I must say I had a hard time getting into this book. Though Jackson and Caroline seem likable I had a hard time connecting with them as a couple. I usually am able to stay with a book from beginning til done. I found myself having to put the book down and come back to it.

AMAZING!! I just loved, loved, loved reading Jackson and Caroline’s story in Jackson by Emily March; the first book in her new The McBrides of Texas series. I loved how this story had broke the story into two parts, the first as the meet see as they become friends and the second when they are more than friends. Caroline is such a strong person, dealing with her husband’s illness, then his death, and finally beginning her next chapter in Redemption, Texas; opening a bookstore. Jackson McBride was a singer-songwriter who had loss his muse after his marriage ended and he was denied visitation with his young daughter. His move to Redemption was to find himself, not someone to love and who loved him. Meeting Caroline enabled him to once again find the music and the words. When the time was right, two loss and battered souls found not only themselves but also another chance at love with the right person; someone who not only understood them but loved them. I almost wonder why the book wasn’t named The Next Chapter with all that it implies and how it was incorporated into this story.

Ms. March wrote a wonderfully sweet and moving story that is not to be missed. It was a story filled with sexual attraction, fun dialogue, and endearing characters. Many of the residents from Eternity Springs played a small role in this story, including Celeste Blessing. You do not need to read the previous books to enjoy this one. I highly recommend this book to other readers and look forward to Emily March’s next book.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

This is the first Emily March book I've read. I enjoyed these characters. I didn't feel lost since it's a spin off from the Eternity Springs series. The McBrides of Texas focuses on three cousins and this first book is about Jackson.

Jackson and his two cousins have inherited a large plot of land in Texas from their "crazy aunt" that the three loved dearly. The aunt pretty much owned a whole ghost town and they didn't know it.

So when he and the cousins arrive to go see the land and what can be done with it Jackson just happens to meet Caroline who happens to be in town on assignment.

It's funny how things work out that you never expect it. You see Caroline and Jackson have a connection but it can't be a romantic one because she's currently married.

Several months pass and Caroline's husband has as well. She loved the little town where she met Jackson but he was not the deciding factor for her moving there. Their friendship turns into more the more time they spend together.

I think this story is really sweet and enjoyed getting to know these characters. Their love story is one of my favorite I've read this year so far.

This was the first book I have read from Ms. March and though the cover description sounded interesting, I was not quite sure what to think of the story when I first started reading. I was drawn to Caroline and Jackson and was interesting to learn more about their situations and circumstances that brought them to start over but it seemed to involve a lot of excess information that, to me, seemed unnecessary. A lot of different characters were pulled into the story and there was a lot of conversations about past goings on, as well as neighbors, family, mysterious and strange comments and advice given out of the blue (which seemed weird to me) and the like that did not really have any bearing on Jackson and Caroline’s relationship. The story did set an easy pace, though it was choppy in some places, and the book actually felt more like a women’s fiction read than a contemporary romance. It was really light on the romance, seeming to focus more on backgrounds, settings, and conversations than the developing feelings between the main characters. This made it harder to connect with the characters and really experience the story. Though since this book is connected to the Eternity Springs series, I am sure the fans of the author and series will have an enjoyable reading experience. It was just not really for me.

*I received an advanced copy from the publisher, via NetGalley, and I am providing my honest review.

I loved this book. The characters were strong, independent, and broken. Jackson just lost custody of his daughter. He didn't believe his ex was capable of doing what she did and he was broken. His cousin called and asked him to come to Texas so he hopped on his bike and left town. Caroline was also broken. Her husband didn't know who she was anymore and when she got asked to go and write an article about a small town, she accepted.
Little did they know, that their paths would keep crossing. A year later, Caroline heads back to that small town and opens her own book store. Neither one of them were looking for love, just friendship and they decided that they would become just that. The best intentions often lead to better things, and that is what happens with Jackson and Caroline.
Just when things start looking up for their relationship, tragedy strikes. The way they both handle and deal with what happened proves how strong both of them are. His daughter was the sweetest thing and his ex was a coniving, manipulative person. She used what happened as a way to come between Jackson and Caroline, would they be strong enough to overcome Coco's machinations?
A wonderful book about second chances. I can't wait to read the rest of this series. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

