I gave my heart to a Navy SEAL.He took it with him to his grave.Eleven years later, ignoring the yawning void is as automatic as breathing. Working brutal hours, dating a comfortably commitment-phobic guy, hanging with my best friends. Anything until exhaustion—or an extra glass of wine—claims my consciousness.And then my comfort zone is invaded by Anderson Hawkins’ piercing green eyes.He says … green eyes.
He says he’s a tattoo artist, but his mastery of the short answer, weird schedule, and military ink tell a different story.
His touch ignites a long-dead flame inside me.
But can I touch it without being completely scorched from the inside out?
I’m at the edge of a cliff. I just don’t know if he’ll catch me until I fall.
Note: This contemporary romance contains a former military hero accustomed to treading dangerous ground, and a wary, overworked doctor who’s a military widow in every way but name, brought together by a few unexpected twists and turns—and maybe the machinations of a cute dog.
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3.5 emotional stars
There is no right way to handle grief. Some get lost in it, consumed by it, lose themselves in the utter agony of it. While others put on a brave face and throw themselves into their career so they do not have to face it. Long hours spent focusing on everything but the emptiness left by the loss. This is how Aspen Zimmerman handled her crushing grief. My logging long hours as an ER doctor to numb the loss of losing her fiancée, Michael. He survived a mission only to be taken by a drunk driver. 11 years later, Aspen is still going through the motions, until her path crosses with, Anderson Hawkins, her neighbors son, one sleepless night. He is back home to take care of his sick mom. And like Aspen, he too is battling his own demons, his own grief. Until I Fall is a heartbreaking story about love, loss, letting go of the past and finding a sense of piece.
Aspen has been mourning so long that she has closed her self off to really feeling and now has a chance to live again with the help of Anderson Hawkins who is going through his own issues. I really enjoyed the characters especially how they had some true raw emotions which made you really connect with them. This story isn’t really just about Aspen and Hawke but also those around them that are touched by what is or has happened to them. I felt it really showed how when you lose someone close to you it an take lot of time to try an move on and without the help of friends and family it can be a lot harder. There were some good lol, watery eyes and tense moments that balanced the book.
I hope we get to see books about the others a I feel they have some great stories to tell as well!
I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy of this book and this is my honest review.
Until I Fall is a beautiful, emotional story. The story captivated me from start to finish. The story flowed well and was descriptive. I liked the characters Aspen and Anderson and how their story progressed from just friends to falling in love. I liked the secondary characters too. It will pull at your heart strings. This is a great read!!
You know you’re going to cry. I knew I was going to. Accept it, carry tissues, and one click. It’s that simple.
What isn’t simple is the emotional upheaval that the author insists on inflicting on poor (un)suspecting readers! No lie I was a slobbering mess at least twice in this book. I will not cop to any other instances because my book buddies already tease me.
What I will share is the fear…I have always had the irrational but highly normal fear of losing my love. It is this terrifying fear that grips my heart and is made worse any time I read a book like Until I Fall. It plagues my nightmares and I can sympathize with Aspen. She lived or tries to live through my fear.
Fear can be healthy but it can also be a hindrance. In Aspen’s case, she is hiding behind her fears and using them as a shield to avoid life. But not everyone is ok with Aspen’s hiding, no, one man is determined to find the real Aspen. He’s determined to unearth the real woman hiding behind fake smiles and walls. Anderson can’t explain why he likes her or even wants to spend time with her. He just knows she makes him lighter in every way.
Although it would be sweet to say that she fell for his charming smile, it would be a lie. Aspen isn’t giving up emotion, her walls, or her hiding without a fight. Is Anderson ready or even willing to break through her walls? Neither one is looking for anything, yet, they gravitate towards each other. But denial can go a long way especially when you feed it your fears…
I told you I cried but I didn’t tell you how much I loved it. I love the stories that make you feel. The characters that give you hope and make you long for more. This book has them in spades. I have to look and see if any of my favorites star in other books by the author.
Regardless, I will be keeping an eye out for future books from Ms. Burgoa.
reviewed for Sweet Spot Sisterhood
This story absolutely captured my heart from the first chapter. Aspen’s character was so well written and I felt everything she was feeling like I was right there with her in the story. And Hawk — I need him in real life. He was strong yet tender and I loved reading about his personal growth and realizing he wanted what he never knew he wanted. I was left emotionally raw at times and then Claudia and her writing style put me back together through this beautiful story.
