Synopsis:
From the fanfic phenom whose debut A Pound of Flesh had over 4.5 million reads, this sequel, An Ounce of Hope, tells the passionate love story of Carter’s best friend, Max.
Max O’Hare can’t seem to let go of his past: his drug habit, the end of his relationship with Lizzie Jordan, the woman he knows he’ll never get over, and the loss of their unborn son.
After successfully completing rehab and learning to explore his deepest fears and dreams through painting, Max meets Grace Brooks. With her innate optimism, and her love of art and photography, Grace appears to be the perfect girl. Yet no one knows where she came from, or why she keeps her past so closely guarded. Over time, Max and Grace gradually allow each other in—but will he ever be able to fully let go of his past? Or will his heart remain closed forever?
My Review:
An Ounce of Hope is the second book in author Sophie Jackson’s Pound of Flesh series. After reading the first book and falling in love with these characters, I was so excited for Max’s story and thrilled to have received an early copy. Filled with emotion, angst, and turmoil, this was another fantastic addition to the series.
Max and Grace are both some seriously damaged characters. They are both hurting and trying to overcome some pretty large personal obstacles. They both truly deserve a chance at a normal and happy life. A life without loss and hurt. A life they are both working extremely hard to achieve.
My heart broke for both of these characters. I felt awful for the loss Max had endured in his young life. I understood his downward spiral into drugs and why he had such a big chip on his shoulder. I also knew he was worthy of redemption and admired his tenacity at gaining it. I felt equally awful for Grace when we finally learned the why’s and how’s of where she was today. She had truly gone though hell and back and was on the road to putting the pieces of her new life together. Together, they form an unlikely but special bond and friendship that grows into something beautiful and real.
While there were many struggles between these two, it was a journey I really enjoyed reading. In that reading, I experienced many emotions; ranging from sadness, to anger, ad then ultimately to happiness. In addition to the heavy moments there were also light and fun times that added a wonderful layer to Max and Grace’s story. I chuckled more than a few times at their playful banter as they started to open up to each other. It was wonderful to see that side of these two. Oh, and the chemistry? Off the charts smoking hot. It’s a slow delicious build into scorching heat that I just loved. And of course, getting to see glimpses of Carter and Kat was sublime!
I have to mention I’m really hoping Tate gets his own story…I love him!
Thank you, Ms. Jackson, for another wonderful installment in the Pound of Flesh series. I cannot wait to see what’s next for this group!
Four Loves
Book Links:
About the author:
By day I’m a high school English teacher and by night I write stories about bad boys and the women they love.
I always loved reading. As a kid, my mum would take me to the local bookshop every week to buy a new book. I even created my own library on my bookshelf in my bedroom at the age of five! When I started school, I found that I loved writing too.
As I got older, I was never really inspired by anything to kick-start my writing. I had plenty of ideas, which I noted down, but I never actually sat down and wrote anything and always used lack of time as an excuse.
That all changed when three of my pupils dropped a copy of Twilight onto my desk at school. They begged me to read it, which I did, from cover to cover in a day. I devoured the other three books and then read them all over again. I was hooked. When I finished reading them the second time, I knew I needed more. I wanted to learn more about the characters, to see them in different situations and following different storylines. That’s when I happened upon FanFiction.net.
The talent in the fanfiction world is truly incredible, and I spent weeks falling down the ‘Twifiction’ rabbit hole, while falling more in love with the idea of writing my own. I was inspired.
I’m a hopeless romantic and a sucker for a love story, which is what I decided to write. A Pound of Flesh is the result.
Sure, just keep making me add more books to my list! Thanks for the intro and review but I’m waiting til it’s lighter outside to read this!
LOL! I hear ya!