Review: Pieces of Us by A.L. Jackson (Confessions of the Heart #3)


Note: An advanced reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author.

His mouth traced the shell of my ear. “Want to stare at you forever. Get lost. Take you. Possess you. How's it possible you're here, Little Bird? You came back to me. Feel like I'm dreaming.” 
“It was you who didn't want me.” 
His hands tightened on my thighs, tugging me forward against his hard body, eyes pinned on me. “There's never been a singled day in my life when I didn't want you. We are endless.”

Gah! This book had all the feels! I've loved all of A.L. Jackson's books, but Pieces of Us, which is the third book in her Confessions of the Heart series, just felt...different, almost like it was a cut above a whole lot of the rest, and that's saying something considering a couple of them are on my all-time favorite reads list. This second-chance love story had angst--and you know how much I live for my angst in my romance reads!--but there was enough of the lighthearted moments to balance things out rather nicely. And the main characters? Oh, but how these two grabbed a hold of my heart and took bits and pieces of it as their story unfolded. As was the case with the first two novels in the series, this third one may be read as a standalone but because there are recurring characters AND because the other books were absolutely amazing reads, why not just read all three in order anyway, right? Trust me, you'll have no regrets doing so.

Pieces of Us is the story of Maxon Chambers and Isabel Lane--Mack and Izzy--two people who become the best of friends as children, fell madly in love as teenagers, and then went their separate ways with hearts broken. She may have left and he may have stayed, but they were both trying to outrun their pasts. Thirteen years have passed since then, and now, Izzy is back in their hometown of Broadshire Rim, South Carolina. With her two sons, Benjamin and Dillon, in tow, returning to Broadshire Rim isn't necessarily the easiest of moves, but it IS necessary, especially when it comes to Benjamin. In a town as small as theirs, bumping into each other was a case of "when", not "if", and when Izzy's and Mack's paths do cross, all those feelings they'd try to bury come to the surface. There's a lot about each of them that's changed, but the draw to one another hasn't. Just as they're getting back together, all their secrets may tear them apart.

I've been trying to figure out how to explain why this book has affected me as much as it has without giving any pertinent details away that may end up spoiling the story for anyone who has yet to read it. Neither Izzy nor Mack were perfect, having made their fair share of mistakes both in the past and the present, but I loved how they fought for the love they rekindled. Mack had an overwhelming need to redeem himself, and my heart went out to the guy because he didn't give himself as much credit as those who cared about him did. My favorite thing about this book, however, well, I can't really mention it because, again, I don't want this to post spoilers, and this would be one heck of a spoiler, so I NEED to remain mum. What I can tell you is that I loved watching how certain relationships progressed here, and I may have needed a couple of tissues at certain points. Let me just say this: Pieces of Us is a must-read, and I'm giving it five-plus stars. ♥

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Read my reviews for the Confessions of the Heart series:


More of You (book one) - five stars - My Review

All of Me (book two) - five-plus stars - My Review

Pieces of Us (book three) - five-plus stars - My Review (posted above)

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Release Date: 22 April 2019

Date Read: 14 April 2019

Learn more about A.L. Jackson.

Purchase Pieces of Us on Amazon.

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