I’ve always loved Second Chance Romances, so I jumped at the chance at reading I Want You after reading the synopsis of the book. I finished reading I Want You by Lorelei James on April 9th. I was supposed to finish it before it was released, but unfortunately, I’ve been dealing with horrible allergy issues during the last two months, and it’s only getting worst. When will the pollen season ever be over with? If you live in Florida as I do, it’s never over within this state. Ugh!

First off, I didn’t read the ‘Need You’ books first, and I’m kicking myself in the rear for not reading those books. I should’ve read those before reading this book since this one is a spin-off of those books, but I will be picking those up before the next book in the ‘Want You’ series comes out, so I can catch up.

What’s the reason why I gave this book a 3.5-star rating though? I don’t like books that have cheating in them, even if it’s mentioned in a relationship and after realizing what happened to the couple in the past I was taken back by this element in the story. There was also another issue at the end of the book that bothered me. The female character Lucy Quade met Jaxson Lund several years ago when she was getting her car detailed. She took a chance on the handsome stranger who didn’t give her his full name at first, and they hit it off with a few dates sporadically with Jaxson’s crazy schedule. Jaxson was enjoying how Lucy saw him not for a hockey player and a Lund family member, but himself. Although, Jaxson through his hockey days ended up doing unthinkable things that made him lose Lucy and also lose out on missing years on spending time with his daughter they had together. He’s back in Twin Cities trying to make things right, but first, he has to decide if he’s going to work at Lund Industries or make something of himself with his own business(es). He already has some items in the works to make it right with Lucy, but Lucy is not going to make it easy for him. This is where I loved Lucy’s character and how she didn’t let Jaxson’s charm win her over again.

Now, there is a daughter in the relationship and Mimi won this reader’s heart because she knew how to handle her parents’ bickering. She got her grandparents, and even her Uncle to intervene and take her somewhere when she was not comfortable with situations of her parents were arguing. I will say this both Lucy and Jaxson love their little girl. Jaxson is trying to make up for missing out on his little girl, and Lucy is hesitant on letting him have Mimi on the weekdays due to how Mimi’s reacts.

I loved how Lorelei showed the struggles of a relationship though between Lucy and Jaxson with Mimi and how they were making it work, even when they were not together. Mimi was loved by her parents, grandparents, Aunts/Uncles, cousins, etc. I also loved how Lorelei showed them together. I still couldn’t get over the past of Jaxson, and what he did though and when a particular element came to light it made it even worse. Lorelei does have the dual POV’s of the characters, and she has it where the characters go back in the past and how they met, etc., but it still did bother me a bit in the story. Here’s something I suspect in a book that involves cheating from a character, and that’s groveling. LOTS of groveling and a female character that may not trust that easily ever again or maybe take it day by day.

I do plan on reading more of this series and also checking out the Need You series now since I’ve been introduced to the Lund family. Dang, it! I can’t believe I missed out on reading those books. I’ll remedy that soon.

Story Rating: 3.5 stars
Steaminess Rating: 2 stars
Standalone or part of series: Part of series, but each can read as a standalone. (FYI…This is a spin-off series of Lorelei James ‘Need You’ series)
Do I recommend this book? Yes.
Will I read other books from the author? Yes.
Tropes/Elements: Second Chance Romance; Warning Element: Cheating is mentioned in this book; Alcoholism is also in the book.
Hero: Retired Hockey Player; Business Owner; Father (In the beginning he’s not in the picture. He’s making up for it though.)
Heroine: Working in PR at Lund Industries; Mother (Single mom for quite some time)

This is my first time reading this author and it won’t be my last. After finishing this book I went back to the Need You series and starting reading those. I don’t know why it took me so long to read this authors book but I am huge fan now!

Jaxson is a former NHL player as well as part of the Lund Industries. His ex Lucy and mother of his daughter works for the company his family owns. He has a lot of ground to cover to get back in Lucy’s good graces.

These two met at a car wash and things were never the same for them. For a while neither of them knew the others last name or what they did for a living. As they got closer that all came out. Now years later and Jaxson is back and retired from his professional hockey career. He has a daughter he is helping raise with Lucy. He realizes all the mistakes he made over the years and is really hoping for a second chance with the one he let get away.

