Title: Fall Back Skyward
Series: Fall Back #1
Author: Autumn Grey
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: May 9, 2016
Blurb
Eleven years ago, I saved her. I loved her. I still do. But they took me away from her and locked me up. For two years, all I could think about was her. She consumed me. Took up every room in my head and gave me something to focus on, knowing I would see her soon.
Nine years ago, I watched her as she walked down the aisle and into the arms of a man that wasn't me. My brother. I promised him that I'd leave town.
I did and never looked back.
Now, I'm staring at seven letters, each envelope stamped with one word in bold, red ink: URGENT.
I have no choice but to go back home. Seeing her will be the hardest thing I'll ever have to do. But in order to reconcile with my past, I have to face my present. Even if the thought of seeing her, knowing that she is out of my reach, kills me.
I have no idea what awaits me, but I can only hope that the demons of my past will finally be buried and put to rest.
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Excerpt
The air around me shifts, like atoms rearranging themselves to accommodate a potent, powerful entity. My eyes snap open. I swing my head around to my right and there, lying next to me calmly as though it’s something completely normal, is Cole Holloway.
I bolt upright and turn to face him. "How did you get up here?" He doesn't respond. Then I remember that he can't hear me. I touch his arm, making sure he can see my lips. Thank goodness the moon is full tonight. He tilts his head to the side to look at me. "How did you get up here?"
He points to the side of the building. I follow his finger and see the white ladder poking at the roof. Ah, I'd completely forgotten about it.
He turns his head and faces the sky. Holding my breath, I study his profile; his sharp nose and angular jaw. A faint scent of musk cologne drifts toward me, making the hair on the nape of my neck stand on end.
Dragging my gaze from his face, I look up at the infinite dark sky and I smile. Every part of me is centered on him. His movements. Every rise and fall of his chest doubles my heart beat until the only sound that fills my senses is my pulse pounding in my ears.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Seconds, minutes, probably hours go by. Centuries could pass. Seasons could come and go, but I wouldn’t notice, because this is the most spellbinding moment I’ve ever experienced in my seventeen years on this earth.
Something fleetingly touches the back of my hand, startling me.
There it is again. A soft touch along the side of my pinkie. My skin is on fire now. My heart is in my throat and my lungs are nowhere near working right. The touch is firm now. Deliberate. He hooks his pinkie around mine and tugs gently. Then he exhales hard, and I swear the roof moves beneath our bodies. Suddenly, the finger uncoils from mine, leaving me cold. I blink several times before twisting, turning my head to the side to look at him.
Did I imagine that touch?
I glance down and see that his hand is curled into a fist at his side. He sits up, then turns slightly to the side to face me. His face is framed in shadows so I can’t see it clearly. A shiver skitters down my back as he leans forward without warning until I feel his quick breath fan my lips, his eyes on my mouth the entire time. He takes a tendril of the hair fanned around my head and rubs it between his fingers, his eyes not leaving mine. I’m captivated by his eyes, his overwhelming presence. I should scold him for being too forward and getting into my space, but I can't. I'm mesmerized by the inhales and exhales passing through his parted lips.
He lets go of my hair and climbs to his feet with the agility and swiftness of a panther. Between one breath and the next, he’s gone, disappearing into the night as quietly as he came. Taking with him a tiny piece of my heart. As odd as it sounds, I feel a certain connection to this quiet boy.
I attempt to prop my upper body on my elbows so I can watch him as he walks back to his house, but they feel too jelly-like. I settle back on the roof, grinning and listening to the muffled crunch of his shoes on the grass until it fades.
I bolt upright and turn to face him. "How did you get up here?" He doesn't respond. Then I remember that he can't hear me. I touch his arm, making sure he can see my lips. Thank goodness the moon is full tonight. He tilts his head to the side to look at me. "How did you get up here?"
He points to the side of the building. I follow his finger and see the white ladder poking at the roof. Ah, I'd completely forgotten about it.
He turns his head and faces the sky. Holding my breath, I study his profile; his sharp nose and angular jaw. A faint scent of musk cologne drifts toward me, making the hair on the nape of my neck stand on end.
