Falling is by USA Today Bestselling author E.K. Blair. Falling is the third book of the Fading Series that gives us Ryan Campbell’s point of view.
After reading the heart wrenching a exquisite novel Fading that was in Candace’s point of view I was intrigued to continue the series and tap into Ryan’s mind. The book starts off with a prologue of Ryan in his teenage years. In the mist of the prologue it finally reveal the treacherous living conditions he was forced to grow up in. With his alcoholic abusive father we begin to understand his close relationship with his mother and the demons that haunt him.
The prologue ends with the almost fatal brawl between Ryan and his father. The book then shifts to Ryan in present day, as a successful bar owner in Seattle. His personal life is far from perfect as he engages in meaningless physical relationships. Ryan loses himself in his career and guards himself from anything thing emotional because he fears he will become like his father.
One night grief strikes his bar as he sees a defenseless young girl being taken advantage of. Ryan rushes to the scene and fights off the attacker. The young girl is battered, bruised, vulnerable and unconscious that Ryan covers her body with his shirt and calls 911. Not only is the image of her lifeless body etched in his mind but her small feminine heart tattoo.
Ryan tries to go back to his normal routine but the night still haunts him. As he tries to be intimate with women he has flash backs to the night. On a rainy night Ryan goes into to a café for a cup of coffee. Candace is working the register and he is instantly drawn to her. There is a connection that he can’t quite pinpoint her familiarity.
Ryan and Candace meet again at a concert as she is hanging out with her best friends Jase and Mark. Ryan once again finds himself inexorably drawn to Candace. He tries to figure out her skittish and off attitude and decides he wants to get closer to her. Ryan finds his way to break down the iron clad walls that Candace puts up and they give their relationship a chance. Their relationship comes to halt and is tested as deep and raw secrets are revealed.
Blair’s writing once again is amazing as she deals with the raw elements of domestic abuse, rape, and loss. I didn’t think it would be possible to love Ryan’s character even more but I was proved wrong after reading Falling. I absolutely loved that we got to see more of Ryan’s reactions to the raw incidents that occurred through out the novel. There is a happy ever after for the couple and I enjoyed that Mark and Jase still appeared in the story. Overall Falling is a stellar conclusion to Candace and Ryan’s love story and it is truly unforgettable.