Growing up in the small coastal town of Florida, Grayson Blackwood has defied the odds stacked against him. Appearances on the outside can be very deceiving. Coming from a wealthy family with an abusive father that won’t ever change, he’s determined to be a better man. Grayson is fighting for his family, his country, and the only woman he’s ever loved.

Ella Anderson has lived a hard life, growing up with a sick mom and a less than upstanding father. From hand-me-downs to food stamps, life was never easy for her family. But the one thing she could always count on was her family’s love, and for Ella, that was the most precious commodity.

When Ella moves to Lakeview, she meets Grayson in high school. The attraction is immediate for both. Dubbed as ‘just friends’, Grayson and Ella forge an undeniable friendship that leads to a powerful promise.

After high school, Ella and Grayson fall out of touch. A one-in-a-million chance meeting halfway around the globe brings the couple back together in a lifeless desert land, a combat zone where death is always present.

Alpha in his own right, Captain Blackwood leads his special ops team into a war-torn country, determined to take down a terrorist, while Ella struggles with the realization that Grayson has found her again.

Will their love survive time and their harsh separation from long ago? Can Grayson show Ella that they were made for each other? 

Bluebirds mate for life. And Grayson’s Bluebird is coming home.

Author’s Note: This is a full-length standalone novel with a happily ever after ending and no cliffhanger. Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.

One of the best things about working on this blog is getting to read new authors. I’m not sure that I would know about some of the talented new writers I’ve read if I wasn’t involved here.

F.G. Adams is a new author with a lot of potential. Like most stories there are things that I really like and a few suggestions to consider in the future.

Grayson is a second chance romance and everyone knows this is one of my favorite themes. Grayson Blackwood and Ella Anderson are high school friends. By the time they get to senior year the friendship grows into more with the expectation of a long term commitment for the future. Both characters have a challenging home life. Grayson’s family is wealthy and appear to have everything. However, his father is abusive and pressures Grayson to follow in his footsteps running the Blackwood ranch—Grayson has different plans. He wants to get away from his father’s rule.

Ella also has challenges at home. Her mother is terminally ill and Ella has to step in as surrogate mother. She does most of the house work, cooking, babysitting etc. and misses out on a lot of the activities high school students enjoy. She isn’t angry because she knows helping is keeping her mother alive longer. After high school this young couple go down different paths and lose track of one another. The challenge is when they meet later in life is there too much in their past to overcome or will they find their love again?

What I like:

The beginning of the story. The prologue grabs the reader’s attention and immediately sets up a relationship with Grayson. It is a hard look at his tough home life and not feel something special for Grayson.

I like the way the main characters meet as high school students. Grayson is a known player but he recognizes that his usual moves and pickup lines won’t work with Ella so instead of sex he strives to make Ella his friend. The first section of the story is captivating. As each of the main characters’ challenges at home unfolds it makes the reader feel for these two young people and hope they can overcome all the challenges in their path to adulthood.

I love the nickname Grayson gives Ella—Bluebird. He doesn’t share with her the story behind the nickname, it is personal and very lovely. These two young people are committed and loving.

The reconnection of Grayson and Ella as adults. I like that these two ended up following similar paths and then meet up again in another dangerous situation.

The chemistry is high. Grayson’s character is a very hot, seductive, and considerate lover. Sometimes I felt the chemistry more when they are a teenage couple as adults Ella “says” Grayson is her soulmate but it doesn’t really come across the way Grayson does. Grayson sets off more “feels” than Ella.

The dual point of view is one of my favorite storytelling methods. I like knowing what is going on in the heads of both main characters.

There is a good and satisfying ending.

What I don’t like:

The time jump isn’t smooth. It didn’t make sense to me why they weren’t together. The flashback to immediately after high school would work better if that information was before the time jump in my opinion. My note on the first page of “8 years later” is “What?” and that’s not a good what at that.

The reason for the breakup or losing connection isn’t believable to me with what we know about these two young people and their family histories. I immediately know what/who is behind everything. I get that Ella isn’t in the same financial class as the Blackwoods but damn she has to have access to a phone. Why isn’t there an angry phone call? Why doesn’t Grayson’s sister contact him and let him know what is going on? What is supposed to set up some angst just fell flat for me. I want more connection to Ella; I need to understand her actions. I guess what I’m saying is there is some telling or showing of the history but the feeling isn’t there.

The story needs the emotions that are felt in the beginning and at the end of the story to be more consistent in the middle. The desire to be together didn’t ring true and that made me angry and caused a temporary disconnect from both characters especially Ella. I actually put my Kindle down because I didn’t know if I wanted to read on. I’m glad I did though.

Grayson is a good debut novel. F.G. Adams shows a lot of potential. She knows how to write and has the ability to evoke a wide range of emotions. Grayson is book one of five in her This is Our Life series. The series centers on a group of friends from adolescent years to adulthood. It will be interesting to see how Ms. Adams’ skills grow over these next four books. I’m looking forward to reading more by this author.

3.5 Stars