When We Fall by Marquita Valentine

The Basics:
When We Fall by Marquita Valentine
Book Two in the Take the Fall series
Loveswept
Contemporary Romance
Published December 8, 2015
Source: Received Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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Why I picked up this book:

I read Take the Fall and loved it, and was hooked by the teaser chapter for When We Fall at the end of the first book...

Blurb:

In the captivating new novel in Marquita Valentine’s Boys of the South spinoff series—perfect for readers of Abbi Glines and Katy Evans—a small-town sweetheart takes a chance on the bad boy who’s always been her hottest fantasy.

The last time Piper Ross saw her best friend’s sexy older brother, Jase Simmons, he was being taken away in handcuffs. Seven years later, two things haven’t changed: Piper is still head-over-heels in love with him . . . and Forrestville’s chief of police—Piper’s dad—still hates his guts. So when Piper sees a chance to get close to Jase, she makes her move—literally. As his new roommate, and as the office manager of his tattoo shop, Piper won’t be satisfied until Jase knows that she wants to be his.

The quintessential good girl, Piper is pure temptation for Jase. The only reason he’s always kept his distance is because she’s the last person he’d ever want to hurt. But once he realizes that Piper is ready to take the leap, everything just makes sense. Suddenly Jase feels like a new man—until nasty rumors start swirling and Piper’s heartless father stirs up even more trouble. Now Jase must convince Piper that she wasn’t wrong about him . . . because falling in love never felt so right.

My Thoughts:

When I read Take the Fall, I fell for Jase and Piper based on the chapter included as a teaser at the end of the book. I loved the idea of this tattooed-ex-con-bad-boy with a soft spot for the good girl. I loved the idea of a woman spreading her wings, not only by shedding her parents' expectations for her life and making some of her own, but by going after the guy she's loved forever. 

When We Fall did deliver on those things. Jase's super protective of Piper, who is determined to make a new life for herself, without her parents' help. The odds are a little stacked against her as she's not got a lot in the way of finances, she needs a place to live right at the very start of the book, and she has a medical condition that complicates everything. Plus a ton of family baggage. Oh the baggage.

What the book excels at is communicating both the attraction between Jase and Piper, and amping the sexual tension between them. The book has plenty of steamy scenes. There's also a surprising number of emotional ones as they both deal with the past and making sense of the future.

I did find a bit of character inconsistency with one of the secondary characters. There was one scene that really threw me off, and had me scratching my head.

Otherwise, I was a little let down by how quickly Jase and Piper wind up together. I appreciated Jase's resistance to the idea early on, and I wanted to see that struggle extend through more of the book. I never really felt like there was a serious threat to the HEA for this romance, and that made some of the book a little flat for me. 

Still, Jase and Piper are, individually, characters that I really liked, and I did enjoy this book.

Bottom line:

When We Fall is a solid contemporary romance between a "bad boy" and a "good girl." It met my expectations in some important ways, and it fell a little short in others. Still, I'd recommend it (particularly at the current price point of 99 cents) if you're at all intrigued by the blurb or if you read the first book in the series!

4 stars
For fans of contemporary romance, ex-cons, tattoos

Don't just take my word for it though! I've gathered up a couple of other blog reviews, so check them out for some other opinions!

The Book Disciple 

Romantic Reads and Such

Collector of Book Boyfriends & Girlfriends