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Synopsis

We fell in love. Then our world fell apart.

I wished so hard for Cole Danforth. And one day, he came true. He was my first crush, my first lover, my first and only love. He should also have been my last.

But in a split-second, we were ripped apart, our lives broken, my heart shattered. After ten years, I’ve returned to my hometown, the place of my greatest joy and darkest pain

Cole is still here, but the beautiful boy I’d loved is gone. Now he’s a ruthless, unforgiving man determined to feed both my resentment and my lust.

Then our torturous past encroaches again, trapping us in a violent storm.

But this time, there is no escape.

 

 

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Review

4 happy ending stars

The conclusion to If We Fall (and the prequel novella, If We Leap), this is a satisfying, emotional and gorgeously romantic ending to Cole and Josie’s story.

This book picks up immediately where the last one left off – Josie and Cole are enjoying their reunion after ten years apart, but they are still keeping it very much a secret. Josie is still wrestling with her demons, in town only temporarily to paint a mural to honor the history of the town, Cole has been painted as the town villain and is hated by pretty much everyone, and there is still so much between them that needs to be dealt with. But there’s no denying that those feels are still there, and I loved these two together!

“I can’t walk away from you, Josie. Not again.”

In addition to dealing with Cole’s reappearance in her life, Josie has also started to actively seek out the answers for the events in her past that have left her so traumatised. What happened that night so long ago, and why can’t she move forward?

It’s an emotional read as secrets are revealed, and hearts are broken and healed, and though the twists and turns may not come as a surprise, they definitely add depth to the story as Josie and Cole fight their way free of their demons and figure out what they truly want.

“I love you.” He presses his lips to the top of my head. A shudder ripples through him. “I never stopped loving you, Josie Bird.”

This is a really sweet read, but as much as I enjoyed it, I can’t help but wonder why it was made into a duet? This ‘book’ took me around two hours to read, and flowed so directly on from the first one that the story easily could have been combined and read together as one book. But regardless, this is a great end to Josie and Cole’s story, and I loved seeing them get their happy ending.

4 stars.

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

 

What If Duet

 

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Excerpt

While I’ll take Josie wherever I can get her, I’d rather be with her at the cottage than anywhere else.
Reminds me of our cramped apartment where we were always bumping into each other and never had
enough room.

As both a girl and an artist, Josie came with stuff. Hair bands. Fuzzy socks. Premium pastels.
A thousand tubes of lip balm. I loved her stuff because I loved her. But I’d also been baffled by her
inability to hang up a sweatshirt.

Her cottage isn’t any neater, which is just one reason I like it there. She doesn’t answer my knock. I
unlock the door and let myself in.

She’s sprawled on the bed in the sunroom, her body moving with quick, shallow breaths indicating a
restless sleep. One shapely legs rests over a pillow, and her T-shirt is pulled up far enough to reveal the
curve of her ass encased in panties printed with purple butterflies.

Much as I love the sight of her, I dislike like her insomnia, the way she sleeps in fits and starts. Though I
haven’t seen evidence of a nightmare, that doesn’t mean she’s not still having them. And going back to
the accident site…

My chest tightens. I sit in a chair by the window and rub a hand over the back of my neck.

Two weeks. That’s it. Then she’s gone. After that…hell, you don’t have to think about after. You
just need to make sure the truth stays locked down. That means keeping her away from Peterson and
any reminders.

Or taking her away.

A roll of half-opened Lifesavers rests on the windowsill. Peeling it open, I find a red one and stick it in my
mouth. Sugar and cherry spill over my tongue.

“You’re going to pay for that.” Her sleep-husky voice draws my attention.

She’s watching me, her arms around a pillow.

“I’ll share.” I push to my feet.

“You’d better.”

After crossing the room in three strides, I sink onto the bed beside her and lower my mouth to hers.
Though I had every intention of talking to her first, her kiss fires me with heat. The tension in my chest
loosens. I brush her silky hair back from her face and slide my hand over her cheek. Breathe in her
strawberry smell. My unease slides away, overpowered by her soft sweetness.

She flicks her tongue into my mouth and over the cherry candy. After passing it to her, I lower her back
onto the bed. My dick is already getting hard. I cup her breasts and rub my thumbs over her nipples,
urging them to tighten. Josie sighs and shifts, hooking her legs around my thighs and wiggling her hips
against me.

“You need to stop wearing jeans when you’re here.” She pushes me away and rises up to unbutton my
jeans and shove them off. “Makes it hard for this spontaneous sex thing we’ve got going on.”

“I’m always hard for this spontaneous sex thing.” I shed my clothes before climbing on top of her again.
Nuzzling my nose into her neck, I lick the hot hollow of her throat. I fucking love that tender little spot
where her pulse beats so fast.

I inch my hand up her shirt, pulling it up far enough to expose her breasts, her pink nipples sticking
straight up. The sight of her naked body jerks my cock into full hardness. Josie breathes out a moan and
grasps my dick.

“God, Cole.” She shifts, urging me closer and parting her cherry-red lips. “Put it in my mouth.”

“Not this time.” With effort, I detach her hand from me and bend to kiss her breasts, pulling her nipple
into my mouth. Her groan of satisfaction fires my lust hotter. I slide my hand between her thigh and into
her pussy. Ah, fuck, my girl is already wet and primed, like she’s been waiting for me.

Moving lower on the bed, I push her thighs open. She rises to her elbows, her eyes widening. “Cole…”

When we first got together, it had taken her a long time to let me go down on her. No matter how
aroused she was or how careful I was, she’d tense up and get self-conscious about being so exposed. But
we’d both persisted, and I’d started with gentle licks of my tongue that soon had her panting and
pumping her hips. And when she came…more than once, I’d been unable to hold back and ended up
shooting my load all over the bedsheets.

That’s not happening this time.

 

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About the Author

New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Nina Lane writes hot, sexy romances about professors, bad boys, candy makers, and protective alpha males who find themselves consumed with love for one woman alone. Originally from California, Nina holds a PhD in Art History and an MA in Library and Information Studies, which means she loves both research and organization. She also enjoys traveling and thinks St. Petersburg, Russia is a city everyone should visit at least once. Although Nina would go back to college for another degree because she’s that much of a bookworm and a perpetual student, she now lives the happy life of a full-time writer.

 

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