If We Fall

Nice cliffhanger romance Nice small town romance with enough spice with Cole, as the rich bad boy who has his own reasons for acting the way he did and Josie being the only one who seems to understand Cole. The story ends in a cliffhanger as events of ten years back are not yet unraveled completely leading to the next book. Nice interesting read.

4.5 stars--IF WE FALL is the first full length instalment in Nina Lane’s contemporary, adult WHAT IF Duet focusing on artist Josie Mays, and distillery owner Cole Danforth. For backstory and history I recommend reading the prequel novella-IF WE LEAP. Told from dual first person perspectives (Josie and Cole) IF WE FALL follows in the aftermath of a rekindling relationship between artist Josie Mays, and distillery owner Cole Danforth. Ten years earlier Josie Mays’ life was destroyed; her heart broken; and the boy that she loved walked away without looking back. From childhood best friends to high school / college sweethearts and lovers, Josie and Cole had been everything for one another but one night destroyed it all. Fast forward to present day wherein Josie May returns to her hometown of Castille, Maine in an effort to pay homage to the people she loved by painting a mural for the Castille Historical Society. Enter Cole Danforth, the only man that Josie has ever loved, and the man that broke what was left of her shredded heart. What ensues is the rekindling romance between Josie and Cole, and the potential fall-out as the truth about what happened years before may send Josie into a spiral from which she may never return. IF WE FALL is a story of family, friendship, secrets and revenge. Cole has struggled all of his life to fit into the mould his father endeavored to present to the world. In private, Cole’s earlier years were a living h*ll but the public only saw what his father wanted them to see- a dedicated and respected businessman whose only son struggled to fit into his life. Years later, Cole’s actions begin to divide a town that was once dependant upon his father’s power, a power Cole is unwilling to propagate and pretend. Cold and damaged, Cole keeps secret the truth about the who, how, and why including what appears to be a calculated attempt to destroy the town. Josie Mays had fallen in love with the misunderstood Cole from the time she was nine years old, a love that has never waivered in the face of rejection, heartbreak and engulfing darkness. Returning to Castille, Josie suspected she would come face to face with her past but her past continues to push Josie out of his life. The relationship between Josie and Cole is a friends to lovers/ second chance romance between two wounded souls who have loved one another for most of their lives. Josie knew that Cole’s home life wasn’t all hearts and flowers, and in this Josie was determined to be Cole’s anchor in an every worsening storm. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text. IF WE FALL is an emotional, heart breaking and raw story line about love, lies and deception; hidden secrets and public perception. The premise is gritty and gripping; the romance is intimate and breath-taking; the characters are broken, tragic and lost. Nina Lane’s impassioned writing style is palpable; her characters and series come to life with every turn of the page. IF WE FALL ends of a cliff-hanger-you have been warned.

After reading the prequel (If We Leap) which is free, I was expecting If We Fall by Nina Lane to be an all out tear-jerker and was surprised when it wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong, this is a very emotional story that will brings a lot of feeling to the table. It’s a well written at times heart-wrenching and soul-crushing story of two broken people who can only find peace with each other. Cole and Josie have known each other since childhood and finally found love when she was nineteen. They thought it was forever until the worst event in their lives tore them apart. Now, ten years later, Josie is back home in Castille and she and Cole are soon bound together. She should hate him for what he’d done but a love like theirs couldn’t be forgotten or ignored. There were some questions raised from events in the prequel, some answered others not and I can’t for If We Fly to get the final truth of what really happened that night so long ago.