I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This has been on my TBR pile for so long, and I'm glad I finally got around to it. I really enjoyed the storyline and seeing the characters change throughout the story was a great character development. The plot was great and kept my attention. I'm glad I got the chance to read this and will be on the lookout for more in the future!

I enjoyed this story of Pax and Gemma, who have a bad history with one another. I liked watching them really get to know and understand one another. They were both good characters, and the storyline was a very interesting one that kept my attention. This was a good addition to the Falling Fast Series.

FALLING HARD - Tina Wainscott

STEADY AND ENDURING ROMANCE - 3 stars

#2 in the Falling Fast Romance Series

Plot - 3 stars - The premise behind this series is that the MC can find love after coming back from a traumatic situation. In this case, Gemma has returned to town to help out at her Dad's B&B after he is rushed to the hospital having been in a serious accident. Unfortunately she left under a cloud as a teenager years ago when she accused the police chief's son of date rape, even though he was acquitted. Pax, the accused's brother, has always had a thing for her even though he felt he needed to side with his family against her. But when she returns, the old chemistry flares up again between them.

Writing - 3.5 stars - Wainscott did a nice job of building an interesting scenario in a small-town setting. Wainscott tackles the difficult subject of date-rape while simultaneously creating a newly-developing romance. The story moved forward smoothly, and I found the discussion of the past and how it affected the present to be very believable. The chemistry between Pax and Gemma still existed even though they never acted on it in the past, and Wainscott mentioned the fact that they recognized that it might have just been a "wonder-what-might-have-happened" scenario rather than a continuation of their original chemistry. All the possibilities were covered.

Characters - 3 stars - Although they are both pleasant and seemingly sensible people, neither character really grabbed my attention in this book. Gemma has returned to town against her better judgment, but her father needs her help. She really hasn't ever worked out her resentment and fear about the rape or its aftermath, despite years of therapy. Returning has brought it all back to the surface again, so she has to face it. On Pax's part, seeing Gemma has revived all the feelings he once had for her. As a result of that conflict, he is also taking a closer look at his brother Blake and seeing signs that may point to his guilt. Pax is dealing with his feelings for Gemma, his friendship with her father, and his animosity to his family. He seems a little too good to be true. I just didn't feel the instant chemistry that was between them as teens (that was a little too rushed) not does it carry over to today (which seemed a little to angsty and teenagerish to me). Pax's father may be a typical good-old-boy, but he came across a little too over-the-top horrible, I thought.

Title - 2.5 stars - The implication is that they fell hard for each other years ago and the feeling never went away even though they never acted on it.

Cover - 3.5 stars - This is a nice cover representing one particular pivotal scene when Gemma and Pax are walking along the beach, and he picks her up to carry her on his shoulders. It's a sweet romantic look, a step up from the typical cover for this genre.

Overview - 3 stars - There was a little different feel about this romance because of its dark side of abuse. It's certainly difficult to create a strong date-rape scenario while simultaneously building a warm and loving budding romance. Wainscott was fairly successful, although the romance was not quite believable to me. Pax was certainly patient and safe for Gemma, but it all felt a little too pat, with their feelings falling into place too easily. It seemed like it would be a lot more conflicted in real life.