Sunday, March 31, 2019

Review: Downfall by Jay Crownover















From New York Times bestselling author Jay Crownover comes DOWNFALL, a sexy, standalone contemporary romance! Check out all the stops on the tour, and grab your copy today, or read in Amazon KU!
 

About DOWNFALL:

Solomon Sanders doesn’t have time to fall in love. Until a stunning, skittish, single mother forces him to pause and recognize just how empty and hollow his busy life has become.

From the start, it’s been ingrained in Solo’s DNA to fight.

Fight for what he believes is right.

Fight for the people he loves.

Fight for the traces of good in a place which tends to be filled with a variety of bad.

Fight for survival, so at some point, his life will quiet down and find a normal pace.

He wasn’t ready for the impact his secretive, shy, obviously out of place new neighbor was going to have on him. And never in a million years was he prepared to fall head over heels for her and her young daughter.

Now, he’s facing the most important, and the hardest fight he’s ever fought… the battle to win Orley’s damaged heart.

Orley Vincent’s heart is full of fear, leaving no space for love. Until a big, brash, brawler of a man forces his way in and makes her realize facing her fears is the only way she can ever be free.

From the start, Orley was groomed to believe she wasn’t good enough.

She wasn’t the perfect daughter. Or student. Or girlfriend.

But, she has always been the best mother she could be to her daughter, Noble.

Keeping Noble safe has always been the one thing she was determined to do, which ironically, is how she ended up on the wrong side of the tracks, living next door to an unlikely hero. Orley’s a woman on the run. She had no idea her frantic sprint was going to land her in the tattooed arms of a man ready to teach her how to fight for herself… and for love.


DOWNFALL is now available in KU! 


Review:

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Downfall is Jay Crownover's newest novel and it's a complete stand-alone! The author mentions that the story is set on the same universe as The point series, but she doesn't even mention the names of the characters from that series, so if she hadn't given this easter egg to her fans I wouldn't have known about the connection. So read freely.

The book is about Solo and Orley. Solo, our hero, who is working two jobs while taking courses to become a mechanic. He is very good at fixing cars and fighting. Orley, our heroine, has a weird name. I had to say it, because I couldn't remember it no matter how hard I tried and I haven't heard it before. She is a single mom who is struggling to make sure that she and her daughter have the basics and she is raising her lovely daughter alone. There is some backstory to that, but it has an impact on the story and it's considered a spoiler. The reason why she is on the run as the blurb says is what made the book turn slightly dark. Both characters have sad stories and they shaped them into becoming the people we were introduced to at the beginning of this book. 

Orley and Solo's story was good. They had chemistry and the way they were brought together and started developing a relationship felt very organic. It wasn't rushed and it wasn't unbelievable. Noble was a huge part of the story, but she didn't steal the spotlight from the two adults. She appeared and was mentioned in just the right amount considering that she is a toddler and Orley lives and breathes for her. Solo was protective of her (and her mother of course) and he slowly eased his way into her life. His name though was the thing that won her over and you could say that it was insta-love on her part.

The only bad thing about this book was the epilogue. As an epilogue junkie, I take them very seriously and they can even ruin a book for me (like when the reunion happens in the epilogue). This epilogue left me wanting to read more about how Solo and Orley were doing years after the main events happened. We left them in a good place, but I wanted them to be in an even better one. At least you know you read a good book when the only complaint you have is about the epilogue. 

Overall, the downfall was a good story. The pace was good and it had some unexpected turns. Both characters are struggling, but I never doubted that they could make it. The romance was good and the relationships were balanced, so I would recommend the book!

 

EXCERPT:
~ORLEY~
The nearly naked man in front of me stretched his arms over his head and I couldn’t look away from the ripple and flex of his clearly defined abs. His body was ridiculous in all the right ways. I’d never seen a man in person who looked like he did. He was like one of those irrationally, unrealistically hot Instagram guys, but one who was standing in front of me in all his muscly, sweaty glory. I knew somewhere in the back of my head he was dangerous, and I shouldn’t be so nonchalant about chatting him up, but I figured I owed him the common courtesy I bypassed the night before. One thing I had left was flawless manners.
He cocked his head to the side and asked, “If yesterday was the second worst day, how did you survive the first one?”
That wasn’t a day I ever talked about. It was the day that changed everything. The only reason I survived the day was because I had to for the little girl clutching my hand and watching the stranger with wide, curious eyes. I blew out a breath and changed the subject as quickly as possible.
“You ever have one of those days where it’s one thing after another and it feels like the universe is trying to tell you something? Trying to tell you to give up?” I shrugged before he could answer me. “My car broke down. My babysitter quit. My job cut my hours. The icing on the cake was getting attacked on the way home. Like I said, it was a bad day, but that doesn’t excuse me running off without thanking you properly. I owe you more than I can every repay.” I couldn’t think about what might have happened if he hadn’t shown up. My mind wouldn’t allow it.
He dipped his chin again. “No worries. I happened to be in the right place at the right time.” He moved to put the earbuds back in and I considered myself dismissed, but before he could block out the sound, the homeless man on the stoop roused himself into a sitting position and pointed a finger at the man looming in front of me.
“Go help the girl with her car, Solo.” His finger wavered but his voice was surprisingly clear as he issued the order.
Noble bounded up on her toes and tilted her head to the side. “Solo?” My kid was obsessed with Star Wars so there was no way she was going to miss the unusual name.
The man looked down at my daughter, and finally, a grin cracked the stern expression chiseled on his ruggedly handsome face. “Solomon. Solo is my nickname.”
Before I could stop her, she stuck out her hand for the big man to shake. I gulped when her tiny hand disappeared in his much larger one. “I’m Noble.”
He nodded at her. “That’s a pretty name.”
His head moved in my direction and I bit back a sigh. “Orley.” I tossed out my own name reluctantly. “And don’t worry about the car. We’ll figure it out. Seriously.” I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend any more time in his company. He made me feel weird and unsteady. There was a low vibration I could feel humming throughout my body standing this close to him, and I had no time for any kind of distraction.





About Jay Crownover: Jay Crownover is the international and multiple New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men series, the Saints of Denver series, the Point series, the Breaking Point series, the Getaway series, and the Loveless, Texas series. Her books can be found translated in many different languages all around the world. She is a tattooed, crazy haired Colorado native who lives at the base of the Rockies with her awesome dogs. This is where she can frequently be found enjoying a cold beer and Taco Tuesdays. Jay is a self-declared music snob and outspoken book lover who is always looking for her next adventure, between the pages and on the road.For more on Jay and her books, visit www.jaycrownover.com.

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