5 - "When you’re ready... I’ll be here." Stars!

We return to the Colorado High Country Series, with the third book; Falling Hard. This is happy-go-lucky Jesse Moretti’s story, and I fell... Hard.

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Oh my wow! I am absolutely in love with this series; every book the author has released has been an absolute treat. But I have to say this one is my favorite so far, there was just so much to love about the story that Pamela gave Jesse.

It was his duty to have her back, not get her onto her back...

Ellie Meeks returned Scarlet Springs a widow with twins on the way, it’s taken her a couple of years to reach a happy equilibrium where she even feels she can entertain the idea of looking for adult company again, around caring for her kids. Jesse is more than a little interested and after helping her out when she has car trouble, their tentative friendship blooms.

"I don’t want to be the thing you regret in the morning..."

The one thing that stood out about this story for me is the fact that Jesse is so much more than the character we have been given in the previous two books, the author literally grabbed my heart from the first revelation about him and kept squeezing with each following one that landed, I’m not afraid to admit there were a few tears shed on more than a couple of occasions with the reading of his story.

"When I’m with you, all the bullshit falls away, and the answers to all the questions become simple."

Ellie and her toddler twins Daisy and Daniel were an absolute joy to get to know as well, and bearing in mind as a woman she represented everything Jesse normally steered clear of in relation to his casual bed partners, I loved how the relationship developed between them in-spite of it, and casual got left behind for consumed, because they both were, with each other.

"You certainly know how to bring the heat."

I am loving this series, I cannot get enough of this authors writing, and I cannot wait to see who will have their story told next, there are so many characters that I want to get to know better, and I hope the author has stories in mind for all of them.

ARC generously provided via Netgalley, and it was my absolute pleasure to provide the above honest review.

Falling Hard is a perfect name for this book... as a reader you will also be Falling Hard. The characters were well developed and felt very real. The author's descriptive writing not only brought the characters to life, but also put you in their small town.
I laughed, swooned and cried ugly, happy sad tears and fell in love. This book was AH-MAY-ZING!!!

Oh my God! See that mush in the puddle on the floor there, yeah that's my heart. This book has it all, I went through so many emotions reading this book I'm not even sure I could catalog them all. Love, lust, fear, guilt, anger, more love (and lust), acceptance it's all in there and so much more. Ellie and Jesse have amazing chemistry but more than that they build an amazing relationship. I loved little Daisy and Daniel too. They all had so much to overcome, things get better, than they get worse and it goes back and forth like that for a while. I loved watching them fall in love, fight it for their various reasons and finally accept that they were in love. I loved how each wanted to put the other before themselves. I loved going back to Scarlett Springs, it's such a wonderful little town. I love how the Team and the town pull together. I love how they support each other. I love everything about this series and I can't wait for more. This book could easily be read as a stand alone but this whole series is awesome and I highly recommend all of them so far. I received an arc of this book from the publisher through net galley in exchange for an honest review.

This book checks all the contemporary romance boxes: hot but damaged alpha Hero, pretty but wounded widow heroine, great sexual tension and hot sex, funny peripheral friend characters, and even some cute kids.

Ellie is a pretty awesome chick. She's still grieving over her awesome late husband, but is generally doing ok via a solid nursing job, supportive parents/sis/friends, and some awesome twin 3-year-olds. Honestly my only complaint: her relationship with her kids is a bit too rose colored for me. (Honestly, not even one single toddler tantrum? She didn't lock herself in the bathroom even once to escape? I've babysat twins. I know how hellish being outnumbered by twin toddlers can be...) Truly though, she comes off as pretty real.

Jesse is still recovering from his military experiences, and residual guilt over the people he couldn't save...definitely suffering from major Hero Complex. His and Ellie's relationship makes sense; originally he feels compelled to rescue her, and as a nurse, she has the same instinct toward him.

My one major annoyance: their Great Misunderstanding is pretty contrived/weak. I wasn't sold that him knowing of her late husband could cause that much angst. The final climax makes up for it though; him having to save Daisy was a pretty interesting plot twist.

Four solid stars.

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

You know you are reading the work of an exceptionally talented author, when the story takes hold of you from the start.
This was an absolutely wonderful book. It is the second of Ms Clare’s series, Colorado High Country.
The plot centers around Elle Meeks, a nurse, whose pilot husband died during a mission in Iraq without ever meeting his 2 yr old twins, and Jesse, a former Army Ranger who also fought in Iraq. He needed to get away from the reminders of war and is now living in Colorado and in the elite Rocky Mt S & R Team as well working at the local resort.
Both have suffered great loss. One as a war widow with two young children, and one as a war hero who considers himself anything but one. Jesse’s childhood was not one any child should have , and the loss of people in his life as well as the war, has left him with a great deal of guilt and PTSD.
What is remarkable in this book is the way Ms Clare presents us with these issues. A reminder that our returning troops and those left at home need our support both from each one of us, as well as from our nation.
You will laugh, cry, and experience heartbreak , during this story , but you will also cheer them along as they both find happiness and love.
Definitely not a book to be missed. Can’t wait what else is in store for Colorado High Country.I was gifted this book by Netgalley. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

Sweet, heartfelt, and real. If you aren't brought to tears by the epilogue, you are not human.

I'm a big fan of Pamela Clare's I-Team series, but wasn't that keen on the first two in her Colorado High Country series. The author completely redeemed herself with Falling Hard, a truly lovely ode to single moms, widows, military veterans, family, first responders, small towns, and even psychologists. Seriously, this story was wonderfully done, without veering into sappy, cheesy Hallmark movie territory.

Jessie and Ellie both have their own burdens and their romance isn't glossed over. There are awkward moments, not to mention both make painful mistakes with each other. But that is what makes watching them fall tenderly, fully in love with each other so worthwhile. Kudos to the author for honoring the military dead, the widows left behind, and the veterans still recovering from their service with a story so heartfelt and detailed that it felt very, very real.

4.5 stars

Ugh. I can't stand people like Mrs. Beech. "Your husband's dead, but at least your kids are a consolation prize!" Um, no.

Team members don't get paid? That's horrible!

Gosh, it really is a small world.

What the hell kind of sport is that?!

So. Cute.

People are stupid.

His house is now cleaner than mine will ever be.

Way to make her feel guilty, idiot. You know you are interested in her.

Really, man? Women regularly "happen" to fall on your penis?

His sister sounds like a crappy person.

Oh, God! Kids? This is why I could never be a doctor or a nurse.

So his father beat him but not his mother?

Who gave this kid permission to use explosives? Idiot!

Haha, way to announce to the whole town that you're having sex! Don't be surprised if it's in the paper tomorrow.

Ooh, giving him a key is serious.

Whoa, damn, Sacha!

God. No wonder he has nightmares.

It's good that he recognizes when he needs help. Now if only he would let Ellie in.

"Partner" sounds stupid. Just say "boyfriend".

Men are crazy.

I hope she got that on video.

Parents should never have to bury their kids.

Good Lord, I didn't know a flashback could come on so suddenly.

Dammit, her parents had one job to do! Two kids, two grandparents.

Such cute kids.

Pauline is a jerk.

Awww.

Okay, I need tissues.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I laughed, I cried and I sighed. Falling Hard had all my emotions changing from one paragraph to the next. This is a great series and Falling Hard is a great addition to it.