The Consequence

Star-Crossed Lovers Duet #2

by Ashley Jade

The Star-crossed Lovers Duet

From USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ashley Jade comes a gritty, off-limits standalone romance about mistakes, choices, and love conquering all.


He was the mysterious dark knight always swooping in to save me when I needed it most.
I was the troubled girl with scars and a bleeding heart.

He was the gifted guitarist destined for big things.
I was the small-town girl battling her demons.

He was my earth....always keeping me grounded.
And I was his sky...always just out of his reach.

Our love was everything I wished for.
Until I destroyed it.

I never thought I'd see Memphis Payne again after I broke his heart, but the stars had other plans.

Because here he is...needing me to clean up his mess this time.

Only problem is...
Doing so will break both our hearts.

They say only the strongest love can survive an apocalypse.
That if two people are meant to be, they'll find their way back to each other.

I hope they're right.

Genres: Romance, Dark Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Dark, Second Chance, Fiction

Unknown Binding

First published August 22, 2024

About the author

Link to my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Ashley-Jade-...

Reviews

[♥︎ Heather ⚔ (New House-Hiatus)]

Let's hope this actually really releases on 8/22/24. 9/19/24 10/17/24 No date in sight. 😒 (Please don't let me continue date striking Ashleyyyy 😩
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

🔔 Release Update from Ashley Jade's(written by the author) Facebook Book Group 'Ashley Jades's Angry Girls Group' 🔔

"Hey all...

I HATE making this post, and you'll be notified soon by Amazon if you haven't already, but, no, The Consequence will not be out this month. I didn't have the file uploaded in time and because I already changed the release date, I'm not allowed to change it again or put up a preorder for a year. Truthfully, I'm not sure exactly when it will be released. It will most likely be a surprise release (kind of how All In was if you were around back then.)

As you should know by now, I'm full blown into my 3rd trimester. This pregnancy is a miracle that I never expected (and was told) would most likely never happen, but it has definitely put me through the wringer. Early onset and long lasting severe morning sickness, high risk, several m/c scares, a major chromosomal scare that required 6 weeks of testing, pre-eclampsia... and now severe anemia that makes it difficult to even stay awake.

Basically... you name it, and I've probably experienced it.

And I don't even want to get into what's going on in my personal life lately. Having a baby is super stressful and impacts everyone differently and definitely will test relationships of all kinds. Also, I don't have any family on my end so it's not like I have any parents, siblings, aunts, cousins etc to help or support me.

Not trying to play the 'woe is me' card, just trying to give you a clear picture on how my life is. I know people have it worse off than I do. I also know people aren't as lucky to have all of you and for that I'm extremely fortunate and grateful.

I am working on The Consequence when I can. But given everything, and the way that I write, it has been a slow process. I'm about 56k words in so far, and it WILL be longer than The Words, but I cannot, and will not, force a book.

Trust me, you'd be able to tell and would hate it even more than me having to push back the release date.

I cannot tell you how much it kills me to have to push his book back, and how much I hate that I am letting everyone down... again... but I have to give Memphis and Skylar the justice they deserve, and I just haven't been able to do that with everything these last few months (and really this goes back to even before getting pregnant) with all the major changes that have happened over the past 2.5 years.

That being said, while Memphis and Skylar deserve (and will get) their HEA, quite frankly, my pregnancy, and the health of my baby girl is more important right now.

She's coming whether me or anyone else is ready or not... and she deserves the best version of me. And for me to be the best mother (the mother I never had.)

I hope you can understand. I know there will be haters and bashers out there regardless... and while I appreciate the defense, let them hate.

I hope you'll still be here when I do release The Consequence (or any other book - because someone suggested maybe I need to step back from this book and write something else that's fun and makes me love writing again - kind of like I did with The Devil that time - and tbh I'm not totally ruling it out.)

Either way, I promise I will do my absolute best to make The Consequence worth the wait.

Thank you to everyone that has been patient and understanding and will continue to be. It means more than you'll know. Your patience and understanding is genuinely saving my mental health right now, and I can't thank you enough." 💙

[Lindsey]

It is stuff like this that makes me lose faith in authors. If you cannot commit to a release date then don't post one. I don't mind if a book takes longer to release but, I hate when the release date changes so much... oh look it was delayed..again. As of 10/18/2024 the pre order was taken down and it has been noted the book isn't even done yet. I understand authors don't owe us anything and that she is dealing with a lot health wise. I am not trying to be a jerk I just feel like you are disappointing your fans more and we can't trust your commitments. Focus on yourself and regroup when you can. If you can't stick to your commitments (a pre-order and a release date) then don't make them. Only commit to what you can.

[Shawna]

Here we are in May…another release date that’s not going to happen.
Amazon now saying August…pushed back another 3 months. Shocker🙄
If I knew I would have to wait years for this, I wouldn’t have read The Choice.

[Amber]

No date confirmed 🫠🫠🫠 sometime end of feb or mid March

[Laurie Lynn]

Just curious, It's June 2023, do we have an update on a release date? I'm not finding it anywhere??

[Carrie ✨ The Blinging Bibliophile✨]

10/14/24 Yet again, delayed. Now it's just "who knows"... her post showed it's clearly no where near complete when the dang thing was supposed to release one WEEK after The Choice. The duet was supposedly complete and she LIED to get book sales for the The Choice, because she knows most of us would wait for it to be finished before we committed.

[Maya]

She can keep this book at this rate.

