Customer Reviews

The Will (The Magdalene Series)

“It’s never too late to reach for happiness and no matter what life has done to you, it’s never too late to find it.”

I will start this review with the promise that reading it will not affect your enjoyment of this book in any possible way. One of the most striking qualities of this story is the sheer number of unexpected emotional reactions it evokes in the reader, page after page, scene after scene, and nothing in this review will rob you of any of those skin-tingling moments. But it might just give you an idea of why this was the KA book for me.

Starting a new Kristen Ashley book is always an emotional experience for me, her stories forever touching my heart and making my wildest fantasises run rampant. Each new book by this author seems to set a new benchmark for all the books I read after that, but never has it happened before that a story won’t let me write its review for several weeks after I’ve finished reading it because every time the story crosses my mind, I am overwhelmed by ‘book nostalgia’, wishing stories like that never had to end. I have loved and lived every single Kristen Ashley book I have ever read, but this was the most epic one of them all for me, the one that completely took my breath away and the one that will always represent ‘vintage KA style’ in my eyes.

“She wanted me for you.”

We meet Josephine ‘Josie’ Malone at one of the most trying moments in her life – at her beloved grandmother’s funeral. Josie has just lost the only family she had left, the woman who saved her from an abusive childhood by giving her a loving home, a place to belong to, a safe harbour, and by exemplifying the kind of woman Josie had always strived to become. At this moment of complete emotional loss and vulnerability, a man and his children standing near her grandmother’s casket catch Josie’s eye, their identity unknown to her but the intense pain in their eyes acting as a beacon to her own broken heart. The following day, her grandmother’s will is read and Josie’s world is suddenly turned inside out, its startling content leaving Josie torn between wanting to please her grandmother one last time and perplexed by the nature of her wishes.

“My most precious possession, the thing I treasure above anything else in this world … I hereby bequeath to …”

By all accounts, Jake Spear is a complete stranger to Josie but someone her grandmother not only seemed to hold in the highest regard, as her will shows, but also cared for deeply. A local entrepreneur and business owner, Jake’s business ventures vary greatly from one another, but his every action demonstrates that he is willing to do whatever it takes to provide for the three most important people in his life – his children. A former boxing champion and three-time divorcee, Jake is the very opposite of the type of man Josie has been pining for over the last two decades, his small-town lifestyle standing in stark contrast to the jet setting one that Josie has become accustomed to in her career, but she is strangely drawn to him. Having left home in her early twenties, determined to escape the memory of her past and reinvent herself, she has spent the last twenty years distancing herself from her emotions and looking after someone else’s needs before her own. But one look at Jake and his family, coupled with her recent loss and newly acquired responsibilities, and Josie cannot help but start questioning her choices in life and finding new definitions for happiness.

“…although it feels lovely you wish for me to have all kinds of beauty, I’m perfectly happy without it.”

After suppressing her own dreams for so long, and quashing every inborn instinct she has ever had to form a family, Josie is confronted for the very first time with the very real possibility of having everything she has always wished for, if only she is brave enough to grab it by the horns and never let it go.

“I’m fine with being alone. I want it to be that way. Honestly, I do.”

These characters might be slightly older and hence dealing with very different issues from the younger ones we typically encounter in KA books, but the intensity of their connection, the chemistry, and the passion between them are just as off-the-charts as always. If anything, their need for each other and desire to connect on all levels feels even more urgent and eager. There are moments that will have your heart racing, there are others that will make you melt from glee, and there will be moments when you will struggle to catch your breath.

“Every inch of you, outside and any way you can get inside, baby, physically or emotionally, is mine.”

This is essentially a tale of second chances at love, or first chances at love when deprived of true happiness until later on in life, and it tells the story of two people whose lives have taught them to recognise beauty once it comes along and to allow themselves to hold onto it, regardless of how undeserving of it they believe themselves to be. Every element of a KA book is present – her inimitable prose, her intense dialogues, her unmatched character development and ability to make the reader feel such a wide spectrum of emotions – but this story went beyond that for me, the honesty with which it was told touching me on a very personal level, and making me connect with the characters like never before.

“I’d give him anything. I’d give him everything. If I had the power, I’d give him the world.”

By the time you reach the end of this book, you’ll realise what a wonderful ‘full circle’ the author has weaved for us, showing us that every story, even the most ‘real’ and close-to-home ones, can become breathtaking fairy-tales. KA books should really have a separate rating scale as they truly stand in a book universe of their own, but if I had to pick an absolute favourite among them all, this book would be that book for me. I promise you, this story will mark you in the best possible way and if you’re anything like me, you’ll never fully walk away from it. Six Stars of Excellence and then some.

“I wanted you before I even knew you… You’re everything I ever wanted, darling.”

Did the above sentence make you cringe? If so be prepared to wince throughout this book. I know I did. Literally cringed and stopped reading a few times because Thus just stands out so much, and it felt like a never ending cycle of these words.

Lets start with the positive - Jake and his family are so worth this book, they are fantastic. I loved them all!!!! The kids each need their own book. So do some of the side characters, Mickey and Coert.

Josie was just off. I love KA's books, buy them the second they come out and will read until I need toothpicks to hold open my eyes. But there was something weird about her. She came across as such a pretentious snot. I liked the Josie that forgot to be that way, but the verbiage for her was awkward. I think KA was trying to make her cosmopolitan but it fell flat. The words were so stilted it did not seem natural. She seemed kinda smarmey not icy. It seemed like such an affectation that it was not in the realm of belief for me. It was just the superwoman complex where every man instantly wants her to the point where you rolled her eyes.

