After We Fall by Deborah Clack

Check out my full review below and see if this is a book you might like to read as well!

Author: Deborah Clack

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 ⭐

Disclaimer

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I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

My Thoughts:

This was way more than I was expecting from this book! This was my first time reading anything from Deborah Clark and I’m pretty blown away. Penelope’s character is extremely complex with a dark and sordid history that she really tries to avoid sharing with anyone, which has actually contributed to her issues over time. But then she meets Luke and he won’t let her hide in herself any longer. He challenges her in ways she’s never been challenged, but all out of care and love for her. Which really throws her for a loop.

Penelope has a history of being emotionally and physically abused by those that are supposed to be closest to her. So when someone asks her to trust them, she really struggles with this. But Luke is intuitive and attentive in a way she’s never seen before and he knows that only his actions will get through to her. His patient attention to her needs starts to break everything down for her. Especially as she’s recovering from a major injury.

Overall, I enjoyed all the characters especially Penelope and Luke. The author did an amazing job at layering in these really creepy background situations like Finley and Marcus or Penelope’s adoptive brother Jason. Things that are slightly uncomfortable and linger in the background. I was never sure which one was going to be more of a focus, but they both contributed to Penelope’s character development and allowed insights into her own issues that I don’t think would have come across as well without real world applications for it.

Luke is an amazing guy. What I think I like most about his character is that he’s not this super hero, over-the-top guy – but he’s about as kind and caring as a man can get. He’s always thinking ahead of what other’s need and just being there for them. That’s the kind of support and security these women need in their lives.

An overall compelling and emotional story that spoke to me deeply. I know of traumatic past experiences and how those can color every aspect of your life until you start to heal from those. Penelope was still healing (outside and inside) through most of this book and it was a beautiful healing to watch and appreciate for her.

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Publisher’s Blurb:

Sometimes the place you least expect to belong is exactly where you were always meant to land.

Self-sufficient Penelope Reid has her life completely mapped out–a necessity after surviving foster care. Now she’s on a mission to prove that she’s capable of managing a halfway house at Twelve Bluebells Ranch. The last thing she needs is hindrance from the charming Luke Granger, who asked her to dance three years ago, then disappeared before the music began.

Luke lives a nomadic lifestyle as a security specialist and has never found a reason to put down roots. So when the ranch neighboring Twelve Bluebells is vandalized, securing the area is just another gig for him before he hits the road–until he’s reunited with the bossy brunette and her generous heart.

As Luke and Penelope work alongside each other to care for the ranch’s halfway house residents, Penelope makes a mistake she might not recover from. Her careful walls begin to crack, and Luke’s restless heart finds reasons to stay. But when tragedy strikes, they must decide if it’s worth the risk to lower their guards for a love that could give them the home they’ve always longed for.

A poignant, emotional, no-spice contemporary romance about all the heartbreaking ways we can fall and what it takes to put us back together again. This clean and wholesome opposites-attract love story with a protective MMC will delight fans of Abby Jimenez, Katherine Center, Annabel Monaghan, and Corinne Michaels.