Maybe there’s only one
direction to go when two people fall in love at rock
bottom—up.
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Synopsis
I wanted to jump.
He made me fall.
As a celebrity, I lived
in the public eye, but somewhere along the way, I’d lost myself in the
spotlight.
Until he found me.
Sam Rivers was a
gorgeous, tattooed stranger who saved my life with nothing more than a simple
conversation.
But we were both
standing on that bridge for a reason the night we met. The secrets of our
pasts brought us together—and then tore us apart.
Could we find a reason
to hold on as life constantly pulled us down?
Or maybe there’s only
one direction to go when two people fall in love at rock bottom—up.
Excerpt
“Thank fuck!” Sam said, swinging the door open before Devon even had
the car in park.
“Oh, this isn’t my
place. We’re just dropping Devon off. I’m about twenty minutes across town?”
I tossed him a sugary smile then boldly shifted my hand into his lap,
purposely brushing the bulge under his denim.
Grabbing my wrist, he
narrowed his eyes and called out, “Devon, I’m gonna need to borrow a bedroom.”
I burst out laughing as
Devon cursed loudly.
“Fine. This is my place.
No smoking inside though,” I snipped as I climbed from the SUV.
“You better have some
seriously exciting extracurricular activities to keep me distracted, then.”
“I have Ping-Pong!”
“Not exactly what I was
thinking.” He mischievously cocked his head. “But I guess paddles and balls are
as good a start as any.” Dipping down, he hoisted me over his shoulder. “Point
me to the Ping-Pong table, my lady.”
I didn’t. I laughed
hysterically as he carried me inside. Then I directed him to my bedroom
instead.
I heard Devon locking up
the house as Sam deposited me on the bed.
“Jesus. This view.”
He pushed the curtains back. “Why the hell would you ever go up to the
bridge when you have this here?”
“I don’t know,” I
answered, pulling my earrings off and placing them on my nightstand.
Oh, but I knew. It might
not have been what had originally sent me up that bridge, but it was why my
feet carried me back every night. And that very reason was currently standing
in front of me with entirely too much clothing on.
“You want a beer?” I
asked, sliding my shoes off.
“Nah, I’m good.” He
faced me, and I could tell something was off with his demeanor. He didn’t inch
any closer. Instead, his lips were tight and his eyes uncomfortably flashed
around the room.
It suddenly didn’t feel
like Sam standing in front of me at all.
He felt like a stranger
who had just come face-to-face with Levee Williams.
Damn it.
“Why are you looking at
me like that? Are you about to freak out?” I whispered, nervously moistening my
lips.
He shoved his hands into
his pockets. “I’m not really sure yet. But I’m gonna need you to stop licking
your lips long enough for me to figure it out.” His mouth cracked into a wide
grin, and my shoulders relaxed.
Now that was a flash of
my Sam.
“Want to tell me what’s
going on?” I asked.
“It’s just… I think this
is the first time I’ve realized that you’re some big-time celebrity. I might be
in over my head here, Designer Shoes.”
“I just make music,
Sam.” I returned his smile and very slowly prowled in his direction. “Imagine
how I feel though. You’re Samuel Nathan Rivers. A tough, tattooed furniture
designer who makes six figures a year but is too afraid to tell his mommy he
votes democratic.” I giggled as he frowned humorously. Stopping in front of
him, I dragged a fingernail down his chest then teased the waistband of his
jeans. “Have you considered that maybe I’m the one who’s in over her head
here?” I leaned forward to nip at his lips, but he spun us around.
“Excellent point. I’m
going to need you to try really hard to keep it together, Levee. You haven’t
even seen my six-pack and huge cock, yet.” He smirked and attempted to return
my nip, but I stepped out of his reach.
“You brought beer and
chicken?” I feigned excitement.
That one corny joke was
all it took to bring my Sam back completely.
With a sexy smile and a
coy shrug, he seductively backed me toward the bed. “What can I say? I like to
be prepared.”
“Clearly,” I breathed.
He moved in close so his
lips were only a centimeter away, but for as much as I wanted him, it was
agonizing. “Clearly,” he repeated, his smoky yet sweet breath breezing across
my mouth.
His strong arm looped
around my waist, tugging me against his chest, while I stared into his hooded
eyes, eagerly waiting for him to make a move.
Any move.
Every move.
Excerpt Two
“You’re overdoing it,
Lev. I know this job isn’t exactly nine-to-five, but it’s not
twenty-four-seven, either. You have to stop being Levee Williams all the time
and just be you.”
“I know,” I responded.
I didn’t though. I felt
like a robot parading around in a lost woman’s body.
Smile.
Pose.
Turn.
Toss in the occasional
song.
Repeat.
What little time I did
manage to carve out for myself was spent at various children’s hospitals across
the country.
Smile.
Pose.
Turn.
Watch a child die.
Repeat.
With every day that
passed, the smile became less and less genuine, the pose more and more forced,
and the turn took me further and further away from who I really was.