Redemption, Texas is rumored to be a place with healing magic. The main characters in Jackson both could use some of that healing magic. Jackson is really missing his daughter, Haley after his ex-wife won custody and severely limited his contact with her. Caroline Carruthers' husband developed Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease and further tragedy then struck. I enjoyed getting to meet Jackson and Caroline and all the secondary characters in this book. The author wrote a compelling storyline and along with the wonderful characters and entertaining dialogue Emily March has delivered an emotional and very satisfying read.

It was a sweet romance. The passion was tame, so if you prefer romance without the steamy sex scenes, then Emily March is for you. Her romances are sweet, wholesome, romantic, and could be set in real life. I enjoyed the story, but I would have liked more steam, if you know what I mean. The characters were strong and well developed. The plot moved steadily and wasn’t rushed, again could have been real life and/or Halmark. I did enjoy it a lot, just needed more steamy scenes.

Jackson is the first in a spin off series (from the Eternity Springs series) about Redemption, Texas, featuring the McBrides of Texas. This is Jackson and Caroline's story. They have both come to Redemption, Texas broken and in need of starting over. For the most part, I enjoyed the story. It held up well as a stand alone. I have not read any of the Eternity Springs books, but I don't feel you need to to follow this spin-off.

This is an enjoyable story about second chances and rebuilding your life after devastating loss. It was a little slow in the beginning, but it picks up at about the 30% mark. I loved what Jackson and his cousins decided to do with the land after they inherited it. It will make for a great setting for the series. What I enjoyed most about this book was the time it took for the relationship to develop between Jackson and Caroline. It wasn't rushed and they had a great HEA. The other characters in the book added a lot to the story. I look forward to reading their stories in the future. After the epilogue, I'm hoping Tucker's story is next.

Welcome to Redemption Texas. Where there are possibilities to starting all over. Jackson McBride and Caroline Carruthers are in need of a new start. Jackson is having family problems and Redemption is the place to be. His music has left him and working on fixing up the buildings is tension relief. Caroline is back to op her book store. It's where she will start the next chapter in her life. The two of them have become friends. Neither are in a place for anything else. Enter Celeste from Eternity Springs. She has brought her cousin, Angelica, to work at the new B&B that will be opening. These two are as different as night and day. They will have you laughing. There will be laughs, love and grief. Wonderful start to the new series!

I really struggled with this book. I stopped reading close to the halfway point and debated not finishing. I read two other books and then came back to it, and almost quit again. The formatting was weird, but hopefully it was only because I had an advanced copy. There were seen changes and point of view changes with no page break or change in chapter. Just from one paragraph to the next- a major change. It was distracting. Also the main characters were Caroline and Jackson, yet Boone had a couple of chapters in his point of view. I don't know what number book this is of the series but this is the only one I've read, but there were a lot of characters. Some scenes it was a bit overwhelming to keep up with. It was probably at the 3/4 to the end point of the book that something major happened, and that actually kept me hooked to the end. It just felt like it took too much to get to that point to make the book a more interesting overall read. If I had given up when I first wanted to, I would have completely missed the change. And that was the best part of the book from the major event on in my opinion.

This romance proceeds at a gentle pace over the period of a couple of years. This gives it more substance than many other stories where the couple are in love in 5 minutes flat. Both Jackson and Caroline have past history to deal with and, when Jackson’s comes into the present, Caroline’s love and trust is tested. I really enjoyed this book.
There were a fair few grammatical errors in the advanced copy of this book that I voluntarily read and reviewed from NetGalley. Note: all thoughts and opinions are my own.

A sweet romance that pulls you into an entire community! I loved the “brotherhood” of the cousins to the simplicity and description of the scenery. A very solid, good book!

