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Nightmare
This is not a bisexual romance.
This is not a coming-of-age story.
This is not a family drama.
This is not a cautionary tale.
This is Jake’s Nightmare.
When 16-year-old Jacob “Chubby Cubby” Nightingale runs away from his upper-middle-class home in Terrace Park, he thinks he’s fled his worst demons. What he doesn’t know is he hasn’t even faced them yet. Follow Jacob from teen runaway to teen heartthrob fronting a successful metal band, and the subsequent rise and fall of alter ego Jake Nightmare.
You fell for him in Cayman Island.
You felt for him in Nightingale.
Now, fear for him as Jacob Nightingale faces his worst Nightmare – the past.
This is not a coming-of-age story.
This is not a family drama.
This is not a cautionary tale.
This is Jake’s Nightmare.
When 16-year-old Jacob “Chubby Cubby” Nightingale runs away from his upper-middle-class home in Terrace Park, he thinks he’s fled his worst demons. What he doesn’t know is he hasn’t even faced them yet. Follow Jacob from teen runaway to teen heartthrob fronting a successful metal band, and the subsequent rise and fall of alter ego Jake Nightmare.
You fell for him in Cayman Island.
You felt for him in Nightingale.
Now, fear for him as Jacob Nightingale faces his worst Nightmare – the past.
Audible Audio
Published March 7, 2024
5 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Brasington-Crowley
22 books48 followersJennifer Brasington-Crowley is an author, illustrator, artist and animal advocate. She is a graduate of E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and an advertising copywriter and graphic designer.
She is the author of the Lyndsay and Lainey Lion children's book series (www.sunnyvillezoo.com), as well as unconventional romance series Raven Song and Stillwaters, available for download from Amazon.com.
She is a little obsessive about things like music and animals and has finally come to terms with being sorted into Slytherin.
Learn more at www.sunnyvillezoo.com
She is the author of the Lyndsay and Lainey Lion children's book series (www.sunnyvillezoo.com), as well as unconventional romance series Raven Song and Stillwaters, available for download from Amazon.com.
She is a little obsessive about things like music and animals and has finally come to terms with being sorted into Slytherin.
Learn more at www.sunnyvillezoo.com
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 27, 2023
Some Nightmares Happen When You Are Wide Awake
Author Jennifer Brasington-Crowley “upped the ante” with her latest book, Nightmare, finally revealing Jay Nightingale’s backstory to hungry fans. We first met him in Cayman Island (book two in the Stillwaters series and a personal favorite of mine). Through that book and the subsequent Nightingale (book three), readers are provided with peeks into the good man’s past. Before readers even open the first page of Nightmare, we know that Jay’s dealt with addiction, mental abuse, significant family dysfunction, and a heart-wrenching battle with body image. We also know Jay Nightingale was once known as uber rock star Jake Nightmare – the main character in, you guessed it, Nightmare.
NOTE: Nightmare is a standalone book, and readers do *not* need to read the Stillwaters series to enjoy it. However, readers like me are rewarded because we *do* know Jake Nightmare’s future via that series. This book simply brings his history full circle for us.
Fans of Brasington-Crowley never expect things to be sugarcoated, and why should they be? Sometimes life *is* nasty and brutish, but hopefully not short – although it could have been for Jake.
The author did so many things right with Nightmare starting with the first chapter. Brasington-Crowley began the story with Jake – aka Chubby Cubby – running away from home to his older brother’s place in California. It was a smart move by the author to take the reader straight to the main storyline without getting stuck in the space Jake wanted to flee. We didn’t have to spend time with his parents. (His mother is particularly difficult to stomach.)
And so, the story begins with an actual journey – a drive across many states to California – and a figurative one: a coming-of-age trek that would take Chubby Cubby from an anxious 16-year-old runaway to an anxiety-riddled rock star with a stadium-filled audience at his feet.
It’s not an overnight success story, and the reader is introduced to key characters along the way: his brother Tim; the men who would become his band members, including Jordan (Stillwaters series readers, you will love Jordan even more); Kate (I call her HATEFUL Kate); and others who will make a massive mark on Jake’s tender heart and soul – like fellow rock star Sister Sin (shudder).