Dragging my gaze from his face, I look up at the infinite dark sky and I smile. Every part of me is centered on him. His movements. Every rise and fall of his chest doubles my heart beat until the only sound that fills my senses is my pulse pounding in my ears.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Seconds, minutes, probably hours go by. Centuries could pass. Seasons could come and go, but I wouldn’t notice, because this is the most spellbinding moment I’ve ever experienced in my seventeen years on this earth.
Something fleetingly touches the back of my hand, startling me.
There it is again. A soft touch along the side of my pinkie. My skin is on fire now. My heart is in my throat and my lungs are nowhere near working right. The touch is firm now. Deliberate. He hooks his pinkie around mine and tugs gently. Then he exhales hard, and I swear the roof moves beneath our bodies. Suddenly, the finger uncoils from mine, leaving me cold. I blink several times before twisting, turning my head to the side to look at him.
Did I imagine that touch?
I glance down and see that his hand is curled into a fist at his side. He sits up, then turns slightly to the side to face me. His face is framed in shadows so I can’t see it clearly. A shiver skitters down my back as he leans forward without warning until I feel his quick breath fan my lips, his eyes on my mouth the entire time. He takes a tendril of the hair fanned around my head and rubs it between his fingers, his eyes not leaving mine. I’m captivated by his eyes, his overwhelming presence. I should scold him for being too forward and getting into my space, but I can't. I'm mesmerized by the inhales and exhales passing through his parted lips.
He lets go of my hair and climbs to his feet with the agility and swiftness of a panther. Between one breath and the next, he’s gone, disappearing into the night as quietly as he came. Taking with him a tiny piece of my heart. As odd as it sounds, I feel a certain connection to this quiet boy.
I attempt to prop my upper body on my elbows so I can watch him as he walks back to his house, but they feel too jelly-like. I settle back on the roof, grinning and listening to the muffled crunch of his shoes on the grass until it fades.
Review
| It's no secret I love Autumn Grey's books, I've been looking forward to Fall Back Skyward since she first started teasing us about it, what seems like forever ago. So I was more than excited when it hit my kindle. Fall Back Skyward is a second chance romance, but more than that, its also a story about family, forgiveness, how the choices we make affect our futures and our daily lives, that's only the start. Eleanor and Cole's journey to each other is long, arduous and highly emotional. They face things no one should have to, They were forced into choices, they shouldn't have had to make. But even with all this going on, they deliver a story that will keep you hooked, that will pull you in by the heart strings and though at times it will irritate you, make you want to grab someone, it will also pull you in deeper, making you explore further. Cole thought the hardest thing he would ever have to see an live through was losing the love of his life to his brother, but then he gets those letters in the mail, all marked Urgent, all sent within a certain timeframe and his world falls even more apart. Cole has to return home and face the past, something he's not sure he's ready to do. I fell in love with Cole in the first few pages, you could see how difficult everything was for him, he was still trying to get over the past. He's got a Resilience that is evident in all that he has done to overcome his hearing loss and be successful in work. Eleanor also has an inner strength, though it comes across more silently. I love how she wanted to be strong for everyone else, she wanted to handle everything, but really needed to have someone there for her as well. Her struggles felt so real, her pain, everything just struck close to home, because it was relatable and I could feel it through the writing. This story is told in both the past and the present, giving us the full scale of what went on, and how it affected the future. In a way it gives us both sides of the story, but also still leaves open some questions to discover answers to the further you get along. This story will run you through the gamut of emotions, pulling you this way and that, but the journey is worth every step. There are small twists and turns, things you expect, and some you can't grasp the entirety of until you read all the unfolding details, I'm not going to spoil anything here, but Autumn Grey wove all of these intricate details, all these important bits into an amazing story that will hook you and keep you reading, rooting for good things to happen, for the past to be overcome. |
Author Bio
Autumn Grey is the author of the Havoc series (Havoc, Obliterate, Mend). And just like her characters, she is quirky, sometimes funny and definitely flawed. She writes sexy contemporary romances full of drama, steamy kisses and happy ever afters.
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