Lucy is determined to not let Jaxson get to her. They still have that strong to pull towards each other. She wants to be able to co-parent and move on with her life.

I loved this second chance romance and fell in love with Mimi! That little girl was funny and full of sass. I loved how she had her dad wrapped around her little fingers. I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait for the next one in the Want You series.

I Want You Back is the first book in the Want You Series, but it features the same family and setting as the Need You series, so I recommend reading that first. I Want You Back is a second chance at love story. The narrative is first person, alternating between hero and heroine. The characters were complex, and though the hero had a lot of growing to do, he was engaging enough to warrant my rooting for his redemption. I appreciated that Ms. James didn't have the couple fall into insta lust - once burnt twice shy slowed the pacing on that front. The secondary characters are interesting and the book didnt suffer too much from the need to set up the series. I will definitely watch for the next book.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

What I Liked:
* Jaxson. He may have gone off the rails previously, but he was a man who had faced his shortcomings and was intent on doing better and being better.
* Lucy. She was one tough cookie – smart and sassy – without being hard or bitter. She was understandably wary of Jaxson and his intentions, but she also allowed herself to recognize the man he was now instead of dwelling too much on the past.
* Low-drama, low-angst. Jax and Lucy’s story was written without over the top drama and I loved that it felt based in reality. These were adults who actually acted like adults while dealing with real-life situations, like co-parenting, addiction recovery, navigating a new relationship, child behavioral issues.
* The chemistry between Lucy and Jax. And I’m not even referring to sexual chemistry. These were two people who had a history together and it showed. They way they understood each other’s triggers and quirks, they way they were in-sync and could calm one another with a word or a touch. I loved that.
* The ending. It was such a full-circle moment and it just filled my heart and gave me all the good feels.

What Left Me Wanting:
* There were times when the dialogue didn’t quite ring true, particularly on the few occasions when it felt as if a character was giving a long speech instead of having a conversation.
* It was tricky at first to keep all the members of the Lund family straight. Between all the siblings and cousins it was a little confusing. I understand that I Want You Back is a spin-off from Need You series from James and many of these characters were featured in those books. But as someone who had not read the original series, it too a while to sort everyone out.

Overall:
I’m a sucker for a second-chance romance and I Want You Back delivered that and more. I was totally on-board for this smart and sexy romance. The main characters were so inherently likable and I was completely invested. I’ll definitely be reading more from Lorelei James.

I originally thought this was a secret baby but it’s not. However, that didn’t deter me from loving it! This is actually a second chance romance with a lot of hurdles to overcome. It’s the first in a new series of Lund cousins. I haven’t read any of the other books of this family and after loving this one so much, I went back and read the previous, When I Need You.

“After several long moments, his focus dropped to my mouth. His nostrils flared, and I swear the temperature in the car went up fifty degrees. “I’m really, really bad at self-denial. If I want something, I’ll do whatever it takes to get it.”

From the beginning of the book, you know that Jax has major groveling thing to do. The book goes back and forth from the past to the present illustrating how these two fell in love. The present is filled with how they’re going about fixing what went wrong. There’s old bitterness and resentment that has been shelved in order to have a respectful relationship for Mimi, their daughter. Mimi is their sun in the relationship, the main reason why Jax still has a chance. He will do anything for Mimi and Lucy and he does. He shows the hard work it takes to get sober and to be truthful. He is paying his dues and living up to the consequences of his pretty bad antics. He’s an alpha that isn’t afraid of hard work and of being honest, he is also miracuously in a romance novel able to communicate his feelings. This was all after therapy and time, so I love the honest road the author took.

Speaking of this, the author took an approach that I wish I saw more of in romance books. She articulated consent, condom usage and spoke openly on STDs. The hero and heroine speak honestly on what they need from the other and also on past actions that have serious lifelong consequences that affect them both. It was eye opening to see this and a great part of the book.

Lucy and Jax did not have it easy. With that being said, Lucy is a heroine I admire. She’s strong, a great mother but also willing to listen. Jax and Lucy’s story is a favorite with wonderful moments and some not so great ones. It has everything a second chance romance needs, groveling, crazy romance and amazing side characters that make you laugh. I cannot wait to read more in the series with this Lund family as the author has set up many things that I need to see fulfilled.

