Title: Watch Me Fall
Author: Riley Parks
Series: Start Something #1
Publisher: Boroughs Publishing
Release Date: March 27th 2018
Genre: Contemporary MM Romance
BLURB
Having it all is hard work, and Elijah Tucker has no problem 24/7-ing to keep himself on top. But life has a sense of humor and a big-ass mirror that reminds Eli where he came from, and shows him what he’s really made of when he meets Gideon Valsecchi.
Gideon Valsecchi has one life goal – get out of the shithole where he lives on the South Side of Chicago. To say life has been unkind is a joke he can’t even laugh at; to say he’s going to have to claw his way out is a reality that nearly crushes him every day. But...he has a secret weapon, and he’s learning how to hone his skills. Yet, hope is a feeling he won’t indulge in until he gets to know Elijah Tucker, who shows Gideon there is an out, and it can include love.
Find Watch Me Fall on Goodreads
EXCERPT
“I don’t want your fucking sweatshirt, man,” Gideon stated, clicking his tongue. “Ain’t your fucking charity case. Go give shit to some other motherfucker if you need to deal with some kinda winner’s guilt or something. I’m not the one.”
“It’s not any kind of guilt,” Eli protested. “I fucked yours up and I’m giving you a new one.”
“Don’t want it,” Gideon replied simply. He began to walk again, visibly irritated when Elijah continued beside him.
“How about breakfast?” Eli asked, holding up the McDonald’s bags in his other hand.
Gideon stopped again and reluctantly held his hand out, appearing taken back when Elijah handed him both bags.
“I didn’t know what you liked, so I got you everything,” Eli said, giving Gideon a small grin as he peeked in the bags.
“Are you serious right now?” Gideon questioned, his nose crinkling as he studied Elijah’s face. “Did you poison this shit or something?”
“Seriously?”
“It’s a normal question,” Gideon stated, suddenly looking amused by the situation. “If a guy fucked your wife, would you buy him a Ferrari?”
“I don’t have a wife. I’m gay,” Elijah reminded him.
Gideon narrowed his bright blue eyes. “That’s not the point. It’s hypothetical. When people do fucked-up shit to you, do you always bring them fucking breakfast?”
“Mostly I buy them lunch,” Elijah admitted, thinking getting mugged on the South Side wasn’t that different than getting fucked over by half the agents he bought lunch for. He smiled when Gideon coughed out a reluctant laugh.
“I’m not gonna eat all this for breakfast,” Gideon informed him, turning around so he could head back to his house, “but I’ll put it in the fridge and eat it sometime.”
Eli nodded. “Good.”
As they walked in silence back to the Valsecchi house, Elijah reflected on how strange the moment was, but how pleasant at the same time.
“D’you want something? Before I put it away?” Gideon questioned, grabbing a wrapped sandwich out of the bag without giving much of a thought to what it was.
“I’ll eat something,” Elijah decided, reaching his hand into the bag and grasping the first thing he could.
“Hold this,” Gideon said, tossing Eli his sandwich and stomping out his cigarette before disappearing into the house. Once he returned, he took the food back, still regarding Eli suspiciously. “You sure you didn’t do something to this?”
“I’m eating one, too,” Elijah replied, tearing the wrapper and smirking at Gideon, who cautiously did the same.
“I don’t got time to shit my brains out if you laced it with laxatives,” he stated. “Got a game tonight.” He took a tentative bite of the sandwich, watching Eli do the same.
“Mmm, this is damn good,” Elijah remarked, shocked by how delicious the food was.
“You okay over there?” Gideon asked, his mouth full.
“Yeah, it’s just…wow. It’s better than I remember.
“Were you on Mars for a while?” Gideon snarked, grinning when Elijah laughed.
“I don’t eat it a lot,” Elijah replied, talking another big bite. “Shit. So good.”
“Yeah, well…” Gideon cleared his throat as they approached the corner, “enjoy jizzing over your fucking McGriddle, man, but I don’t need you to walk me to school.”
