Read the full review on Bookaholics Not-So-Anonymous.

Note: This ARC was provided by Loveswept in exchange for an honest review.

It's been six months after Hunter took Evangeline to a local women's shelter, but he still hasn't been able to forget about her. She isn't the first woman he's ever helped from a dire situation, but she's the only who's affected him. Maybe it's because she's the victim of domestic abuse, something that resonates with Hunter since he and his mother endured far too many years being regularly abused by Hunter's father. When Evangeline ends up being his new neighbor, Hunter wants nothing more than to become close to her. However, Evangeline is wary of men in general and while Hunter may have been her rescuer, she doesn't trust him and doesn't like the idea of owing him anything. Slowly but surely, though, Hunter shows Evangeline that he's nothing like her soon-to-be ex-husband, allowing her to get used to him and earning her trust in the process. But Evangeline's past refuses to fully set her free, and when she learns that Hunter is keeping secrets, she may soon find herself wondering if she truly knows the man she's falling for.

This was an interesting story that has Evangeline not just learning to trust Hunter but learning to trust herself and her feelings as well. While I wouldn't call what Hunter feels for Evangeline as insta-love, he is somewhat overly attached to her, considering that all he knows about her prior to them becoming neighbors is what was in her case file. I think the fact that she was in a similar situation as his mother is the main reason he was so drawn to her. I did like, though, that he gave her as much time and space as he could in the beginning, and that he didn't pressure her for more than she was able to give. I do wish, however, that there was a bit more attention paid to Evangeline finding ways to overcome the trauma her estranged husband left her with instead of glossing over and focusing more on the romance element. Two of the brightest spots in the story belong to Saylor Dean--who gets her own story with firefighter Hayden Walker in book four--and Jake the foster dog, and they helped make After We Fall more of a four-star level read. ♥

I have read this entire series and was happy with how this story moved forward. You don't hear a lot about the previous characters so you won't feel lost if you read as a standalone though. While a love story this had some really raw and powerful under currents including abuse. I feel it was done with dignity and respect and not just a filler side story.

I loved the side story of being a dog volunteer being a dog lover and former volunteer. Hunter a local cop was strong and powerful but also self reflective and gentle. Evangeline was coming into her own and finally finding her voice which was at time snarky and sassy, which I loved.

Overall a fun love story with depth that I found myself laughing, smiling and just plain not wanting to put it down.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

**I was gifted with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review**
[bc:After the Fall|25769948|After the Fall (Take the Fall, #3)|Marquita Valentine|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1455220307s/25769948.jpg|45617679]BY[ai:Marquita Valentine|6433264|Marquita Valentine|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1357165252p2/6433264.jpg]

I am an avid "A Take The Fall" series fan. I have read the previous 2 as well and have followed along Marquita Valentines writing. Just as much as I loved the previous 2 I loved this one too. This one definitely dealt with a bigger subject and much more serious. Very taboo in the sense that not every one is willing to write about these experiences. But this was done beautifully. You really felt for Hunter and his experience and for Evangeline and hers. It was so hard to read of her flashbacks but as a reader your dedicated to get through it. It was such an amazing character development opportunity for both characters. I loved this read and I look forward to the next!!!! Hayden & Saylor!!!!

Take The Fall series:
Book 1: [bc:Take the Fall|23437529|Take the Fall (Take the Fall, #1)|Marquita Valentine|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1423967892s/23437529.jpg|43002272]

Book 2: [bc:When We Fall|24974340|When We Fall (Take the Fall, #2)|Marquita Valentine|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1435557272s/24974340.jpg|44639471]

Book 3: [bc:After the Fall|25769948|After the Fall (Take the Fall, #3)|Marquita Valentine|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1455220307s/25769948.jpg|45617679]

This was a great addition to the series. Now, I thought it was kinda different, mainly because these weren't main characters with loose ends from the other books. They were side characters, who got their own story.

Hunter is a cop, a good one. He is nice and sweet and cares about Evangeline. Evangeline was a phenomenally written character.

I also really liked the fact that there were so many animals in this book (cute dogs all over the place, and cats!).



Check out the full review atBookaholic Raves

I love this series. If you are a fan of Abbi Glines, and who isn't, you should check this series out. It's low on drama and angst and high on the sexieness and sweetness factor. Hunter and Evalangeline meet when she's an her lowest, leaving her abusive husband after he abuses her in When We Fall. This starts off six months later and Hunter can't seem to get Evalangeline out of his head. Evalangeline moves into his building but is reluctant to start anything with Hunter since she doesn't trust her own judgement and is still trying to heal. Valentine did a great job of not only portraying domestic violence survivors but the struggles of a cop as well.

I did only give this 3 stars because I didn't love it as much as the previous book and I didn't get why Hunter was so infatuated with Evalangeline in the first place. Marquita Valentine sure can write an epilogue. The epilogue almost made me bump up my rating. I can't wait until Hayden's book.

