There’s off-limits… and then there’s your psychiatrist.
They call this place Oasis, and he’s the doctor in charge. He thinks he can save me. Heal me. Catch me if I fall…
Dr. Leo Chastain is a mouthwatering distraction. For that reason alone, I’m inclined to play his game.He doesn’t know I’m beyond help–Incapable of emotions that come naturally to others.
I might be a sociopath.
I warned him … reason alone, I’m inclined to play his game.
He doesn’t know I’m beyond help–
Incapable of emotions that come naturally to others.
I might be a sociopath.
I warned him my kind of broken can’t be fixed.
That the harder he pushes, the harder I’ll push back
…until he’s broken, too.
I warned him.
more
~WRITING – PLOT – PACE~
Oddly enough, this is the second book this week that I have read featuring a psychiatrist and his patient. I enjoyed the other book immensely, but this book…well this book pretty much blew me away. This author has quickly found herself a top spot on my MUST READ list. The writing was phenomenal. The pace was perfection itself. The plot was engaging. So much so, I didn’t move from my sofa for the three and a half hours it took for me to finish it. That said, a part of me wished that this had been told in a dual POV format. I would have liked to have gotten a peek at some of Leo’s inner thoughts. However, it didn’t bother me enough that it affected my enjoyment in the least. I was especially fond of the DAY format that part of the book was told in. We also get a few flashbacks which added some extra depth to both the plot and the characters themselves. There were also a couple twists and turns that legit took me by surprise. Last, it was all wrapped up in a sweet ending.
~HERO~
LEO…Leo is a bit of an enigma through most of the book, and I completely understand why the author developed his character that way. Even without the benefit of being inside his head, he was a fantastic hero. Sexy. Smart. Dirty in bed. A little tortured. A genuine human being. I loved him.
~HEROINE~
AMELIA…Since we are told the story through the eyes of Mia herself, her character was the more developed of the two. I loved Mia. Usually, when I read these type of “taboo” stories we tend to have a heroine that is young and almost always naive. Mia was neither (not that 28 is old mind you). She was intelligent. Feisty. Smart-mouthed, but kind. Damaged, but also strong. Funny. She was a really great heroine.
~SECONDARY CHARACTERS~
One of the other great things about this book that made it such an enjoyable read were the secondary characters, and there were quite a few of them. They weren’t just placeholders to prop up the main characters. They had depth (some more than others). Distinct personalities. Stories of their own that broke my heart. They showed growth throughout the story. I would love to read a book about each and every one of them.
~HEAT LEVEL~
LOW…this was a super slow burn, and I am going to have to reevaluate my stance on not liking slow burns since this is the third or fourth slow burn book I have read lately that I loved (go figure). That is not to say that there wasn’t sex. When this couple finally does give in to their sexual attraction, they burn up the sheets.
~ANGST LEVEL – SEXUAL HISTORIES~
Low to Medium. “I” didn’t find this one particularly angsty. However, this couple doesn’t have a smooth journey. There are lies and secrets. Bumps and sharp turns. All of it just made their journey that much more perfect. Neither were virgins, and there wasn’t really any OW or OM drama in a sexual sense.
~IN THE END~
Did I enjoy it? SO very much YES!
Was it perfect? Again, SO very much YES!
Would I recommend it? YES! YES! YES!
Who would enjoy this book? I think most readers would enjoy this story. Those who love a good taboo romance. Those who love a good slow burn romance. It was just a fantastically written book.
This book is addictive in all the best ways. There is something so captivating about the characters and situations in this book that makes it impossible to put down. Mia’s character is so dynamic but so easily relatable. And Dr Leo? Holy Hotness. I absolutely loved this book. I urge you to one click this absolutely amazing book. I can’t say enough good things about it.
This story had me attached to my kindle right from the start.
I felt so many emotions I had to stop to think about them.
This story was a great read.
Highly recommend
This is not your average conventional love story and that’s what I love about this novel. L.M brings so much depth, emotion, life and soul into this, vividly painting each scene and sucking us in.
Leo and Amelia, these two characters are amazing, bound together by their own personal burdens and secrets and we have front row seats as we watch it all slowly unravel.
This booked is filled with electric tension, light moments of humour and unexpected twist and turns. You won’t be disappointed!!
Also Leo is one filthy #@$!& unicorn!!
Another amazing piece of art by LM Halloran. Amelia and Leo’s story is unlike any that I have read before. This book made me laugh, cry, and think; it was an emotional rollercoaster that I want to ride over and over again. I highly recommend this to everyone, one of my favorite reads of 2018. Can’t wait for a re-read!
Halloran must be a wizard, waving her magic fingers over her keyboard with a whispered “Abracadabra,” because her words enthralled me in their glamour from the very first page. She is a true artist with a rare gift, painting stunning pictures with her words, meticulously setting a scene, subtly creating a mood, and eliciting more thought and feeling than just about any other author in romance today. Hundreds of books later, I still remember the first two sentences, and all they evoked, from the very first book of Halloran’s I read. That is the sorcery and power of her words. And, in my opinion, this book is easily the very best of her work to date.
