Take This Regret

Regret #1

by Amy Lichtenhan, A.L. Jackson

5 Star Review! "Absolutely amazing! I was instantly hooked from the beginning...This is truly a great read."-Taryn, My Secret Romance 5 Star Review! "We LOVED this book!...If you read anything this fall, it needs to be this book."-Books to the Sky 5 Star Review! "A.L. Jackson is a master storyteller...novels are spectacular in their plot, storyline, conflicts, characters, and resolution...This is a must read!"-Grace, Feeding My Book AddictionOverview of Take This RegretA promise to love her forever.A betrayal she could never forgive.A change of heart that leaves her questioning everything she thought she believed. Can she forgive someone who has committed the unforgiveable? Or are there some wounds that go so deep they can never heal?5 Star Review! "...Perfectly paced, never a dull mom

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, New Adult, Second Chance, Second Chance Romance, Adult

296 pages, Paperback

First published July 27, 2011

About the author

Amy Lichtenhan 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, Pulled.

Amy resides in Southern Arizona where she lives with her husband and three beautiful children, where she enjoys the freedom of working from home. Her favorite pastime is spending time with the ones she loves.

Reviews

[Ailyne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I want to start off by saying that this review is completely biased...it is solely based on my personal experience and therefore my emotional status, I mean absolutely no disrespect towards the author or anyone who enjoyed this book...I debated with myself over whether I would write this review or not, but I have to because this story hit me hard...it got personal.

This is not was good reviewers do. Good reviewers take the entire book into consideration. Good reviewers analyze the writing, the plot, the character development. Good reviewers take in the entire book. I got past the first three pages and had already developed an extreme hate for this book. Guess I am not a good reviewer...at least not today.

Take This Regret is the story of Elizabeth and Christian. Elizabeth gets knocked up by Christian, Christian decided he doesn't want the baby because fatherhood would get in the way of his career plans so he gives Elizabeth an ultimatum: him or the baby. Six years later and Christian is a lawyer, Elizabeth has her life together, their daughter is 5 years old...Christian has never seen her, talked to her, asked about her but somehow he gets a surge of fatherly instinct that makes him want to barge into his daughter's life. Like I said before, this book got personal, but then again, good writing and story-telling is meant to get deep inside your skin and make you feel something...anything...everything and nothing at the same time. AL Jackson...mission accomplished. Lets get the technical out of the way. The writing was good, I will give it that. The characters were well thought-out and while, their personality was very one dimensional they were realistic in some cases while completely unrealistic the next. The concept of book is relatable as you can tell by how it affected me, and it has a naturalistic validity that few books have.

Ok. Now I have to breathe. Please understand that I wish I was ok with this book. I wish it didn't make me mad. I wish it didn't upset me the way it did. I wish I didn't want to tear my e-reader apart. But wishing never gets anyone very far. I hated this book. I hated it right down to every word, every sentence, every period. I hated it to its core. Maybe because my fatherly issues are ones that Dr.Phil would love to have an entire series of shows over, or because I am the typical emotional brat that girls like me tend to be; whatever the cause...I just know that I regret even opening this book.

I despised Christian. I did not feel sorry for him. Even when he expressed his sorrow, his longing for his daughter, his love for Elizabeth...I despised him. I despised Elizabeth more. I wanted to smack her face off when she said she still loved Christian. I hated how unstable she was around this man who decided it would be a good idea to walk into a 5 year-old's life out of the blue as if he was the fucking ice-cream man. You see, unlike Elizabeth I never got past his abandonment. It's weird, I know because these are fictional characters, but god be damned...I wished I had magical word rearranging powers so I could re-write the story and make Elizabeth not be with Christian. The author does write Christian as someone who deserves a second chance, someone who feels like shit after abandoning his child, someone who is gorgeous and successful, but empty and full of regret. He should feel like the vermin of the Earth...he should feel guilty...he should.

But I don't believe in second chances. I don't believe I should receive them...I don't believe I should give them. Harsh, I know, but that is how I view the world...and this book just made me crawl back into that deep place where I am incapable of forgiving...as if it were something to be earned..it isn't I know, but I also know this is one of the things that I will never get past. I tried to handle Elizabeth's weak knees, her swooning over Christian but the entire time I was thinking "You stupid bitch"...I couldn't shake that thought.

When it comes to the way the plot progressed, I found it to be quite realistic. Of course Christian had a right to see his daughter....legally at least...and yes I understood why the author wrote Lizzie and Chrsitian's interactions the way she did. I get it, but I don't like it...and I guess that is part of my big issue with this book. Since this book is not real life, and the characters are fake...it can be said that Christian was genuinely sorry for leaving his child...because the author wrote it that way so it must be so...but as a reader I linked it to the physical world...in which people leave...and should not be allowed back in.

So..good job AL Jackson...you are one of now three authors who has been able to dig deep into my soul..you have talent I must say...but for now I'll suck it up and just take this regret.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars!



This book... THIS BOOK pulled such strong emotions out of me. It broke my heart, I fell in love with the hero (who I didn’t think I would like in the first chapter) and I’m not sure I’ve ever been so frustrated with a heroine in my life... The first half of this book was a solid 5 star read for me, and it has so much potential to stay that way. I was in love with this book. Unfortunately the actions of a certain character made it difficult for me to stay in love with it.

Rewind five years: Christian Davidson is a man with a plan. He’s got a girl he loves, they’re both almost done with college and preparing for law school. Life is pretty much perfect. Until his girlfriend drops the bomb on him. She’s pregnant. Christian has a callous, if not normal reaction. He doesn’t want the baby, but he still wants Elizabeth. Elizabeth can’t handle that. They part ways. Almost as soon as it happens, Christian knows it was a mistake.

As time passes, he realizes it was the worst mistake he’s ever made. So many times over the past five years he’s wanted to find Elizabeth and his child. He knows he doesn’t deserve them, but he wants them. Then fate steps in After moving cross country for a job that happens to be in Elizabeth’s home town, he spots a little girl in a store. Who looks just like him. Christian is able to get to know his daughter, Lizzie, slowly. He is in love straight away and consumed with regret.

“What do you want, Christian?”


“I want my family.”


Even though Elizabeth irked me from the beginning with her actions and attitude towards Christian, I sympathized. She’s been through a lot the last 5 years and had no help from him. I can’t imagine how that feels. I know she loves her daughter and wants to protect her. As the story goes on, Christian steps it up. In a big way. There is no denying his devotion for his daughter. Even those on the outside who don’t like him (some of her friends and family) recognize it. It’s also fairly obvious he still has feelings for Elizabeth. Christian will do anything to get his family back. To keep his daughter in his life. He’s missed so much already, he doesn’t want to miss another moment.

Things between Elizabeth and Christian develop slowly. And she fights it every step of the way. Like I said earlier, the first half of this book, near perfect for me. 50-75%, I’m a little aggravated, but it’s still great. That last 25%... there is this part that upset me so much, my husband asked me if I was going to ‘rage quit’ my book. I wanted to throw my kindle. I sent my friends angry texts and VM’s. This heroine infuriated me like no other. I haven’t been this upset with a fictional character in the longest time- especially one I’m supposed to like. And this is why (some spoilers, read at your own risk)At first I understood Elizabeth’s hesitancy to let Christian back into her and Lizzi’s life. At times, I didn’t agree with her, but I got it. I sympathized. But after ALL my boy did to prove himself, the hell he’s been through recently, and she does him that way? No, just HELL TO THE NO. You guys slept together. We all knew it was coming. He still loves you. You love him deep down. He treats your daughter like a princess and loves her more than life. So what do you do after you sleep with him? You freak out (which happens) and... AND not only do you kick him out of your house, but you keep him from your daughter, essentially cutting him out of her life too. And you can tell that poor baby girl is devastated. YOU did that. YOU devastated your child. I can’t even. CAN NOT EVEN describe how mad I am at Elizabeth. What Christian did when he was young was terrible. But he owned it. He repented for it. And he more than made up for it. How long are you going to make him pay? And if it was just him, I might not be as upset. But dude, you destroyed your kid. I can’t deal with that.... .

