Review: Catch My Fall - Jessica Scott

Former Army Sergeant Deacon Hunter is trapped.

Trapped in the friend zone. Longing for the woman who captured his heart when they were deployed in Iraq.

Former Army Sergeant Kelsey Ryder has scars, the kind of scars she hopes that no one ever sees. Working around the guys at the Pint, she’s reminded of everything she lost when she left the Army behind.

But some scars refuse to stay hidden.

One fateful night changes everything and neither of them know if their relationship will ever be the same.

All Deacon knows is that he’ll be there to catch her when she finally falls

Falling Series:
Before I Fall
Break My Fall
After I Fall
Catch My Fall

Visit Jessica Scott's website for more information.

Review:
Kelsey and Deacon are both former army Sergeants who served together in Iraq, they had an intense secret relationship during their deployment but things fell apart when they returned home before Deacon deployed again. Now they've both left the army and they're struggling to find their feet in a civilian life, both studying to complete their degrees they meet again when they become colleagues at The Pint. The sexual chemistry is definitely still there but Kelsey is terrified of getting hurt again and returning to the dark place she was in at the end of their last relationship, Deacon wants more but knows pushing too hard will only make Kelsey run so he's working on winning her around slowly. They're both fighting demons though and need to learn to deal with the emotional and physical scars left by everything they experienced in the army before they can find a way back together.

I always love Jessica Scott's writing and Catch My Fall is another perfect example of why I enjoy her books so much. Her military romances are always so incredibly heartwarming but they also highlight the difficulties faced by soldiers returning home from deployment and the way they can struggle to adjust to civilian life. It's not just the emotional turmoil though but also the way it can be so hard for them to get the medical help needed, this would obviously be slightly different for soldiers in the UK who have access to the NHS, but I was absolutely horrified by the way Kelsey was treated by the VA and I can only assume that this is something that happens to vets all the time in the US. As a serving soldier herself and with a husband who is also in the army you can tell that Jessica Scott writes from real life experience, her stories have so much genuine emotion in them that not all military romances manage to capture.

In spite of showing how hard life can be for army vets this series is above all a romance and Catch My Fall is about finding yourself again after emotional trauma and finding a way to move forward. It's not about love fixing all your problems but it does show that the right support can make the world of difference, be that support of a partner or from family, friends and colleagues. The staff at The Pint are all ex military and they've built a great network where they all watch out for each other. It was nice to catch up with some of the previous couples and we also get to know Caleb a bit better so I'm really looking forward to his story. I absolutely loved Kelsey and Deacon's story, they were such a brilliant couple and I'm glad they finally found their way back to each other.

Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review

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Review: After I Fall - Jessica Scott

Her entire life has been a lie. Being with Eli is the most honest thing she’s ever done.

Parker Hauser lives the perfect life and knows exactly where she's been and where she's going. Parker has to be perfect. Perfect grades, perfect body, perfect life.

Until she meets Eli Winter.

Eli throws her entire life into chaos when he denies her the one thing she wants from him.

One chance encounter stokes her desire for the man who refused to touch her and left her questioning everything.

When Parker tries to help his new business, the spotlight turns on Eli's military record. And the war he's tried to forget may destroy them both.

Falling Series:
Before I Fall
Break My Fall
After I Fall
Catch My Fall

Visit Jessica Scott's website for more information.

Review:
I've been wanting to read Eli's story ever since we met him in Before I Fall, the former officer has been a steady influence on both of the heroes from previous books. He runs the local bar and seems to collect wounded ex-soldiers and adopt them into his tribe where he can keep an eye on them. Eli is always watching out for other people and putting their needs first but he's very closed off about his own past and you just know he's keeping a lot of things to himself so I couldn't wait to get to know him better.

I'll admit I was nervous when I found out he was matched with Parker though, what we saw of her in After I Fall didn't exactly leave me with a good opinion of her. She came across as a typical spoilt rich girl, someone who had everything handed to her on a plate and who had no idea what it was like to live in the real world. I wasn't convinced I'd ever be able to root for them as a couple but I just love it when an author manages to change my opinion about a character and Jessica Scott definitely achieved that here. Yes Parker comes from money and she's never had to worry financially but you quickly realise that her life hasn't been a bed of roses. Her problems are very different to anything I've ever experienced but that doesn't make them any less difficult for her to cope with and she gave me a lesson in not judging someone by the size of their bank account!

