Misconduct
   by: Penelope Douglas

Publication Date: Dec. 1, 2015
Publisher: NAL Trade
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: Adult
Source: e-ARC received via the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 368 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 4.5/5 stars

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Fall Away series who never fails to deliver a “powerfully written contemporary love story…”

Former tennis player Easton Bradbury is trying to be the best teacher she can be, trying to reach her bored students and trying to forget her past. What brought her to this stage in her life isn’t important. She can’t let it be. But now one parent-teacher meeting may be her undoing…

Meeting Tyler Marek for the first time makes it easy for Easton to see why his son is having trouble in school. The man knows how to manage businesses and wealth, not a teenage boy. Or a young teacher, for that matter, though he tries to. And yet…there is something about him that draws Easton in—a hint of vulnerability, a flash of attraction, a spark that might burn.

Wanting him is taboo. Needing him is undeniable. And his long-awaited touch will weaken Easton’s resolve—and reveal what should stay hidden…

 

 

So, can I just say this book is pretty much every single teacher's fantasy? As a teacher myself, I sure as heck wouldn't mind a man like Tyler Marek storming into my classroom and turning my life upside down! Having loved Penelope Douglas's Fall Away series, I was so excited to start a new book by her! Misconduct is sexy and fun and I loved the forbidden nature of it as well.

 

Easton and Tyler's chemistry is off the charts hot. It can also be quite volatile at times, as the two are at complete odds over how much social media Easton incorporates into her lesson plans. Tyler doesn't think it's appropriate for his son to be using so much social media during school hours. I really enjoyed seeing this warring dynamic between the two and we really see their age difference here. At 23, Easton knows the only way to engage her students is to make things relatable to their lives and in such a 'screen age', the only way to do that is by incorporating technology into her plans. Tyler, at 35, does not agree with her methodology, but I love how Easton stands her ground against the formidable politician-to-be.

 

Both Easton and Tyler are used to be in control, so to see them unravel one another was a lot of fun and made for some very sexy times. There was one scene around 73% that I didn't much care for and I wish Douglas had used a different way of showing dominance. I understand Easton is afraid of her feelings for Tyler but the mind games were just not cool because he never did anything to make her believe that he wasn't all in. Aside from that one scene, I really loved this book. You know Easton and Tyler are playing with fire and are going to get burned, but at the same time you can't help but root for them. The sneaking around, the sexy rendezvous, the knowing they could get caught at any moment.... It's seriously hot. Tyler is in the running to be a future senator, so any hint of a scandal could seriously jeopardize his chances of winning.

 

While this book is oh-so-sexy, it does take a bit to establish a connection between Tyler and Easton. Easton has things in her past that still haunt her today and Tyler is torn between his desire for this woman and doing what's right by his kid- and being a real father for the first time. There is a lot of animosity between Tyler and Christian, as Christian never felt his father cared, when really Tyler didn't know how to insert himself into Christian's life. People do what they know, as Tyler has always known hard work and success. However, once Easton and Tyler start opening up to one another and they start to realize that maybe they can have the other in their lives, it's really perfect.

 

I cannot wait for what Douglas does next. I am addicted to her writing style and her complicated, but endearing characters. She knows how to bring the steam and the emotion that goes into her characters' relationships is spot-on!

 

Aflame (Fall Away #4)
    by: Penelope Douglas

Publication Date: Apr. 21, 2015
Publisher: Penguin Intermix
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Source: e-ARC provided via the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 262 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 4.5/5 stars

From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Bully, Until You, Rival, and Falling Away comes the sizzling conclusion to the Fall Away series.

The tables have turned. Now I have the power—and it’s his turn to beg…

Everyone wants to be me.

Maybe it’s the sway of my skirt or the way I flip my hair, but I don’t care. Even though their attention is the last thing I crave, I just can’t stop. I dominate the track, the speed rattles my bones, and the wind and the crowd screams my name.

I’m her. The girl driver. The queen of the race. And I’m surviving—something he thought I’d never do.

They all still talk about him. Did you see Jared Trent on T.V? What did you think of his last race, Tate? When is he coming back to town, Tate?

But I refuse to care too much. Because when Jared does come home, I won’t be here.

Tatum Brandt is gone. I’m someone new.

 

 

Upon finishing Fall Away and reading what I did about Jared and Tate I seriously felt my heart shatter. I thought with that book all of our couples would have their happily ever afters, so imagine my surprise upon reading the bomb that Jared dropped on Tate. As steaming mad as I should be at Jared, I just can't be. I understand him. I understand his reasoning for doing what he had to do. Yes, it hurt Tate like hell, but had he not done what he did, I don't think those two would have made it in the long run.

 

I want to keep this review as spoiler free as possible, but I feel this extension of Tate and Jared's story needed to be told. While certain things never change, I do feel overall these two have grown as individuals and are stronger than ever because of it. Both of them had made the other the center of their world and we really didn't see much of them walking on their own two feet.

