Don’t let Kate Hewitt’s light-hearted Falling Hard cover fool you into thinking this is a rom-com. Falling Hard has hard and difficult truths for its hero and heroine: they’re either living them, heroine Meghan O’Reilly, or living with them, hero Quinn Freeman. Falling Hard opens innocuously when Quinn’s mother, Margo, asks him to return to their home town, Creighton Falls, New York, to renovate a hotel the family lived in and owned until they abandoned the town and took their wealth and success to New York. Ah, thought MissB, typical charmingly roguish, wealthy but drifting bad boy hero receives his comeuppance by small-town cute and a more-than-capable Amazonian heroine. Miss Bates should’ve known that Hewitt always delivers more than that: more complexity, more nuance, more vulnerability. And vulnerable they are; Miss Bates would even say two of the most heart-breakingly sad protagonists she’s read. Which only makes their HEA, of course, the more deserving.

Quinn was not, initially, easy to warm to. He was immature, maybe petulant, young for his 28-years: not much charm in someone who drifts from exotic locale to exotic locale, bartending, beach-bumming, and living off his family’s wealth. When his mother asks him to renovate the hotel in order to prepare it for sale, he reluctantly agrees. His reluctance, however, isn’t borne of laziness, but a genuine fear of returning to the place that marks his family’s dissolution: the drowning accident that caused his father’s death when Quinn was six and that he was implicated in. Compared to his brother, Adam, a surly, hard man who runs the family wealth and do-gooder second bro, Jacob, Quinn is the family baby and drop-out, a spoiled black sheep. But return he does and resolves to cursorily repair the hotel by hiring local workmen and get the hell out of Dodge to return to his dissipated peripatetic life. And yet, we get to know Quinn as he goes about his hotel-repair business in Creighton Falls, with comments like “He hated feeling useless, unneeded. It was what had driven him from home.” Quinn is a rogue in charm only: he yearns for purpose and redemption, plagued by his family disapproval, low expectations, and assumptions that a little beach-bumming is all he’s good for.

Looking for work-men to take on the decrepit hotel, Quinn meets O’Reilly of O’Reilly Plumbing, Meghan, no work-man, but work-woman and a blue-eyed, dark-haired sharp-tongued beauty. Meghan’s contempt for the pretty rich boy, whom she remembers vaguely from her wrong-side-of-tracks and his golden-spoon childhood, is evident in her first impression: “He wore the mantle of privilege and money carelessly.” Quinn keeps guilt, uncertainty, and shame buried deep and covers them with a devil-may-care veneer. But he can’t hide his attraction to Meghan and soon thereafter propositions her. Add to his drifter lifestyle, promiscuity and one-night-stands.

Add to Meghan’s life a load of complications that make it impossible for her to enjoy a relationship, which brings us to this pretty wonderful heroine. Meghan at 28 is what Meghan took on at 16. A mother who abandoned her and sister Polly and a father who ran to drink for solace and still lives a few miles away and yet doesn’t share or help with Meghan’s burdens. Meghan gave up college and a fiancé to care for her sister, Polly, now 23. Polly has been diagnosed with PDD, Pervasive Developmental Disorder. Meghan’s sacrifice is one of love. Miss Bates was moved by it and here is one of her favourite exchanges, when Quinn asks Meghan about Polly: ” ‘You live with her.’ ‘She’s … she needs me.’ … he didn’t press, simply accepted the situation for what it was.” Meghan’s “she needs me” and Quinn quiet acceptance show hero and heroine in the best light: Meghan has given up a life of dating, travel, and opportunity to care for Polly. She’s done so without guilt, but with the idea that Polly is precious. And Quinn, the man who doubts his ability to care for anything or anyone, shows her understanding and empathy without prying, or gushing.

