No Falling Allowed by Melissa West (Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads)Also by this author: Collide (Entangled Teen), No Kissing Allowed (Entangled Embrace), Racing Hearts, Your B&B or Mine?, Wild Hearts, Fighting Love
on July 18, 2016
Format: eARC
My life just went South…
Twenty-four hours. That’s how long it took my life to flip upside down.
Wake up in bed alone after the best night of my life? Check.
Get fired instead of the promised promotion? Check.
Wealthy parents cut me off when I refuse to follow their path for my life? Check.
Now I’m in Cricket Creek, SC—a place where no New Yorker belongs—disowned and broke, with a new job that I can’t mess up. Oh yeah, and staring at my one-night stand, who happens to be the complete opposite of my type.
Southern.
Cocky.
Bartender.
Noah Hunter never should have made it back to my apartment in NYC, and I definitely shouldn’t be in his small town. But fate had another plan. Or a horrible sense of humor.
Who knew Mr. Wrong could feel so right…
Jaime’s Thoughts
So I basically devoured this book in about 3 hours because I couldn’t stop reading. I know authors probably hate that after all the time and hard work they put into a book, but it’s a testament to how engrossed I was in this story that I just couldn’t put it down!
I loved the first book in this companion series and I had high expectations for this second one … and I wasn’t disappointed. I can now count West among my go-to NA authors for sure!
Grace and Hunter couldn’t be more different. He’s from a small town in Alabama, and she lives in the bustle of NYC. He’s a bartender who just wants to make sure his brother knows he’s safe and secure and she has aspirations to do things for herself without falling back on the family name.
From their first meeting there were sparks and I absolutely loved how sure Hunter was of himself.
“Maybe you’ll change your mind.”
“I won’t.”
The corner of his mouth curved up. “Something tells me you will. See you in a few hours sweetheart,” he said, the moment passing and the arrogance returning in full force. Before I could reply, he turned and walked slowly down the stairs, every female set of eyes following him like hand he alone could answer all of their prayers.
I think what I liked most about this story were the characters. I really found myself loving Grace. She has the world handed to her on a platter and instead of just taking the hand out, she is determined to make a name for herself doing what she loves and I love that she stands up to her parents no matter the consequence… and believe me there are consequences! I just love strong female characters and she’s exactly that, but you also know that she loves her family and friends fiercely!
Hunter… you guys are about to find your new crush! He has the weight of the world on his shoulders … or so it seems. He’s determined as well, but in a slightly different way. Since the death of his parents he’s made it his mission to be the parents his younger brother no longer has, and if that means sacrificing any dreams he may have had for himself, so be it. And he’s seriously sexy you guys!
Hunter and Grace meet totally by chance, like I said he’s from Cricket Creek, Alabama and she’s from NYC but meet they do, and they have an amazing night together… but when Grace wakes up Hunter is gone without a note or anything. She chalks it up to a one-night stand… her first and last. But fate has something else in store for these two, and when they reunite, the sparks are there more than ever. But they both have baggage that they need to work out and it’s definitely not going to be easy.
I have to also point out that West has created some wonderful female friendships in this companion series and I was so excited to see some of Cameron and Aiden and I am really excited for the next book in this series as well especially because I think it’s going to be Lauren!
West really hits on some wonderful things here… the importance of friends and family, and making our own way in the world, something that will really work for fans of the NA genre. If you haven’t picked up a Melissa West book yet, I urge you to get one (the first book in this series is only $.99 right now!) and dive right in! I promise you won’t be disappointed, this had everything I love in a good NA, fun characters, a sweet story that will have you turning pages, a strong willed, head strong woman, and a sexy, southern bartender who you won’t be able to resist!
Thank you to the publisher for an early copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Erin’s Thoughts
I have to assume that by now you know that Melissa West is one of my go to authors as I love her YA, NA, and adult romance books and I know that if I pick up a book by her, I will get what I want in a good book; great characters, an engaging story, and in some cases…some lovely romance. No Falling Allowed is the companion story to West’s previous NA, No Kissing Allowed and just like that book, this one hooked me immediately and I couldn’t put it down. No Falling Allowed gives us Grace and Noah’s stories and I loved these characters so much.
Grace grew up in a well-known, influential family and she has fought hard to get where she is on her own without relying on her father’s name. Hunter on the other hand, has not had an easy time of things and while visiting family in New York, and on one of the most important nights of Grace’s career, these two meet and the story goes forward from there. There is an immediate attraction between Grace and Hunter and they end up going back to her apartment but when Grace wakes up in the morning, Hunter is gone.
As I mentioned, Grace has her family to fall back on if she wanted to but when she loses her job she makes the decision to go against her father’s wishes to join his company and with that decision, she is cut off from all the financial support he has given her. When Grace is introduced to a new opportunity with a Wedding Planning company, she finds herself in Cricket Creek, SC.
I’m not going to give a lot of Hunter’s story away but be prepared my friends…he might just be your next book boyfriend. I loved everything about him…he challenges Grace, loves his brother and is pretty darn swoony. Unfortunately Hunter carries a lot on his shoulders and he doesn’t like to rely on others. Because of this, he isn’t really living his life but he continues to think about Grace, even though she lives in New York and he live in…you guessed it, Cricket Creek, SC.
I loved how West built the story around these characters and despite their setbacks, they are both very strong and motivated. Another thing I love about all of West’s stories is the friendships she writes. Grace’s girlfriends are there for her just like she is there for them and Noah has so much support from the people around him even though he doesn’t always want to take them up on their offers of help.
Of course, the other thing West does well is develop the swoony parts too. I loved these two together and they are probably one of my favorite couples from West. They have the romance, the sexy times, and of course the development of the relationship / friendship between these two was fantastic.
That’s about all I want to tell you about this one because trust me, you will want to read what happens yourself. This one is listed as a book two but you don’t have to read No Kissing Allowed to dive right into this book. Now, with that said, you definitely should read it because it is fantastic (Cameron and Aidan are some other great characters…)!
I know I have said this before, and you probably will hear me say it again. If you love romance and great stories, you need to pick up not only this book, but Melissa West’s other books. They always keep me turning the pages because I can’t wait to find out what happens and they also leave me wanting to know more about how the characters end up.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy!
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