Cop, Hunter Sloan, has not been able to get the abused woman he rescued out of his head. It has been six months and he still feels like she was meant to be something in his life, when he finds her moving in next door in his apartment building he can finally breathe again.

Evangeline Ambrose remembers Hunter, even if she doesn't want to look back to that day where her rescued her and she actually began to have a life again. Hunter takes baby steps with Evangeline, hoping to gain her trust. He knows she is his one, but can she move past her fears to move forward with Hunter?

Enjoyable read. I liked seeing Evangeline coming out of her shell. Hunter is a rock, he is intense and while he makes no bones about his desire for Evangeline, he lets her set the pace. Had a couple of side characters I am curious to see if they get a story of their own. Great read, perfect for a spring day sitting outside and relaxing.

3.5 Stars

I am not sure if I am rounding up or down yet...

Ok, so I have to admit. I am reading this out of order. But, in my defence it works as standalone. So I think I got away with it.

I love Valentine's writing style and After We Fall was just written the way I like my cute & fluffies.
Cute, intense and captivating.
I did expect this to be way more fluffy than it actually is. In fact, Valentine tackled the heavy subject of domestic abuse. But while she managed to add the depth and seriousness of it, it isn't really what After We Fall is about. In the end it's a romance.

Which brings me to the story line. And the reason why this is 3.5 rather than 4 Stars for me. If you would have asked me about a third in, I could have told you basically where this was going. And sadly I wasn't surprised at all. I mean not a single surprise. Which is rather disappointing. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed After We Fall. Just somehow wish it wouldn't have been that predictable.
Then there is the whole insta thing. I found it way too much, especially when it came to Hunter.
The good thing with that though, somehow Valentine took a step back and made this a fairly slow romance, which I enjoyed.

While Valentine wasn't wowing me with the story line. She did an impressive job with the character building. I liked Hunter right from the get go. He is just awesome sauce. Let's just put it out there.
Hotilicous and definitely a fab book-boyfriend. Right up there, except that towards the end of the book.. it kinda felt a bit too good to be true. The epilogue especially. Though I got to admit, that I am rather tough customer, I am guessing that many readers will disagree with me.
Evangeline was interesting. I found it hard to connect with her in the beginning, but as time got by, I grew to love her. Valentine did an amazing job IMO. While Evangeline is battling with moving on, her past while haunting her is brilliantly explained. It's probably my favorite part of the book. Valentine delicately balances the bad memories, the doubts, the reclaiming, the hope and the growth of Evangeline. It all is done with a subtle touch so that it never overshadows the cute & fluffy elements while the cute never takes away from the seriousness of the situation. Absolutely love it!
I said that the insta part put me a bit off. But I should mention as their connection and relationship grew, I totally got it. I think their slow romance made this enjoyable. The fact that they have their own struggles, the fact that they both take time to build their trust and the fact that both of them get what the other went through.. all of it makes a solid connection, it's tangible and it feel like they are made for each other.
Yep, I just said that. Shocking I know- remember I am miss commitment-issues. But by the end, Hunter and Evangeline just felt like they were meant to be. Cuddos to Valentine for making me think... and even say this out aloud!
The support cast is interesting, unique and I liked them so much I shall be reading the rest of the series soon! Oh and I can't wait for the next I do hope it's about Hayden...
Last but not least I feel like I should mention that there is dramas and brokenness- but somehow the broken feel wholesome and there is not much angst. It's really refreshing. I felt hopeful and happy at the end of it. Not really happy fuzzy like with cute & fluffy swooney books but really content, pleased and hopeful.
I like the way this made me feel.
I read cute & fluffies for the entertainment value but also for the happy feeling at the end. And this felt more profound, it was a deeper kind of a feeling.

Which brings me back to the rating: While I wasn't impressed with the first 3rd, I thoroughly enjoyed the second third and the last third was good. 3.5 Stars. BUT : To round up or to round down? I am going to let it sink it and see how I feel in a few days (4/1/16)
I ended up rounding it down.

A well written romance, that tackles a heavy subject with subtle understanding and brings you a sweet romance full of hope.

If you want swoon worthy romance, Valentine is a go to author. After We Fall was another great contemporary romance low on the angst and heavy on the romance. Full review @The Book Disciple

4.5 Stars
This is book three in the Take the Fall series and it stars Hunter and Evangeline. Hunter used to live in Forrestville when he was a boy. After many years he's back and is now a police officer. He's actually one of the officers that found Evangeline walking down the beltway, beaten and bloody. It's been six months and he can't stop thinking about her. It's pure coincidence that they end up living across the hall from each other.

Another great story! I think I'm in love with Hunter Sloan. Really! He's amazing in bed and out of it. He knows what she's been through and handles her with the care only a good man would do. This story is about two people trying to deal with their separate abusive pasts. The characters are well developed and real. Bravo Marquita Valentine, I'm hooked! I can't wait for the next book.

Received a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was not compensated for my review.
I was not required to write a positive review.
The opinion expressed is my own.

***ARC Provided by the publisher and NetGalley***

I mostly enjoyed this. But at the same time, something about it seemed a little off.