Eli nodded his understanding and offered the sweatshirt one last time. “You sure you don’t want it?”
“Positive,” Gideon scoffed, giving him a dirty look.
Elijah shrugged and started to walk back toward the L.
“Thanks,” Gideon called out, but before Eli could turn and respond, the guy was gone.
4.5 Stars!
*Gideon’s age. Now I don’t mind age gaps or May/December romances, I’ve dated men that were older than me when I was younger and my parents were 10 years apart. So really, an age gap between MC’s is perfectly natural to me. However, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I do not like men (or women) in their late 20’s or older, dating someone who is only 18 and still in high school. I’m sorry but just because they are “legal” does not mean they are ready or mature enough to be in a relationship with someone who is that much older than them. Add to that the whole High School thing and it makes me truly uncomfortable. Now, I completely understand that this is a personal preference and many people might feel differently but it’s just one of those things that bother me.
*The second thing that really bothered me was that I have a hard time believing that Eli’s reputation would not have been more of a concern. What would his bosses, his colleagues and his clients think about him dating a kid in high school? The types of circles he runs in, it’s just weird to think it wouldn’t all be some sort of scandal.
*Lastly, while I’m happy for the HFN ending we got, I’ll admit I wasn’t prepared for it to end with so many unanswered questions and having to wait for book two. I like feeling like I got the full story and some closure but I didn’t get it all. Now I’m going to have to anxiously wait for book two.
With all the negativity out of the way, let me tell you what I happened to love about Watch Me Fall.
*First, the writing. I love how the author really tries to keep an authentic feel to the characters. Both MCs came from a tough background and have endured quite a bit of crap in order to survive. So it’s no surprise that they aren’t going to be overly sweet and soft. They each have that hard edge about them that you’d expect, yet they are extremely endearing and you can’t help but fall for them (rough edges and all).
I will admit I felt the connection to Eli a lot sooner than I did to Gideon. Mainly because a lot of his insecurities came through immediately despite that it seemed like he had his entire life put together. I did wish that we could have gotten to know him better though because as we find out more about his life and his past, the more intriguing it became, yet we only got brief details in passing. Eli is much more complicated than we got to see and it’s left me extremely curious.
Gideon is a really tough nut to crack at first. I liked him but he frustrated me to no end. His character had me waiting on the edge of my seat for a lot of the story, thinking something horrible would happen or trying to prepare myself for heartbreak. He’s pretty lovable in his own way, though, and by the last page, I kind of just wanted to hug him.
Together, Eli and Gideon were hot and they had awesome chemistry (if I ignored the fact that Gideon was only 18). I think they balanced each other quite well and I loved how they both took care of one another in their own way. I am definitely anxious to see what else the author has in store for them and I hope they’ll get their HEA.
Overall, I enjoyed Watch Me Fall a lot and I’d definitely recommend it. I loved Riley Parks book Bleeding Like Me and now that I’ve read and loved this one too, I can confidently say I’m a fan.
***Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by the author/publisher for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.***
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About the Author
Riley has always loved to write, believing that life has the possibility to be its most beautiful when it’s portrayed on the pages of a book. Feeling the need to create and liberate in the midst of the political landscape, Riley writes novels that focus on LGBTQ protagonists, wanting to honor a community that deserves better representation depicting lives, loves and triumphs in all facets of fiction. Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
lobster and steak
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review and supporting the tour xx
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I’m a fan of yours, too!
ReplyDeleteLove,
Riley
Thank you so much ❤️
DeleteThank you so much!! In all honestly, the fact that Gideon was in high school made me slightly uncomfortable, too, BUT I found it really important for the dynamics of the rest of their journey!! Loved your review!! I’m a fan of yours, too!
ReplyDeleteThank You!!
DeleteI am excited to see what’s next for them. I am so happy to have had the opportunity to read both Bleeding Like Me and Watch Me Fall, both were excellent reads.