[Jessica Green · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ashley jade….. I’m obsessed with the words and the choice. I have been waiting for 2 years! I get life happens but don’t make promises to your readers you can’t keep. I’m honestly giving up on her and her books. I’m so let down time and time again. If you think her book is going to be close to being done post baby you are sadly mistaken. Sometimes I doubt this book will even come out. She knew she wasn’t anywhere close to be ready to publish this book. She wrote a post saying “I didn’t upload the file in time” but also in the same post says she isn’t even close to finishing the book?!?! Bffr Ashley! I love Memphis and sky but waiting for this book to come out is honestly disappointing. I get excited just to be let down. This is no way to keep fans happy. Please get serious about your job or at-least tell us the truth.

[midnightacidity]

The boat has been missed.

I cannot have the same affinity towards the characters the way I had for last 2 years. Author should have been transparent in January 2023, that the book won't come out.

Sadly, I have moved on from Star-crossed universe. I hope Skylar, Memphis and Ashley get the best.

[Preston isom · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm just a girl, visiting the Goodreads app, wondering when tf this book will be released

[Akua · Rating 1 out of 5]

At this point keep the book. Danielle Landrum who is the admin of “Ashley Jades Angry Girls” Facebook group is ANNOYING and a kiss ass. She’s completely put me off wanting to read it.

[Cecilia]

I just finished book one ”the choice”, and now I want to get my hands on the second book in this series. Does anyone know when it Will be out?

[Heidi (MinxyD14)]

**Will take one last try at the author's work when this is released.
I really just want to know the outcome of the events from The Words

[L. A. Day · Rating 1 out of 5]

Every once in a while I come here to check to see if this book is published yet. 😂 personally, I think self published authors should make it a rule for themselves that if they are going to release a duet, write the entire duet first. Then you can release one book, wait a year, and release the second. It would go much better for them and the story would be fresher in their minds. I can’t even remember the first book now it’s been so long since I read the first one that idk how they could think they could possibly write a sequel with the same vibe several years out. You have to anticipate that life is going to happen but like with any job you have, you still have to work around life’s curve balls. This isn’t the only self published author who has pushed back release day after release day, and I think professionally, you really have to think about restructuring the way you release books if you can’t produce a sequel in a year but want to write duets. I pretty much think this book is never happening and it’s sad bc the first book was so good and we all fell in love with it and now the author has really f’d up her own work. The characters deserved better and so did all of us who paid money for the first one.

[Joanne]

I’ve read The Words multiple times
I’ve read The Choice twice
I’m desperate to read The Consequence, I’ve checked all socials and there’s no updates only from January 2023 saying it will be mid March, it’s now August 2nd 2023, does anyone have any updates?

[Ida Havard]

the way I am waiting for this book... it's unholy

[ana pastel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rant incoming:

I’m not sure how I feel about this author anymore. I LOVE her books, it’s a delicious kind of angst you literally cannot find anywhere else but she started to lose me after she gave us the first part of Memphis and Skyler’s story, I purposely waited a day before the second part of the duet was supposed to release in January of 2023 only to find out it would not be released. Was I disappointed? Yes. Was I angry and hating on the author at that point? No. Because things happens and the new date was set for May. We get to May, same thing. Now it gets pushed back to August and I start getting angry.

I get that this is just a book and things happen, but like many others, reading is an escape and these are the little things I look forward to so on a deeper level I was very disappointed especially when I learned the book wasn’t even halfway completed yet. So why do we have a release date set for January of 2023, a week after the first book was released when it was no where near being done?

Since then I’ve also come to learn that Storm and Quinn are not getting a book…so why are you writing about them and hyping us up for them in The Words? Their story is what I was looking forward to even more than Memphis and Skyler’s. I literally hate to say it but one of my favorite authors is literally becoming the one who has disappointed me the most and that’s a different kind of hurt because she was my go to.

When this book finally comes out, it’s not going to hit the way it would’ve back in January of 2023.

Thanks for listening to my Ted Talk.

[Christina]

lol soooooo August now?


——
May 23, 2024 release 🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠

[Victoria Beers · Rating 1 out of 5]

so it's April 2025, and I can't find this book anywhere?

[Ashling Tobin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Still waiting very frustrating

[Niamh Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

omg i literally just finished the first one in a few hours and i thought the second one was already out ???!!??!!! i am actually going to cry

[amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Josh is underground no need more information to know I am giving 5 stars

[Shalongo]

Here on the 5th of January 2025 and it doesn't look like the book has been released.... @ashleyjade what is going on? Please let us know if its cancelled.

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

Even if the book comes out in this lifetime it will fail because the author has failed her readers. I unfollowed all social media with regard to Ashley because I cant do the unprofessionalism. I get life happens but at some point you have to deliver to your readers. We are the customer and are the ones that will buy into whatever is being sold but if you are no longer selling say that and walk away. Don’t keep putting dates out just to not deliver. Transparency on in this case lack thereof is a deal breaker for me.

[Tanisha ♡]

SkylarMemphis please come home I can't take this anymore 😭😭

[Ridah Hello · Rating 1 out of 5]

Does anyone know when it is releasing?

[Ana | SheSaidYestoBooks · Rating 1 out of 5]

What is this taking SO long????? I’ve been anxiously waiting for this for 2 years and we don’t even get an update about what’s happening.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patience is a virtue. Everyone seems a bit unreasonable since the released date of the book has been pushed back quite a couple times. The author is pregnant with her first child, I can't imagine having to juggle the worries of joining motherhood and writing a book. I'm sure she wants the book to be fleshed out to its complete best. Its not that she's not committed to the due date, life happens and she finds herself with other priorities. Whatever. She's got commitments to her baby that's on the way and that's completely fine. If you want to be updated and check in with her, she has a group on face that she's an admin on.

[Bookiemonster]

Ms Ashley Jade, for the love of god, please 🙏

[isa]

WHEN WILL THIS BOOK COME OUT.