So in the end, as much as I adored my Christian and his relationship with Lizzie, I couldn’t even get all that excited for the HEA. I was too upset still. The writing in this book is fantastic. It has a hero you will fall head over heels in love with. I know so many friends who adore this book and don’t have such major issues with the heroine. It’s just something that rubbed me the wrong way. I might eventually go back and do prequel novella/second book, but I think I need some time to cool off before then. I’m still so upset with Elizabeth I can’t see myself enjoying them this minute.




**I also want to say 'thanks' to my bestie for challenging me to read this... although I'm seriously thinking I've done something to piss you off for you to put me through this... ;)

[KristenReviews · Rating 2 out of 5]

1 1/2 to 2 stars

It's a shame that the last book I'm reviewing for 2011 is a book I would not recommend. 
 
This story is melodrama and redundancy at its best! To say I did not enjoy this book would be an understatement. The hero begins as a selfish, irresponsible coward who redeems himself and becomes an admirable and somewhat endearing character. The heroine, however, does the complete opposite. She starts out as a sympathetic, endearing, and admirable character who evolves into a heroine that is self-consumed, difficult, and shrewish. She is one of the worst, if not the worst, heroines I've read to date. Her lack of accountability (for some reason she's under the impression it's the hero's responsibility to make sure she doesn't have sex with him), selfishness, and complete disregard for her daughter's emotional well-being made her pathetic, spiteful, and unsympathetic. The ending became anticlimactic because I stopped rooting for this couple.

I know many readers loved this book but I was not one of them. I was left feeling frustrated, annoyed, and disappointed. Because of that, I cannot recommend this book. 

  

[Aestas Book Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

6 stars!!

"She was mine, had always been, and I'd always been hers. Despite what I'd done, the wounds I'd inflicted, she had always been mine.... our hearts had been tied, our bond one that neither of us could ever escape." ~Christian

WOW!! This is an achingly beautiful, heart wrenching book about a second chance at love and with an wonderfully sweet HEA that tugged at ALL my heart strings!!

The level of emotion it pulled out of me right from the beginning was so strong and intense! I read most of it either with a huge lump in my throat or in tears (most often happy tears since the point of this book is about healing).

Just the way it is written makes you feel everything that they are going through in a very realistic way. Puts you right there with the characters.

Five years ago, when Elizabeth told Christian that she was pregnant with his child, he made her choose between him or the baby. He had a plan for his life, and that plan does not have room for a child. But in the face of his betrayal and despite being cut from his life, Elizabeth struggles to provide the best life she can for their daughter. And for this whole time, Christian lives on regretting his decision. In the present day, he finds himself in a supermarket, staring into the eyes of a little girl that he just knows is his daughter and every bit of regret that he spent the last five years trying to push away come crashing to the surface and he realizes that he will do everything in his power to win his family back. He finds himself drawn to his little black-haired, blue eyed daughter, to the love he feels for her mother, his achingly deep regret at how he treated and abandoned her when she needed him most and he knows, in every fiber of his being, that he will do everything in his power to make things right.

The story is told in alternating perspectives between Christian and Elizabeth, which is vital to this story, because otherwise Christian would just come off as a really big jerk. But being able to see into his mind allows the reader to understand the damage done to him in his past that made him make the mistakes he did and show how he comes to the realization that he needs to make things right. It also shows us the healing process that Elizabeth goes through learning again to trust the man who, though she still loves him, betrayed and abandoned her and broke her heart.

I loved seeing all the effort Christian into fixing his relationship with the love of his life and with his daughter - it brought me to tears so many times!! I loved how grateful and respectful he was for every inch Elizabeth gave him. How much he treasured every moment spent with his daughter. How patiently he waited for Elizabeth to learn to trust him again. And how he did everything in his power to win back her heart, earn back her trust, and put his family back together.

This book was basically all about the healing process that Christian, Elizabeth, and their daughter Lizzie go through. About "...love as intense as the one we shared, one that had not dimmed through years of betrayal but had only grown..."

The story is fully relationship and family-centric. There is no bad guy, no evil ex's, no external drama or anything to deter from the characters' journey.

It was an absolutely beautiful MUST read that is definitely going on my favorites shelf!

**EDIT: I wish I had a longer, more in depth review for this book, but I wrote it before starting the blog so its not as detailed as some of my other ones so I just wanted to take a moment and tell you that this is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE BOOKS!!!!!! Like seriously, few books have reached in to my heart as deeply as this one did. I highly highly recommend it!

Here's how I picture Christian and Elizabeth:



For more of my reviews, come visit my book blog at: http://aestasbookblog.com/

Or come join my FB group: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Aestas-...

[KatieV · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am truly not one of those people who gets a kick out of not liking what everyone else likes. If it's something I enjoy, I don't care how popular it is. I'll jump on the bandwagon and wave my flag like the village idiot. Heck, I love the most crazy, wth-just-happened Harlequins I can find. Literary snob, I am not.

That being said. I hated this. And, oh the reasons why...

1) It was ALL about the kid. Not what I call a romance. Don't get me wrong, the kid was cute. The kid was the most likeable character in the book, in fact.

2) Manufactured melodrama overload and a hero that is pathetic.

ETA 3) Not only first person, but rotating first person. We'd see things through the h's eyes in first person and then see the exact same things through the H's eyes in first person. Double wammy! Obviously that's YMMV. I've seen first person done well, but it rarely works for me.

My take

Christian kicks Elizabeth out when he finds out she's pregnant and doesn't see her or the kid until the child is almost 5-years-old.

Wouldn't it have been just as dramatic and more forgivable to make the time period shorter. 2 years maybe? IMHO, the author wrote things to be as melodramatic as possible without having a way out that made sense for the characters (or anyone on this planet).

Why so long? Does that even make sense if he misses them so badly? Is that even forgivable? This lady needed to read more Harlequins. If you're going to go this far over the top, go all the way. Make it practically campy in it's OTT drama. Dude should have been a giant dick then just as he was going to find his love and newborn infant, he gets hit by a car and spends 5 years with amnesia all while having mysterious dreams of a blond woman and child that would cause him to wake in a sweat and make mysterious sketches. Meanwhile the blow to the head made him a finance genius and he becomes the most powerful tycoon on the planet. Then when he finds the heroine and his child, he goes all megalomaniac alpha and takes over with fake threats of taking the child, etc etc.

This hero was such a weenie. He had no good excuse. His dad was a pushy, arrogant bastard - cry me a friggin river.

Basically the H/h could have been together earlier (per the "H") if Elizabeth had made the first move. Because that makes sense after someone kicks you to the curb while pregnant. Just go chase him down, girl!

:-/ I feel like I need a gif here.

Apparently Christian was emo-boy sleep-with-anything-in-a-skirt-because-I-FEEL-so-much for almost six years whle waiting for her to sue him for child support, or call, or something to open the lines of communication. He only finds them by a fluke.

