joys she found in day-to-day life.
Years later, she shared a short story she’d been working on with her two closest friends and, with their encouragement, this story became her first full length novel. A.L. now spends her days writing in Southern Arizona where she lives with her husband and three beautiful children. Her favorite pastime is spending time with the ones she loves.
Thank you to A.L. Jackson for spending a little time with us today to answer some questions.
1.“Chocolate or vanilla?”
Vanilla.
2. What
has been the toughest criticism you’ve been given as an author. How
did you make that a positive?
I
think
criticism
can
be
hard
for
all
authors,
but
the
most
difficult
for
me
to
read
is
when
someone
says
something
along
the
lines
of
“No
one
would
act
this
way”
or
“Feel
this
way”
when
I
took
it
from
a
personal
experience.
That
can
hurt.
But
it
helped
me
to
expand
my
thought
processes
as
a
writer
out
to
imagine
what
readers
might
feel
when
reading
a
certain
situation.
It’s
all
part
of
growth
as
a
writer.
3. How
does your writing process look? Consistent with regular amounts of
word counts daily/weekly… or more sporadic with a gush of words all
at once and then a dry bed for a while?
I
usually need a solid chunk of time to get my ideas flowing, so I
usually wait until I know I can sit for five or six hours before I
sit down to write. I’ll try to get inside my characters heads by
jotting thoughts and ideas down, which can take me about an hour, and
then it usually comes as a gush of words.
4. What
would YOU like your readers to know about this book or you in
general?
Well,
I
was
a
young
mother
myself,
so
I
often
write
young
mothers
into
my
stories.
l
use
those
experiences,
fears,
and
joys
I
felt
in
the
characters
in
my
books.
5. Which
character
speaks
the
loudest
to
you?
Do
any
of
them
clamor
to
be
heard
over
the
others?
Christian.
It
seems
my
male
leads
always
take
the
limelight.
6. I
find it interesting to know what environment people write in. Do they
use a pen and paper, laptop? Quiet room, music or what? Dog at their
feet? Cat on the desk? What does your writing environment entail?
Most
of
the
time
you’ll
find
me
in
my
office
writing.
There’s
a
window
near
my
desk
that
I
will
stare
out
as
I’m
trying
to
gather
my
thoughts.
I
keep
a
notebook
at
my
side
so
I
can
jot
down
my
thoughts,
and
then
when
they
begin
to
flow,
I
switch
over
to
my
computer
to
put
it
all
into
words.
I
definitely
use
music
to
set
the
tone
for
my
writing
session,
but
usually
will
flip
it
off
once
I
get
started.
I
don’t
have
any
pets,
but
I’m
sure
my
partner
and
our
office
assistant
would
jump
on
the
idea
of
bringing
their
dogs
over
to
sit
at
our
feet.
7. What
led you to write this book?
There
was
no
true
inspiration
or
decision
to
write
Take
This
Regret,
but
I
began
to
get
a
vague
sense
of
the
main
characters,
Christian
and
Elizabeth,
and
their
circumstances.
I
continued
thinking
about
them
over
some
period
of
time,
and
when
their
story
came
together,
I
sat
down
to
write
out
the
plot
and
began
an
outline.
8. What
is best writing advice you can give?
Never
give
up.
If
writing
is
your
passion,
take
the
time
to
hone
your
skills,
work
hard,
and
enjoy
the
ride.
Publisher WebsiteBlog
*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*
The book sounds great, I enjoy romance and these type of involved stories where there is drama. Great interview as well ladies!
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