 

Tate is certainly different in this book. It made me sad to see her hurting and her trust in him so completely broken. She has fortified her heart against Jared and while she is trying to move forward with her life, it's certainly not easy with the amount of history they share. When Jared returns to town, she won't let him bait her into fighting with him like she used to. She's colder and works hard to not betray her emotions to him. I am proud of her for continuing on with her dreams and trying to move on with her life.

 

Jared has always had a temper and has always acted a bit immaturely. He likes getting a rise out of Tate and these two's relationship has been a rollercoaster. I don't doubt their love for one another though. But these two also have some resentment toward one another. Jared can still push Tate's button like none another and there are times where I didn't like his pushing. I wouldn't say it was bullying, but he definitely made comments that probably would have earned him a punch to the stomach or two.

 

A good blogging friend of mine and I were talking about Penelope Douglas's books and she mentioned they were like crack. I couldn't have said it better myself! I was like a woman possessed reading this book. I read the majority of it in one sitting as there was no way I could put it down. The teasing, the taunting, the TENSION... Sigh. So good. Not to mention, this was realistic. Guess what people? Relationships are hard. They don't always work out like they're meant to. Sometimes people have to fall apart in order to come back together. Tate and Jared have already been put through the ringer, I know, but we get to see them grow up here. They aren't co-dependent on one another. They have their own loves and goals and are pursuing them. I personally don't feel Douglas wrote this just to create more drama. This was never an issue of Tate and Jared not loving one another. It was whether or not that love would be enough in the long run. They are all each other has known for so long that it just felt RIGHT for them to experience new things on their own.

 

The epilogue in this one was perfection for me. I just couldn't contain my feels and I thought it was awesome. I loved the way Douglas wrapped up Tate, Jared, Fallon, Madoc, Jax, and Juliet's stories. It was just what I needed to read, except I am now desperately hoping she continues this series but in a slightly different capacity. :)

 

Title: Misconduct

Author: Penelope Douglas

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: December 1, 2015

 

 

Synopsis

Former tennis player Easton Bradbury is trying to be the best teacher she can be, trying to reach her bored students and trying to forget her past. What brought her to this stage in her life isn’t important. She can’t let it be. But now one parent-teacher meeting may be her undoing…

Meeting Tyler Marek for the first time makes it easy for Easton to see why his son is having trouble in school. The man knows how to manage businesses and wealth, not a teenage boy. Or a young teacher, for that matter, though he tries to. And yet…there is something about him that draws Easton in—a hint of vulnerability, a flash of attraction, a spark that might burn.

Wanting him is taboo. Needing him is undeniable. And his long-awaited touch will weaken Easton’s resolve—and reveal what should stay hidden… (*STANDALONE, NO CLIFFHANGER*)

 

Amazon | Kobo | iTunes | BAM
 

 

 

Penelope Douglas is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Fall Away series. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Northern Iowa and a Master of Science in Education from Loyola University in New Orleans. Penelope lives in Las Vegas with her family.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Tsū | Goodreads
 

 

The giveaway is international and ends at 11:59 PM CST 03/21/2015.

• (2) $20 Amazon Gift Card (Intl) 
• (1) Aflame ARC to be gifted on 04/01/2015

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Falling Away (Fall Away #3)
    by: Penelope Douglas

Publication Date: Jan. 6, 2015
Publisher: Penguin Group
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Source: ARC received from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 429 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 4/5 stars

Jaxon is the guy she’s supposed to avoid.

K.C. is the girl he won’t let get away....

K. C. Carter has always followed the rules—until this year, when a mistake leaves her the talk of her college campus and her carefully arranged life comes crashing to a halt. Now she’s stuck in her small hometown for the summer to complete her court-ordered community service, and to make matters worse, trouble is living right next door.

Jaxon Trent is the worst kind of temptation and exactly what K.C. was supposed to stay away from in high school. But he never forgot her. She was the one girl who wouldn’t give him the time of day and the only one to ever say no. Fate has brought K.C. back into his life—except what he thought was a great twist of luck turns out to be too close for comfort. As the bond between them grows, he discovers that convincing K.C. to get out from her mother’s shadow is hard, but revealing the darkest parts of his soul is nearly impossible.…

 

 

Well friends, Penelope Douglas has done it again. My emotions are officially on the fritz after reading this book. Ever since I finished Rival, I wanted Jax's story and man, did I get it. This is such a volatile, explosive, passionate book that seriously left me reeling due to the rollercoaster ride I endured while reading. This is not an easy, light read. It's dark, painful, and there were times I feared for my own sanity. There is this incredibly powerful, INTENSE push and pull dynamic between K.C. and Jax. There were times when I couldn't stand these characters. And then there were times I wanted to hug the crap out of them for having had to endure so much they shouldn't have had to in their lives.

 

This was not an easy book to read. I don't like seeing character's feelings hurt because of venomous words spouted by others with the intent to harm. That always rubs me the wrong way, and it's even worse when it's the love interest doing it. I understand Jax says the things he does to K.C. as a means of pushing her to be her true self, but it's still hard to swallow.