There is no resentment in Hewitt’s Meghan, but Hewitt has also made it beautifully clear that her choices haven’t been easy: “She felt a familiar pain settle underneath her breastbone. Loneliness.” There is no regret in Meghan either, not for Polly and, Miss Bates loved this, not for staying in Creighton Falls, “She loved Creighton Falls, always would, even if sometimes she felt stuck.” Meghan is loyal and loving, but she’s lonely and Quinn is her chance to have ” a little pleasure” as it’s “all that she could get.” Hewitt does a great job of showing us that a hero and heroine who can feel love, make sacrifices, be burdened by debt to family and place, cannot be people for whom a one-night-stand can stand. A romance divided against itself cannot stand and a one-night stand romance is none at all. Miss Bates loved Quinn’s growing realization of how good it feels to take care of someone, especially Meghan who’s seen so little of care, “No one had leaned on him, ever. But right now he wished one woman would.” And Meghan taking that bit of joy and pleasure in Quinn, being who she is, she cannot NOT recognize his pain too. (When the betrayal comes, it is subtle, a painful nick which may not, ostensibly, appear as more than oversight, but it is thoroughly in keeping with who Hewitt’s protagonists are.)

Miss Bates admits it took her a while to warm to Falling Hard, thanks to the beach-bum playboy hero, at least at first, who turned out to be anything but. However, when Meghan walked into Quinn’s hotel, MissB. was a goner. And even more so for Hewitt’s portrait of Creighton Falls, a town that needs a resurrection, as much as one loving, giving woman does … and how lovely to have none other than a black sheep take on the care and love of both. Miss Bates dragged her reading companion, Miss Austen, into embracing Falling Hard and says of it: “real comfort,” Emma.

Kate Hewitt’s Falling Hard is published by Tule Publishing. It was released in March 2016 and is available at your preferred vendors. Miss Bates received an e-ARC from Tule Publishing, via Netgalley.

I really enjoyed the book, it has everything I love in a novel from start to finish. I can’t wait to read what the author has planned next!

Falling Hard, the second book in Kate Hewitt's Falling for the Freemans series, is sensitive and thoughtful. Set in Creighton Falls on the St Lawrence River this is the story of Quinn, youngest of the Freeman brothers, and Meghan O'Reilly, town plumber and sole carer of her developmentally disabled sister Polly.
Both Quinn and Meghan have baggage to deal with. For Quinn it is the repressed memory of his father's death coupled with his family's lack of respect for him and his ability to achieve anything of note. For Meghan it's the need to care for Polly in the face of her parents' abdicating their responsibilities. Neither is looking for love. Not really.
The plot flows beautifully and as the story unfolds it's hard not to care about the future of the old hotel Quinn is restoring or the people of Creighton Falls who are so anxiously waiting for it to be opened so their town's life blood can be restored.
I really enjoyed this book and am eagerly anticipating the next Freeman family story.

No need to read book one to enjoy this second installment of Falling for the Freemans. Hewitt made it easy to get to know Quinn Freeman, youngest brother in the family, commitment-phobe, and general screw-up. Well… in the past. And it was smooth sailing figuring out Quinn’s direction once he arrived in his former hometown of Creighton Falls: fix up the old family inn, and bring some vitality back to the town.

I adored Quinn’s plumber, Meghan. What a strong woman, to choose to be the primary caretaker of her sister with special needs, and deny herself her own dreams to be an integral part of her family and her town.

Quinn and Meghan aren’t perfect in Falling Hard, but they sure are cute together. Hewitt brings in ancillary characters just enough to add interest to the plot and tie the series together. This book focuses mostly on Quinn and Meghan — and it works for this small-town romance.

https://randombookmuses.com/2017/03/22/review-falling-hard-falling-for-the-freemans-book-2-by-kate-hewitt/

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1949782276

A very enjoyable second book in the series, well written and thoughtful.

Meghan is a single 28 year old plumber who has lived in a small town all her life and is the town's plumber. Having sole responsibility for her dependant sister has left her just managing to get by emotionally and financially. Life starts to change for Meghan when she starts work on an old B and B that is up for sale and meets Quinn an easy-going drifter who has family ties to the town and property.

I really enjoyed that although the attraction between the couple was obvious the two really took time to decide if they could commit and trust each other for the long-term as both would be making decisions that were life changing. It was lovely to read about the background characters living in the town and the community links.
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Quinn returns home to a town where past memories are painful and does not want ties. Meghan lives in that small town and has dependent responsibilities to stay away from complications of a relationship. These two must come together to be strong to face future together. Like the small town atmosphere and characters that keep the reader emotionally into the story.

Ebook from Netgalley and publishers with thanks. Opinions are entirely my own.