I know some of the alpha heroes we read about would drive us INSANE in real life, but jeez this dude was so far down the Greek alphabet we may have to invent a new letter.

The author wrote herself into a hole then used Elizabeth's breakdown as a way out. A way for Christian to look like the better person (didn't work for me) and put them on more even footing I suppose before the HEA. Because, no matter how nice Christian was to the little girl, it was damn impossible to explain those 5+ years, so she had to make Elizabeth look like a head case who made bad decisions too.

Puke. Need another gif here...

[Farah · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 soul touching stars!!

This is a story about Elizabeth who was madly in love with her boyfriend Christian.






They were soo happy in love until Elizabeth tells Christain that she is pregnant. They are both in college to become lawyers and Christian tells Elizabeth that he doesn't want a baby... That its either him or the baby...
Elizabeth chooses to keep the baby and walks away from Christian... The love of her life... The only man she would ever love..



5 years later.. Christian is a successful lawyer, working his dream job, he should be happy but he isn't... Because something is missing, Elizabeth and his child his missing, a child he has never met..

From the moment Chrisitian sees a little girl in a store.. He falls in love with her.. His never met this child before but the child is a taken by him as he is by her... He follows them around the store and outside, unable to look away... The little girl waves at him...



This is when Chrisitian decides to look for Elizabeth and his child...

Ther center of Elizabeth's life is her daughter Lizzie.. She gave up everything in her life for her little girl..


Christian walks back in into their lives.. Elizabeth is angry, hurt, broken... She wants nothing to do with him. She wants to keep him away from their daughter. Afraid he will hurt her child and leave again.

We see the book written from Elizabeth's POV and then from Christians POV... This is wonderful as we feel and get a glimpse into what both are feeling.

For months Christian spends time with Lizzie who loves her father unconditionally and slowly Christian tries to show Elizabeth that he is sorry.. He knows what he did was wrong and will spend the rest of his life try to make it up.



Elizabeth wants to try and forgive him but she cannot bring herself to forget the pain he caused her. How she struggled without him.

I must admit as much as I want to hate him for what he did I CAN'T!! He tries sooo hard to make up for what he did!

“How could I relax when I had to welcome Christian into my home, the one who had wounded me deeper than anyone, the one who haunted my days and held me in my dreams?” -Elizabeth



“What do you want, Christian?”
What did I want? To make her smile, to wipe away her tears, to hold her. To be a father, a real father, not one in title, but on who’d earned that right. I wanted to stay.
“I want my family,” I forced through the lump in my throat.” -Christian

We go through the indecisiveness of Elizabeth... But I don't really blame her. For what she went through, she is allowed to feel that way.

“She was mine, had always been, and I'd always been hers. Despite what I'd done, the wounds I'd inflicted, she had always been mine.... our hearts had been tied, our bond one that neither of us could ever escape.”-Chrisitan

After a sad beautiful story of regret, love and forgiveness... Elizabeth lets Christian back into her heart.

“Maybe now I really understood why Elizabeth had run from me all of these months, why she would never allow herself to believe. A love as intense as the one we shared, one that had not dimmed through years of betrayal but had only grown, was terrifying. We had the power to destroy, to devastate and ruin, to lay the other to waste. But I wasn’t running.” -Christian



It's Ironic that the one person that broke you has the ability to fix you again!

[Pavlina Read more sleep less blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 EMOTIONAL STARS

"My soul mourned for what it had lost, for every day I had lived without them, for every moment wasted, for time that could not be reclaimed."

Christian and Elizabeth were in love and they were going to attend law school together and then they planning to get married and live happily...That was until Elizabeth dropped the bomb that she is pregnant.Christian refused the idea to be a father and mess up his future plan. He made Elizabeth choose between him and their unborn child and she chose to be a single mother...

Christian has made the biggest mistake of his life...

Now 5 years later Christian finds himself living in San Diego, opening a branch of his father’s law firm, which happens to be where Elizabeth grew up. They haven’t spoken since the day she left. .Fate gives him a look at what exactly he’s been missing out on all these years...but Elizabeth just can't forgive what Christian did, shut her and their unborn baby out of his life. ..

Life is full of regrets...

Can Christian manage to prove that he change and want his family back?
What will it take for Elizabeth to forgive Christian?
Would she be able to forgive,trust and love him again?



"The only power I had was in today, and I was determined to live every day for Lizzie and Elizabeth. Even if Elizabeth never forgave me, I would live for her."

As the book goes on we learn what both characters have to deal with in order to work together..

Wow!Such a wonderful story!The situations, the emotions all felt so real!!This book is about regret.. This book make me think about life in general and how one decision can alter your entire life!!I love this book and their characters.I like the man Christian turned out to be.He know he make a huge mistake and he was prepared to do whatever it takes to make it right.

“No longer would I live in regret, striving to make up for what I’d done. I’d live for the day, each one set out and purposed to be the best father and husband I could be. And no matter what life brought our way, I would never walk away."

And then there is Elizabeth.Whether you agree or not with her decisions you understand them!




Ms. Jackson did such a fabulous job with the characters!You can connect and really feel for them!

Such a lovely story!
It's worth the reading!!

[Kristin (KC) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars! Take This Regret is a beautiful, eloquently written, tender story about love lost and love redeemed. The story opens in the midst of a heartbreaking betrayal; We are introduced to Elizabeth and Christian and their all-consuming love for one another, only to abruptly have that love come crashing down before our eyes. Yep, Christian commits a monster of a betrayal; one that seems unforgivable even of the most forgiving...

This is the first book I have had the pleasure of reading by this author, and I could not have been more satisfied. The story moves at a slow and steady pace, which is fitting for what it entails; true forgiveness and the renewal of broken trust take time. The alternating POV's were perfect for getting to know both main characters on a more intimate level. Christian suffers in silence, seething with palpable regret for dismissing the life he should have been living. When he is faced with a second chance, he vows to do everything in his power to make things right again...

I was initially unsure if Christian's character could or would adequately redeem himself after so selfishly abandoning his family. As the story jumps five years ahead, we meet Lizzie...Christian's and Elizabeth's five year old daughter...and this is where the book grabbed a hold of me, wrestled endlessly with my emotions, broke my heart, and then, ever so gently, began to mend it.

I love the fact that their daughter Lizzie was continuously present throughout this book allowing the pain and point of view of a five year old to shine through. The love Elizabeth had for her daughter and the way she took on the difficult role of a single parent was inspiring. Christian's determination and kindness amazed me and softened my heart into a complete, hopeful pile of mush.

Although the majority of this story held a melancholy tone, its messages of hope, forgiveness, redemption, and second chances were immeasurably uplifting. Delicate, yet powerful read!

Book Stats:
▪ Genre/Category: Romance
▪ Steam Caliber: Moderate/sexy
▪ Romance: Intense. Broken but beautiful.
▪ Characters: Damaged. Lovable. Well executed.
▪ Plot: Second chance love story.
▪ Writing: Vivid, expressive, and engaging.
▪ POV: 1st Person: Alternating dual perspectives.
▪ Cliffhanger: None
▪ Next Installment: Follow up

[Vintage]

Just once I would like the heroine to serve the whiny deadbeat papers severing parental rights and have him grovel back from that.

Although to be fair, the H does writhe in agony over his lost years with his daughter.

[Catarina · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Regretful Stars



Christian made Elizabeth choose between him or their unborn child when he found out she was pregnant. He regretted it almost immediately, but it was too late.
Now, 5 years later, making the only woman he ever loved leave him to raise their child is the biggest regret of his life.
But life get them both once more in his path and this time he will do anything to keep him in his life.
This time, he is not willing to lose his family once more.



