SYNOPSIS:

The living seek forgiveness. The dead seek revenge.

A first love.
A last breath.
A haunting past.

Armed with a sinful past and an equally sinful body, Jackson Knight absolves his vow of celibacy to pursue Sergeant Monaghan’s unsuspecting—older—housekeeper.

Ryn Middleton, on the cusp of turning forty with a snarky daughter, a killer dog, and an abusive ex-husband, finds Jackson’s advances humorous and unbelievable. After intense negotiations including Vera Wang, Ed Sheeran, and sex four times a day, Ryn accepts Jackson’s marriage proposal on their first date.

What could possibly go wrong?

While struggling to lay claim to the woman of the dreams he never had, Jackson is forced to deal with a grief-stricken Jillian trying to hold on to her past without letting go of her future—the doctor who took her heart and the Sergeant who gave her a new one.

Beyond the hope for light, lies the middle of darkness, the illusion of truth, and a haunting past.

*****Patty’s Review*****

*****5+++++++++++++++THANK YOU STARS******
{ARC Generously Provided by Author in Exchange For An Honest Review}

“Love is reckless because true emotions are immune to logic. The most beautiful love stories are often the most tragic.”

OH MY GOD!!!!
MAGNIFICENT!!!!

I said this in my review of End of Day, this story is unlike anything I’ve ever read before. I absolutely, positively LOVED EVERYTHING about this book. I can’t even count how many quotes I highlighted in this one and how I wish I could post them all in this review. I normally post one or two, but in this one there’s no way I can limit it to just two quotes! I want to shout it from the roof tops….READ THIS SERIES!!!

Jewel is a gifted storyteller. This book tells the tale of two main characters in alternating chapters, and even throws in flashback chapters as well. Never did I feel like I couldn’t keep up with what was going on. It all flowed so seamlessly and I loved every freaking minute of reading this truly goddamn amazing story!!!

I’m going to first go over Jackson’s portion of the plot and then I’ll spend the remainder going over Jillian/Jessica’s story line, since hers is told through the present and past.

Jackson Knight is Jillian’s twin brother. He’s sinfully HOT and a man who has been trained to be a killer, just like his sister. In his other life as Jude Day, he never was into relationships. He was a player through and through, always looking for his next lay. Now, in his new life in Omaha as Jackson Knight, piano teacher, and nerdy brother of the neighborhood sex kitten, he is finally trying to have a serious relationship. You know what’s amazing about him? He likes his women older!! Jackson is 30, and he is hot for women in their 40s!! I loved that Jewel starts the book off by saying this….To women over forty. We’ve still got it.

YES!! She wrote this book for the women of my generation!!!

Ryn Middleton is a forty year old woman who has been divorced for several years and has a twenty one year old daughter. She has a house cleaning business and that is how she comes to meet Jillian and Jackson. She has been working for AJ, their neighbor and Jillian’s current boyfriend, for several years and Jillian hires her to clean their place. Jackson is totally smitten with Ryn as soon as he meets her. But Ryn is shocked that a guy who looks like a GOD, has any interest in her. I got this woman completely. Some people might be annoyed with how she acts. BUT, I know what it feels like to be insecure of your body and age. She sees herself as old compared to this beautiful young man and can’t begin to fathom what he sees in her.

I loved how Jackson relentlessly pursues Ryn and how she comically puts her foot in her mouth so many times!! She constantly puts herself down and Jackson never lets her get away with it. He wants her to see herself in his eyes. To him she is the sexiest most beautiful woman he has ever laid his eyes upon. The man knows how to sweet talk and he knows how to make a woman’s eyes roll in the back of her head and almost see God!! Let me just say, Ryn was not the only one in need of panty liners, and I suspect that most women who read this book will be in need of several!!

“I don’t sugarcoat things. It’s not my style, and it’s not how I was raised. So here’s the deal: I love being with you and it may sound crazy because we’ve known each other two seconds. But you’re the last person I think about before I close my eyes and the first when I open them. Every day I don’t see you feels like wasted time.” ~ Jackson

Ryn has this psychotic ex-husband that she has a restraining order on because he was physically abusive while they were married and he seems to think she still belongs to him. Her daughter, Maddie, is blinded by her love for her father and is really just a shit towards Ryn. I thought the kid deserved a slap in the mouth, a couple of times, but Ryn is such a loving mother, she puts up with the verbal abuse from her daughter.

Jackson is trying to make things work with Ryn while also being worried about his sister, who has run off to be with her current boyfriend, and who has also been getting threatening cryptic texts, from an unknown stalker. Things get complicated between Jackson and Ryn. I see danger in Ryn’s future and only hope that Jackson will be able to save her and that they get their HEA which entails a huge wedding and tons of babies!!!

Jillian/Jessica still has a major role in this second installment. Jillian is being the perfect girlfriend and sticks by AJ. She even sacrifices her happiness with him for his own good. What they are going through is pretty heartbreaking and it shows that she may just have the biggest heart of all. She seems to think she is a monster, but here she is, sticking by the man she says she loves through the toughest of times. Through it all she still worries about her brothers’s happiness as well.

But my heart and I do believe hers also belongs with Luke!! So happy we continue to get Luke through her flashbacks to her life as Jessica Day. He is her true soulmate. He is the only one that she opened up to and told him about witnessing the murder of her best friend and how she eventually got the chance to kill the son of a bitch that took her friend’s life. There was yet one more truth to reveal and I seriously didn’t think she could have gone through anything worse, but that little tidbit was shocking! Even after having been through so many horrific ordeals, she proved to be a fighter. The fact that she could love Luke so deeply, proved that she had it in her to heal from the past.

Luke is a billion times Swoon Worthy. Jewel just has a gift for creating these book boyfriends you can’t help but fall madly in love with. I want to add Luke and Jackson to my name but am afraid that maybe I’ve already gone a tad bit overboard with the length of my GR name. I just really pray that when all is said and done, that Jillian(Jessica) ends up back with Luke because he is her heart. He is her home!!

“You don’t see anything,” he whispered. “You’re so blind because the only thing in my eyes is adoration. God, I love every part of you so much I can’t even think straight. You’re my goddamn miracle and there’s nothing in life more amazing than a miracle.” ~ Luke

When past and present collide, my heart almost came out of my mouth. I’m so freaking upset about how that all went down! I only hope that Jewel gives me all the HEAs I am praying for inDawn of Forever!!!

This definitely ended on a cliffy and now we all have to wait till early 2016 to get the answers.

Middle of Knight is going on my BEST of 2015 list! I HIGHLY freaking recommend this series!!

Jewel, you deserve to be up there with some of the greatest authors. In my eyes, you already are!!