Also, and I will not spoil it for you, but a character readers know from the Raven Song series shows up in a big way – and. I. Loved. It. (If you haven’t read the Raven Song series, you will still enjoy getting to know this pivotal character very much. Sorry, I can’t say more!)
Let’s get into some deeper observations:
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Brasington-Crowley is NOT afraid to break your heart. In Nightmare, she did it in small ways at the onset – the first being the short back-and-forth between Jake and his little brother Cody as Jake’s sneaking out to run away from home. Cody trusts Jake and thinks he’s coming back. It’s a bittersweet moment between the two. But another thing the author excels at is taping the pieces of your heart back together. Cody returns as an adult at the end of the book and is there for Jake in a meaningful way when he needs it the most. You’ll feel like she brought you full circle.
The author will break your heart in big ways: the destruction Jake’s wife Kate (HATEFUL Kate) brings into his life is shocking. Kate, a narcissist, is creative in her abuse. There were moments when I was so frustrated with Jake for trying to appease her. Then I checked myself: Don’t blame the victim. Again, Brasington-Crowley leads the reader through a range of emotions, and hopefully, by questioning your own reaction, you will walk away with a more understanding heart.
The author demonstrated how easy it is for an average, everyday life to spin out of control when someone – who might not be so worldly – sets out on a new path and is walking amongst the wolves…those people who choose to use and abuse. It’s easy to judge someone for their choices, but it’s not as simple as that. Brasington-Crowley pulls the reader through this nightmare network, revealing a tender and kind soul who is eager to please and feel better about himself. This is a theme visited frequently by the author and is a reminder to reserve judgment for your own actions. Let others be.
The characters Brasington-Crowley created alongside Jake were…sometimes rabidly vivid. This is a book for adults. Beyond serious subjects like addiction and emotional/mental abuse, the author explores mature themes like sexual coercion and assault (on a male). Again, here is where Brasington-Crowley excels: She’ll take the reader to the darkest moments, but then she’ll turn around and deliver light (hello, Jordan). And semi-spoiler: the story will end on a brighter note. (Some readers already know this because an older Jake shows up as Jay in the Stillwaters series in a beautiful way.)
Other characters – loving and kind like Jordan – deliver an oasis of calm for Jake and also the reader. Brasington-Crowley, for all her grit, is about balance. (And there’s another character I can’t name here because…spoiler! But you will love this person.)
Understanding sexuality is another theme explored in Nightmare – Jake is bisexual, and his journey to self-acceptance is beautifully handled. The reader will also find healthy and unhealthy (understatement) sexual relationships/encounters, both heterosexual and bisexual. This is a novel with mature themes and scenes.
The pacing of the book was on-point. As the pages turn, the level of action and number of problems increase. This continues, steadily, throughout the book until the reader hits a threshold, and then…BREATHE! We all take a breath. It’s been a journey, but look around – we’re all still here. Jake’s body and soul (and our souls) might have been banged up, but we’re all still here.
A new chapter is coming for Jake Nightmare. It’s just in a different book. Go buy and read Cayman Island by Jennifer Brasington-Crowley if you haven’t already.
Five shooting stars for Nightmare! Wow…wow! I was nervous about this book because I knew Jay Nightingale as Jake Nightmare would go through h3ll, and I was nervous for him. But I’m so glad Brasington-Crowley wrote his story, and I was smart enough to read it.
Now, go get YOUR copy!
Author Jennifer Brasington-Crowley “upped the ante” with her latest book, Nightmare, finally revealing Jay Nightingale’s backstory to hungry fans. We first met him in Cayman Island (book two in the Stillwaters series and a personal favorite of mine). Through that book and the subsequent Nightingale (book three), readers are provided with peeks into the good man’s past. Before readers even open the first page of Nightmare, we know that Jay’s dealt with addiction, mental abuse, significant family dysfunction, and a heart-wrenching battle with body image. We also know Jay Nightingale was once known as uber rock star Jake Nightmare – the main character in, you guessed it, Nightmare.
NOTE: Nightmare is a standalone book, and readers do *not* need to read the Stillwaters series to enjoy it. However, readers like me are rewarded because we *do* know Jake Nightmare’s future via that series. This book simply brings his history full circle for us.
Fans of Brasington-Crowley never expect things to be sugarcoated, and why should they be? Sometimes life *is* nasty and brutish, but hopefully not short – although it could have been for Jake.