I’ve read a lot of second-chance romance. It’s one of my favorite tropes. Rarely does one hit me the way this one does.

Jaxson Lund and Lucy Quade had a fairly tumultuous relationship. It ended almost a decade ago when Jax cheated on Lucy, repeatedly, and without even really trying to hide it. That wasn’t the entire reason they split, it was just the final straw for Lucy, and she was done.

Here’s the thing about first-time-around Jaxson. He was a giant pile of shit. We met him a few times in the Need You series, and he always struck me as an asshole. Even though he had started his road to redemption by the time that series started, he was still an ass. And the way he treated Lucy…. I just couldn’t with him. I really didn’t want to read his story, because I couldn’t see any way that I would root for him, especially to get back with Lucy of all people, but then I also really wanted to see how Lorelei James managed it. If she could pull that off. I tend to be stubborn, and I don’t forgive easily, either in my real life, or in my interactions with characters, so I didn’t know if this would work or not.

Well, it did. By the end of the book, I was happy to see Jax and Lucy get their HEA, and to be back together, creating a really wonderful family dynamic with their daughter, Mimi. For me, the biggest point in Jaxson’s favor was his attitude toward his past mistakes. He hit bottom not long after he and Lucy split, which forced him into rehab. And while rehab helped him deal with his alcohol problem, it didn’t magically fix his life. Even after starting rehab, he was still an asshole to his family in general, and Lucy in particular. I don’t remember all of the details from previous books, but I know he was full-on lying to his family about Lucy, how she was treating Mimi, and how she was trying to clean him out financially. He would sue Lucy for custody, spinning these lies to his family to justify it, all the while knowing that Lucy didn’t want anything from him at all. She initially never tried to keep him from their daughter, but when she realized that he would pick Mimi up on Fridays, drop her off with family or friends, and not bother to see her again until he had to take her home on Sunday, she did try to reduce his time with Mimi, because Mimi didn’t want to go over there. Jaxson told his family that Lucy was using his time with Mimi as a bargaining chip, refusing to let him see her unless he gave her ridiculous sums of money, and using that as an excuse to sue her for full custody of a daughter he didn’t even want to bother with. All of this finally came out in a previous book, and his family was appropriately furious with him, and a lot of those relationships are still being repaired.

Jax owns all of this. Look, these were still piece-of-shit moves, but he recognizes that, acknowledges it, out loud, and to the people he affected, including Mimi, and apologizes, which is all he can do at this point. He doesn’t make excuses beyond “I was an asshole”. He accepts it, and he tells Lucy that he recognizes that he’s completely destroyed her trust and that he’s going to have to rebuild it from the ground up. Then he does the work to do that. He does his best to actually co-parent Mimi, following the rules Lucy already has in place, and communicating with her about everything.

He’s not perfect. He fucks up plenty. But again and again, he owns up to it. He talks to Lucy about it, and he tries to do better. But he doesn’t let Lucy just walk all over him. Once the two of them establish themselves back in a relationship, which happened earlier than I thought it would, he does start to try to establish his own place in their lives. They’re typically pretty good about presenting a united front, and having any disagreements when Mimi isn’t around, but there is one epic, loud, furious blow up that does some damage to their budding relationship, and the new world they’re trying to create for Mimi. But again, they both own up to their part in it, they apologize to Mimi and to each other, and they sit down and hash it out.

I really thought Jax and Lucy did the best they could to acknowledge their history, and move on from it. This is what I like to see in a second-chance romance. A couple that acknowledges how badly they screwed up in the past, apologizes genuinely for it, and does the work to rebuild a relationship. I loved this book.

I Want You Back is a charming romance about finding a second chance with your one true love. Jaxson said goodbye to his hockey career and decided to lay down roots with his family’s company while trying to mend fences with his ex-girlfriend. Lucy was the woman where things didn’t end well between them and the mother of his daughter, Mimi. As he tries to find his footing with his family and being a parent, Jaxson is determined to win back the only woman that makes his heart beat. The only thing is that he is afraid now that they may never be able to heal the damage that happened in the past.

