Title: Falling Away (Fall Away, #3)
Author: Penelope Douglas
Genre: NA | Contemporary Romance
Release Date: January 6, 2015
Synopsis
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 the bond between them grows, 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.…
Book Trailer - Falling Away
As he made his way back through town, the only sound we
could hear was the water on the streets being kicked up under the tires. He’d
silenced the radio, we weren’t talking . . . and I felt as if he’d
switched off.
Everything had felt alive when he kissed me. His heart
under my palm. His breath in my mouth. His hands roaming over my skin as if
they were trying to memorize every inch of me.
Now he was a bullet. Going from point A to point B without
hesitation.
Until his flat tone finally filled the car. “Come home with
me.” It wasn’t a question, and I couldn’t hear a trace of emotion.
I turned to him, stunned. “Are you serious?” I asked. “I
don’t think I’d be enough for you.”
“Don’t do that,” he shot back. “Don’t ruin what happened
between us. You were fire in my hands, and I want you to remember it, K.C.”
I could feel his eyes on me as I clasped the strap of
Tate’s messenger bag sitting on the floor.
“Clothed, naked, I don’t care . . . ” He trailed off,
sounding almost sad. “As long as your lips are on me again.”
I shifted in the seat, trying to buy myself time. What I
wanted and what I should do were two different things. I’d fought that battle
with Liam, my mother, and hell, the list went on. It was true when I told Jax
that I wanted to be a mess. But I didn’t want to get hurt.
“Thanks for the lesson,” I said. “And the ride. But I’m not
like you, Jax. I don’t just ignore the rules and take what I want.”
“You don’t know me.” His tone turned defensive. “You know
nothing about me.”
“And what do you know about me?” I threw back. “Other than
you wanted me to spread my legs in high school? You want to have fun with me
and nothing more, Jax. Find someone else.”
He jerked the steering wheel to the right, and I grabbed
the door handle to keep from vaulting over to his side of the car as he sped up
into his driveway.
My heart jumped into my throat, and I shot out my hand,
grabbing the dash when he skidded to a quick halt in front of his garage.
“Jax, Jesus!” I scolded.
He shut off the car, yanked the parking brake up, and
turned to look at me, leaning his forearm on the steering wheel. “You think I
don’t know you?” he challenged.
I pursed my lips. “Other than that I’m gutless and
helpless, no.”
He shook his head. “You want to travel. To unusual and
dangerous places. You hid a binder full of National
Geographic pages in your locker in high school because you didn’t want your
mom to see all the pictures you’d torn out to keep track of the places you
wanted to visit.”
My jaw dropped slightly, and I widened my eyes. What?
He continued. “You didn’t eat lunch for an entire month
senior year, because you saw Stu Levi not eating and found out his single mom
was out of work and couldn’t afford to put money on his lunch card. So you put
your own money on it. Anonymously.”
How did . . . ?
“You love dark chocolate,” he kept going, “Ricky Gervais,
and any movie with singing and dancing.” His voice filled the car, and my
heartbeat was in my ears. “Except The
Wizard of Oz, because the witch freaks you out, right? And you’ve collected
almost an entire set of vintage Nancy Drew books. You had the most badges in
your troop in Girl Scouts, and you had to quit swimming when you were fourteen
because your mom said that your shoulders were getting too muscular and you
wouldn’t look feminine. You loved swimming,” he added.
I wrapped my arms around my stomach, the air turning cold.
Tate and Liam didn’t even know all that.
“I didn’t drool all over you in high school, K.C. I
listened to you. I paid attention to you. What the hell do you know about me?”
And he swung the car door open, climbed out, and slammed it
shut, not waiting for an answer.
I sat there, watching him walk into his house and close the
door.
Then the tears spilled over, and as much as I wanted to
prove him wrong, I couldn’t go after him. He didn’t know that I’d watched him,
too. He didn’t know that I’d paid attention as well.
I always saw him.
“Music centers you,” I whispered to an empty car, staring
at his front door. “You listened to your iPod between classes and while you sat
on the bleachers before school every morning.” I smiled, letting more tears run
down my cheeks and thinking back to him and his black hoodies, looking so dark.
“You love popcorn. Almost every kind and flavor but especially with Tabasco
sauce,” I said, remembering the times he would come into the theater where I
worked. “You hold the door open for women—students, teachers, and even old
ladies coming out of Baskin-Robbins. You love movies about natural disasters,
but they have to have some comedy in them. Your favorite one is Armageddon.” I swallowed and thought
about how little I’d ever seen Jax truly smile. “And while you love computers,
it’s not your passion,” I concluded. “You love being outdoors. You love having
space.” My whole face hurt, the last words barely audible. “And you deserve
someone who makes you happy. I’m just not that person.”
Book Trailer - Fall Away Series (Introduction
to all of our Fall Away couples and their stories)
Penelope Douglas is a writer 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 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 they were 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.
REVIEW
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Jax has always had a thing for K.C. I have a thing for Jax. I have been waiting for his story, wanting to know more about him all along. My inner cougar is definitely in full force.
I pictured Jax somewhat like this while reading the book. He's half Native American with black hair, dark skin and bright blue eyes.
Everything comes to surface in Falling Away. I knew Jax had a terrible childhood. The details only make me love him more. We get answers to previous secrets like what happened in his past, what jobs he is doing now and how he feels inside. Jax has always shown an unbreakable cool surface. We finally see cracks. All of the leading men dig into your heart for different reasons. The deepness of Jax's soul is one of his pulls.
K.C. has never been my favorite. I've always thought all the guys and girls from each couple were exciting except K.C. The other girls were badass. K.C. is girly. I went into this read not really caring about her. After learning more about the real person she is, not the shell she has previously shown, I'm totally won over by her also.
Jax and K.C. both definitely had way more pain in their lives than anyone could have surmised from the previous books. Now the problem is can two people with this much baggage make it together?
All of the existing characters appear in this story. They really are making their own way, putting together their own unique family. I adore them all. Sometimes I got quite emotional over it, as does the book.
I blinked away the stinging in my eyes, but I couldn't swallow over the lump in my fucking throat.
Falling Away has all the great constants of this series: fast muscle cars, awesome rock music and undeniably attractive men. The best part is how much I feel. It isn't just entertaining; it's passionate. This book definitely pulled my heartstrings, and I cannot wait for more from these characters.
Only ever you.
Only ever you.
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