There are so many life lessons in this book and amazing quotes reminding you to live each day to its fullest — this book will be staying with me forever. Absolutely recommend to everyone
I was 3% into this book and I knew it was going to be amazing. Sure enough Claudia did not disappoint. Each time I read one of her books, I fall more in love with her writing. She does a fantastic job creating realistic characters and bringing your emotions to the forefront. This story is everything, it’s heart warming and heartbreaking. The plot and the characters are well developed. Aspen is a talented doctor who has experienced unimaginable loss in her young life and as a result, immersed herself in work and keeps relationships at a distance. Until she meets Anderson who has also experienced loss and hold secrets of his own. Their relationship is complicated yet they are able to overcome their issues they make the relationship work. This is a must read!!!
This story swallowed me whole and wouldn’t let go even days after I finished reading it. I was enthralled with Aspen and Andersons’ tale from the very first word. Aspen is smart, brave and caring, but she has never gotten over the heartbreak of losing her fiance eleven years ago. She keeps busy trying to help others in the ER and at the free clinic. She isn’t ready to open her heart and take the chance of losing it again. She has been through so much hardship in her life and is determined to keep herself safe and away from change. Anderson is the mysterious, sexy tattoo artist whose mother lives next door to Aspen. Aspen and her friends have grown close to their aging neighbor and are happy to look after her when Anderson leaves for work, sometimes weeks at a time. But when he is home, he is determined to break down Aspen’s walls and make her let go of all her fears. They are the perfect match for each other because they are both fighters. Anderson has also faced so much in his life and Aspen has become a source of strength for him and has shown him another path to love. Aspen is surprised at how safe she feels with Anderson. But is it worth the pain and heartache when secrets are revealed and danger is at your front door? Ms Burgoa is brilliant at creating intriguing and poignant tales with multifaceted characters that make you experience every emotion. This story is fast paced with twists and turns that are suspenseful, raw, and emotional. But through it all, there is a connection between Anderson and Aspen that is pure and healing. This story made me feel so many intense emotions of love and loss, loyalty and betrayal, passion and heartache and I loved every word of it. It makes me excited to read more about the fun and compelling friends involved in this story. I highly recommend this book!
That was a great read Claudia! Anderson and Aspen have darkness surrounding them each in different ways; Aspen’s is her past and her heart, Anderson it’s just his job. Sophia has cancer and Anderson comes home to help care for her, here is where Anderson and Aspen meet. There is something there that Aspen can’t pinpoint and isn’t sure she wants but Anderson wants her to. Anderson will do whatever to break Aspen’s walls but what happens when the walls build back up? Claudia your writing just flows without urgency so you keep the reader interested without the reader losing interest. You bring in the heartache only to have it become a happy ending with all the relationship elements in between. Your passion comes out in your writing and thank you for sharing your stories with us the reader. ~~A must read~~
Favorite Quotes:
I could blame my mother and her loud voice. She’s part Greek and part Puerto Rican. Unfortunately, her entire family lacks volume control. They scream ‘how was your day, sweetie?’ The same they yell, ‘pick up your room before I turn your hide red with my belt.’
This is right, my heart agrees and my soul demands it.
Anyone can make your heart beat, not many will shake your soul,
You know why I don’t weight much? … It’s because the only part left of me is my soul. It’s light, but able to carry all the love I accumulated throughout the years. That’s all I’m taking when I leave.
My Review:
I lost my breath several times while reading this book. The storyline and writing were poignant and so very thoughtful; I was quickly swept up by the narrative and transported into Anderson and Aspen’s world. The characters were compelling, endearing, and highly relatable. I was captivated by the dichotomy of Anderson and how he was dealing with the extreme shifts in his life. His mother was fading away before him and while he was grieving and coming to terms to a future without his last remaining relative, he was still willing to open his heart for the first time, to an extremely complicated and wounded woman who was his mother’s neighbor. I adored these strong, intelligent, and appealing characters and was immediately engaged and mesmerized by their story. Written in my favorite form of dual POV, the story was well paced and artfully constructed. Ms. Burgoa has mad skills and strong word voodoo. Once I started reading I was unwilling and unable to put my kindle down for longer than was absolutely necessary. Sigh. She is apparently as addicting as cheesecake, but thankfully, not as caloric. This was only my second experience reading Ms. Burgoa’s magical words, although it was more than enough to compel me to add her entire backlist to my TBR.