I loved Jax and Lucy’s story together! These two had a long history and there was a lot of pain they had to get over before they could rebuild their relationship together. I loved their chemistry and you could see that they belonged with one another even though they tried to fight it at first. This is the first book in a brand new series and I’m already calling this one a winner that shouldn’t be missed.

This was a fairly low stakes second chance romance—I’m not sure if there was a previous series with more backstory, since this is the first book in this series, but I often felt I was missing a lot of the characters’ histories, which made their journey back together much less satisfying. We saw a brief glimpse of how they met in flashbacks but not the circumstances that drove them apart, so their reconciliation fell a little flat to me.

I was first introduced to Lorelei James with her Need You series. I inhaled those books as they were released, falling in love with her writing and characters even more as the series continued. The Lund family is one of my favorite bookish families. I was over the moon when I learned she was writing a spinoff series set in the same world. Her Need You series is off to one hell of a strong start with I Want You Back. What a fantastic and realistic read.

Y'all know second chance romance is my jam. There's just something about watching two characters come back to each other. I couldn't have been more excited to start reading Jaxson and Lucy's story. (Side note: if you ever want to get me hooked on a series, kicking it off with a second chance romance is a great start.) I'm not really sure what to say about Jaxson and Lucy. They weren't perfect. They have quite the past. There's a lot to get through if they're ever going to find their way back together. I remember side-eyeing Jaxson in the Need You series, so he was going to have to work to earn my love, too. It wasn't easy and it wasn't quick, but he did manage to do it eventually.

I want to be cautious not to be too spoilery here, because this book did take me by surprise a couple of times with the issues that came up. As much as I loved the intensity of the chemistry between Jaxson and Lucy, the romance wasn't my favorite part of this book. Don't get me wrong, it was fantastic. It was honest and realistic. Which, of course doesn't always mean pretty. The honesty is what I probably loved most about this book. The ugliness wasn't glossed over, both in their past and in some of the situations they deal with for their daughter Mimi. You know how book kids usually bring comic relief and sweet moments? Don't expect a lot of that in I Want You Back. She has her challenges, too. She's a good kid underneath it all, but she's definitely struggling.

If you're a fan of the Need You series, you'll probably want to catch up with the Lunds again in I Want You Back. It was sexy, emotional and, as I’ve said several times, real and honest. I loved it and can't wait to see what's next for this series.

Favorite Quotes:

I feel like drinking you down until I'm drowning in you. Until you're seeping into my pores and filling me back up again. And again.

"Fair warning: I'm not going to play fair. I remember exactly how to make you hot and wet."

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
3.5 stars
M/F Second chance romance
Triggers: Cheating, Addiction

In this first book, we meet Lucy. She was the love of Jaxson's life. They had a baby girl, Mimi, and when Jaxson's hockey career was at its peak, he gave in to temptation and was not faithful to Lucy.

Lucy and Mimi have been on their own for a while. And despite a rocky start, Lucy did an amazing job at raising Mimi.

When Jaxson's career is finished, he comes home. But his career ending was not the only life change he had to make. With his life back on track, Jaxson wants to be a father to Mimi.

It was fun to see Jaxson and Mimi's interactions. Learning to be a father is probably Jaxson's most challenging lifetime achievement. But in order for Jaxson to feel like his life is completely back on track, Jaxson also wants to win Lucy back.

Watching Lucy and Jaxson figure out how to co-parent and learn whether or not they can trust each other again was, at times, a slow walk. There were funny times too, but mostly, this was a book about learning whether or not love conquers all. While this book was a sweet, second-chance romance, I was hoping it would move a little faster along. Also, there was a lot of talk about the business that Jaxson runs, but nothing really came to fruition.

I do hope that Gabi gets a book of her own, as her interactions with Nolan were both intriguing and hilarious.


Veronica – ☆☆☆
I Want You Back is a second-chance romance but not one like I’ve read before. Jax is a retired hockey star, working at co-parenting his 8-year-old daughter Mimi, and working in his family’s business empire. In the past, however, Jax was a cheater, an alcoholic, a barely present dad who made is ex Lucy’s life very difficult.