This seems a simple love story: Guy and girl fall in love, she gets pregnant, he gets scared, she leaves him, he come back for both of them a few years later, tears happen, romantic things follow and Tcharaan!: HEA.
Well, expect that is not. This is not a simple love story, this is a complex, gut-wrenching and beautiful one. You do not get a HEA that easily.
I hated Christian in the beginning, I hated Elizabeth near the end but ended up loving them both. And little Lizzie, she is SO CUTE!!
I feel like somebody should probably kick me for postponing the reading of this book for so long. Boy, was I missing!
I really can’t wait to start the next one! ;)

[Dilek VT]

Elizabeth and her boyfriend Christian are very happy and in love. Then, Elizabeth gets pregnant.

They are both in college and they will become lawyers so Christian doesn't want the child but Elizabeth wants to keep it. Christian asks her to make a choice, either him or the baby and she chooses the baby.

5 years apart.
Then, he comes back to their lives, full of regrets.

I don't know who I am more angry with...
Elizabeth or Christian, or both?
I guess, both!

[G · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars!!!
I really don't know how I feel about this book. My like for second chance romances are always circumstantial depending on the book.
Throughout the book, I was neutral towards Christian and sympathetic towards Elizabeth. However, it felt like they kept going on in circles. Both Christian and Elizabeth volleyed between guilt, anger, sadness and regret. I felt that they really didn't progress as characters. It seemed anything they did was for their daughter and not for themselves.
I'm still on the fence, whether I want to read the second book.

[Jena]

self note Avoid.


the h gets preg.
The H doesnt want to keep it, but she does, so he makes her choose - him or the baby.
She picks the baby.
They break up.
He sleeps with OW.
She sleeps with om.


I know people are mad that he didnt want the baby, but why is that so wrong? A man has rights too, so I dont blame him for walking away. I'm a female and I dont want kids, this doesnt make me an evil person.
With that said, if he didn't want kids, why didnt he use a condom. Both the MCs are just idiots.

This book shouldn't exist.

Reading the reviews, it seems like the book's focus is the baby... I would avoid this book just cause of this.

[Syndi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I find this book is boring and repetitive. So much repetitive. And with miss jackson signature ballad writing, it makes it too long and boring. The story needs to develop more. There is no depth in the story but a lot of angst over nothing.

I wish elizabeth has more chance to grow on her character.

In short, this book is boring.

2 stars

[Giorgia Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I didn't feel as much as I was supposed to feel.
it may be a case of me not the book.

[Raffaella · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really? Are you kidding me? I can’t believe the high rates to be real, I found the book ridiculous and unbelievable from the beginning to the end. Inconsistent to no end. And debasing and unworthy of a female writer, that shows she’s more male chauvinist than the most male chauvinist man herself. For once I would like to know what a man think about this crap. Because I think most men would be insulted by the hero’s behavior and his explanations. Men have their pride too.
- hero and heroine are engaged and about to finish college to become lawyers. He’s rich and she’s not rich but not destitute either even if his father thinks she’s a gold digger. They’re in their 20s and apparently very much in love.
- she gets pregnant by accident and it’s really an accident. The hero goes ballistic, asks her to get an abortion, she refuses, he tells her it’s me or the child and she chooses the child. This is per se a very inconsistent behavior and not believable. He’s in love and planning a family with her so he wants their children. Maybe not now, but surely in future. I can understand he’s not happy but after some days he should have come around and accepted the fact that she wanted the child. Nope. He deletes her and his child from his life and after a few hours he’s already screwing girls around college. So much for the love of his life. For consistency sake, this is absurd. Not believable. The author should have made the heroine make some mistake as for example forget the pill and don’t tell the hero, who could have felt betrayed and think she wants to trap him. This is how things work, not this sudden transformation from dr Jekyll to mr hide in one second sharp. It doesn’t work this way and to make a story believable the author must respect some rules of behavior even if she’s writing about mentally challenged people. The hero’s behavior from loving and caring fiancé to uncaring and irresponsible monster is not believable. Hp and mills and boons have done miracles in this area. The hero must have had a trauma and pregnancy triggers it. The hero must have told her he didn’t want children. The hero must have a hard past. This writer makes the thing unbelievable and inconceivable.
- the heroine has a difficult pregnancy and she’s sick, one of her friend who’s also a bit enamored with her, is always by her side because in the following months the hero never ever calls her or wants to see her. Oh, and everyone at college knows what he has done, he should have been singled out and ostracized but no, he has women aplenty and this is offensive and demeaning to women because it seems that those women are nasty and awful people unable to feel empathy and to understand the severity of what he did. Untrue. I think that even if there are this kind of women, a college is full of young, studious, smart women who have values and wouldn’t have a man like the hero even if they were drunk and high. This is again, offensive to all women.
- the hero makes one single attempt to see his child when it’s born but leaves as soon as he sees the heroine and her boyfriend hugging. Excuses. It reminds me of when you don’t want to meet someone but you have to and when you’re ringing their house you are repeating like a mantra, he’s not there, he’s not there. He was only hoping for an excuse not to go to her and to leave for his high life as before. Nothing should have stopped him if he really wanted her and his child.
- yes, he has a father who’s a rotten sob but his mother tried to persuade him to do the right thing. He decided to follow his father, because he didn’t love the heroine she was only a flirt and he is a conscienceless bastard. He should have at least provided the child with support. He doesn’t even do that. I, as a counselor, have helped young and penniless couples where really the girl has tried to trap the boy lying about the pill and of course the boy was very angry but believe me, men love their children and eventually, maybe after some months, they come around and are ready to be fathers and to provide as the can for their child, even when they have been deceived. In this case the hero, who’s no boy anymore because he’s 23, reveals himself as a selfish, uncaring and unfeeling bastard. The heroine is for sure better without him.
- 5 years later. The hero has his high life of rich boy, had many women and a fiancé for two years but of course the writer wants us to believe he’s always regretted his choice and never stopped loving the heroine. F@@k you, please. This is not true even if you are 13. Live means caring and wanting the person you love to be happy. He never ever looked for his child or the heroine once. A love like this I can do without.
- his mother who was the one insisting she did the right thing never got in touch with the heroine. She isn’t better than the hero. It she wanted she could have kept in touch and helped the heroine since she divorced his husband because she didn’t agree with him. Nope. What’s the explanation of her behavior? None.
- the hero suddenly grows a conscience and wants his daughter back, of course threatening the heroine to take her to court. Nothing changed.
- the heroine is angry and doesn’t want him to meet the child and who could blame her? She should have gone to a lawyer and maybe ask for agreement where the hero was allowed to see the child with a social worker present, seen his past actions, I wouldn’t have trusted him at 100 miles from his child.
- the daughter is four and impossible. Impossible because no child goes to a stranger and tells him she loves him when he tells her he’s her father. The child’s behavior simply doesn’t exist in real life.
- the heroine had two boyfriends, one she couldn’t love, the other was abusive. Please author, for once couldn’t you make her happy with a caring and loving man? The hero on the contrary had many women and one serious fiancée who is also a good woman. Again, impossible. A good woman would never stay with a sob like the hero who abandoned his own child. Please authors, make things believable.
- the turn around of the hero is unbelievable. Five years. Then he decides he’s thirty and wants a family. Go to hell.
- people around the heroine are so happy he’s back nobody seems tp remember what he did to the heroine. Take him back. What? No, never.
- of course eventually they are together and happy and the hero so regrets his past action, the happy time, the women he screwed, his high rich life, booohooo. Poor rich man. I hated that.
- his father is a asshole and stop. No redemption. But the author does a bad thing here and seems he loved the hero after all. Unbelievable and inconsistent.
- if you want to read something better, trapped is a book with a similar plot but a bit better. Oh it’s no masterpiece but at least is consistent. Nothing here is consistent. The hero has no consistency, the heroine is the usual doormat and the author the usual woman hater.
Completely deleted from my library, wasted my time.