This was a decent read, I have to say that the beginning of the book was predictable because of the blurb but nonetheless it was an emotional start to the book. I love the young love of Aspen and Michael and yes I cried when he was killed off, but like I said the blurb alluded to it so it wasn’t a shocker nor is my mentioning it a spoiler. What did shock me was that it was eleven years from Michael’s death to the present time.
Anderson…yum! Anderson is the son of Sophia, Aspen’s neighbor, who is sick with pancreatic cancer and only has a short time left to live. The relationship between Sophia an Anderson was a wonderful mother/son relationship their love and respect for one another was evident in everything that was said and done. Anderson and Aspen met when he was visiting his mother, there was an instant connection between the two but Aspen was having no part of it. Aspen felt that she had her one true love and that she would never love again….it’s to painful once they leave.
While I liked this book there were a few things that didn’t make me love the book and I guess the most important one would be the chemistry between Anderson an Aspen, or lack there of. It was mentioned a few times that there was a spark or connection between the two of them but I didn’t feel it, I felt it at the beginning between Aspen and Michael and it made me understand why she kept herself closed off but I didn’t feel it when Aspen and Anderson were together. One thing that I really enjoyed was characters from other books were included in this one, it’s always nice to see someone pop up in future books so you can see what is happening with them now, but if this is your first read by Claudia Burgoa do not worry this can be read as a standalone without any trouble…in fact I believe that it is listed as a standalone and you would only notice others if you have read about them before.
Until I Fall was an okay read for me. I enjoyed the beginning of the book with Michael and Aspen; even though their story was short you could feel the love between the two. I didn’t like how Michael’s sister Scarlett acted towards Aspen. They were best friends and she just came off as selfish and as much as I wanted to like her I didn’t. I did enjoy Aspen’s other best friend Brynn. Anderson and his group of friends were entertaining. I liked how things worked out with Aspen and Anderson and their ending was sweet. Also, if you’ve read and enjoyed Claudia’s other books, the Decker’s make an appearance in this one, so I was happy to read about the characters that made me fall in love with Claudia’s books.
I’ve read all of Claudia’s books and I absolutely love her writing style and enjoy her characters so this was really a hard review for me to write because I expected to enjoy this book more than I did. However, with that being said. I will continue to read Claudia’s work and recommend her books to friends and fellow book lover’s simply because her books really are worth reading. I feel that just because I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I have her others, doesn’t mean others won’t and I will continue to read her books.
Have you ever felt a spiral of emotions in your life? That’s what I felt while reading “Until I fall”. Feelings like loss, anger, disappointment, happiness and more. There are few writers who can convey those entire feelings trough their writing. Claudia is one of those beautiful exceptions.
When two souls are destined to collide, it does not matter “How” and “Where”. It just happens. Things always happen for a reason such as second chances and losing a loved one. We can build walls in order to protect our hearts but there will be someone who will take us out from darkness, an angel whose brightness will guide us. That’s what the main characters will experience.
The peace of this book is fast. The characters are developed and complex. They will show us how hard is for someone to believe in second chances. I myself know how hard is to believe in second chances but they exist.
Here the heroine suffered the lost of her first love and falling in love again is something she does not want. She does not want to be hurt again. She overcame her pain with the help of her friends. However, her hot neighbour will gently overthrow the wall she built to protect her heart.
“Allow us to continue this journey. Falling in love is a different kind of adrenaline I’ve never experienced. You’re opening my eyes, injecting hope and teaching me how to love”.
On the other hand we have Anderson, a clever man, locked up in his work. When he met Aspen everything in his life will change because of her. He wants more and chasing her will be his mission. He will show her how perfect they are together.
“Your touch, your words and your kisses mend my broken heart”.
During the story Aspen and Anderson evolved. She will heal her wounds and she will support Anderson trough a difficult time, she will easy his pain as much as she can. But also she will have fear and she will be stubborn to push Anderson out of her life. Hopefully he will never let her go.
This kind of book has everything to be perfect for those who enjoy romance, second chances and believe in love. You will be caught from the first pages.