When a book keeps you up reading until the wee hours of the morning, is the last thing on your mind when your head hits the pillow, and has thoughts of itself ricocheting through your brain when you wake up the next morning, that book has already worked its way deep into your psyche and indelibly marked your soul. You need to know this about “The Fall Before Flight” because the substance and force of its words, its story and its characters will cause a shift within you and has the potential to create fundamental changes you never imagined were possible.
A book about a narcissist or sociopath?! The baser part of my brain scoffed at the notion of this personality type cast as the heroine in a romance novel, but my heart had confidence in the magic of Halloran’s writing, and if any author could redeem such a character, it’s Halloran. And redeem she did, in a mysterious, marvelous, spectacular way. I was prejudiced against Mia before even opening the book, but very early on Halloran began to effortlessly show me the error of my ways and I quickly embraced Mia’s character, as well as Leo’s. I can’t imagine the amount of research and all the technicalities that go into writing a book with a strong psychiatric theme, yet Halloran weaves them throughout the story in an engaging, fluid, compelling way. In her hands they become a dab of color here or a slash of shadowing there that brings the story vividly to life. Her skills as a storyteller are unparalleled as she embeds hints and nuances, reveals unexpected twists and drops metaphorical bombs, further captivating the reader and sucking her deeper into the pages.
The story has a bit of a 28 Days feel to it, but only the setting is similar, because the passion, emotion and internal struggles far surpass those from any Hollywood production. This is so much more raw, real and desperate. More tender, inspiring and uplifting. Add to that a cast of secondary characters who are so authentic and fully developed that they’re more life-like than my next-door neighbors, as well as a ridiculously adorable kid, and it propels this book to the next level. Each character was easily fully formed in my mind, making me thirsty for more details and the eventual outcome. I had a first-class seat on this train, anticipating its derailment with omniscient certainty and obsessed with experiencing the struggle of getting back on track, and the final, beautifully satisfying stop when it pulled into the station.
Oh my dayum, this book wrecked me and obliterated my heart. Mia and Leo’s story is complex, convoluted and complicated but mesmerizing, beguiling and compelling. It’s agonizingly heartbreaking and astonishingly healing. Exquisitely tender and achingly beautiful, with the perfect amount of heat and humor to make it complete and leave its singular impression that will echo for months to come. This is the one. This book easily sits, understated, humble and haunting, in the number one spot on my list of best books this year. I can’t give you a better recommendation than that. This one will burrow deep, shattering your heart and fracturing your soul, and then with exquisite, gentle care, knit you back together leaving you better than before for having read it. You absolutely don’t want to miss this unexpectedly unique, inspiring, incredible read!
Gah! My ineptness with words can’t even begin to do it justice. There aren’t enough stars in the rating system to tell you how phenomenal it is. Just read the book. I promise you won’t regret it.
I loved every minute of this book! Amelia’s a hot broken mess!! Her calm and collected psychiatrist is the only one that has managed to get through to her, even as it caused home to break. There were some shocking revelations in the story that left me speechlees and seeing Amelia in a whole new way. Her struggle to be normal was realistic. It was over written or over-dramatized. I loved it and fell in love with the characters. Highly recommend THE FALL BEFORE FLIGHT. I have so much to say but then I would be spoiling the story and outcomes.
As always with LM Halloran, you know before you start reading one of her novels that you should expect the unexpected and that you will be treated to a story unlike no other. The Fall Before Flight was just that: awe-inspiring and a real treat to behold, it left me reeling from the emotions it portrayed.
The story quickly drew me in thanks to the strength of the characters and strangely the setting. Both Mia (Amelia) and Leo are characters that were destined to be brought to life through the pages of a book. Mia is passionate but broken and Dr. Leo Chastain is just the man to put her back together despite the inner conflict he experiences in relation to his emotions and feelings towards Mia. Set initially in a mental health facility, this is Mia’s last chance to be saved, or so her brother and father think. Denying there is anything wrong with her, other than a penchant for dangerous sporting activities, she can’t understand her brother’s fears for her wellbeing as he begs her to accept his help.
From entering the Oasis, Mia repeatedly questions why she needs to be there and why she must seek help. Taunting her doctor, Leo, with her sex appeal and innuendos, Mia makes life for Leo extremely difficult to bear. When Leo’s resolve where Mia is concerned crumbles, it’s done so knowing that there can be no going back. Little does Mia know, however, that she has been on Leo’s radar for longer than she could have ever expected and so the mystery and twists in the storyline start.
This story is on the taboo side of the reader spectrum in that it does cross patient/doctor boundaries but you’ll forgive the author for this indiscretion in return for writing such a memorable love story. The story almost feels to be told in two parts. Part 1 is set in the Oasis and Part 2 follows Mia’s journey to find herself now back living in the real world. Both equally as captivating, readers firstly start to figure out why Mia is in the Oasis before slowly starting to see the bigger picture.
This is certainly another story that’s left me wanting so much more from the author and the memorable characters that she creates. Highly recommended.
Wow! How do I explain LH Halloran’s ability to dig into and expose the psyche of her characters the way she does? I absolutely loved this book. In fact I had to go back and reread it. An honor not a lot of books receive.
Amelia is an extremely complex character, someone I could relate to with a shared past unfortunately. I loved the metaphor of the labyrinth used, signifying the journey Amelia needs to make.
I don’t want to say too much as the power of this story is reading and contemplating the errors of our past and the freedom that falling brings.
The fall before the flight is so far my top book for 2018.