[Annie Brewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

God dammit this book tore my heart out....broke me to pieces and yet I still loved every minute of ut. I seem to be reading the best books lately....the ones that leave me numb and in tears of sadness, joy, and despair. This book was amazing but it opened old wounds so deep I felt like I was reliving a part of my past I try to forget. I can't think straight to for coherent thoughts long enough for a review right now.

~Full review coming soon~

Okay, since I read this book a couple of days ago it's time to post my review before I forget anything. It seems lately I have been reading nothing but contemporary romances that tear your heart out and make you wish you were dead. Well, maybe not that drastic but close enough. This book not only rip my heart out, it made me relive some of my past experiences which only made me more emotional. I gotta say, I love this cover! So pretty and the little girl is just adorable. It goes well with the story.

Take This Regret is about a young college couple in New York who are finishing Law school and have their future looking bright and sunny, at some point wanting to settle down and get married and whatnot once their careers are in place. But everything changes the day Elizabeth tells Christian she's pregnant. And he's not ready. He gives her an ultimatum...."Me or the baby", selfish right?

Well, she leaves him. And he's left to wallow in his regret and self pity because even though he wasn't ready to be a father, he never thought the day would come when he had to move on without the love of his life. He loved Elizabeth with all his heart, but somewhere along the way, he loses sight of what is more important....money or love. But he is finishing school to one day manage his father's law firm in New York. And that begins the day of his regret and a life of emptiness and grief.

Elizabeth is left alone to deal with her pregnancy and the grief and pain she goes through from the loss of her one and only Christian is so raw and unbearable, it puts her in the hospital. Thank goodness her long time friend Matthew is there to help her and take care of her, something that Christian should have done in the first place. But as you read more, you understand as well. So as she has her beautiful baby girl, she prepares for a life on her own.

About 5 years later, Christian is finished with college and is the head of his father's law firm in San Diego. Although it's what he's always worked toward, but something is missing. He's not as happy as he thought he would be. He has lived his years without Elizabeth in a fog, just working and sleeping and going through life not caring about anything.....until the day he sees his little girl at the grocery store and his whole life is altered....

Elizabeth eventually moves back to her hometown of San Diego, California and works as a banker, to provide for Lizzy. She's unhappy, but there's nothing she can do. She has to do what is best for her sweet little girl. Christian left and is never coming back. He took a piece of her heart and crushed it and now she's left trying to pick up the pieces. She soon builds a wall where her emotions are closed off and no one can enter. As far as she's concerned, Christian is dead to her. And all men are scum. Thankfully she has her cousin and best friend Matthew to help her through it. But one day, out of the blue...Christian is on her doorstep and back in their lives. He is determined to win her back and become the father and man he should have been all along.

But can she just forget that he just pushed her away at the moment she needed him most?

Ahhhh, I gotta say I knew this book was going to be a sob fest but damn, I wasn't expecting to be crying my eyes out every chapter. First of all, I loved this story. It was captivating from the first page. Amy did so well developing the plot and making it flow throughout the whole book. It was a fast paced read and I was turning the pages so quickly. It never bored me or made me want to put it down. I seriously wanted to be inside this book and live and a part of me felt like I was. I could feel everything they felt. I laughed, I cried, I cursed, I smiled and of course every scene with little Lizzy was absolutely wonderful! She was an adorable little girl and she reminded me of my daughters, very bright and inquisitive. One part that totally broke my heart was when Lizzy asked about her dad and why she doesn't have one but everyone else does. Oh my God, I lost it at that moment. I know what Elizabeth must have felt because I am in a similar situation. Its so hard to explain to your kids why their dad is not with them and especially when its the father's fault and when they're the assholes. Although Christian deals with his wrong doings and you really feel heartbroken for him. He is determined to do whatever it takes to prove to Elizabeth that he's a changed man.

I loved this book so much! I really felt connected to both Christian and Elizabeth and I loved the fact that it was in alternating perspectives. I was able to experience how both of them were feeling during every scene and some parts I was ecstatic and jumping for joy and then some I was in full on sobs. I loved both of them and rooted for their love to mend and for them to heal as they rehash the past and go through so many obstacles and put their family back together. It was beautiful, captivating, heartbreaking, powerful and so many other things. This book moved me and made me feel that love can conquer all. It gave me hope and broke my heart at the same time. Christian went through alot of grief with other things as well. He faced a family death and it was so heartwrenching, even though that person was one I despised and was the reason Christian had betrayed his family. But the pain and turmoil that he faced is what made me cry for him. I ached when he ached. I cried when he cried. It was as if I was there with him, going through the same thing. Because in reality, I did go through the same thing. I can relate to him in alot of ways. He deals with guilt, regret, despair and I went through all of those things in my life as well. I think that's why I connected with him so well on a personal level. I loved the man he became.

One of my favorite things I loved was the relationship between Christian and Lizzy. It was on instinct that when they met, they were in love. He knew she was his daughter without saying a word to her, even from afar. And she knew he was her daddy. They were instantly drawn to each other, it was mesmerizing. I couldn't help but grin. Their relationship was so sweet and enchanting and I couldn't get enough of it. Christian was absolutely the most wonderful father to her. He cherished her and spent as much time with her as he could. He always called her at the same time every night to ask about her day. They had picnics, date nights, walks on the beach or at the park. His time with her was never anything more than important to him. He was the ultimate daddy and it made him more appealing in Elizabeth's eyes. Eventually she saw how much he cared for her and she couldn't help but fall in love with him all over again. But with the protective wall that she built made it hard for her to trust him again with her heart. It made her more weary of his intentions and even though the readers knew they were always good and he was sincere about his feelings and actions, she had to protect herself from the man that broke her to pieces.

God, I can go on and on about how much I loved this book. And clearly, it's obvious how much it effected me. I loved Amy's writing. Its so poetic and flowed smoothly. I wanted more by the end. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to these characters. I spent my nights crying and laughing and wishing they were real and I wasn't ready to let go of them. Amy did an amazing job on the resolutions. I loved Christian's mother and my heart broke for her and all she went through. She was a wonderful woman and it showed how great her relationship and the closeness that she and Christian shared. I loved it!

Also, I loved Natalie and Matthew. They were such a big support for Elizabeth and a great influence too. And Natalie's feelings toward Christian early on in the story made me feel like not everyone will be against him. She gave him hope and the mutual respect between them was great! I loved that Amy had everything resolved toward the end and not early on. It really showed the trials and hardships they had to face and deal with before they could begin to repair what was broken. BUT I have to say THANK YOU AMY FOR THE HOT HOT HOT scenes in there. My oh my, it was wonderful!! It made me love Christian that much more cause he was YUMMY!! I wanted him to myself. LOL

All in all, this was a fantastic story with alot of twists but an unforgettable ending! I can't wait to read more and more from this terrific, awesome author!!! I recommend this book to everyone that has ever lost hope, faith or that just wants to believe in second chances and love. It will make you happy, sad, excited, angry, surprised and just totally in love.

