Review: Hold Me Until Morning by A.L. Jackson

Hold Me Until Morning, the fourth book in A.L. Jackson’s Time River series, delivers another sweeping romance, this time between a jaded single mom and a cocky cowboy. Hailey returns to town with her young daughter, thrilled to have landed her dream job, but she didn’t anticipate her teenage crush, Cody, being her next-door neighbor and coworker. Despite his flirty and tempting nature, Hailey knows she shouldn’t get involved.

Cody has always seen Hailey as off-limits, but now that she’s next door, he can’t help but be drawn to her fierceness and the way she pushes him without hesitation. The attraction between them is undeniable, but they both need to be brave enough to reach for what they truly desire.

While the romance is engaging, Cody’s extreme fixation on Hailey’s body parts felt overdone and off-putting, which detracted from his character. The emphasis on her plus-size figure sometimes came across with fetish vibes, which felt out of place compared to A.L. Jackson’s typical writing style. The descriptive narrative of Hailey’s body was well-executed, but Cody’s perspective on her often stumbled.

Having read the previous books in the series, I noticed a repetitive pattern with the portrayal of the children. The little girl in this book spoke in a manner very similar to the child in book one, which felt unoriginal.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Erin Mallon and Stephen Dexter, and their performance was top-notch despite a few audio quality issues with volume. Overall, Hold Me Until Morning is a decent addition to the Time River series, but it fell short in some areas.

Book Stats:
Rating: 4/5
Series: Time River
Tropes: Single Mom, Neighbors, Second Chance, Romantic Suspense, Close Proximity, Small Town
Pop: 33% | 48%
3rd Act Break Up – No
Audiobook: Erin Mallon, Stephen Dexter,