The author did so many things right with Nightmare starting with the first chapter. Brasington-Crowley began the story with Jake – aka Chubby Cubby – running away from home to his older brother’s place in California. It was a smart move by the author to take the reader straight to the main storyline without getting stuck in the space Jake wanted to flee. We didn’t have to spend time with his parents. (His mother is particularly difficult to stomach.)
And so, the story begins with an actual journey – a drive across many states to California – and a figurative one: a coming-of-age trek that would take Chubby Cubby from an anxious 16-year-old runaway to an anxiety-riddled rock star with a stadium-filled audience at his feet.
It’s not an overnight success story, and the reader is introduced to key characters along the way: his brother Tim; the men who would become his band members, including Jordan (Stillwaters series readers, you will love Jordan even more); Kate (I call her HATEFUL Kate); and others who will make a massive mark on Jake’s tender heart and soul – like fellow rock star Sister Sin (shudder).
Also, and I will not spoil it for you, but a character readers know from the Raven Song series shows up in a big way – and. I. Loved. It. (If you haven’t read the Raven Song series, you will still enjoy getting to know this pivotal character very much. Sorry, I can’t say more!)
Let’s get into some deeper observations:
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Brasington-Crowley is NOT afraid to break your heart. In Nightmare, she did it in small ways at the onset – the first being the short back-and-forth between Jake and his little brother Cody as Jake’s sneaking out to run away from home. Cody trusts Jake and thinks he’s coming back. It’s a bittersweet moment between the two. But another thing the author excels at is taping the pieces of your heart back together. Cody returns as an adult at the end of the book and is there for Jake in a meaningful way when he needs it the most. You’ll feel like she brought you full circle.
The author will break your heart in big ways: the destruction Jake’s wife Kate (HATEFUL Kate) brings into his life is shocking. Kate, a narcissist, is creative in her abuse. There were moments when I was so frustrated with Jake for trying to appease her. Then I checked myself: Don’t blame the victim. Again, Brasington-Crowley leads the reader through a range of emotions, and hopefully, by questioning your own reaction, you will walk away with a more understanding heart.
The author demonstrated how easy it is for an average, everyday life to spin out of control when someone – who might not be so worldly – sets out on a new path and is walking amongst the wolves…those people who choose to use and abuse. It’s easy to judge someone for their choices, but it’s not as simple as that. Brasington-Crowley pulls the reader through this nightmare network, revealing a tender and kind soul who is eager to please and feel better about himself. This is a theme visited frequently by the author and is a reminder to reserve judgment for your own actions. Let others be.
The characters Brasington-Crowley created alongside Jake were…sometimes rabidly vivid. This is a book for adults. Beyond serious subjects like addiction and emotional/mental abuse, the author explores mature themes like sexual coercion and assault (on a male). Again, here is where Brasington-Crowley excels: She’ll take the reader to the darkest moments, but then she’ll turn around and deliver light (hello, Jordan). And semi-spoiler: the story will end on a brighter note. (Some readers already know this because an older Jake shows up as Jay in the Stillwaters series in a beautiful way.)
Other characters – loving and kind like Jordan – deliver an oasis of calm for Jake and also the reader. Brasington-Crowley, for all her grit, is about balance. (And there’s another character I can’t name here because…spoiler! But you will love this person.)
Understanding sexuality is another theme explored in Nightmare – Jake is bisexual, and his journey to self-acceptance is beautifully handled. The reader will also find healthy and unhealthy (understatement) sexual relationships/encounters, both heterosexual and bisexual. This is a novel with mature themes and scenes.
The pacing of the book was on-point. As the pages turn, the level of action and number of problems increase. This continues, steadily, throughout the book until the reader hits a threshold, and then…BREATHE! We all take a breath. It’s been a journey, but look around – we’re all still here. Jake’s body and soul (and our souls) might have been banged up, but we’re all still here.
A new chapter is coming for Jake Nightmare. It’s just in a different book. Go buy and read Cayman Island by Jennifer Brasington-Crowley if you haven’t already.
Five shooting stars for Nightmare! Wow…wow! I was nervous about this book because I knew Jay Nightingale as Jake Nightmare would go through h3ll, and I was nervous for him. But I’m so glad Brasington-Crowley wrote his story, and I was smart enough to read it.