I still loved Jake. He was perfect, so perfect I wonder what was wrong with women for 47 flipping years. He is Hawt, sweet, loving, great dad, total alpha male, and all he wants is a woman that treats him right and loves him. Wow - Done and Done! The book is worth reading, I just wish there was a good beta reader at least that would pare down on some of the word choices and sentence structure. I know going into a KA book I am going to get some Thus, but this one had over 100. At that point it doesn't sound smart, it just sounds like you don't have a thesaurus. Feel free to use things like ergo, consequently, accordingly, that, respectively. So many choices. I hate to rant about this, but it was so distracting, especially when you got 2 on 1 page.

So yes, purchase the book for Jake, Con, Amber and Eath, put up with Josie because they are worth it.

I loved this book! This is like a typical KA book. Nothing more nothing less. I don't think this book is associated with a publisher. I mean the last few of her books were different and I did not much care for them. This one is the old KA which I have been missing:)

I would have given it 4.5 stars and not 5. I never thought I would say this but I wish there was more angst and drama! After being halfway thru the book I wanted the hero and heroine to have a fight! Also they are older nearing 50 years but the dialogue...I kinda forgot their age and in my mind i told myself to consider them 30 year olds! Besides that I loved it...it had all the typical KA elements. Alpha hero, trashy language and lots of steam:)

I did like that the heroine was very successful. You don't see that in too many KA books. The hero as usual was on the border of good and bad. It's mostly a happy book. I don't mind romances with an older couple(in fact I love them) but I felt like the way they this couple acted in their relationship was more suited to someone young and arrogant vs a middle aged couple.

Good job KA!!

I found it strange that KA says she wrote this book for those fans who told her they like older characters. I've read most of KA's books and to me, the characters are always older. In this book Josie the heroine is 45 and Jake the hero is 47.

Josie is a little different to a normal KA heroine in that she talks rather oddly! Almost as if she's British! She likes to use posh words and says 'alas' a lot. She doesn't swear and she's a bit clumsy.

Jake is just like every other KA hero. He says 'babe' and 'honey' and he has a nickname for the heroine 'slick'. Jake is the father to two teenage children and an 8 year old boy. Jake has been married three times. The mother of his teenage children is not really interested in being a mother. You will recognise her character as similar ones have appeared in other books. As for the mother of Jake's son Ethan well she doesn't really feature and I wasn't sure I quite understood her character or why she didn't really want to be a mother. This is a problem that I have had with a few of KA's heroes. They are so wonderful yet the women they have before the 'perfect' heroine all did the dirty on the poor alpha male. Sometimes it doesn't ring true. In Jake's case, I didn't really understand quite how his three marriages didn't work out.

Josie's Grandmother has left Josie to Jake in her Will! This is a slow moving story. In fact no kiss even until nearly half way through. Jake is more or less perfect and him and Josie are happy. There are no real conflicts between them which is something I always like reading between KA's couples. There is a minor conflict near the end but it's very easily resolved. Even the sex scenes are quite tame in this one.

I just found it quite boring. It really drags for a while. There are some good parts with Jake's kids and no denying KA can write children/teenagers really well. There are a couple of emotional parts concerning Josie's Grandma but the rest of it was just a bit 'same old, same old'. Similar theme of every man around fancying Josie. Jake is a toned down version of KA's normal alpha male. He's still alpha but a controlled one.

I'm not sure what's happening with KA lately but I wish she could find her way back to her best. In the words of Josie 'Alas, I don't know if that will happen'.

The Lavender House and Jake what more could you for??? I may have shed a few tears but I couldn't help it. Kudos for giving us another wonderful book Kristen Ashley!

Loved this book! I just love the way she writes and makes her characters come alive! I will be reading this one again soon!

WOW!!! You know that feeling when you start a new Kristen Ashley book? That HAPPY, EXCITED Feeling.....Well, that feeling continues through out!!! EPIC, AWESOME, FANTASTIC, those are just some of the words to describe this book....Great Alpha Male, (he's sweet, strong, tough, great dad, HOT, and just all around great EVERYTHING....Great chick in the book...(she too is strong, sweet, beautiful, classy, and tends to speak in ways that are unusual, but still cool none the less) They come together under unusual circumstances, begin a great friendship, with some very tender moments and then are totally wild for each other..I Loved the other characters (the kids, her friends). This was classic KA and definitely worth a re-read in the future.

Classic, Classic, Classic Kristen Ashley. This is one of the best KA books I have read and I have read a lot.
A true love story, I loved the pace and progression. Jake and Josie where just meant to be and Lydie knew it.
It's a tear jerker so get the Kleenex out and a lot of it! The epilogue just epic.

Kristen Ashley---you are the bomb!!! Love your writing style! Love your stories! You don't disappoint and for that I buy your books and treasure the time I set aside to reading and enjoying them! This is another series will enjoy and treasure! Thanks so much!!!

I love all of Kristen Ashley's books, but I LOVED this one. For me, this is the best book she has written to date. Maybe it's because the characters were a little older, maybe because I fell in love with Josie and Jake and the kids, maybe because their journey was just wonderful to follow. I don't know, about the only thing I do know is once this review is written I want to read this book all over again.