Honestly, at the beginning I had no idea why Lucy would give Jax the time of day never mind a second chance. While the story does tell us about some of the bad when it comes to their past, it mostly focuses on the good. We get to see their first handful of dates and see how they fell in love and that gave me hope that maybe they could have that again.

I confess I didn’t feel particularly connected to either Lucy or Jax when reading this but I was interested in seeing how Jax was going to redeem himself, which for me was the most interesting part of the story. I also really liked seeing Lucy and Jax dealing with issues of co-parenting Mimi and seeing them work hard to do the right thing.

I Want You Back is a good story. It was easy to put down because I wasn’t completely emotionally engrossed in it, but it was also easy to pick the story back up because I was genuinely interested in the outcome. This gets a solid three stars from me.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is a really lovely second-chance romance. If you are fan of sports romance, then this is an interestingly different take on the famous player dealing with fame, its impact on his behaviour, and reinventing himself on retirement. And making reparations for errors previously made.

Jaxson has a fabulous family, who have supported and helped him through some very difficult times. His brother Nolan, in particular, was there to give him the kick he needed to turn his life around.

In all this, the person who suffered no end from his behaviour is Lucy, his one-time girlfriend and mother to his daughter, Mimi. As he now seeks to develop a relationship with Mimi, he has to face how he behaved towards Lucy, and how that may have effected her.

Mimi ensures that this does not become overly dark, by being a fun child who deals well with the new situation she finds herself in, now that her dad is back in town. Lucy has a far more difficult time, but over time we see her come to terms with what happened, how it could be in the future, and admitting that she still loves him, even now.

I loved the family aspects, the fairness, and the effort that he put into making things right. There was also plenty of ice time, although not at the level he had been used to! Cannot wait for the next installment.

I Want You Back took me by surprise with its different take on the typical second chance romance. Unlike so many that rely on misunderstandings, one-sided attractions, or a romance that almost was, this couple had their chance at love and one of them thoroughly blew it. So, yes, cheating was definitely a factor in the breakup, but for those who cheating is a hard limit in their fiction, it's mentioned, but the actual act is not on page. We do, however, get a lot of Jax and Lucy's early years through memories scattered throughout the story. I really liked that we got to see the early attraction for this couple without the story getting bogged down by that part of it. That left plenty of room for their current day relationship as two people co-parenting their child while still dealing with the emotional baggage between them, and it is considerable. I was disappointed when we're finally given the catalyst for Jax's lifestyle change. It just felt unnecessary, and once revealed, I felt like Lucy and Mimi were the consolation prizes for him. Whatever his reason, he does have his redeeming qualities. and I ended the book liking him much more than I thought I would. That aside, I was impressed with the author's ability to give us such an emotional story while still keeping the angst low. There is angst, but it's more subtle rather than big dramatic issues, and the high emotions are tempered with well-timed humor. All in all, this is a solid start to the series, and I'll be interested to see which of these engaging characters finds love next.

Oh this book had my heart tied up for the very beginning. Such a great second chance romance that will melt you and give you all the feels!

Jaxson has a lot of ground to make up. Now that he is retired from the NHL and has moved back home to Minneapolis, it's time for him to step up and be the dad he should have been years ago when his daughter was born. But he was in a really bad place and he had ruined all chances with the one person who he has ever loved - Lucy.

These two were explosive together. In both good and bad ways. Oh and little Mimi she definitely steals the show at times. To see the struggles that both Lucy and Jax go through to find love again takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions that are all worth it in the end.

Love this series revolving around the Lund's of Minneapolis. The series is like crack to me and I'm so happy to see more stories to feed my addiction.

This was a wonderful second chance romance. I really liked the ups and downs as Jaxson and Lucy come together and fall in love all over again. It was sweet and playful, emotional and intense. I enjoyed it all!

Since meeting Jaxson in the Need You series, I have wanted his and Lucy's story. I loved learning their history and how the story is set up between past and present, there were great building details. I like the attraction that Jaxson and Lucy still have, there’s a strong pull between them that’s magnetic. Learning about Jaxson and the things he'd done, I wanted to not like him but I loved seeing present-day Jax, trying to do better and learning from his past mistakes. By the end, I loved him.