Now, go get YOUR copy!
September 20, 2023
This right here. This book. The one I practically begged the author to right. The moment I was finished with Cayman Island I knew I would need to know all about this wonderful man and what had befallen him to make him so sad. I fell in love with Jay in Cayman's story and even more so the sequel to that. I needed the rest. I needed Jay and his scent like cucumber sandwiches. I wanted to know what had truly happened from his perspective and boy, did Brasington-Crowley deliver.
I devoured this book. The early part of the story is such a common narrative of body shaming in the context of how families always seem to get away with this type of emotional abuse. The middle section is dame and fortune and sex, drugs and rock and roll, which I am always here for. And the last part of the book pulled on my heart strings the way only Brasington-Crowley knows how to do. This author writes from her soul. It's raw and passionate and real. It's strikingly honest and unforgiving in its delivery. Her characters are all so vivid and compelling that they haunt me continously. I wait in eager anticipation for each of her books, so interwoven are they all that I feel each one expands on the other. It's a wonder why this author isn't a bestseller doing international book tours. She's a talent, an extraordinary asset to this world, this industry, and the pleasure of reading her books and escaping for a little while has been a vice of mine for many years now.
Now, bring me more!
I devoured this book. The early part of the story is such a common narrative of body shaming in the context of how families always seem to get away with this type of emotional abuse. The middle section is dame and fortune and sex, drugs and rock and roll, which I am always here for. And the last part of the book pulled on my heart strings the way only Brasington-Crowley knows how to do. This author writes from her soul. It's raw and passionate and real. It's strikingly honest and unforgiving in its delivery. Her characters are all so vivid and compelling that they haunt me continously. I wait in eager anticipation for each of her books, so interwoven are they all that I feel each one expands on the other. It's a wonder why this author isn't a bestseller doing international book tours. She's a talent, an extraordinary asset to this world, this industry, and the pleasure of reading her books and escaping for a little while has been a vice of mine for many years now.
Now, bring me more!
October 9, 2024
Gripping!
I love flawed characters, and Brasington-Crowley is a master at telling their complicated tales. Nightmare, the origin story for one of the many endearing personalities in her companion series “Stillwaters” and “Raven Song”, is an excellent example. Within its pages, we learn every heartbreaking detail of Jay Nightingale’s troubled past, all of which led him to be the man capable of winning Cayman Stillwaters’ heart. You don’t need to read either series to appreciate this book, but you’d be missing out on great storytelling if you didn’t!
I love flawed characters, and Brasington-Crowley is a master at telling their complicated tales. Nightmare, the origin story for one of the many endearing personalities in her companion series “Stillwaters” and “Raven Song”, is an excellent example. Within its pages, we learn every heartbreaking detail of Jay Nightingale’s troubled past, all of which led him to be the man capable of winning Cayman Stillwaters’ heart. You don’t need to read either series to appreciate this book, but you’d be missing out on great storytelling if you didn’t!
October 7, 2024
🚨Spoilers🚨
This is Jake Nightmares rise and fall
I would like to start off saying two things.
1) I am mad at my self because i didn’t do my review immediately, but i was busy and just found out one of my other favorite authors had a book i some how missed so i was lost in a book frenzy. So i hope i do this justice because and this lead me to the 2nd thing, this book series and its cross over series was just incredible! It had the rockstars that i love so much and it just had SOOOOO MUCH MORE. These are not just fu-fu romances with no real plot. They are passion for their art, they are hard beginnings, they are extremely loss, they are finding your way when all you can find is the dark, the way the author pours the emotions onto the pages is just humbling and heart wrenching and then so satisfying and well earned. I read all of these audiobooks style but most computer voice and i wish i had time to sit with a book in hand and read them all again just to absorb it all again peaceful and uninterrupted. I feel so sad that two series have ended and i just want more.
On to the Jake Nightmare. The book starts with Cubbie running away from home because he can’t take one more moment living with his family and all the judgmental situations and all years of endless abuse form the other school mates and his mother. He will miss his younger brother Cody so much but he just has to get out.