Rating 4.5/5

This is a very emotional story with a tragic past which still has to be reconciled for many of those involved. Quinn Freeman was a young child when his father was tragically killed in a boating accident. Quinn and his family then left the town which had been their home, Creighton Falls, abandoning the hotel they owned there. Quinn can’t remember what happened but feels guilty about his father’s death. When his Mum asks him to go to check out their now derelict hotel, he does so reluctantly. He intends helping make only essentiall repairs to the property to enable it to be sold. He stays in a nearby town and has an unexpected encounter with a young lady there which results in the young lady’s sister verbally attacking him. Back at the hotel, he contacts a variety of local tradespeople to ask for quotes and one of them is the plumber, Meghan O’Reilly. It turns out Meghan is the protective sister he’d already encountered. She carries a lot of responsibilities of her own but their attraction is mutual even if totally unwanted but both of them!

This is a delightful small town story, one where everyone knows everything about everyone else. Both Quinn and Meghan have their own issues and it is the exploration of these that makes this story such an emotional rollercoaster read. Their relationship develops from animosity to friendship and more as Quinn strives to work on repairing the hotel and develops ties within the community. Both Quinn and Meghan have lots to sort out for themselves before they can achieve their HEA together. This is the second book in this series but I think it works well as a standalone - though I have also read and reviewed the earlier novel, Falling For Christmas, which I also thoroughly enjoyed!

Many thanks to the publishers who gifted me a copy of this book through NetGalley without any obligations. This is my honest review after choosing to read it!

A very good contemporary romance. The characters are genuine and not over embellished. There are no villains, cruel or conniving exs, and not a single silly person is found within these pages. How refreshing! What you will find is a hero who's lost faith in himself. He only needs a purpose and someone to believe in him before he can begin to believe in himself again. In the heroine you'll find a woman willing to sacrifice the possibility of happily ever after for the sake of her sister. She's also gracious enough to forgive her parents of their failing. When they find each other, they find that missing link between coping and contentment.

I received an ARC of this book, from the publisher, via NetGallery, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Enjoyed this book and look forward to Jake's book and hopefully family healing.

Quinn and Meghan were each other's life preservers in many sense in this book. Tragic hero overcoming a life of guilt and alienation, Quinn goes to the beginning of it all to start over. Meghan has always felt alone or abandoned having been left with an adult disabled sister. When Quinn sees being that, he might just be able to give Meghan love and reassurance she has never felt.

Excellent read!! The Freeman's are an interesting family and they have endured a tragic loss in the past. That's what drove them from Creighton Falls but now Quinn Freeman is in town, looking to update the old B&B and get it ready the sale. As the only plumber in town, Meghan O'Reilly gets called to work on the old place. Quinn and Meghan are immediately attracted to each other but both have a load of worries on their shoulders so nothing serious can start there. A fling maybe??? And how can Quinn get the town to understand that he has to sell the B&B rather than reopen it like they all want? This is a book you want to read. I highly recommend it.

"Falling Hard" by Kate Hewitt is book two in the "Falling for the Freemans" series. This is Quinn Freeman and Meghan O'Reilly's story.

Quinn's family left the little town of Creighton Falls when his family suffered a terrible tragedy. In its day the B&B brought tourist to their little town and provided jobs or income to a large number of people and businesses. After his family left town they did not keep the B&B open and the town suffered financially. Once an attraction for Creighton Falls is now an eyesore. Quinn has been asked by his mother to go access what needs to be done in order to sell the B&B.

Meghan's life hasn't exactly turned out the way she thought it would. She is the only town's plumber and is totally responsible for her dependent sister. Meghan has fond memories of when the B&B was up and running. It reminds her of the good days when she was growing up. She hopes that someday the Freeman's will reopen it.

Meghan being the only plumber in town ends up working at the B&B for Quinn in his attempt to get it ready to sell. Meghan sees Quinn as someone that is a charmer not a hard worker, but that doesn't stop the sizzling chemistry that she feels between them.

Quinn and Meghan both are dealing with different personal issues in their life. Will they allow these issues to prevent them from taking a chance at love?

This is a great romance with lots of sizzle. This is also a story where people are working on moving past the hurts and disappointments from their childhood. Will they be able to?

I received a copy of this book from Tule Publishing for an honest review. FYI, contains mature content.