Reeling from a bitter divorce, various lawsuits, and losing custody of his six-year-old daughter Haley had Jackson McBride searching for a new start – and he found it in a most unexpected way. He and his cousins Boone and Tucker were the sole heirs to a ranch outside of Redemption, Texas. Visiting the ranch and experiencing the wonder of the scenery led the cousins to come up with a plan to refurbish the crumbling buildings and develop an inn, complete with saloon and dance hall.

Caroline Carruthers was also looking for a new start after the prolonged death of her husband Robert, and her earlier visit to Redemption had her believing it would be a perfect place for the bookstore she wanted to open. Called The Next Chapter, the store was a huge success, and Caroline’s developing romance with Jackson was helping them both heal from the pain of their pasts. As their lives together began to settle into a calm and consistent pattern, tragedy strikes, and this forces both Jackson and Caroline to make difficult choices that threatens what they have.

As always, Emily March has written a sweet yet strong romance and I enjoyed the cameo appearances by some residents of Eternity Springs. The McBride/Callahan family is delightful, and I enjoyed spending time catching up and reading about the new developments within the family. This is the first book in a trilogy, following Jackson, Boone, and Tucker McBride, and I am definitely looking forward to the next in the series.

3 1/2 stars

Jackson by Emily March is the start of a new series, The McBrides of Texas but it's also part of the Eternity Springs series. I read one Eternity Springs novel before, which I enjoyed.

Frankly, Jackson felt like a much longer novel than 312 pages and it wasn't helped by the fact that the "romance" began while Caroline was still married to Robert, whom she loved. That raised a few flags for me as well as making me wonder why March decided to begin her novel there rather than, as the blurb suggests, after Caroline becomes a widow.

My other issue with Jackson is the fact that at one point the reader is inundated with family members and names. One of the cousins says that there are just so many of them, which I thought rather ironic at the time. This is one of my pet peeves regarding novels that are part of a series: the parade of past characters. I realize, as I've mentioned before, that readers of the series might enjoy it (Publishers Weekly insists you will) but it's a major turn-off for new readers, especially since this is the first novel in an spin-off series.

That said, a lot of Jackson works. I liked the blossoming romance between Jackson and Caroline, although I can't say that they had much chemistry. I liked that even from the beginning, when he first saw her, that she made music, his lifeblood, come alive within him again.

The writing and the description of nature were very good. You felt like you were there in the scene, experiencing it with them. However, there was quite a bit of extraneous dialogue that had nothing to do with furthering the plot and which, I believe, you really have to be in the mood for to read.

As for the characters, I liked all of them, even Jackson's ex-wife, Coco. I think you can gauge the talent of a writer by how well they bring characters to life on a page; more so if they can bring ones who behave badly and make you like them. Cousins Celeste and Angelica are a hoot, bringing a touch of otherworldly magic to the book, as well as demonstrating completely different styles of offering guidance.

Likewise, you can the tell emotional maturity of a writer when they have a character being self-aware and not throwing jealous tantrums at the drop of a hat.

While I found the beginning to be problematic as well as other parts throughout, I'm glad that I stuck with Jackson. The parts that work, work ever so well, and I found myself rooting for Jackson and Caroline. The ending is heart-warming and leads the way happily to more McBride stories.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jackson is well-written and Emily March certainly knows her stuff when it comes to creating atmosphere and setting up a scene. Everything is described wonderfully and at times, I felt like I was right there seeing it all. That said, I wouldn't exactly call this a romance. It's more like women's fiction with a side of romance. The story was a little slow, but it does have it's moments. There is quite a lot of conversation, and some of it - especially between the cousins - is witty and fun. As far as romance, we know Jackson and Caroline are attracted to each other, but other than a stolen kiss or two, the romance doesn't really start until around seventy percent into the book - and then we have the required angst for the couple to overcome. Being deliberately vague so as not to give spoilers, I wasn't a fan of some of that angst. I felt like it went too far, and had I been in one person's shoes, I don't think I could've been that understanding. Even so, the characters are likable, and while I found the story to be too slow for me, it was certainly worth the read.