Cubbie runs away to his older brother Tim’s place far from home and when he gets there Tim is mad and try’s to send him away but when he offers to give him some money his brother “suddenly” has a change of heart and very quick starts taking advantage of him. Cubbie is so desperate to stay he is willing to put up with what ever he needs to.
Cubbie gets a job and meets Pretzel and it’s really cool to see how Pretzel came into everyone’s lives. I also found it interesting how many times their paths crossed and they weren’t ever more. Although i love how Jakes story turns out i do think Pretzel could have been an amazing match for him.
As time goes on Cubbie begins to do more and more for his brother Tim’s band and for his some recording business. Most of the time he isnt being paid for it, it just is expected he will help. After a while a friend and band mate and partner of Tims some how makes it so cubbie get compensated for what he does and when the friend finds out Cubbie can sing it opens a lot of experience within the band and with an unhappy Tim, Cubbie turns into Jake Nightmare the lead singer on the band. Jake get the confidence he has always need and he loses all the lbs he had always wanted to loss too.
To be continued
I was so tired the day i was writing, this is my finish, sorry for the long delay.
Jake ends up meeting a girl named Kate. I pretty much hated Kate from the her first meeting and you could see how fake she was, she really turns out wild and shitty! But they get married and she starts off shitty but when she sees what his potential is she changes her toon then once they are married she starts showing her true colors and i personally felt like she was trying to kill him at the end. He figured her out but he was so lost by the time he figured her out it was truly sad and heart breaking to see him just so distraught and broken. He is suffering terribly from a survivor guilt from an accident at one of their concerts where he almost died and 4 others died. He turns to drugs and drinking and random sex acts that eventually end up being post on line. His Brother Tim hates him for breaking up the band and his brother Cody comes and saves his life. I was glad Cody came because Jake is an amazing person and so talented.
Omg i totally forgot to talk about Jordan!! How could i forget him! Jordan is a band mate and he taught Jake about love and sex and he is his best friend. They are so in love but because of a bad experience Jordan had they can never be together out loud in the light.. I feel so bad for them both but i feel worse for Jake.. this entire book he has been through so much! It feels like he will never get a brake.. then once he is clean and back to living a good life he meets Cayman. ❤️
This author always write the books in an order i don’t expect and when i re-read them again later i will read them in a different order. I have love every bit of both of these series with Jake and Raven. I am so sad their stories have come to an end. This author is sooo amazing and really lets you feel what the characters feel. I will definitely read these again and will be on my favorite book list. I can’t wait to read more from her.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️= amazing! I can’t say enough good things
🌶️= this book has a little bit of spice
🔈= audiobook with speechify, computer voice
®️= rented it with kindle app but plan to buy it.
⚠️= there are a lot of triggers warnings in this book. Drugs, death, drinking, sexual craziness, mental abuse.
This was such a great series!
Off to the next great 📖 book
This is Jake Nightmares rise and fall
I would like to start off saying two things.
1) I am mad at my self because i didn’t do my review immediately, but i was busy and just found out one of my other favorite authors had a book i some how missed so i was lost in a book frenzy. So i hope i do this justice because and this lead me to the 2nd thing, this book series and its cross over series was just incredible! It had the rockstars that i love so much and it just had SOOOOO MUCH MORE. These are not just fu-fu romances with no real plot. They are passion for their art, they are hard beginnings, they are extremely loss, they are finding your way when all you can find is the dark, the way the author pours the emotions onto the pages is just humbling and heart wrenching and then so satisfying and well earned. I read all of these audiobooks style but most computer voice and i wish i had time to sit with a book in hand and read them all again just to absorb it all again peaceful and uninterrupted. I feel so sad that two series have ended and i just want more.
On to the Jake Nightmare. The book starts with Cubbie running away from home because he can’t take one more moment living with his family and all the judgmental situations and all years of endless abuse form the other school mates and his mother. He will miss his younger brother Cody so much but he just has to get out.
Cubbie runs away to his older brother Tim’s place far from home and when he gets there Tim is mad and try’s to send him away but when he offers to give him some money his brother “suddenly” has a change of heart and very quick starts taking advantage of him. Cubbie is so desperate to stay he is willing to put up with what ever he needs to.
Cubbie gets a job and meets Pretzel and it’s really cool to see how Pretzel came into everyone’s lives. I also found it interesting how many times their paths crossed and they weren’t ever more. Although i love how Jakes story turns out i do think Pretzel could have been an amazing match for him.
