Refresh Tour: Accepting the Fall by Meg Harding (Reviews, Teasers + Giveaway)

Accepting the Fall by Meg Harding

Publisher: Oceanside Press

Release Date (Print & Ebook): June 8, 2017

Refresh Tour dates: April 23 - 30, 2018

Length (Print & Ebook): 62k

Subgenre: Contemporary Romance

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Book blurb:

Confronting the past is never easy.

Cole Whitaker is happy. He has the job and boyfriend he always wanted. His heart’s in no danger of being broken, and he can’t ask for more from life. As a kindergarten teacher, he sees it all; however, one troublesome student has him reaching out to the parent, wanting to help. There’s something about Savanah that tugs at his heartstrings.

He never expected her father.

Zander Brooks hasn’t had an easy life, and he’s made some mistakes. Freshly retired from the military and working as a firefighter, Zander thought he’d left Cole in the rearview mirror. He’s not expecting him to appear in St. Petersburg, Florida, of all places, teaching his daughter’s kindergarten class. Suddenly, his biggest mistake is being shoved in his face.

This is Zander’s chance to close a door he’d never fully shut, but time with his former flame might change his mind.

Author Meg Harding’s take on Accepting the Fall: “Not everything is perfect, and it’s not always going to go right the first time around. It’s not any less special because it was flawed.”

Praise for Accepting the Fall: “A character driven, second-chance romance. Recommended for anyone craving a low-angst, tender, contemporary story stuffed to the brim with feels and sweetness.” – Piper Vaughn

4 Stars

Zander and Cole meet on a military base in Germany as teenagers, where their fathers are stationed. They date, well, they sort of date, since Zander is still hiding in the closet. When things get too serious, Zander ends things breaking Cole's heart in the process. A decade and a half later, Cole is a kindergarten teacher living in Florida and in a committed relationship. Zander is living in Florida as well, working as a firefighter and raising his daughter alone. When one of Cole's students is acting out, he requests a parent/teacher conference with the girl's father. Cole is shocked when Zander shows up and turns out to be Savanah's father. The attraction is still there, but Cole is committed to someone else.

Before I start, I want to clarify there is no cheating in this book. I really loved Cole. He was sweet and I'm an animal person, while I wouldn't want the almost farm he had, I loved seeing him interact with his animals. He was good with his students, as well. It takes a special person to work with thirty 5 and 6-year-olds. I definitely don't have the patience for that. Although I didn't feel the zing between Cole and his boyfriend, Patrick, I really loved Patrick and I know it was for the best, but I cried when Cole broke up with him. I wanted to cuddle him and make it all better. Maybe the author can find it in her heart to write Patrick a story? He was a great guy and he deserves a happy ending too!

Zander, I wasn't so sure about Zander at first. Although we get his POV, I felt we weren't really made aware of his intentions towards Cole and I wasn't sure what his game was or if I could trust him with Cole's heart again. As a father, having had Savanah dropped on his doorstep only the year before with no prior knowledge that she even existed, he grew leaps and bounds throughout the story. He was an amazing father once he learned to communicate with his daughter.

I thought the characters had good chemistry and they were explosive between the sheets. I adored the interactions between Cole, Zander and Savanah. This was an enjoyable story that's well-written, paced well and considering the subject matters, it's pretty low on the angst scale. Recommendable!

*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by the author/publisher for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement.*

4 Stars!!!

Cole has a good life, he has a good boyfriend and a great job as a kindergarten teacher. When one of his students starts acting up, he reaches out to her parent, who turns out to be his old sort of boyfriend.

Zander has just moved to Florida after having to leave the military when one of his one-night-stands suddenly left his daughter on his doorstep. Now he's a firefighter and trying to find his footing at being a father, which is not an easy feat with a daughter like Savanah. Seeing Cole after so many years throws him out of the loop, especially since leaving him has always been his biggest regret. Does Zander have what it takes to get a second chance with Cole?

I have to say I wasn't too sure about Zander at first, but the more I read, the more I fell for him. His life wasn't easy and I just can imagine how lost he might have felt when he suddenly found himself having to take care of a four-year-old. I loved that he never even thought of giving her up, though, which is more than could be said of Savanah's mother. I liked Cole, but he got on my nerves with the way he acted with Patrick, his boyfriend. Yes, he didn't cheat on him, but the way he treated Patrick made me want to scream and cuddle Patrick. Other than that, I admired his choice of career and how patient and caring he was with his students and his love for animals. Zander and Cole had great chemistry and their love scenes were very steamy.

I loved their interactions with Savanah and how the author dealt with her adjusting to a new life without her mom and having a father. It felt very realistic to me.

Accepting The Fall was an enjoyable read, but what really took the cake was the lovely epilogue, it was just perfect and sweet and it made everything that led to it worthwhile. Very recommendable!

*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***

Teaser:

What Cole had said while in the hospital was true—Zander was a good person when it came down to it. It might take him time, but Zander eventually came around to what was right. He’d never tolerated injustice, and he’d always tried his hardest. But he was a stubborn ass, and if he deemed something was in his way, it wasn’t going to be there for long.

Cole did not want to be the obstacle in Zander’s path again. One time was more than enough, thanks very much.

So, as Cole took the seat beside the bane of his existence, he tried not to think about the body heat Zander was generating. He told himself not to obsess over the way their legs were brushing through their jeans—unavoidable with the way Zander sprawled—and their shoulders knocked. Every minute shift of Zander’s body shouldn’t have pinged on Cole’s radar. The contact shouldn’t have left Cole holding his breath and reciting numeric tables in his head.

Zander’s presence created a tangible buzz under Cole’s skin, an awareness of the other man that was all consuming and completely absurd. Without consciously paying attention, Cole could tell anyone who asked that Zander had sighed twice since Cole had sat down, he’d scratched his stubbled jaw five times, licked his lips three, and he smelled like warm cinnamon and fresh detergent.

A glance at his phone showed Cole it had been a whole five minutes. Just eighty-five more to go.

About Meg Harding: Meg Harding is a sucker for things on four legs and works as a pet sitter when she's not writing. She's an editor and a lover of fanfiction. She enjoys the theatre, concerts, and lazing about in front of the TV. Meg Harding is a graduate of UCF and Anglia Ruskin, with a bachelors in Psych and a masters in publishing. For as long as she can remember, writing has always been her passion, but she had an inability to ever actually finish anything. She’s immensely happy that her inability has fled and looks forward to where her mind will take her next. She’s a sucker for happy endings, the beach, and superheroes. In her dream life she owns a wildlife conservation and is surrounded by puppies. She’s a film buff, voracious reader, and a massive geek.

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