[Lydia's Romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

10 Stars
A.L. Jackson is the Queen of Second-Chance Romance <3
Forever on my Top Favorites

Reread Oct. 2019

Wow. Still makes me choke up with emotion.

I read this before I started using GR or including reviews, so I'm not sure how many times I've read it, but it's become one of my yearly go-to's whenever I'm desperate to be completely consumed by a book. For me, this is one of those books that stays with you forever.

In all honesty, I'm not sure what compelled me to read this book, because when I read the reviews and realized what it was about, what the hero had done...I wasn't sure I could ever forgive a hero for that. Nope. No way. ***See spoiler below*** But then the author's writing happened and Christian was redeemed--one breathtaking, heartbreaking word at a time. Oh boy, Christian was a direct hit to the heart. Talk about a beautiful redemption. He won the spot of the Most Redeemed Hero I've ever read, and he still holds that spot today. Everything about Christian and Elizabeth felt so real. The author's words dug deep, deep into my heart. It's the first romance book I remember crying over. I don't think a book had ever made me feel so much--it hurt. It made me weep. Needless to say, it had such an emotional impact, it left a dent, and it's why I will never forget this one.

Point of View: Dual narrative
HEA: Yes.
Standalone/No cliffhanger. Take this Regret is part of a 3 book series. All three books are about the same couple. Book 2 (Take this Regret) can be read as a standalone. Book 1 is a prequel novella (when they first met in college), and Book 3 is a continuation book (post-HEA). Reading book 1 or 3 is not necessary.

*****MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD*****

Christian leaves Elizabeth when he finds out she's pregnant with his baby. He doesn't look for her until five years later.

CHEATING: No
OW/OM DRAMA: No
STEAM: Low. 2 sex scenes (not explicit). It might be low on the steam but it sure makes up for it in the FEELS department.

First Read: Sept. 2012

[Anja · Rating 5 out of 5]

...simply BEAUTIFUL!!!

[Nikki ღ Navareus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had this story forever, and I have no idea why it has taken me so long to dive into it. I feel like I totally missed the boat somewhere. There are a plethora of fantastic reviews on this brilliant story, so I'm not going into details of the tale, but this story was utterly heart wrenching and amazing. The angsty feels from both characters were extremely realistic, and devastating. I loved every word of this fantastic story. This one is definitely going on me re-read shelf.

[Geri Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 tear-inducing stars!!

Have you ever done something that you regretted that you wish you could do over?

This book is about that. It's about doing something totally hurtful to another person, regretting it and getting a second chance to atone for it. I loved this story. It's full of flawed but believable characters that really, really got to me. This is the story of Christian and Elizabeth. Two very flawed characters that at one point or another disappointed me with their actions.

There were parts that were difficult to read especially the first part when Elizabeth learned she was pregnant and Christian made her choose between him or the baby. And then knowing that she had a very difficult pregnancy and then couldn't graduate because of it. Boy, my heart broke for her.

I wanted Adam to suffer for what he did. At first I thought he got off easy but then I realized that he suffered too. He lived every single day of his life in regret for what he did. It was sort of ironic because ins spite of being the person his father wants him to be, he never got his approval. He did everything for his father but got nothing in return.

On the other hand, I loved how Elizabeth tried to build a life for her daughter. But as a reader, you can still sense the lingering bitterness there. It's something that she hasn't let go and it became more evident when Christian showed up and wanted to be a part of their lives. Her own bitterness drove her to make that stupid decision that affected her daughter. I was so disappointed in her. She made her daughter go through the same pain she went through when Christian left her and all because she couldn't trust him again.

While I understood her feelings, it was idiotic of her to put her child through that emotional pain. That part was very difficult to read. It took her one week to get over "feelings" and for that one week, her child suffered because she won't let her see Christian again. She was so afraid that Christian will leave them again like he did the first time, so she pushed him away. Great job!

In spite of that huge hiccup with Elizabeth, I still enjoyed this book. It totally engaged both my mind and my emotions. Both characters did redeem themselves at the end. You can really feel Christian's remorse over his decision and his attempt for reconciliation. As for Elizabeth, I did like her at the beginning and then hated her towards the end but ended up embracing her as a character.

Overall, an enjoyable read from A.L. Jackson. There is no cliffhanger here but Christian and Elizabeth's story continues in the next book, which I'm definitely looking forward to reading. :D

[Eva · Rating 2 out of 5]

EDIT- I have no idea why I rounded it to 3 stars. There wasn’t a single moment I enjoyed and I am still filled rage whenever I think about this book

2.5 stars

This review may contain some minor spoilers.

I read this book ages ago before I was active on Goodreads. This book had provoked a lot of emotions (mostly negative) and thus had left quite a mark on my mind; I vividly remember some of the aspects of the book. I came across A.L Jackson again recently and saw that I had rated this 4 stars!
SAY WHAT!? I must have been drunk or high or something (except I have never ever been drunk or high ) when I rated this. No way I rated this 4 stars with a clear mind. For me to rate a romance 4 stars I would have to at the very least like the hero as a love interest by the end of the book and actually want the MCs to be together. But no, no, no. Even when I read the book over 2 years back I didn't ship them at that time and I certainly don't ship them today.

What Christian did, abandoning his own child is pretty much unforgivable in my eyes. Yeah, yeah, I know what you are thinking. Silly, stupid me for reading a book where I know the hero did something I consider unforgivable. But if you read closely, I said it find it pretty much unforgivable not completely unforgivable. There are exceptions to every rules. And the glowing reviews about how Christian completely redeemed himself convinced me so I started this book with an open mind. I thought there must be a very good reason as to why he abandoned his child. I thought he would grovel A LOT, I thought the whole situation would be handled very differently.

But no. Christian didn't have any "good" reason. Not that anything can justify it but I thought maybe I would understand his decision, maybe there was more to it than it looks. But no. He was just a coward, selfish man. He simply didn't want to deal with the burden of a child, he didn't want that to interfere with his career goals. Therefore, he gave his girlfriend an ultimatum: either get an abortion and choose him or choose the baby and get the hell out of his life.

So I read the prequel to understand the backstory more. Although Elizabeth was the typical innocent, inexperienced girl and he a huge cocky, arrogant, rich player, at least she wasn't a virgin. I don't think he deserves to be her first and last. Anyway, back to the story. I could have understood this more if Elizabeth and Christian had simply hooked up and Elizabeth shows up pregnant. But NO. They were in a freaking committed, long term, romantic relationship. And he claimed to love her a lot. How can he so ruthlessly, so quickly, so thoughtlessly, so cruelly abandon the woman he LOVED?? This is actually a romance, are we meant to actually believe in his love for her? Are we actually meant to root for him to get his happy ending? If you didn't love the baby and don't want it then fine but you love the woman right? You plan to marry her and have a family with her in the future right? So at least you can talk and discuss possible options with her like an actual adult instead of just asking asking her to choose on the spot and dismissing her so cruelly. I mean, seriously, men like him are usually the evil, villain ex boyfriend in most stories.

Anyway I could have still been able to sort of forgive him if he had actually pined after her and wallowed in his misery, self hatred, remorse etc. I could have felt sorry for him if he was emotionally damaged and broken man who thought he would never be a good father because of past insecurities or tragedy or horrible upbringing etc etc. But NO. Nothing like that at all. He just simply wanted his career more than the women he loved. The moment Elizabeth leaves, he doesn't waste even a second in trying to hook up with OWs. He immediately starts sleeping around in the campus with a lot of girls whilst Elizabeth is all sick and REALLY struggling with the pregnancy. He is hanging out with these girls in front of Elizabeth. He makes no move to help her.