As time goes on Cubbie begins to do more and more for his brother Tim’s band and for his some recording business. Most of the time he isnt being paid for it, it just is expected he will help. After a while a friend and band mate and partner of Tims some how makes it so cubbie get compensated for what he does and when the friend finds out Cubbie can sing it opens a lot of experience within the band and with an unhappy Tim, Cubbie turns into Jake Nightmare the lead singer on the band. Jake get the confidence he has always need and he loses all the lbs he had always wanted to loss too.
To be continued
I was so tired the day i was writing, this is my finish, sorry for the long delay.
Jake ends up meeting a girl named Kate. I pretty much hated Kate from the her first meeting and you could see how fake she was, she really turns out wild and shitty! But they get married and she starts off shitty but when she sees what his potential is she changes her toon then once they are married she starts showing her true colors and i personally felt like she was trying to kill him at the end. He figured her out but he was so lost by the time he figured her out it was truly sad and heart breaking to see him just so distraught and broken. He is suffering terribly from a survivor guilt from an accident at one of their concerts where he almost died and 4 others died. He turns to drugs and drinking and random sex acts that eventually end up being post on line. His Brother Tim hates him for breaking up the band and his brother Cody comes and saves his life. I was glad Cody came because Jake is an amazing person and so talented.
Omg i totally forgot to talk about Jordan!! How could i forget him! Jordan is a band mate and he taught Jake about love and sex and he is his best friend. They are so in love but because of a bad experience Jordan had they can never be together out loud in the light.. I feel so bad for them both but i feel worse for Jake.. this entire book he has been through so much! It feels like he will never get a brake.. then once he is clean and back to living a good life he meets Cayman. ❤️
This author always write the books in an order i don’t expect and when i re-read them again later i will read them in a different order. I have love every bit of both of these series with Jake and Raven. I am so sad their stories have come to an end. This author is sooo amazing and really lets you feel what the characters feel. I will definitely read these again and will be on my favorite book list. I can’t wait to read more from her.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️= amazing! I can’t say enough good things
🌶️= this book has a little bit of spice
🔈= audiobook with speechify, computer voice
®️= rented it with kindle app but plan to buy it.
⚠️= there are a lot of triggers warnings in this book. Drugs, death, drinking, sexual craziness, mental abuse.
This was such a great series!
Off to the next great 📖 book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 9, 2023
Kind, loving and easily manipulated, in this book young Jay Nightingale sets on a journey that will bring him to the highest and lowest points in life, before becoming the man readers have met and fallen in love with in Cayman Island and Nightingale.
I could describe this book as a hero origin story, but it's so much more, and this description doesn't make it justice. Nightmare talks about a lot of things, without explicitly saying it (praise to the author for bringing the "show vs tell" rule to its peak), issues that are still very contemporary but that I think will especially hit gen X and millennials, who have lived and experienced those years as teens and young adults.
Parental abuse, diet culture, stereotypes on bisexuality and homophobia are all things Jay faces daily without knowing or having the means to recognize what is actually being done to him. This sweet kid has lived all his life being shamed because of his looks, mocked by his brother and put down by his mother, who hid her abuse behind her supposed "motherly love."
So, when Jay finally starts living on his own and making his own choices, he struggles telling people's lies from the truth, and figuring out which relationships are worth pursuing. He experiences love not daring to call it by its name, and more abuse dressed up as passion, until things end up in flames.
This book broke my heart in the best possible way. It showed me how hitting rock bottom doesn't mean it's over. Maybe this is not a bisexual romance, a coming of age story, or a family drama. But it's all these things together - it's how life works.
I could describe this book as a hero origin story, but it's so much more, and this description doesn't make it justice. Nightmare talks about a lot of things, without explicitly saying it (praise to the author for bringing the "show vs tell" rule to its peak), issues that are still very contemporary but that I think will especially hit gen X and millennials, who have lived and experienced those years as teens and young adults.
Parental abuse, diet culture, stereotypes on bisexuality and homophobia are all things Jay faces daily without knowing or having the means to recognize what is actually being done to him. This sweet kid has lived all his life being shamed because of his looks, mocked by his brother and put down by his mother, who hid her abuse behind her supposed "motherly love."
