Into The Night Book Reviews: Blog Tour: If Forever Comes by A.L. Jackson

Today we get to share with you If Forever Comes the final installment in the Regret Series from the incredibly talented A.L. Jackson. In the style we've come to expect from A.L. If Forever Comes is beautifully written and provides a satisfying conclusion to Christian and Elizabeth's story.

If Forever Comes, the final chapter in the New York Times Bestselling Regret Series (Lost to You and Take This Regret).

Christian Davison’s life is complete. With a ring on Elizabeth’s finger and his daughter at his side, he’s ready to run headlong into their future.
Elizabeth Ayers never believed she would again find this kind of joy—the joy of a family and the wholeness found in the touch of the man she’s always loved.

Their love is intense and their passion only grows as they set out to rediscover each other.

But life is never easy.

Rocked by the unforeseen, Christian and Elizabeth will find themselves fighting for the one thing they hold most important—family.

It was always more fucking time. But time only turned around and heaped more sorrow on top of us. And Matthew hadn’t suffered through what we had. He hadn’t watched the light dim in Elizabeth’s eyes. Not the way I had. I wasn’t sure any amount of time could rekindle it.

“So is this what you do with yourself night after night when you don’t have Lizzie?”

I lifted a noncommittal shoulder. “What? You think I should sit alone in my condo instead?” I released a resentful snort. “Fuck that.”

Anger pinged around in my chest. My condo had finally gone under contract too, while Elizabeth and I had searched for the perfect home to raise our family in. But I had to back out of the sale at the last minute so I’d at least have someplace to sleep while the rest of my world fell apart.

Matthew pinned me with a look of disbelief. “So this is better? This is your solution?” His words hardened as he waved an exasperated hand around the room. “Do you think I don’t get it, Christian? Do you think I don’t know how hard this is for you?”

I shook my head and turned away, tipped my glass back to my mouth. No, I didn’t think he got it. How the hell could he? He got to crawl in bed with the woman he loved every night, not lie across town from her, wide awake, worrying that might be the exact moment she was breaking into pieces every god-damned minute of the night.

If Forever Comes is the conclusion to Christian and Elizabeth's story. I feel quite conflicted about this book. As with Lost to You and Take this Regret it is beautifully written, but the bulk of the story is quite heartbreaking and I had really been hoping for a little more happiness for Christian and Elizabeth given everything they had been through prior to this book.

The story is told in dual point of view and alternates from present day to scenes from the past until the two intersect. This approach allows you to experience the current emotions of the characters, while slowly developing an understanding of the circumstances that have led to their situation. It is quite powerful, although I must confess I was a little confused with where the story started at first, having just finished the previous two books in the series it was not the start I was expecting.

I was really impressed with Christian as a character in this series and my opinion didn't change in If Forever Comes. He grew so much in the previous books and continued to convey the depth of his love for Elizabeth and Lizzie in this one. I think I was more sympathetic towards him than Elizabeth in this book.

There were times in Take this Regret that I questioned Elizabeth's actions/reactions. In If Forever Comes I found her to be incredibly selfish and I agreed wholeheartedly with Christian at one point in the story:

"I thought better of you than this, Elizabeth, but I was wrong. You are the most selfish person I've ever met."

While I completely understood the depth of the emotions she was feeling she made unfair judgements about the impact of situations on others, particularly Christian.

I was really pleased with the conclusion to the story, although I did feel that it came about rather quickly. I loved that the dual point of view continued through to the Epilogue and that we got to hear a little more from both characters - it was a fitting end to the way the entire series had been presented.

I will definitely be reading more from A.L. Jackson. I fell in love with her writing style and was at times overwhelmed by the depth of feeling she conveyed in her stories. Her character development was excellent and I found myself invested in the outcomes that affected them. While I was looking for something I didn't find in If Forever Comes I think if you've read Lost to You and Take this Regret you should finish off the series, just be prepared for more heartbreak for Christian and Elizabeth.

3.5 out 5 stars

A.L. Jackson is the New York Times bestselling author of Take This Regret and Lost to You, as well as other contemporary romance titles, including Pulled and When We Collide.

She first found a love for writing during her days as a young mother and college student. She filled the journals she carried with short stories and poems used as an emotional outlet for the difficulties and joys she found in day-to-day life.

Years later, she shared a short story she’d been working on with her two closest friends and, with their encouragement, this story became her first full length novel. A.L. now spends her days writing in Southern Arizona where she lives with her husband and three children. Her favorite pastime is spending time with the ones she loves.