Even though Jaxson and Lucy had major chemistry, I felt this was a slow burn romance. I loved the bond of intimacy they were forming throughout the story. There was a lot of openness and honesty happening, hard truths that had to be shared - not all of them pretty - some pretty darn uncomfortable actually. I thought the author did a great job sharing these raw and real things.

I liked the build, the characters, and details. I thought it was well written but some spots felt drawn out while other things felt glossed over so sometimes the pacing was off for me. Other than that, it was a pretty great read. I loved Jaxson's redemption and finally being the man he was meant to be. I loved Lucy's strength and forgiveness, and being able to move forward. Great start to a new series!

After using every moment of my meagre work-week-reading-time to finish James’s I Want You Back, I turned the final page, exclaming, “I loved this book!” Because I like to have a measured response to things, I “slept on it”, woke up and thought, “Still love it.” And yet, had I not requested this ARC “blind”, had someone described it to me with detail, it would’ve been the kiss of death. Firstly, it’s written in alternating first-person POV, which I hate. Secondly, and this is not a spoiler because we know this from the get-go, the hero was a cheater. But that’s not all: when the heroine was pregnant, he didn’t support her, even though he was rich as Croesus, and he dragged her through the courts for custody for years, AND he didn’t give her sufficient financial support when he was making a mint as a star Blackhawks defenceman and was independently wealthy thanks to being a Lund. How can this be borne, much less forgiven by a romance reader? … and let’s not say anything about the heroine. I did that frustrated hair-tugging thing every reader knows when they embark on a book, knowing that the DNF-fairy is only pages away from sprinkling her special brand of lip-curling fairy dust.

I thought about I Want You Back throughout a day peppered with meetings, classes, crisis-diffusions, and more meetings … “Was my response positive because it satisfied me on some deep romance-need-id-level, or is it that good? Should my initial visceral love of a romance novel be tempered by the light of cool reason? Will it stand up?” I won’t know until I do my final 2019 round-up. For now, in the dimming afternoon light, I still love it. If nothing else, I was reminded of the importance of taking a reading risk every now and then. We romance readers tend to get defensive about our reading choices; conservative too: we like what we like and we won’t try something new because well, we get burned A LOT. (See my recent review of The Takeover Effect as a case in point.)

First, let’s look at what is a fairly simple plot and premise and then, I’ll tell you why James’s romance won me. The novel opens with the announcement of Jaxson “Stonewall” Lund’s retirement from professional hockey. Thereafter, from chapter one, he has returned home to Minneapolis to find his purpose post-hockey and co-parent his eight-year-old daughter, Mimi, with ex-girlfriend Lucy Quade. The rest of the novel proceeds solely on the bases of their co-parenting a smart, precocious, athletically-gifted little girl and coming to terms with their relationship’s unresolved issues and still strong feelings. Jaxson is no longer a jerk. He’s a recovering alcoholic, a man bent on making amends. Lucy is delightfully sharp, funny and, rightly so, mistrustful. The big betrayal moment occurred in the past, plenty of water under that bridge, and Jaxson is the epitome of the twelve steps. He’s funny, sexy, and heart-touchingly vulnerable, guilt-ridden, earnest, and working to make up for hurting and neglecting Lucy, Mimi, and his family.

The alternating Jax-Lucy POV making up the chapters is a familiar narrative structure to romance readers. James adds an interesting structural element: as Lucy-Jax-Mimi move forward, each section also contains, in reverse chronological order from earliest to latest, an account of one of Lucy and Jaxson’s dates. For example, when we meet Lucy and Jax, they are squabbling over parenting and Jax is trying to prove himself to Lucy. But we also flashback to their adorable meet-cute. As Lucy and Jax grow closer and then break apart as the demands of work, family, Mimi, and their own vulnerabilities give that marvelous romance pacing of two-steps-forward-one-step-back, we in turn experience the romance of their courtship, each date organically telling us why these two should be together. But the dark times aren’t glossed over. It’s difficult to convince a romance reader of the rightness of a cheating hero and yet, James does exactly that, damn her. I wanted to hold on to my no-no-cheating edict and couldn’t.