The writing was good, the pacing was good, the dialog was good. But the switch from "I want nothing to do with you and all men" to "oh wait, this is ok" seemed really fast. It was almost like she all of a sudden

And, the idea that Evangeline's husband was abusive, but the sex was still good, so that left her no issues with sex just didn't work for me. But, at the same time, it felt like there was a lot of the beginning of the book that was focused on the abuse, but that it was tied up prettily and quickly at the end.

I understand that this is a romance...and that the HEA is part of the deal. But the way this one got there was not quite right for me.

I received a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I had never heard of this author, but since I was approved for it on Netgalley, I wanted to give it a try. I figured it was a great day to start this yesterday since it was Valentine's Day and that's the authors last name! Plus, can you really go wrong with reading a romance novel, curled up with your kitty, with your husband next to you on Valentine's day? I think not.

Regardless of the day I read this, I finished it in one day! It was a really quick, short read and I really loved the characters. Of course, there's something about a man in uniform and I have a soft spot for cops. My brother is a copy in Arizona and I used to work at a police department, and let me tell ya, some of those copes were very easy on the eyes! So I knew right when I read this synopsis that I wanted to get a copy of this book.

Hunter and Evangeline met in really terrible circumstances, but since then, he hasn't been able to forget about her. Months later she moves in across the hall from him as his new neighbor and things get interesting. It was so fun to watch these two together. They both have a a very difficult past, but learn to overcome it together. It wasn't entirely unpredictable, but I still had an idea of what was going to happen. However, it didn't take away for the cuteness of the story. I definitely will be checking out what else Valentine's written!

Awww. I love these characters more each book. To see the way each couple journey unfolding is great.

**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**

After We Fall is the third book in the contemporary romance series, Take the Fall by Marquita Valentine. I have not read either of the first two books in the series, but this one caught my eye. It was a heartbreaking story, but also a sweet one. It is told in dual narrative between Hunter and Evangeline. By the way, can we just talk about how pretty of a name that is? I just loved both of the characters names. Hunter is a strong name and Evangeline is so pretty. I thought they were very fitting.

Evangeline knows Hunter as the cop who was there the night she finally escaped her abusive ex husband. I would have thought that would be a comfort to her to see him again, but it was much more of an embarrassment for her. But Hunter is not someone that is easily deterred. He stuck by Evangeline and was as patient as could be. I admired that about him. Hunter is just a good guy, through and through. I do have to say that I found his extra curricular activity very out of character for his day job. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get them to add up to me. It didn't make any kind of sense, to me at least. It was the only aspect of the book I didn't love.

After We Fall is a bit heavier of a contemporary romance than I normally read, but I really enjoyed it. Sometimes it is nice to read a more somber book to balance out the light and fluffy books. (I still think I prefer the light and fluffy books most of the time.) My heart just broke for Evangeline. It would be hard for it not to. But she is a strong person and she is a survivor. It was nice to see her get her happily ever after as well.

Bottom line: After We Fall is a great book for people that enjoy darker contemporary romances. It deals with some tough issues, such as abuse. In the end, it is a lovely romance for two characters that are easy to root for. I enjoyed it.

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

I received an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

We were first introduced to Evangeline in When We Fall. She was a resident in the women's shelter where Piper worked and Hunter was the police officer that brought her there. It is now six months later and Evangeline is transitioning out of the shelter and into her own apartment. And that apartment just happens to be right across the way from Hunter. She tries to play off the fact that they have met before, but Hunter isn't having it.

Hunter has this overwhelming urge to protect Evangeline and he can't really explain it.

It’s been six months since I last spoke to her. One hundred and eighty days since I last saw her battered and bruised face. Four thousand, three hundred, and twenty hours since I last touched her vulnerable body. Not that I’m counting. I shouldn’t count. I shouldn’t think of her at all.

Yet . . .

Over the years, I’ve escorted countless women to shelters, but none have affected me on the same level as she did. Not a single one. I can’t get her out of my head. Can’t stop wondering if she’s safe, if she’s back with her sadistic husband , or if she’s lying dead on the side of the road.

When he discovers that she is now his neighbor, he finds that this may be the perfect time to get to know her better. Of course Evangeline is wary of him. Not only because he saw her at her worst, but she knows she is not ready for another relationship. She is just now slowly getting her life back together. Evangeline gets a job at the local animal shelter where she forms a friendship with her other neighbor Saylor (whose book is next!). But Hunter and Evangeline do become friends. Luckily for her, Hunter shows up at times when she needs another person to help her through and their friendship slowly becomes much more than that.

I loved Hunter and Evangeline. He completely understood why she was so wary to be anything more than friends and he was willing to stick around until that changed. He was sweet, caring and there for her on more than one occasion when she needed a friend and only a friend. But eventually their relationship does turn romantic and it turns out Hunter is exactly what Evangeline needed.

I look forward to reading Saylor's story. She was such a quirky character and was a great friend to Evangeline. She gets paired up with Hunter's friend Hayden and I can't wait to see how that unfolds.

This book is my favorite of the series so far. I loved the way that the story unfolded and fell hard for swoonworthy Hunter. The story dealt with so many tough issues, but instead of focusing or dwelling on them it was amazing to see the characters working to put the past in the past and move forward. This book could have been full of needless drama and angst, but it was written in a way that felt more real and raw and beautiful. It is wonderful story about hope, love and moving on. I highly recommend this book if you want a book that his high on the feels, the swoons and most of all a moving on.

ARC provided by the publisher, via Netgalley for an honest review.