I thought Eli and Parker made a great couple, they're both incredibly alone in different ways. Eli is surrounded by people that he cares for and who care for him in return but he always feels like he has to be the one protecting everyone else and he doesn't really let anyone know when he's the one who is struggling. Parker on the other hand has never had anyone put her first, her whole life is dictated by what her father wants from her, she has to look good and behave in appropriate ways to help him with his business contacts and she's even been forced into an engagement with a man she doesn't like because her father has chosen him as his future son-in-law. Eli is the first person to really listen to what Parker wants and to encourage her to follow her own dreams and in return Parker is there for Eli in ways that nobody else is. They fit so well together and have fabulous chemistry too.

If there is one thing I wanted to see a little more of it would have been more of what happened after Parker confronted Davis. I really would have loved an extra scene with her father that perhaps showed he cared for her after all but I guess that would probably have been a bit too much of a fairytale because he wasn't very likely to backdown after Parker chose to defy him. I enjoyed the brief appearances by previous characters from the series though and we get to see a lot of Eli's bar staff Deacon and Kelsey which I loved. I really can't wait to read their book later on this year - I need to know more about their previous history!

Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Break My Fall - Jessica Scott

Violence.

I’m addicted to it. It’s how I feel alive. It’s the only thing that’s real any more.

And now I have to sit around and discuss it like it’s physics or calculus. I can’t do it. I can’t pretend that it’s some sterile academic topic. Violence isn’t sterile. It isn’t calm. It’s pulsing. It’s alive.

It’s my drug.

Until I met Abby, I never wanted anything beyond the next fight. Never considered that I might finally find a way back to the land of the living.

Now? Now I find myself dreaming of a woman with golden eyes.

But I can never be with her. Because I am not whole. And I never will be again.

But I cannot stay away.

And loving her might finally be what breaks me.

Falling Series:
Before I Fall
Break My Fall
After I Fall
Catch My Fall

Visit Jessica Scott's website for more information.

Review:
Jessica Scott writes stories about soldiers who have returned from war and are trying to settle back into life at home. You can tell she writes from experience and she captures the struggles they face perfectly so it is very easy to get inside her characters head's and feel everything right alongside them.

Josh spent two tours abroad and he's come home broken, he's not coping with the stress and is drinking far too much which doesn't help his anger issues so he's often getting into bar fights. He's trying to settle into college but he feels so different to all the other students and his PTSD makes it hard for him to even get to his classes let alone stay focused once he's there. Abby has had her heart broken before and she's determined to put all her energy into getting through college and coming out with good grades. She doesn't really have time or energy for a relationship but she wants to help Josh deal with his issues. Abby makes Josh want to be a better man but can he put the past behind him, deal with his anger and move on with his life?

I loved both the main characters in this story. Josh has been through a lot and is seriously messed up but he wants to deal with his problems and he slowly learns how to open up with Abby and his fellow ex-soldiers. I like that the author doesn't use falling in love as an instant fix for everything, he wants to do right by Abby but he still makes mistakes and has to work at making better decisions with his life. Abby is great too, she's been through her own version of hell and it's made her a strong and independent woman. I loved the friendship between her and her best friend and the way she supported him through his own difficult break up.

I think my main issue with the story was that things started to move quite quickly between Josh and Abby. That wouldn't normally bother me but knowing Abby's history made me find it really hard to believe that she wouldn't be more wary of Josh, especially since the first couple of times she meets him it's obvious he's been in a fight. Someone with experience of domestic abuse is much more likely to be wary of a violent drunk so even though Josh never, ever raises a finger towards Abby or threatens her in any way I just think she'd be more aware of the violence inside him and I think it would frighten her more. I could have totally got on board their friendship developing over a longer period and I do love them as a couple but I wanted things to happen a bit slower. Like I said please don't worry that Josh is an abusive partner because he really, really isn't and I wouldn't have felt so concerned if it hadn't been for Abby's background. This is an issue that's a little personal for me so I'm probably more sensitive to it than most readers will be and I'm sure others wouldn't even notice what I did.

