Falling Away | Saucy Southern Readers

Falling Away

The Fall Away Series – Book 3

By Penelope Douglas

Synopsis

From the New Adult sensation and New York Times bestselling author of Rival

Jaxon is the guy she’s supposed to avoid. K.C. is the girl he won’t let get away….

K. C. Carter has always followed the rules—until this year, when a mistake leaves her the talk of her college campus and her carefully arranged life comes crashing to a halt. Now she’s stuck in her small hometown for the summer to complete her court-ordered community service, and to make matters worse, trouble is living right next door.

Jaxon Trent is the worst kind of temptation and exactly what K.C. was supposed to stay away from in high school. But he never forgot her. She was the one girl who wouldn’t give him the time of day and the only one to ever say no. Fate has brought K.C. back into his life—except what he thought was a great twist of luck turns out to be too close for comfort. As they grow closer, he discovers that convincing K.C. to get out from her mother’s shadow is hard, but revealing the darkest parts of his soul is nearly impossible.…

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Michel’s Review

For fans of the Fall Away series this book has been highly anticipated. Jaxon Trent has been a real enigma since he was introduced into the series. He is the younger brother to Jared Trent. He came from an abusive background and multiple foster homes. He is smart, quiet, mysterious, and beautiful. His intelligence has opened doors, not necessarily good ones, and gave him power in his life. He is the extreme opposite of his brother Jared. He is not one to react. He bides his time, plans his actions, and strikes. All of those are just impressions the reader has walked away with. We really don’t know the true extent of all that is Jaxon Trent until we read Falling Away.

We also met K.C. Carter in book one and continued to see glimpses of her throughout the series. She is the snooty and frivolous girl that seems mindless. Although she was portrayed in a very negative manner in Bully, readers couldn’t help but like her anyways. Most of us understood the whole high school mentality and foolish decisions K.C. made. We also understood that she was involved in a very stifling relationship that was harmful to her being. What was odd and hard to understand was the attraction between her and Jax, who is a year younger and polar opposite. How could these two come together?

Falling Away has the turbulent and combustible plot we have come to expect in this series. It also had quite a few surprises. The biggest surprise was K.C. Carter. She is not what we were led to believe. Her life has been just as harsh as Jax’s life. While she might not have experienced all of the violence that Jax did, she did suffer from abuse.

When a bad decision and freeing moment forces K.C. to return home to serve out her sentence of community service, it also forces her to face everything she has deeply hidden away. It also puts her in Jax’s life once again. This time Jax plans on keeping her around long enough to conquer her and break her down. But Jax is for a big surprise. K.C. is more than he anticipated and when the real K.C. Carter is revealed she may just break Jax.

These two are not the polar opposites we were led to believe. Now they will have to break each other down and build each other up, one kiss and touch at a time.

This story kept me glued to the pages. It was well written, full of emotional angst, turbulent moments, steamy love scenes, and stunning surprises. The biggest surprise is at the end and left readers with their jaws hanging on the ground. I won’t spoil the moment. I will just say that readers are going to be pre-ordering the upcoming novella, Aflame, coming April 21, 2014. Let me say, I love the direction this series is headed.

About Penelope Douglas

Penelope Douglas is a writer living in Las Vegas. Born in Dubuque, Iowa, she is the oldest of five children. Penelope attended the University of Northern Iowa, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, because her father told her to “just get the damn degree!” She then earned a Masters of Science in Education at Loyola University in New Orleans, because she HATED public administration. One night, she got tipsy and told the bouncer at the bar where she worked that his son was hot, and three years later she was married. To the son, not the bouncer. They have spawn, but just one. A daughter named Aydan. Penelope loves sweets, The Originals, and she shops at Target almost daily.

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Falling Away

Falling Into You Series- Book 4

By Jasinda Wilder

Synopsis

My name is Benjamin Dorsey. You know my mom and dad’s story. You know Kylie’s parents’ story. You even know Kylie’s story.

You don’t know mine, yet.

You don’t know what a broken heart is until you’ve loved someone your whole life, only to have her slip through your fingers because you waited too long. That’s heartbreak. That’s regret. And how do you live with that? How do you go through the motions when she’s there as a reminder of what you lost, of what you could have had but were too damn chicken to go after? I couldn’t. So I left.

That’s right, I ran away. I found myself across the continent, playing minor league football. I mean, at least I still had football, right?

Nope. That got taken away from me too. A career-ending injury left me down-and-out, scraping the bottom of the barrel, hating myself and hating life. And then I met Cheyenne Leveaux, my physical therapist, who became my one and only friend, the one bright light in the darkness of my messed up life.

