Review: Always You by RJ Scott (Guardian Hall #1)
Note: An advance reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author.
RJ Scott's new series, Guardian Hall, focuses on the residents and advocates of a Chicago residence by the same name, and it's first novel is a second-chance romance between two former best friends turned lovers who haven't seen each other in two decades. Always You is about Jasper Brookes and Alex Richardson, the closest of friends growing up, then falling in love as teenagers, only for Alex to push Jazz away when they were eighteen. In their years apart, Jazz has served in the military, but now, he's out in a world wherein he's passed by with nary a glance, unless it's in disgust due to how difficult it's been for him to reintegrate. On the brink of losing himself during the harsh winter season, the former army sergeant finds himself at the doorstep of Guardian Hall--a place his sixteen-year-old daughter, Harper, hoped he would go to--and comes face to face with the residence's manager, and it's none other than the boy, now man, who shattered his heart--Alex.
The feels! Gah! RJ Scott does not shy away from the the more heartrending aspects of Jazz's journey. It isn't for dramatic effect; if anything, I felt like it gave me as the reader a deeper appreciation for what he needed to go through in order to make it to the proverbial other side. This isn't to say that Alex was living a blissful life without a care in the world. He, too, had his fair share of challenges that he stumbled and later hurdled over. I liked that there wasn't this quick oh-let's-get-back-together between our main characters. Jazz needed to be in a better place in his life, and Alex couldn't be a crutch. They had to work for their happily-ever-after, and I, for one, was all for it. These were two flawed main characters who I empathized with, and seeing them make their way to their HEA brought a tear and a smile to my face. Notable supporting characters included Harper Brookes, Dr. Marcus Stirling, and Cpl. Tyler Mason. Consider the bar set high for the rest of the Guardian Hall series. I'm giving Always You five stars out of five stars.
Release Date: 29 January 2025
Date Read: 18 January 2025
Learn more about RJ Scott.
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