After We Fall by Deborah Clack: Book Review

 **ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own. 

The Book

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.

Content consideration: For specific content warnings that may include spoilers, visit this book's page on the author's website.

The Author

Publishers Weekly bestselling and award-winning author Deborah Clack is a native Texan who believes in the power of fiction, in the lost art of lip-synching, and that chocolate should be eaten without nuts. A high school AP history teacher for ten years, Deborah earned a master's degree in education and was awarded Teacher of the Year for arts in education. Now she creates stories of her own filled with endearing characters and a hard-fought romance. Learn more at DeborahClack.com.

Book Review

An emotional romance and a protective MMC? Count me in! This story and these characters drew me in right away and kept me intrigued right through to the end. Immediately, Penelope was a character that you couldn't help but root for. Growing up in foster care made her fiercely independent, but it also gave her such a heart for the girls at the halfway house. I enjoyed the connection between her and Luke and how he protected her... far beyond what his job as a security specialist truly required. Their story was tender and emotional with so much growth and healing... and just the perfect dose of suspense to keep things interesting. I don't want to give anything away, but it's definitely one that romance fans are sure to want to check out for themselves. 

After We Fall is a closed-door romance with kisses only and no language. It is the second book in the Shelter and Sky series. While you will see some familiar characters, I do think this could be enjoyed as a standalone as well. 


You can purchase your copy here: https://amzn.to/4g54odi