But of course nothing is ever simple, or easy.

Tragedy struck, and the rug was swept out from under me yet again, and this time the guilt, the doubt, the secrets, and the old heartbreak may threaten my one chance at true happiness, my one shot at my own happily ever after.

Reading Order: Falling Into You, Falling Into Us, Falling Under, Falling Away

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Michel’s Review

Falling Away is the epic ending to the Falling Into You series by Jasinda Wilder. It was a bittersweet moment opening this book and knowing that it was the last in one of my all time favorite series. The characters in this series have lived in my heart and are unforgettable.

After reading the last book, Falling Under, I was devastated for Ben. He was a great kid that had his heart shattered. He showed the ugly and uncontrollable side of his personality. He acted out in the worst possible way. His soul was wounded and he was reacting the only way he knew how. He had carried so many pent up emotions that when the door opened it was a floodgate of pain, betrayal, regret, and anger. I ached for this boy. I felt his deep pain. I wanted him to find the peace and love he so richly deserved. Ben found more than that. He found himself. He found a man that had honor, compassion, and hope.

The book starts a year after Ben left Nashville trying to run from his heartbreak and despair. What Ben didn’t realize at the time is that he was running from himself. It took many miles, odd jobs, new experiences, and new heartbreaks to open his heart once again. He finds his passion for football once again. He finds a place he may want to call home for a spell. He finds that he can be attracted to another woman other than Kylie. He finds a true friend that understands his heartbreaking journey. Just as things are looking bright in Ben’s life he is thrown into despair once again. He loses his only passion and he loses his only true friend. This time around Ben has grown emotionally and matured. He hasn’t come completely into himself but is much stronger than he was a year ago. He also recognizes that a new door is opening and that this time he doesn’t want to slam it shut. He’s not quite ready to welcome the new people & experiences at the door, but he isn’t turning them away. He is opening that door.

Ben meets Echo through a very tragic circumstance. She is unlike any girl or woman he has ever met. He sees a very beautiful woman that has a very wounded soul. Although he doesn’t understand all of her pain, he knows without a doubt he wants to ease it and help her cope. What starts out as a pain easing hookup turns into a soul searching friendship to a passionate love affair that stands the test of time. But first Echo and Ben have to face their pain and allow others into their soul.

Echo is a very troubled young woman. Her life experiences have led her to a self destructive and abusive path. She has trust issues, self worth issues, and loads of regret. Her escape is through music. When music isn’t enough to ease the pain she will have to face herself or destroy herself. Ben shows her a different look at life. He shows her that healing doesn’t erase the person you are, it makes you stronger and better.

Ben and Echo both have their journeys to travel but destiny has thrown their paths together. Now they have to learn to open their hearts and travel that path together.

I loved this book. The reader got to experience Ben’s transition from a wounded boy into a strong and steady man. A man with a bright and shiny future. He was given something better than he ever could of dreamed of having with Kylie. He was given himself as well as a love of a lifetime.

There were a few things in this book that I struggled with but did not affect my overall reaction to the story. There was an excessive amount of references to songs, the performers, and musicians. While I understand the importance of music in this series, I found it distracting in many passages. Another thing I found I disliked quite a bit was that Ben’s parents, Becca and Jason (from Falling Into Us- book 2 ), played a very small role in the overall picture. Jasinda emphasized Colt and Nell’s presence throughout the second part of the book. I understand that they are the foundation of the series but quite honestly I felt like Jason and Becca importance was slighted. They were both powerful characters that overcame advisory in a very positive manner. They experienced pain, heartbreak, abuse, and the hard knocks life had to offer. They overcame their plights and became very strong admirable adults. I feel like they had so much more to offer their son Ben than Jasinda allowed them to.

I am happy that Ben became the man he is today. I am happy that he found the peace in his life. I am happy that he found Echo.

I am very sad that this series has ended but am looking forward to the spin off series coming in the future.

I have nothing but pure praise for Jasinda Wilder. She writes a powerful and emotional reading experience that stays in your heart long after the book is finished.

Read this book. Read this series!

Author Bio:

NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, WALL STREET JOURNAL and international bestselling author Jasinda Wilder is a Michigan native with a penchant for titillating tales about sexy men and strong women. Her bestselling titles include ALPHA, STRIPPED, WOUNDED, and the #1 Amazon and international bestseller FALLING INTO YOU. You can find her on her farm in Northern Michigan with her husband, author Jack Wilder, her five children and menagerie of animals.