So, when Jay finally starts living on his own and making his own choices, he struggles telling people's lies from the truth, and figuring out which relationships are worth pursuing. He experiences love not daring to call it by its name, and more abuse dressed up as passion, until things end up in flames.
This book broke my heart in the best possible way. It showed me how hitting rock bottom doesn't mean it's over. Maybe this is not a bisexual romance, a coming of age story, or a family drama. But it's all these things together - it's how life works.
June 18, 2023
This is not a bisexual romance.
This is not a coming of age story.
This is not a family drama.
This is not a cautionary tale.
This is Jake's Nightmare.
From "Chubby Cubby" to Jake Nightmare, readers follow Jacob Nightingale's unlikely rise to rock 'n roll stardom and the catastrophic events that follow. On his way, Jacob struggles with body image and abuse. His pain is deep and authentic, but even so, he remains open and hopeful as he searches for love.
There are heartrending scenes of abuse - emotional, substance, and sexual - and the book does not shy away from exploring the lasting effects of such experiences.
But this is a Jennifer Brasington-Crowley book, and so, amid heartbreak and tragedy, at the story's core is a beating heart full of compassion, hope, and most of all, love. Jacob faces truly nightmarish circumstances, but he is not alone. His younger brother, his bandmate, and his best girl friend all show up for him in his darkest moments. His friends may not be able to carry his burden, but they can lighten the load.
Nightmare is an engrossing read, written in the author's signature raw, emotional style. It can be read as a stand-alone or as part of the Stillwaters series. Either way, readers will find themselves thinking of Jacob long after the story ends, and wishing him happiness.
This is not your typical love story. This is a tale of one person's journey to learning to love themselves, just as they are.
After all, isn't that what we all dream of?
This is not a coming of age story.
This is not a family drama.
This is not a cautionary tale.
This is Jake's Nightmare.
From "Chubby Cubby" to Jake Nightmare, readers follow Jacob Nightingale's unlikely rise to rock 'n roll stardom and the catastrophic events that follow. On his way, Jacob struggles with body image and abuse. His pain is deep and authentic, but even so, he remains open and hopeful as he searches for love.
There are heartrending scenes of abuse - emotional, substance, and sexual - and the book does not shy away from exploring the lasting effects of such experiences.
But this is a Jennifer Brasington-Crowley book, and so, amid heartbreak and tragedy, at the story's core is a beating heart full of compassion, hope, and most of all, love. Jacob faces truly nightmarish circumstances, but he is not alone. His younger brother, his bandmate, and his best girl friend all show up for him in his darkest moments. His friends may not be able to carry his burden, but they can lighten the load.
Nightmare is an engrossing read, written in the author's signature raw, emotional style. It can be read as a stand-alone or as part of the Stillwaters series. Either way, readers will find themselves thinking of Jacob long after the story ends, and wishing him happiness.
This is not your typical love story. This is a tale of one person's journey to learning to love themselves, just as they are.
After all, isn't that what we all dream of?
June 16, 2023
Heartbreaking, thought-provoking tale of self discovery and overcoming trauma. Beautifully and evocatively written, showing the full scale of human cruelty, kindness, and resiliance. It wasn't easy watching the characters go through some truly dreadful situations (handled expertly and realistically, without sensationalism - bravo to the author), and though this book is certainly not for the faint of heart, it's well worth the effort. A solid five stars, and a must-read for any fans of the Stillwaters series.
July 7, 2023
This is yet another fantastic book by the author Brasington-Crawley. I am a huge fan since reading Stillwater a few years ago and this latest story, Nightmare, does not disappoint.
This book follows young Jay Nightingale's quest for independence. As always, Brasington-Crawley manages to combine mental health issues, animals, and rock and roll seamlessly and wonderfully.
This story is heartbreaking and thought-provoking, as all her books are. I Highly recommend this one and all her books in the Stillwater and Raven Song series.
This book follows young Jay Nightingale's quest for independence. As always, Brasington-Crawley manages to combine mental health issues, animals, and rock and roll seamlessly and wonderfully.
This story is heartbreaking and thought-provoking, as all her books are. I Highly recommend this one and all her books in the Stillwater and Raven Song series.
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