My career was soaring
while, personally, I was plummeting. Every single day felt like a terrifying
free fall in no particular direction. I was stuck in the middle with no way
up—or down.
“You remember that girl,
right?” Henry asked, tucking a hair behind my ear.
I nodded.
I did remember her. She
was fun and carefree. She loved going out and dancing at nightclubs until the
very last song played. She slept until noon if she could. Then, fueled by
coffee alone, she’d spend the day with a guitar strapped around her neck and a
notepad at her side. She had a huge heart, but she knew her limitations.
Oh, I remembered that
girl. I just couldn’t figure out how to get back to her.
Title: The Fall Up
Author: Aly Martinez
Release Date: October 30, 2015
Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult, Humor
Series or Standalone: Standalone Series (The Baby Saga #5)
Rating: ★★★1/2 Stars (Rounded to 4* for Goodreads & Amazon)
Reviewer: Melyssa
Until I came across this book in my
blogging travels, I hadn’t had the pleasure of reading a book by this author
before. There was something about this book though, the idea presented in the
blurb and just what that would mean for the characters within the pages that
demand that I read it.
Now that I’ve finished the book though,
and have had time to mull over my thoughts on the entire thing, I have to say
that I’m glad I took the chance.
With this story we have two people
dealing with their own unresolved feelings with losses they have suffered in
their lives. Both similar in the sense of loss, but different in terms of
manner and how in the end they chose to deal with it as time moved on. These
are not perfect people, but when they are placed together, there can be no denial
that they offer something to the other that I do not believe they would have
found anywhere else. They are imperfectly perfect together.
As far as characters go, I have to say that
Sam came across stronger to me than Levee did. That’s not to say that I didn’t
feel for her, because from the very start I did. I knew there was something
deep seeded going on there and I was intrigued to find out just what that was.
I felt for her then, but it wasn’t with the same ferocity as Sam.
Right from the very beginning, even if
there was sarcasm and jokes thrown around, you can see that deep down inside
and even right on the surface, he’s an inherently good guy. Sure, he has some
of the typical male traits that you see in books and even in real life, but
apart from those, his heart was pure. He wanted to save Levee even when he didn’t
understand why. When he didn’t even have her name or know who she was.
And it never let up. Not once. Even when
there were points where he could have washed his hands of her, the fame and
everything that came along with it, he hung in there. He stayed and he fought
and while doing so, he showed her another way of being. Levee was able to step
away from the way her life had been up until that point and see the real her
underneath. Even if the parts weren’t all that pretty.
This book in my estimation was paced very
well. It all flowed along nicely and there wasn’t any parts where I felt that
things were too drawn out or dragging. In fact, the opposite happened here,
which is part of the reason the rating is the way it is.
I felt that with the mental illness
backdrop here, it was glossed over more than it was developed. With the way
Levee was acting, her reasoning for doing some of the things she does, I was
expecting to see it delved into a little more. An explanation for the way she
is, or at least a realization of what was truly going on with her and I didn’t
get it. While I did understand a lot of her motivations in this and I enjoyed
being inside of her head when she wasn’t openly talking about them, I still
felt like something was missing. Something that would have connected me deeper
to the story and to her as a character. A connection I had no issue with whatsoever
with Sam.
Her bodyguard. I should have seen how it
would all turn out in the very beginning when Sam made the joke about him being
her Costner, but I didn’t. As time wore on though, it became painfully
apparently how this aspect was going to play out in the end and I didn’t enjoy
the predictability of it. I think time and attention could have been given in
other areas instead of this and because of that, it caused me to lose a bit of
the original feel of the book when I started.
Overall though, there were more hits than
misses. There were points at which I swooned over Sam, laughed at their natural
humorous banter back and forth and even teared up a little. (Sam’s background
was especially rough to get through emotionally).
Would I read this author again? Yes. She
has a unique story telling ability and the words do flow quite effortlessly. I’m
interested to see what she comes up with next as this story did contain one
hell of an original idea.
If you’ve read this author before, you’ll
love this. If you’re looking for a romance that’s not picture perfect and is
more of a journey, but ends happily for both people involved, again, you’ll
definitely enjoy this. I’m just sad that I didn’t love it as much as some of
the other people that have read it.
My thanks to the author and all others
involved in letting me read this before the official release. It was a pleasure
and I’m glad I got the chance to find a new author.
About the Author:
Aly Martinez
Born and raised in
Savannah, Georgia, Aly Martinez is a stay-at-home mom to four crazy kids under
the age of five, including a set of twins. Currently living in South Carolina,
she passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can
get her hands on, preferably with a glass of wine at her side.
After some encouragement
from her friends, Aly decided to add “Author” to her ever-growing list of job
titles. Five books later, she shows no signs of slowing. So grab a glass of
Chardonnay, or a bottle if you’re hanging out with Aly, and join her aboard the
crazy train she calls life.
Giveaway
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