Tuesday, September 9, 2014

BLOG TOUR w/REVIEW and GIVEAWAY - RIVAL (Fall Away #2) by Penelope Douglas:


TITLE: Rival
SERIES: Fall Away
SERIES PLACEMENT: #2
AUTHOR: Penelope Douglas
AGE GROUP: New Adult
GENRE: Contemp. Romance
RELEASE DATE: Aug. 26, 2014
PUBLISHER: NAL
FORMAT: eBook and Paperback
PAGES: Approx. 366

TOUR COORDINATED BY:
As The Page Turns
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COPY PROVIDED BY: Author
MY GOODREADS REVIEW LINK
RATING: 4 Stars!
CLIFFHANGER: No

BOOK BLURB:
From the New Adult sensation and New York Times bestselling author of Until You.

Madoc and Fallon. Two estranged teenagers playing games that push the boundaries between love and war…

She’s back.

For the three years she’s been away at boarding school, there was no word from her. Back when we lived in the same house, she used to cut me down during the day and then leave her door open for me at night.

I was stupid then, but now I’m ready to beat her at her own game…

I’m back.

Three years and I can tell he still wants me, even if he acts like he’s better than me.

But I won’t be scared away. Or pushed down. I’ll call his bluff and fight back. That’s what he wants, right? As long as I keep my guard up, he’ll never know how much he affects me….

REVIEWERS NOTE: Rival is a New Adult, Contemporary Romance written by Penelope Douglas. I was gifted a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review through As The Page Turns.


4 Second Chance Stars!
Entertaining, Fun and Angsty. But Also A Little Too Much Drama! 

The Review: 
For the first half of this book, I was entranced. I enjoyed and adored Bully and absolutely LOVED Until You so when I heard Madox was getting his own story, I did the biggest happy dance ever. I fell in love with Penelope Douglas’s writing in Bully and just knew I was going to be blown away again with another of her fantastic works. And her writing still enchants and draws you in, her characters and their angsts still both enrage and charm but the plot/plots in this story felt a little overwhelming. There were too many, in my opinion, happening at once. There were too many issues vying for the lead. But all that aside, I really enjoyed getting to know Madox and Fallon. Their past was a forbidden one and the tragedy that happens because the grown ups in their lives were too busy being self invested instead of taking care of their kids was heartbreaking. I really felt for Madox and Fallon. They both needed strong role models to help guide them but even without that, they still turned out soulful and wonderful, even with all the hate/love going on in their lives.

The last half of the book was a bit problematic for me but overall, I still loved this book and I loved the characters and I am completely enamored with this series!

Story/Characters... 
Madox was scorchin’, no doubt about it. I knew when we first saw him in Bully, he was going to be a smokin’ hot force of nature. This book gave me a new look at his character and if it’s possible, I fell in love with him even more. His chemistry with Fallon was off the charts hot and I felt a little wrong for lusting after him so much, considering I was totally “cougar-ing” all over him! I loved how protective, energetic and charming he was. He’s got this light inside him and though he thinks its his mask, it’s really his strength shining through to try and deal with all that life has dealt him. I loved his character.

Fallon was headstrong and snarky. I loved her layered character and her reasons for coming back were all consuming. Her plight sucked me in and I wanted and needed to know how things turned out for her. She goes about her revenge in a maniacal way but she also keeps her head on and never lets it get too far out of hand. She had a plan and though she was set on doling it out when she came home, she gets sidetracked by the one who set her on her path to begin with.

Of course, there are tons of misunderstandings and a lot of miscommunication going on and Madox and Fallon definitely start out as rivals. They have the whole forbidden, love, hate, get-in-your-face relationship going on but when it’s good, it’s really really good. I even loved their fighting because it was one huge foreplay.

And I HAVE to mention the appearances of Tate and Jared, who I still love and adore! I can’t get enough of those two and I wish they had another book! Jax was also front and present in this one and I can NOT wait for his book, which is coming soon. That boy has some dark secrets to tell and I just know its going to be epic.

But...
And this is where my biggest disappointment comes in at. I really wish there had been more of Madox and Fallon’s forbidden past. I felt there was a well of angsts we were missing because we see their story two years after all the tragedy happened. I also felt there was too much emphasis on the parents and their drama... and speaking of drama, the last part of the book was filled with it. I love my angst and heartbreaking scenes and love to drown in their intensity, but drama is different than angsts and the last part of this book felt to much like an 80’s soap opera. And lastly, I felt the actual love was somewhat missing between Madox and Fallon. Even with all the angsts and drama, I didn’t feel the undeniable connection with them like we did with Tate and Jared. There was just something missing.

The Wrap Up: 
Regardless of its flaws, I still really enjoyed this book. This author quickly rose to my favorites list after I read Bully and she’s staying there! I wish there had of been “more” in this one, but for the most part, it was still a great read and I’m hooked on Madox. Book three can’t come soon enough! Bring on Jax’s story...

Buy the Book!
        


    
Bully (Fall Away #1)
Buy the Book at Amazon | Amazon UK | B&N | iTunes | Kobo

Until You (Fall Away #1.5)
Buy the Book at Amazon | Amazon UK | B&N | iTunes | Kobo

Falling Away (Fall Away #3)
Coming January 2015!
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About the Author...

Penelope Douglas is a writer in Las Vegas. Born in Dubuque, Iowa, she is the oldest of five children. Penelope attended the University of Northern Iowa, earning a Bachelor's degree in Public Administration, because her father told her to "just get the degree!" She then earned a Masters of Science in Education at Loyola University in New Orleans, because she hated Public Administration. One night, she got tipsy and told the bouncer at the bar where she worked that his son was hot, and three years later they were married. To the son, not the bouncer. They have spawn, but just one. A daughter named Aydan. Penelope loves sweets, The Originals, and she shops at Target almost daily.


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8 comments:

  1. thank you for the chance. looking forward to read this one :)

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    1. It was really good. You'll love it. Im still a Jared girl though ;)

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  2. I absolutely love all of her books, can not wait to read this one!!

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    1. You'll love it Cpennine! It was a great story and Madox was just as awesome and charming as he was in Bully and Until You! Thanks for stopping by!

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  3. Such a great and fun books to read. Thanks for the giveaway! Good luck everyone :)

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    1. I agree! Love this series :) Thanks for commenting and good luck in the giveaway!

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