James isn’t the first romance author to don the cheating mantle and succeed. But ’tis a rare covering and kudos to her for dragging me in her wake and making me love every minute of it. She then throws a HUGE romance no-no into the HEA; whoa, I did not see that coming. To discuss it here would demand a spoiler and I won’t do that. But, man, I’m not totally sure it succeeded, and yet I still loved it, and I can only hope (okay, in true romance fashion, I’m grovelling to Miss Bates readers) you read I Want You Back so I’m not alone here, struggling and loving it still.

There’s all manner of stuff in I Want You Back that would send me screaming into the arms of Betty Neels; for that reason, I wanted to think about why this worked for me. The answer came during my morning commute (as so much does, in that cocoon of monastic solitude that is our car): I Want You Back deeply, deeply moved me. Jax’s determination, hockey-heritage work ethic, and humility to be a good man, to be deserving of Lucy and Mimi saw me rooting for someone who’d hurt and cheated and behaved like a first-class scoundrel. James is also clever to use those date-glimpses of Jax at his best: they helped to keep my sympathy entrenched. And Lucy is no cardboard cut-out. She’s fleshy, flawed and wonderful. Mimi is no plot moppet: she’s delightful and an utter horror. They’re real, loveable, and charming; Jax, Lucy, Mimi delighted me and touched my heart (don’t get me started on how great the secondary characters are, starting with Jax’s mother and brother). There’s much to think about in James’s novel and enjoy. I hope you read it, I’d love to chat about it. With Miss Austen, we say that I Want You Back proves “there is no charm equal to tenderness of heart,” Emma.

Lorelei James’s I Want You Back is published by Jove (Berkley Books). It released yesterday, April 2nd, and may be found at your preferred vendors. I received an e-ARC from Jove, via Netgalley.

What is not to love about this book. I Want You Back is full of everything wonderful. Jaxson and Lucy are so perfect together but they have to get over a lot of crap from their past and so many hurtles crop up before they get their HEA. This book kept throwing them in directions that I would have never thought of and their daughter Mimi is just so stinking cute and they typical hyper-active child that it cracked me up.

Love this story and can't wait to see more of these wonderful characters by Lorelei James.

THE DELIGHT
It’s is great to get back in the Lund world where family means everything. A hero on the road to redemption brings a sexy factor I wasn’t expecting. The heroine gave as good as she got, but also owned her own sexuality and fought for what she deserved. A precocious 8- year old rounds out this family. You might need some ice from all the foreplay in this story, because the chemistry was flammable.

REVIEW
Woweee! I wasn’t expecting to like this story. Nope. Jaxson Lund has not gotten a lot of sympathy from me for being a cheating, deadbeat father who has put his career and fancy life before everyone in his life. Lucy was someone I could relate too. She is strong, fights for what is right, never backs down and takes no shit off of anyone. Neither does she want what isn’t rightfully hers like the money the Lund family has. She has gotten a raw deal from all of them, but she seems to be fair when in reality most people wouldn’t have been. In the Need You series we see her apply for a job and Lund and a lot of the cracks in Jaxson’s shiny life start to grow.

The story grows pretty naturally. We see Jax and Lucy as they are now with an eight year old daughter, Jax retired and back in the Twin Cities and Lucy working a Lund Industries and living in an apartment. As the story progresses, each character regresses back into memories of how they met and various dates they went on. You see how they meet, grow to know one another, and fall in love. The chemistry between them is amazing and you want them to hop into bed and get it on. You would think with what you know about Jax, he would have gotten into Lucy’s pants right away. Instead they flirt, they learn and they get to know each other without last names.

In the here and now, the two of them are trying to get along as parents who are split up. Jax wasn’t nice during his hockey years. He ignored his daughter, slept with any woman on two legs and fought for custody of a the child he was ignoring. His family got him into a recovery program and he is in a much better place having to admit everything he did was wrong. Retired, he is making Lucy and his daughter his priority, building their trust as he moves to win Lucy back with his actions if not his words.

Lucy’s guard is up and she has every right to feel that way. Jax has to prove he is a changed man and won’t betray her or their daughter ever again. He moves on a business everyone things he will fail at and buys the apartment building they live in so he can build an apartment in the building to be closer to them. The doubt even within his family hurts, but he doesn’t take crap from them on it. He makes decisive action knowing in his heart what this all means to him.