I'm really enjoying this series, I love Jessica Scott's writing and I'm looking forward to Eli's story. He's been a great side character in the previous two books as a friend and almost mentor to both Noah and Josh and I can't wait to get to know him better.

Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Before I Fall - Jessica Scott

Stay focused. Get a job. Save her father's life.

Beth Lamont knows far too much about the harsh realities of life her gilded classmates have only read about in class. She'll do whatever it takes to take care of her father, even if that means tutoring a guy like Noah - a guy who represents everything she hates about the war, soldiers and what the Army has done to her family.

Noah Warren doesn't know how to be a student. All he knows is war. But he's going to college now to fulfil a promise and he doesn't break his promises. Except he doesn't count on his tutor being drop dead gorgeous and distracting as hell. One look at Beth threatens to unravel the careful lies Noah has constructed around him.

A simple arrangement turns into something neither of them can deny. And a war that neither of them can forget could destroy them both.

Falling Series:
Before I Fall
Break My Fall
After I Fall
Catch My Fall

Visit Jessica Scott's website for more information.

Review:
As a fan of Jessica Scott's Coming Home series I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy of her first NA book and Before I Fall was even better than I'd hoped it would be. I love contemporary romances, I even enjoy NA contemps but I'm sure I can't be the only person who is sick of reading the same old tropes and clichés in nearly every story I pick up? Well, I'm very, very happy to say that Before I Fall avoids all of those pitfalls. There is no player hero who can suddenly keep it in his trousers for that one special girl, no virginal, sweet and innocent heroine who has never even been attracted to a boy before, no bitchy best friends, catty girls or slut shaming, no ex-girlfriends or ex-boyfriends who are trying to split up the main couple, no cheating, no love triangles and absolutely no pointless drama just for the sake of it. Nope, not a single one of those tropes and I can't even tell you how refreshing that is!

So now I've told you all about what we haven't got let me tell you a bit more about what you can look forward to. You're in for a treat, trust me! You have two realistic main characters, people who have problems but who are basically decent people who have been dealt a bad hand in life, the kind of people you went to school with, hell the kind of people you're probably friends with. You also have a really, really sweet romance with plenty of sexy times and a love that brings light into the darkness of their lives but that doesn't magically fix all their problems. Great supportive friendships for both main characters and even a decent adult role model who is there for both of them. The characters who have issues accept they have a problem, understand that they are the only ones who can fix it and guess what - they actually ask for the help they need to turn their lives around. Shocking right?

Beth's father was a soldier until he was badly injured and he is now medically retired. He suffers chronic, debilitating pain and is unable to hold a job down but the disability cheques he receives aren't enough to pay for the medical care he needs. Beth is desperately trying to hold things together, struggling to find enough money to pay the bills, buy her father's medication and just put food on the table. She is also trying to keep up her grades in the hope that she'll be able to get into a decent graduate program - the only chance she has of ever getting a job that will help her pay off the family's horrendous debts. Noah is a soldier who has served his country but who was injured in a bomb blast that killed most of his unit. He is suffering with PTSD and extreme anxiety but he is determined to get his life back on track and do well at college.

Beth never wanted to get involved with a soldier but Noah is the first person in a long time who sees what she is going through and puts her first for a change. I absolutely loved seeing how Noah looked out for her, just the little things he did to make life easier for her were so sweet to read about. He makes mistakes by keeping things from her but I never felt angry with him because you could feel what he was going through. Likewise, when Beth found out about what he was hiding I didn't blame her for flipping out, she had been through so much because of her dad and couldn't face the thought of it happening all over again with someone else. I loved them both for acting like adults and actually talking through their issues though. They make such a sweet couple and it really was easy to imagine them being happy together.

One of the things that really stands out in all of the books I've read by Jessica Scott is how well she understands the life of a soldier, as a career officer herself she has a lot of experience regarding the issues that soldiers face on a daily basis but also how difficult it is for the families who are left at home waiting for news of their loved ones. This is something that really shines through in her writing and it makes her stories feel all the more realistic. I absolutely loved Before I Fall and I was incredibly excited to find out who the main characters are for the next book Break My Fall (that information is included at the back of the book for anyone who is curious). The sequel is definitely going to the top of my wish list so I just hope we don't have to wait too long for it to be published!

Source: Received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

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