I Want You Back

Lorelei James

Apr 2019 · The Want You Series Book 1 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

New York Times bestselling author Lorelei James kicks-off her Want You Series with a Lund family cousin hot enough to melt the ice and mend a broken heart.

Former NHL star Jaxson Lund has returned to the Twin Cities, but he's at loose ends, unsure if he belongs at Lund Industries, or where he stands with Lucy, his ex-girlfriend and mother of his daughter, Mimi. Despite the signs she'd like to leave him in the penalty box, the attraction burning between them reinforces his determination to prove that he deserves a second chance...

Lucy Quade is in a good place with a steady job, a nice apartment, and a well-adjusted daughter, which is why she's hesitant when Jax insists on co-parenting. It's not that Lucy doesn't trust Jax...she's just unconvinced he can handle multiple responsibilities when he's been singularly focused on playing hockey. But when issues arise with Mimi, Lucy's shocked at how levelheaded and paternal he acts, giving her a glimpse of the Jax she used to know, the sexy, sweet man she fell for years ago.

Once Lucy lets her guard down, Jax goes all in to show her how good they are together, but will their past remain too large an obstacle to ever overcome?

Ratings and reviews

Jaxson Lund had it all, including a self-destructive streak. He now has to figure out who he is, and what he does, but he knows one thing, Lucy was, and is, the thing he wants above all else. A decade hasn’t minimized his feelings for her, but his mechanics of being in a relationship were never top notch. He is rusty, or still oblivious. Lucy has forgiven and moved past the Jaxson he was, and getting to know and understand the Jaxson he is takes some time. And patience. And not reverting to who they were before, and becoming who they are now. This is a sweet story, and a frustrating story, and a real story, on what entails when things fall apart. Second chances are never easy, and never guaranteed, and you can’t take away what happened in the past. You can’t undo what you did when you were apart. You can make the choice to be in the now, and build a future. Jaxson and Lucy have always had a bond, that goes beyond the child they share. As they work their way towards their future, mistakes they made help guide them in their present Told in alternating points of view, with some flashbacks for context, the story sucked me in, and I couldn’t stop until I had it all. I loved Jaxson and Lucy, separately and together. They made me feel with them, and they had me rooting for them!

4.5 Stars This is book one in the Want You series and it features Jaxson and Lucy. I’m not usually one who believes in a redeemable partner who cheats. With that said, after reading this book, it’s actually nice to read a story that happened YEARS AFTER all the cheating happened. I think it was easier to get past because I didn’t bear witness to the emotional trauma of infidelity between them. I loved these two! I loved their love! It wasn’t all sunshine and roses. They had some real issues to get past. Some of the issues were totally unexpected. I’m not sure I’ve EVER read a book that confronted this issue the way this author did. BRAVO! The events in their story felt real and played like a movie in my head. The characters were fabulous and the story line had great flow. I LOVED Jax’s family. They were all amazing and I’d LOVE to hear their stories as well.

***4.5 Stars*** I do love me a good second chance romance and this one definitely hit all the right buttons for me. It had its emotionally brutal moments that were balance out perfectly with sweet and heart melting ones and add in a whole slew of well written characters and it was a story that I couldn’t put down! Jaxon, I ended up loving the man, I did, but man did he screw up royally in the beginning. There is no denying that, but what had me rooting for him was how he took responsibility for his actions and worked to make himself a better person. That right there showed me what a good man he was and watching as stayed the course, which was difficult at times, had me falling in love with him as the story progressed. Lucy is a hard nut to crack, I mean I loved the woman, I did, but there were moments where even I was like “Girl, you need to step back” But once you got past those walls, she was sweet and sassy and extremely hard working in all aspects of her life. As for Lucy and Jax’s journey to their HEA, it was a rocky one, an enjoyable one overall, but they definitely had their moments. But, I loved watching as they both worked at their relationship and how they learned to actually communicate and eventually trust in each other again. The whole ‘one step forward, two steps back’ thing was real, but so satisfying in the end as they got the HEA they both truly deserved. This was a great read and a lot of that had to do with how realistic many of the situations Jax, Lucy and Mimi, their daughter, found themselves in. It didn’t matter if it was a good, bad or at ugly one, they played out in a way that I could honestly see it happening in ‘real life’. The only issue I really had was pacing. There were times when things dragged a bit for me, but I powered through because I wanted to see how everything turned out. And then there are the secondary characters. I enjoyed getting to know them all (the family dynamic is awesome) and there are two that I am crossing my toes will get their own book because the sparks definitely flew between them, but my favorite out of everyone was Dallas and I’m hoping to get to know her a lot better as the series progresses. Note: This is a ‘spin off’ of the Need You series, but you don’t need to read it in order to enjoy this one. ~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~

About the author

Lorelei James is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Need You Series, the Blacktop Cowboys series, and the Mastered series. Her books have won the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award, as well as the CAPA Award.