Jax does have to still deal with his addiction to alcohol. In trying times he wants a drink so bad, but he uses the tools he has in toolbox of a mind to never give in and that is what I loved about him. He wanted the family. Sitting down for meals. Helping with homework. Taking his daughter to hockey practice and being a dad, not the hockey dad people expect him to be. I overall just liked the man Jax became over the man that almost destroyed his own life

Lucy also was a character I adored. She wasn’t completely innocent, but her sins were never as bad as Jax’s. She put on her big girl panties and accepted she was a single mom and did everything she could to make a life. Not giving into the rich family that wanted to take her daughter away from her. Not letting the Lund family push her away from a job she was good at. Not to let people take advantage of her.

This story hit some hard points I usually don’t want to hear. I am ok with a guy being a playboy, but being a playboy after he gets his girlfriend pregnant? Nope! This wasn’t the story of what happened, but a story of redemption and falling in love for the second time. And I thank the author for letting me choose to believe him or not.

While this is a spin off series from Need You, this can be read on it’s own without knowing everything that happened in that series. There is enough back story to get most of what you nee dto know about this couple. The alcohol and cheating happen in the past and the trust and groveling stage is happening. It was a wonderful addition to the Lund family stories.

One of my favorite books of 2019 so far! I loved this tale of second chances and have been waiting for Jax and Lucy's story since they were first introduced. Having a child involved in the story line had me unable to put the book down until I finished.

Former NHL star Jaxson Lund has returned to Twin City after retiring from the hockey league. Jaxson has quite a few issues he's dealing with that derailed his relationship with Lucy Quade, who is the mother of his daughter Mimi. Jaxson wants the chance to be in his daughter's life again and also wants an opportunity to fix things with Lucy. Lucy is willing to give him the chance to have a relationship with Mimi but she's not sure she can handle things with Jax again. They finally iron out some of their issues but there are things that Jax still has to find the courage to be honest with Lucy about if they will ever get another chance. Once he reveals everything Lucy has to decide if she wants to take another chance.

I wasn't a fan of Jax from the previous books and I was reluctant to read I Want you back but at the end I was as in love with him as Lucy was. Only Lorelei James can make you love this man who I despised in the other books.
Lucy and Jax were co-parenting Mimi and doing a fine job raising their daughter. their love and commitment to her was evident but so was the love the had for each other.
Their relationship wasn't perfect and Jax to work through together pain and hurt but it was worth it in the end.
Jax definitely got lucky when he fell for Lucy. She didn't forget but she worked with Jax to forgive and get past their discretion.

Jax and Lucy have been supporting characters in the Need You series while their daughter Mimi is a family favorite. I really like the fact that Ms. James has kicked off this new series with the most colorful and controversial characters in the family. What truly happened between Jax and Lucy that left Lucy pregnant, alone and destitute has been a mystery to date but as their back story is revealed so is the need for Jax to find redemption and find a way to fit in with his family as a son, brother, cousin and nephew but most importantly as a father to his daughter. Can he and Lucy find a way to bridge the past and find a loving relationship?Jax is retired and back in his home town and determined to win over Lucy and become a family. It's not going to be easy on many fronts. He has definitely learned from his past life of excesses as a sports idol and is back sadder, wiser and determined. Being a father is definitely not easy as he'll find. It's not fun visits and spoiling his daughter as he finds out the first day she sleeps over and he has to get her up in the morning and to school. I suppose what made Jax such a good hockey player was perseverance and he's going to have to exercise a lot of patience and perseverance to make inroads with Lucy.
After the one time when they forget their daughter is there and they get into a fight and she calls her uncle on the cell phone they did not have they sober up and realize that they need to figure out a way to co-parent even if there is nothing else. For all that I never thought I would even like Jax I ended up admiring him for realizing what an entitled jerk he had been and what an awesome father and boy friend he makes.
Ms. James definitely knows how to get to the heart of the emotional center of her readers. There is laughter and tears during the reading and yet as things start to fall into place there is contentment that the second chance charm works and there's hope after all. While this is a new book in a spinoff series it's like a continuation of the old one and no one is happier than i to see these characters back in print. I can't wait to see the rest of the brothers find their one.