I really enjoyed this book! Hunter was so sweet and attentive to Evangeline. She recently got out of an abusive marriage and Hunter was the cop that rescued her on the side of the road. For the last 6 months, Hunter has been unable to stop thinking about Evangeline

Spoiler

so much so that he hasn't even thought about touching another woman since the moment he first met her - swoon!

. When they end up neighbors, sparks fly between them but Evangeline is afraid after everything she went through. I loved how understanding Hunter could be with Evangeline but also how he knew what she needed. This book was steamy and surprisingly low-angst. I am really looking forward to the next book in this series!

**ARC provided in exchange for an honest review**

Could you fall for someone that recused you from your worst nightmare?? That's the situation Evangeline is faced with when you begins her new life and finds herself back in the arms of Hunter. They are both faced with a decision that could change their whole lives, maybe for the better. I enjoyed this second chance at life romance.

ARC provided via Netgalley.

Hunter Sloan can more than help the people he works with as a cop, he can sympathize. With his childhood in an abusive family behind him, he's centered his life around helping others. There's just one girl he can't forget, even with her broken spirit and painful bruises, she stood out to him. When new-to-town Evangeline moves in across the street he can't believe it's the same woman and he'd do anything to have her.
Evangeline wants nothing to do with relationships, especially after leaving her abusive ex behind, but she can't get the cop across the hall out of her mind. As she learns to live on her own again and find the strength inside her she finds that companionship in Hunter isn't as bad as she once thought. She's always wary though, about the darkness that could be inside, and the choices she must make are harder than she imagined they would be.

“There’s a fire in her eyes that I would love to get burned by.”

I pretty much swooned my way through this entire book. Marquita Valentine writes characters that you'll immediately sympathize with and a story line that's both heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. The Take the Fall series is known for having beautiful HEA's, but the process to get there in After We Fall is full of angst. I've never read a book and had so much hope for the characters, because I felt so much for them. Hunter is such a gentleman, his past forming him into a better person, and he's ever the optimist. Evangeline is beautiful, but broken, terrified of her ex, afraid to move on, and trapped in a cycle of pessimism. Together, though, these two even one another out and their chemistry is enough for both to put their pasts behind them in exchange for new beginnings. I loved both characters and how realistic they were as they dealt with their problems. Their chemistry is scorching hot and I love how they started out and what it morphed into. Plus, they happen to have the best friends ever and every interaction in this book was entertaining. I found myself laughing often, holding back tears repeatedly, and becoming an eternal optimist for both of the main characters to overcome their issues to be together.

“He’s not an impatient kisser, not at all. Hunter has a mouth made for sinning and the skills to make me want to skip dinner and go straight to dessert.”

While After We Fall is book 3 in the Take the Fall series it read a lot more like a standalone than I expected. There is more emphasis on the main characters and the single secondary characters than there are on the characters from the previous two novels. I loved the interactions the main characters had with the secondary characters, though at times they didn't feel conducive to moving the book along. While Evangeline and Hunter do have some serious chemistry, I wasn't expecting the instalove vibe I got. I felt like the abusive relationship Evangeline dealt with was almost forgotten for her personally about halfway through, unless she was being directly impacted by it. That said, I think everything the characters went through really lead to some great character development and story development, so my complaints didn't affect the overall read for me.

"I know what’s in your heart."

I was super impressed with After We Fall, I think Marquita Valentine handled the heavy topic of abuse very well and I loved the growth both characters go through. All of the characters had such personality and I will definitely be sticking around for Saylor's story, I love that nerdy girl!

After We Fall is a beautiful story about working past your fears to find love. We begin the story with Hunter, a uniformed cop who just can’t get a domestic abuse survivor whom he helped out of his mind. Months later, she moves in across from him. Evangeline, has endured years of horrific abuse at her husband’s hand and is just beginning to get on her feet again. She isn’t looking for anyone and she really isn’t looking for her rescuer, especially for him to be right across the hall from her.

Both Hunter and Evangeline have terrible stories to tell and while they do feature in the book, they aren’t the star of the book. I appreciated that. The book was about finding the courage to heal, to trust, and to love again. I loved the character development in the book. Sometimes I find that novels can be lopsided, with one doing more growing then the other. In this one, though, both Hunter and Evangeline grow and you can see it. They both find ways to overcome their pasts in their own ways. I think Hunter was just the right level of protective. He was sweet and knew what Evangeline needed. Evangeline was finding her way again; she was making friends and reconnecting with family. I loved that she was slowly finding her sass. The side characters add to the story, adding depth and humor. I loved Saylor (maybe more than Evangeline but shh, don’t tell her).

It was a bit of a slow build up for me but I once I got through it, I was engaged fully and couldn’t put it down. In the end, I really enjoyed the book. It was beautifully written and I look forward to reading more by the author. I plan on going back and reading the first two in the series.

ARC provided by NetGalley for in exchange for an honest review.