 

Douglas has this amazing ability to write this way and STILL make me root for the MCs to be together. That's really saying something. It's addictive and that's what keeps us so enthralled with what we're reading. Like Fallon and Madoc in Rival, Jax and K.C. definitely have their share of flaws. They make mistakes. They drive each other crazy. They don't communicate and make assumptions. They shut down and shut each other out. What can you expect from two deeply flawed, damaged characters? They both have to find their own way and oddly enough, they help one another do so. They challenge one another and make the other want to be better.

 

I still haven't read Bully (I KNOW, I KNOW), so I'm not sure what K.C. was like then, but judging by how guilty she feels about messing up her friendship with Tate, I don't think she was particularly well-liked. K.C. is struggling with her identity. She doesn't know who she is. She's always been made to feel that she has to act a certain way because of her parents. It's all about projecting the right image. Wear the right clothes. Associate with the right kind of people. It is a sad fact that K.C. doesn't know who she is. She can be spunky, wild, and free and that is the girl that Jax wants. He gets angry when she hides herself and refers to her as gutless and hopeless. His method might not be the most delicate, but it proves effective. She doesn't want to be that way. She wants to feel that recklessness she feels when she's with him. Jax is also ridiculously attractive, so it's no surprise she's battling her feelings for him. My heart broke for K.C. because of how she grew up. I can't imagine growing up in the type of environment she did, never feeling she really measured up to the expectation her parents demanded of her.

 

Jax's past is a dark one and very hard to read about. I'm thankful Douglas doesn't go into too much detail and instead gives enough that you can infer what happened without being shown explicitly. His past plays a huge role in the type of guy he is today and he will never let himself be put in a position of vulnerability ever again. He has wanted K.C. for some time and now that she's finally broken up with her douche of an ex, he wants to make her his. Jax has a lot of insecurities that he keeps buried, but they are there and we see them emerge when he doesn't feel worthy enough of K.C. or when he pushes her away to keep from getting hurt.

 

This book did give me pause to wonder: are these two actually in love with another? There's not a ton of romancing going on. It's more primal and aggressive than it is sweet and tender. Then again, maybe they are indeed in love and expressing it the only way they know how. Their upbringings haven't been the most ideal and they were never shown the kind of love they deserved. There is one scene that made me tear up because one of our characters finally sees how much they are loved by the people in their life and it was just such a beautiful moment to witness.

 

We do get to see Fallon, Madoc, Tate, and Jared in this book, which I loved. My heart ached at Tate and Jared's side storyline, as they still have more story to tell. The excerpt from Aflame nearly broke me, even knowing that it had to happen in order for them to truly be happy.

 

Overall, I did enjoy Falling Away. I love being sucked into these books and love having this love/hate relationship with the characters. Life is messy. It's not perfect. People fuck up. A lot. Relationships aren't always pretty and easy. Douglas shows us that and while it makes my emotions go crazy, I'm always left craving more.

Rival (Fall Away #2)
   by: Penelope Douglas

Publication Date: Aug. 26, 2014
Publisher: Penguin Group
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Source: Physical copy received from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 366 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 5/5 stars

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 two 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.

Two 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….

 

 

So. This book pretty much consumed my life for the entire 2 days it took me to read it. It's been a long while since a book has done that to me- all I wanted to do was read! I even wanted to blow off work to continue reading this book! Which is crazy, because the main characters' behavior was absolutely abhorrent to me. If I were Fallon, I would have castrated Madoc in his sleep for some of the crap he said to her. No, seriously. The thought of my high school girls dating a guy like this makes me want to scream and throw things. Fallon is no angel either, mind you. She might not be as crass as Madoc is, but she still rises to the occasion, taunting and goading him. The amount of drama and angst in this book is overwhelming... and yet there is something about it that had me devouring this book like no tomorrow.

 

How would I even describe this book to you all? It's raw, gritty, emotional, messy, intense, passionate, and absolutely heart-wrenching. Madoc and Fallon are two seriously flawed characters who let their anger consume and fuel them.

 

Despite all this, Madoc and Fallon are not bad people. They make decisions that serve to hurt one another, but only because they themselves are hurting. They have hurt each other deeply and due to miscommunication have spent the last 2 years resentful and angry. Fallon is back for one purpose and one purpose only: to seek revenge on those who wronged her and make them pay. However, coming face to face with Madoc again and realizing they both still have this powerful chemistry isn't something she can just ignore and run from... as much as she tries.

 

I also really liked how much Jared, Tate, and Jax showed up in the story. Jared and Tate are good friends to Madoc and eventually to Fallon as well. I really like how much we got to see that in this book. Jax is a whole other ballgame. He is younger than the others, but he is completely different than Jared and Madoc. He really surprised me at the end by what he did to help Fallon and Madoc and my heart ached at how nonchalant he made what his actions seem. I am really looking forward to his story.

 

Overall, there's just not much more I can say about this book. It completely took me by surprise given the nature of the characters. I never thought I could come back from some of the things they said to one another and how they hurt each other, but Douglas made it work. Madoc and Fallon's scenes are always so full of passion and emotion that it's hard to keep your emotions at bay while reading this one!