Happy Release Day to Courtney Cole – the paperback of Before We Fall is NOW AVAILABLE!
Before We Fall by Courtney Cole
Series: Beautifully Broken #3 (full reading order below)
Paperback Release: November 4th 2014
Sometimes before we fall . . . we fly.
One dark moment was all it took to turn twenty-four-year-old Dominic Kinkaide’s world black. On the night of his high school graduation, a single incident changed him forever, and he became a hardened man-famous in the eyes of the world, but tortured inside. Now all he cares about is losing himself in the roles that he plays.
At twenty-three years old, Jacey Vincent doesn’t realize how much her father’s indifference has affected her. She is proof that sometimes it isn’t one specific moment that wrecks a person, but an absence of moments. She tries to find acceptance in the arms of men to fill the void-a plan that has worked just fine for her, until she meets Dominic.
When jaded Dominic and strong-willed Jacey are thrown together, the combination of his secrets and her issues turns their attraction into the perfect storm. It could change their lives for good-if it doesn’t tear them both apart . . .
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Originally posted here.
I read Until We Burn, which is a novella told in Dominic’s POV, right before going into this, which is a good thing, because I might have balked a little at Dominic’s… darker side. He’s into some pretty intense stuff, and knowing more about him before starting Before We Fall helped a lot. So I’d recommend reading Until We Burn before reading Before We Fall, but you don’t really have to. It’s just to get a better background on Dominic, because Dominic is one huge jerk. If you thought Pax was bad, Dominic is even worse. And I can honestly say I loved reading his and Jacey’s story.
“… the best things in life are worth the greatest risk. Falling in love is one of those things. Can it break our hearts? Yes. Most definitely. But more often than not, before we fall, we fly.”
Dominic is a fascinating, enigmatic man. He’s a famous celebrity, but he’s a private one. He doesn’t let his fans know anything about him, and he never does anything to tarnish his gentlemanly reputation. We only get snippets of his haunted past, but we know that whatever happened to him broke him. It’s hard to like him at first, but Courtney Cole writes him in such a way that we want to know more about him, and we eventually care about him. To me, he’s the most broken of all the Beautifully Broken characters, and he’s the one who has to try the hardest to help himself. He feels he doesn’t deserve any happiness because of what happened in his past, but when he meets Jacey, she changes everything for him.
“You can have all of me,” I tell her simply. “I don’t know why you want it, but you can have it.”
I was really excited to read about Gabriel’s sister after reading If You Leave, and Courtney Cole doesn’t disappoint! Jacey seemed a bit weak in If You Leave, but she’s definitely more mature and tough in Before We Fall. And she has to be in order to deal with Dominic. Jacey and Dominic meet at Dominic’s rock star brother’s house, where Jacey is working, and they get off on the wrong foot. They’re attracted to one another, but they won’t do anything about it. Then when Jacey needs a ride home, Dominic has to give her one, but they end up busted and arrested after cops find some weed in Dominic’s car. They’re sentenced to community service together for 3 months, and during that time, they get to know each other better, though Dominic still hides his past.
I loved seeing Dominic slowly letting Jacey into his heart, because he’s got a wall of iron around it. Jacey manages to bring light into Dominic’s darkness, but his past still keeps them apart. Their story is beautifully written (Courtney Cole is such an incredible writer!), and there are so many twists and turns that you don’t see coming. Dominic’s past is dark and so heartbreaking, and we can feel just how much he broke after the day that changed everything for him. But no matter how despairing Dominic’s story is, I still had hope for him and Jacey. Dominic finds the truth, redemption, and finally happiness, and Jacey is the perfect girl for him. They need each other and they belong together, and even though there’s so much pain in Dominic’s past, I was smiling because of how sweet they are together. Their “Yes and No’s” are the most adorable thing ever!
Before We Fall is a heart-wrenching, gutting read that I really loved. It’s not an easy read, but you should read it anyway. You’ll be blown away by Courtney Cole’s writing, and the storyline will have you captivated and guessing. 4 hearts!
Now here’s an excerpt from Before We Fall! ❤
He laughs, a velvety sound. “Babe, I could show you a bunch of things you’ve never done. And I guarantee, you’d like every one of them.”
For some reason, I have no doubt of that. It’s an exciting thought.
He bends his head and nips at my neck, then soothes the bite with a soft suck. His lips, so soft and smooth, ease the pain of the bite away. His nearness is intoxicating and everything about him screams that he is capable of so many things… things that would please me… things that would embarrass me in the light of day.
But still, I don’t move. I stay right with him, my gaze frozen on his.
Keeping his eyes on mine, he slowly dips his head and plunges his tongue into my mouth, completely plundering it, consuming me yet again. It’s like he can’t kiss me without devastating all of my senses at once, annihilating my thoughts and causing my blood to throb as it all races toward one destination… the V between my legs.
Right where I ache for him.
He’s like a drug….and one taste just isn’t enough.
I open up my mouth and breathe around his lips, sucking in air, grasping at his back and pulling him closer. He reaches back and grabs my hands, holding them together at my wrists and pinning them over my head against the plexi-glass gondola cage. I’m trapped here with him, yet there’s no place I’d rather be.
The energy around us now is primal and raw…and it’s exhilarating too, because we’re out in public. Every time the gondola swoops along the ground before it begins its ascent upward again, anyone could look in and see what we’re doing. They could see Dominic pinning me against the wall, and his other hand buried in my crotch, if only they looked closely.
Honestly, I think he might like that idea.
“What are you doing?” I finally manage to whisper, pulling away just ever so slightly.
His eyes are a little unfocused, his pupils dilated. “What would you like for me to do, Jacey?”
He knows. Oh, God, he knows. He knows exactly what I’d like for him to do.
Reading Order: Beautifully Broken series
#1 ~ If You Stay: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ If You Leave: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2.5 ~ Until We Burn: Ebook • Goodreads
#3 ~ Before We Fall: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ Until We Fly: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Courtney Cole is a New York Times and USA Todaybestselling author who lives near Lake Michigan with her family. She’s always working on her next project… or staring dreamily out her office window.
Website • Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads • Amazon Page
5 signed sets of the Beautifully Broken Series including IF YOU STAY, IF I LEAVE, and BEFORE WE FALL by Courtney Cole
Paperback copy of BEFORE WE FALL (US/CAN only)