It says in the blurb he regrets his actions every day from the moment she walks out. Are. You. Kidding. Me? He had so many opportunities to make it right if he actually regretted them. Did he ever try to contact her? Did he ever actually try to see his kid (before accidentally bumping into her 5 years ago)? Did he at least financially support her because he definitely had a lot of money to spare? Did he try to help her in anyway? A resounding NO to all the questions above.
And that is what actually really gets me. The idea that he comfortably led a very luxurious lifestyle with many women and parties whilst the so called love of his life struggled so much to make ends meet to raise THEIR child is indeed very difficult to digest. It completely derailed her life. Elizabeth had to basically give up all her dreams, her career, sacrifice everything she wanted for herself to raise their baby meanwhile he got to live the life he wanted. What kind of justice is this? The good, selfless person suffers so much whilst the selfish, greedy person gets all the success of the world and almost everything he wants.

I don't care if inside, deep down he felt empty and remorseful. I call complete BS. If he felt empty by this then why continue to sleep with so many random OWs? He must have felt some sort of satisfaction and joy from the fact. If he was so remorseful, what did he do about it? Nothing! Nada! Like at the very least you could send a fu*king monthly cheque to help the love your life to raise YOUR child considering how f*cking rich you are. Why didn't she take him to court for child support payments is beyond me. This is not a matter of pride. Doing this doesn't injure your pride but ensures the man is held accountable for his actions and is forced to do the least he could do for his child. It's his goddamn responsibility. It's about securing a better life for your child. It's about ensuring he doesn't completely get away with it.

Ultimately, it was all so easy and convenient for the "hero". He didn't want a child and wanted to focus on his career. So he coldly dumps the love of his life. Then he goes to enjoy life and have sex with plenty of women and consolidate the career he wanted. He got great sex and a great, successful career. Then he meets his 5 year old daughter and suddenly decides, now that his career is already successful and established, that he wants to wants to be in his child's life. So he gets to be in his child's life. Then he decides he wants the "love of his life" back. So he gets her back.

So lesson of the story: no matter how badly a man fucks up, he can still get everything he wants and more even if he doesn't deserve it. So guys don't worry, you can totally eat your cake and have it too. Nothing is unforgivable. No matter what you do you can still get a happily ever after.

A lot reviewers said that they were annoyed at Elizabeth and was too hard on Christian. She was too selfish and wrong to keep her child away from Christian. And she was a bitch and pushed him away for no reason.

I am sorry but did we read the same book? What? Elizabeth selfish? She gave up everything for her baby. Yes she was very reluctant to let Christian back in thier lives. Well she has every right to be! She wasn't like that because of her personal relationship with him but because she was rightfully scared that he may abandon their child later on. She was only trying to protect her daughter! In fact I thought there definitely wasn't enough grovelling. Yes, he had to work to get back in his daughter's life and to prove he is a good father. But the transition from being the kid's father to being her boyfriend was too smooth. Once he showed that he is a good father, in my opinion, she let him in too easily. She should have made him work SO MUCH MORE to be her boyfriend. Being a good father doesn't equal being a good husband. Two completely different relationships.

She pushed him away once which annoyed many people and made them think she is selfish. Well I thought it was only natural. Sometimes the memories suddenly flash in your vividly and you remember all the pain and the hurt so clearly. This can cause a person to be so blinded by the hurt that they forget all the redemption and forgiveness the wrongdoer earned. In fact I would find it hard to believe if there were no "relapses", if their relationship went smoothly, if Elizabeth suddenly forgot all the hurt permanently.

But again I hated how Christian handled this situation. He was completely willing to throw her under the bus just to win custody? I understand choosing your child over the mother if the partner is a bad mother. But no, he knew she was an amazing mother (much better than him anyway) yet he was willing to completely manipulate information to make Elizabeth look like a shitty mother in court. If you want to win, if you want to be in your child's life then fine of course fight for custody if there is no other way to resolve this. But you have to fight FAIRLY, honestly. But he was willing to play dirty, to wrongfully malign her to get custody even if it meant losing the love of his life permanently and taking away a child from his mother. A child and a mother who love each other.

So why rounded it to 3 stars?
Well I liked Elizabeth. I just wish she didn't end up with him.
I was actually impressed that Christian was celibate after meeting the heroine after the 5 year separation. Before h&H get together, he went to an event where OW offered sex and he knew he would enjoy it and it would a quick much needed release yet he refused and did nothing because he thought he would be cheating and just plain wrong. Wow I didn't think he would consider that cheating as they are definitely NOT a couple and hadn't reconnected at this point. I didn't like him saying he would enjoy sex with another women but I am happy he refused.

I also liked the fact that she genuinely tried to move on and date. When she was several months pregnant she slept with her close friend and they really tried to make it work. I loved the OM, he was such an amazing guy. Totally willing to help his friend to raise another man's child as his own. Christian take notes.
The first time I came across a book where the heroine slept with another guy while pregnant with hero's child. Didn't think the author would go there. I know a lot of books where hero slept with OWs whilst h is pregnant but never other way around. People don't like it maybe?

[Brenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

They say cowards run in the face of danger or pain. I supposed that’s what I was, what I’d become, too fearful to love, too fearful to be loved, too afraid to live— so I ran.

This is one of those books that I can see people having a lot of mixed feelings about. The reason I think that is because I had a lot of mixed feelings. It’s been weeks and I’m still not exactly sure. There were moments that made me so angry with the characters that I wanted to stop reading. Then there were moments when I completely loved it.

Elizabeth and Christian were the perfect couple for four years. Committed, intensely in love, and on track to achieve their college and professional goals. Everything changes in a split second when Elizabeth tells Christian she is pregnant and he gives her an ultimatum. The baby or him. (← See, angry moment.)

Fast forward five years later and a chance encounter has Christian face to face with the family he left behind. All this time he has regretted his decision but deluded himself into thinking Elizabeth and his child deserve better and are happy without him. Now that he has seen his child, he is hell bent on being a part of their lives again and righting his wrong.

I’d thought I’d understood, but I’d had no idea. The truth was, I never would. I wasn’t there and I would never really know. And there was nothing I could do to earn that time back. Even if Elizabeth forgave me, I didn’t think I could ever forgive myself.

As a protective mother and the woman who had her heart shattered, Elizabeth is definitely resistant (to say the least) to Christian. He does not have it easy (nor should he) and he has to prove himself.

Once I would have trusted him with my life, but now I knew better. I’d never allow my daughter or myself to be put in the position for Christian to freely dispose of us again.

What made me want to read this after I got started was wondering if and how Christian would prove himself. I HATED him in the beginning. An ultimatum like the one he gave Elizabeth is cowardly and just downright cruel. It would be bad enough to do that to anyone, but someone you have been with for FOUR years, someone you are committed to, plan to marry? I just don’t get it. Even by the end, that’s something I never understood. I won’t ever get his reasoning, I just won’t. So you probably think I hated him the whole time, right? Well, no, I didn’t. I actually started to root for him in a weird way. I was always on Elizabeth’s side, even when she was being stubborn, emotional, and challenging. Because she was being that way. There was one part that bothered me with her when she blames Christian when they do finally have sex (as if she’s not a grown woman), pushes him away, keeps him away from their daughter to the point that the kid isn’t eating. It was a little too much for me. ., even though I think she’s entitled to her moment of stupid after everything she went through.

