Love, Ally by Hannah Gray

March 2022

This is the first book for the Brooks University series by Hannah Gray and I'm just in love with the characters. Now, I started with Hate You, Henley, which is actually the 3rd book in the series but they can be read as standalones. I knew from reading Hate You, Henley that this was going to be good. I love college romances. I didn't get to go to a university and reading college romance books gives me a view of college life.

"Like two stars, bound for nowhere, we collided, and instead of burning out, we became one."

Love you, Ally is the story between Cole "Storms" and Ally. Their love stems from pain, abandonment, poverty, abuse, and loss. But through the ugliness they found each other.

Ally is strong, determined and is fierce for the people she loves. She's extremely loyal and loves unapologetically and will take the pain to help another. She holds secrets from her past...answers she refuses to tell Cole. Truths about why she left without saying goodbye.

Cole is ambitious, driven and loves with his whole heart. He's devoted to a fault and will sacrifice anything to be with the one he loves. So when he comes home from football camp and finds Ally gone, without a word, he is devastated.

As fate would have it, they both end up at the same college and reconnect by accident. Their attraction is as strong as ever but they struggle to try to connect at a deeper level from the secrets they're afraid to tell not just from each other but people from their past and present.

There are some twists and turns in this story that surprised me. When I was sure I knew what the secret was, I was pleasantly surprised to find out I was wrong.

I love Cole's undying love, his protective nature and selflessness. I love Ally's bad ass'ness. Even though she is a petit girl she packs a whallop and stands up and fights for the people she loves.

"Good or grit, if your dumbass loves them, you need to stand by their side. Even if it's in the shadows. Watching like a f***ing creeper."

Love, Ally struck a chord in me in many ways. I enjoyed their struggles and their wins. It had some steamy scenes, it has relatable issues, it has some surprises and a great love story.