Do you believe in second chances? Jackosn McBride has lost everything and he fears that he will never be able to write music again so when his cousin Boone calls him out of the blue, he decides to take a chance and follow his family. Caroline Carruthers is happily married but her husband just doesn't always remember her as he is suffering from early Alzheimers and she had no choice but to put him a home where he would be safe but it is breaking her heart and she has no idea where to from here. So when she meets a sweet old lady she agrees to help her and a new journey starts for her. Jackson & Caroline have just met and but they become firm friends and they both aren't looking for anything right now as they both have been hurt in the past. Is there hope for them yet? Will they be able to start a new life together or will someone come between their happiness?
Will their love be strong enough? A great read of family and friendship.
I was lucky enough to receive a copy via Netgalley & the publishing house in exchange for my honest review.

Redemption or Ruin….

This is the start of a spin off series from Eternity Springs, which I haven’t read yet, but Caroline and Jackson’s story works well as a standalone. It was easy to get lost in their story as both were reinventing themselves with a new direction to their lives.

The story moved in days and then months as big and little changes affected their lives. The characters were very likable, the circumstances allowing them to support each other through the storms. Loss, grief, pain. All the emotions battled to overcome their fresh starts.

This was a gentle, winding read with romance sometimes taking a back seat to the challenges both were facing. Quirky characters rounded the story off well and brought humour and even more heart with them. Good start to the series.

Many years ago I fell in love with Emily March and her Eternity Springs series. I loved every book I picked up by her but unfortunately after about book 6 or 7 I started to turn away from romance books. When I got an invite to be on this blog tour it was like a call to come home. Emily March writes such heart warming books. Life has struggles and she includes that which is why her books and characters are so relatable and loveable.

Celeste Blessing is one of my favorite characters. When she’s involved you know she’s up to something so when she was introduced so early on sending Boone on a mission and then running into Caroline, I knew it was only a matter of time before her plan would start falling together. I wasn’t expecting to fall so in love with Angelica though. Her sass and unpredictableness may have changed my mind about who my favorite character is.

The struggles for Jackson and Caroline were real and tough but you can always count on Emily March to make it work. My heart is always so warmed and full by the time I am done reading an Emily March book. It may be time for me to go back and catch back up on the Eternity Springs series.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟(5 out of 5 stars) I used to swear I wasn’t a romance fan but the more I read them the more I want. I am such a sucker for gruff, wounded men!!! It helps if there a tad bit country!!