This is an emotional read that chronicles their journey through regret, forgiveness, redemption, and love. It’s told in dual pov, so you get a very honest account from both Elizabeth and Christian. It’s very well written and I thought the character development was well done. Even though it was a bit slow moving at times, I was genuinely interested the whole time. I didn’t reach that level of emotion that I was hoping for, but it kept me wondering exactly things would play out. Although, I am content with where it ended, I will definitely be reading the continuation of their story in If Forever Comes.

We had the power to destroy, to devastate and ruin, to lay the other to waste.

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[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I'm left wondering what to say. Such an amazing beautiful story of love, regret and forgiveness.

The love and bond between Christian and Lizzie was so beautiful and heart warming that it touched my soul. The trust and love that Lizzie so freely offers her father is beautiful and such a gift that Christian truly and desperately needed. Christian finally learns the true meaning of love in it's purest form, thanks to his daughter, and what love can be like with/for his family.

Never have I read a story where my eyes were watery the entire book. This book took us on a journey of love, betrayal, anger, regret, learning to trust again, forgiveness and finally brought us full circle to love again.

Come follow Christian's journey as he seeks out love, happiness, and to repair his relationships with his family who gave him life and the one he gave up. You won't regret reading this book. Just be prepared to have lots of tissues on hand if you are prone to crying over a book. This book is heavy on the heart but so worth the read. It was beautifully written. I'm not sure I will ever be the same again after reading this...this will still be with your heart long after turning the last page.

[SueBee★bring me an alpha!★]

Books in series should be read in order:
Part 0.5: Lost To You
Book 1: Take This Regret
Book 2: If Forever Comes

[Katya · Rating 5 out of 5]

5+Stars!!!!!

What did I think? Wow...What a really emotionally satisfying story about love, commitment, priorities and forgiveness.

As human beings we make mistakes...at the time we might not think it will ruin our lives. How do we fix it? How do we rectify errors in how we have lived our life? How do we begin to ask forgiveness for turning away from the most precious part of our life? The people we love?

In Take This Regret a man does just that. He chooses a career path and the expectation of a family which has planned his life and future success for him from a young age. When confronted with an unplanned pregnancy he chooses a career rather than adjusting his life to support and love that child and the woman he planned a life with. He cruelly pushes her away rather than divert his plan for his future. He is basically a good man who makes a very bad mistake.

Fast forward years later, he has never gotten over it. He has never loved a woman the same way he did this child's mother. He feels a hole inside his heart where a small child should belong and the career he chose over them leaves him unsatisfied, lonely and unfulfilled. He always meant to go back, reconnect, but it was never the right time and now it is too late...too much time has passed. How does he explain, how does he ask for forgiveness?

I can't imagine the pain of being abandoned by the man you are in love with who never comes after you or tries to makes things right....how do you go on? When you struggle to survive, put a roof over your head and spend many lonely years trying to raise a child by yourself? How did he so easily push you aside...how do you ever forgive?

How do you, the biological father, ask a small precious child, who never knew a father, to accept you? to forgive you for abandoning her? To love and trust you? How to you fix this when you realize what a tragic mistake you made? And how does the woman he loved and still love learn to trust you again? How do you push aside years of neglect? How do you put it back together again and become a real family?

This novel was a painful journey back to a time where a choice is made....a bad choice. It is about how forgiveness is given and trust is earned again. What is so amazing about this author is her ability to inject you right into the characters minds and hearts. You feel every emotion as if it was you this was happening to and not a character on the page. Amy Lichtenhan brings to life the people who are feeling the anticipation, fear, and apprehension... and you are right there: undecided, hurt, happy, and fearful right along with them.

The author sucks you in on the first page...there was no "down time" no "lulls" or anything to be skimmed over. The action plays out as it does in real life. All you can do is hang on and hope for the best. This novel is a real tug-a-war over one thing. Forgiveness and anger. You ask yourself, if in that position if you could forgive, should you forgive, and could you trust that person again.

Sometimes in novels it is easy to see who the bad guy is and who the heroes are. They are one dimensional and purposeful in their intent. But the characters in this book are much like us, human beings who make mistakes and sometimes we are a little of both. The line between good and bad is blurred and forgiveness can become a very difficult concept to manage.

I cried while reading this novel, I loved that I felt so much emotion and that I was tossing and turning the question in my head, would I forgive? or not? It made me think of situations in my own life. Is trusting again worth being hurt?

By the time I finished this novel I was put through the emotional ringer and am so happy I found this book. I was smiling with tears in my eyes and wanted to get up and dance around the room. I will definitely be reading anything this author writes in the future. She is amazing!

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** 3.5 stars ***

This finally got me back on track after 5 DNFs. Hence the round-up.
I just couldn't put it down.
That said, for my taste, the drama was overdone by the last 30% causing the angst to turn to melodrama.

[P.A. Lupton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow Wow Wow, I wish I could give a 6th star to this book. Absolutely heartbreaking. It was wonderful. A.L. Jackson has a gift for writing. I’ll gush about the story in a second. First, I need to praise the writing. I loved it. The writing style in Take this Regret is smooth and concise. I loved how the prologue was written from the third person point of view but switched to alternating first person afterward. I love when stories are written like this because I get so much more drawn into the characters. And boy howdy were these ever good characters.

I don’t cry often in books and when a novel can evoke enough emotion to make me cry it’s an instant love for me. I started reading Take This Regret in the morning and finished the same day. I was sobbing already before I’d hit the 10% mark. I’ve never had a book make me feel that much that fast.

This was a tough story to write. It had to be tricky for the author to create a character and have him do something so reprehensible and still have the reader connect with him. Good job Ms Jackson. What Christian did to Elizabeth was horrible and selfish, but A.L Jackson makes me inexplicably sympathize with him. The depth of his regret, almost from the first moment he’d made his decision, was so poignant and palpable. My heart broke for him. I think what I liked best is that he never tried to excuse his actions.

“I had to remind myself that anything I felt now could only pale in comparison to what I had put Elizabeth through. Self-pity would only serve to discount my own actions.”

Elizabeth was a strong character. She had a strong sense of morality and knew what she wanted. She faced up to her mistakes. I respected the hell out of her for not being bitter. She could have turned her daughter against Christian by saying awful things. She could’ve gone after him for child support, but she never did. No matter how much of a struggle her life became, she lived with it. I loved that about her. She makes mistakes too, but she recognizes and owns up to them. And let’s face it we all make mistakes. I think every person has something they wish they could take back in their life. I loved watching one character struggle to undo the mistake he made, while the other struggled to forgive.

I can’t say enough about this book. It is such an emotional read and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a sweet and romantic, but sometimes heartbreaking, love story.

[Smitten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gosh it took forevvvvvvver for these two to get back together, and when they finally did I was left with wanting more.
My Christian Davison:


My Elizabeth Ayers:


and the beautiful Lizzie:



Because I sort of read the books out of order, I had a hard time believing that the Christian I learned to love in book 0.5 would abandon Elizabeth after a four year relationship. I found myself hating him for most of the book.

The trials and tribulations that Elizabeth endured alone were heartbreaking. I was happy when Christian finally came to his senses I just had a hard time believing that it took 5 long years for him to do it. I'm a sucker for a happy ending, just wish it didn't take so long to get there.

[JoJo - JJJ (Jo Anna) Janesko · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolute masterpiece. This book is beyond 5 stars. If I could rate it 10 stars I am certain I would. This book captured me from page one and held me to the bitter end. This is a book I sat down and read in one sitting. It was that good and I couldn't step away from it. If you are looking for an emotional book look no further and give this one a try.