Thanks to NetGalley and to St. Martin’s Press for providing me an ARC copy of this book, which I freely chose to review.
I read and reviewed one of Emily Barr’s novels in the Eternity Springs series, The Christmas Wishing Tree, last summer and enjoyed it, particularly the lovely town of Eternity Springs, and I could not resist checking what her new story was like.
This novel is a crossover (or a spin-off, I guess) of that other series, as it does include quite a few of the characters of Eternity Springs, and, in fact, Celeste Blessing plays quite a part in getting things started, but it focuses on three male cousins, the McBrides, who are very close in age and grew up together, share wonderful memories, but have taken very different paths in life. They are left a pretty interesting legacy from their great-aunt, and it gives them an opportunity to start a project together, in Texas.
Jackson McBride, the protagonist of the story (or one of them. Caroline Carruthers plays a very important part in the story, if not the most important), is a musician, a composer of Americana/country music, who’s been unable to compose since his marriage ended and he lost the custody battle for his little girl, Hailey. But his love for music remains unabated, and the project at Last Hope gives him a different avenue to invest it on, one that will allow him to help other performers and recover a historical venue.
We meet Caroline Carruthers at a difficult time in her life. She married a man fifteen years older than her, a professor, when he was quite young, and she seems to have become his wife, first and foremost. She writes articles about Texas for magazines, but her life is turned upside down when her husband is diagnosed with early dementia. Her sister-in-law does not accept her decision of having her husband looked after in a nursing home, and the situation brings home just how dependent Catherine has become on her husband and how limited her personal support network is. A chance encounter with Celeste makes her discover Redemption, Texas, and she gets a second chance.
This novel shares many of the characteristic that made me enjoy the previous one. Redemption is a pretty interesting and welcoming place, Enchanted Canyon Ranch, and Ruin, the ghost town, are great settings, beautiful, magical, and we get to see how Angelica (Celeste’s cousin, another cousin in a book full of them, and my favourite character), Jackson, and Boon transform the place into a haven, the Texan cousin of Celeste’s inn at Eternity Springs. The landscape and descriptions of the natural beauty of the area are vivid and make readers wish they could be there, and the writer captures well the language, customs, and local expressions (even if it some of the situations ring of an adult fairy tale). There are also great secondary characters, some that are likely to play bigger parts in other books in the series, and for those readers who are already familiar with Eternity Springs, there are plenty of familiar faces who make an appearance here (even I, who’ve only read one of the books, recognized quite a few). I also enjoyed the relationships between friends and family members, and the interactions between the cousins had that ease and familiarity that made them ring true. There is plenty of humour, some drama (yes, bad things happen and there’s grief in store for many of the characters), and a fairly gentle story, with bickering and discussions over decorating and sports, music, dogs, food, families and friendships.
The main characters are likeable, have suffered in their personal lives, and deserve a second chance. They are both reluctant to commit to new relationships because they are grieving for their last ones, but… Well, I was going to say this is a romance after all, and it is, but it also has much in common with women’s fiction, despite the male coprotagonist. Caroline grows strong throughout the book, takes control of her own life, and acquires a network of female friends who support her no matter what. Jackson already had his cousins, although they all seem to keep secrets, and his recovery involves helping his ex-wife stand tall and start behaving like an adult. Women are the ones who change and grow the most throughout the novel, and although their roles might appear conventional at first, they prove they are stronger and more determined than they thought. As I said, I found the characters likeable, but I felt about them a bit like I would about a nice couple I’d met and chatted one evening. I have the best wishes for them, and I wouldn’t mind seeing them around every now and then, but I don’t think they’ll leave a lasting impression, and there wasn’t anything particularly distinctive or memorable about them (although I liked the sound of Caroline’s bookshop, The Next Page).
I read some reviews that complained about the references and inclusion of characters not directly related to the stories, and got a bit lost. As I said, I have met some of the characters before, so I was slightly more familiar with them, but I wouldn’t let that scare any possible readers, as it is not a big part of the book, and it does not hinders the understanding of the action. (It involves the chapters around the opening of the new inn, and Boon’s friends from Eternity Springs turn up as guests, and that means a fair amount of new people who suddenly land there). On the other hand, I’m pretty convinced that readers of the series will be delighted to catch up with some of their favourite characters in the new setting.
This is a nice and gentle read, with no violent or sex scenes, in an enchanting Texan setting , likely to appeal to readers of romance, especially that set in the world of the music industry, Americana in particular, women’s fiction, and stories about second chances. The characters don’t break any molds, and it is not a particularly challenging story, but it is a comforting one. Recommended to readers of the Eternity Springs series and to anybody keen on a refreshing and gently inspiring story.

This was my first time reading this author, and despite being confused at the beginning of the story, I found myself enjoying this book a lot. The plot was a little slow in the first chapters, but little by little it was developing a steady rhythm I liked a lot. The author didn't extend in the erotic side of the romance, and I appreciated that. The romantic plot was sweet and well managed, with conflicts you can relate with. The characters were lovely, a little broken some of them, with an inner fire that surprised me, enamored me, and made me admire them. The book was titled Jackson, but he wasn't the only McBride I met while reading, now I'm looking forward for Boone and Tucker's book.