Thatcher Michaelson is a bully.Arrogant. Cruel. Ruthless.And the most attractive guy I’ve ever laid eyes on.He’s the rebel of Westbrook High, and I’m merely the annoying goody two-shoes he dubbed the saint.There must be something wrong with me. After nearly two years of dirty looks and constant humiliation, I’m still crushing on the guy who hated me on sight.Then he kissed me and instead of the … sight.
Then he kissed me and instead of the ice-cold gaze I was accustomed to, I saw passion burning behind his dark molten eyes.
Violet St. James doesn’t belong in my world.
Good. Kind. Pure.
She’s everything I’m not.
She doesn’t just look like an angel, she is one. And I’ve fought every impulse to make her mine.
But all my efforts went up in flames the second I tasted her sweet lips. My inability to stay away has changed everything.
She’s determined to break down all my walls, but my little saint doesn’t understand the consequences of her actions.
She tells me she’s not afraid of the fall.
But she should be.
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How can such an obvious dick and asshole hold my heart? I wanted to hate Thatcher, gah did I want to hate him. He didn’t make it hard. But Thatcher is so much more than what he projects to people. He’s vulnerable as well as badass. He’s soft as well as tough. He’s a huge mix of opposite emotions that you can’t help but fall for him. And Violet? She’s the absolute thing he needs. She has such a huge heart. For her to still forgive and want Thatcher after everything he did proves that.
When The Sant Falls captures beautiful writing, stunning characters and emotion that scream five stars!
I haven’t found a book by A.D. McCammon that I haven’t loved but something about Thatcher and Violet made my heart race more than normal. I adored them!
Thatcher seems to have it all. Money, reputation and a school that bows at his feet. However, the one thing he wants, he won’t allow himself to have.
Violet is younger than Thatcher and despite the fact he bullies her, she’s drawn to him. As things between them escalate so do their feelings.
What happens when Thatcher finally wants to cliam Violet? Will they be able to make a realtionship work or will his lies and past catch up to them both?
I can’t yell loud enough how much I love this book. I finished it in one sitting. I couldn’t put it down! And high school bully romance books aren’t usually my thing. But enemies to lovers sure are. And this book was what my romance loving heart needed. Thatcher and Violet were the ultimate opposites attract. They also were the ultimate enemies. Their push and pull was so entertaining and their story was addicting. I was rooting for them to see the truth the whole time. This book was powerful. It showed that you can’t always judge a book by it’s cover. It also showed the importance in the truth and communication. Everyone could learn something from Thatcher and Violet. I am so excited that this is a series. I can’t wait for more! Another great book from A.D. McCammon!
Oh Lord in Heaven. This book has me in love with every one of the characters except for the hero — and it’s not like he sucks. Truth is Thatch is just not as impressive as the others. And boo-hoo for him. I guess that might be a backhanded compliment to A.D. McCammon. I love all her Westbrook peeps, but the hero is Laa-aime.
“We’re told as little girls when a boy is mean to you, it means he likes you, but that’s total bullshit. There must be another explanation. Here’s to hoping it’s not one that makes me want to be homeschooled.” – Violet
Violet is a wallflower, in every way you could mean the word. The only person who appears to be able to see her is her bully, and she wishes she could drop off his radar.
And Thatcher Michaelson is an insecure King of a Crap-pile he’d instead not rule. Wealthy, entitled, and feared, if not respected, because he’s certainly earned his reputation, he is more regretful about it than he is proud. Sadly, someone has to take on the dirty jobs; Thatcher and his best friends: Cole and Arwen have been meting out punishments for years. But Violet is mistaken in thinking Thatcher has it out for her, sometimes you gotta be cruel to be kind.
“‘I’m fine, mom. Jesus.’
‘Oh shit … did I interrupt you? You know that’s nothing to be ashamed of. A little self-exploration is healthy.’
‘Oh my god, mother! Boundaries!’”
The thing I loved most about When the Saint Falls is A.D. McCammon empowers the females in this damn book. Violet is no shrinking … well, violet. Her mom Josie is endearing as hell and seeing her struggle to do the correct mom-thing with a girl who, until the present, never needed a mom figure was sweet and often hilarious. It is hard when the shift happens, and you stop raising your parents.
“Arwen heads down the hall toward her next class, groaning with contempt as I follow behind her. ‘For the love of goddess, Thatcher. Saint is perfectly capable of getting on a bus.’”
And then there is Arwen.
Arwen.
Sigh.
A.D. McCammon, you confused my heart, and somewhere in the middle of this book, I was so very undecided as to who deserved Violet it was chaotically bouncing from Cole to Thatcher to Arwen. I almost needed When the Saint Falls to become an RH quadrangle of complicated love connections just so Violet could have it all. I wasn’t sure Thatch would get on board, and I was all for you, making Violet a romance buffet of yummy options.
“Then the strong, badass Arwen does something I never thought I’d see: she cries, well … it’s only a couple tears, but I’m totally counting it.
‘Great … ‘ She uses her free hand to dry her face. ‘Now I’m getting all emotional. I can be such a boy sometimes.’”
And just so reviewers can understand what is so fantastic about Arwen: she is charming, confident, and I think the boys admit somewhere in this book that she taught them how to behave like men. She definitely has the biggest pair out of the three of them.
“’Awww …’ I pull her into a hug. ‘You do care.
‘Stop it. You’re getting feelings all over me.’”
This story is a medium burn, slightly bully-ish romance. The POV alternates between Thatcher and Violet, which allows the reader a better understanding of the characters, and dynamic in the backstory. I do caution that there are triggering events addressed in When the Saint Falls, and you should go into this knowing that A.D. McCammon writes Violet and Thatcher’s story pregnant with subtext and piped in unflinchingly honest results of sexual abuse.
The end of book comments promises two more Westbrook books for Arwen and Cole, which I can’t wait for.
This book is a rockstar.
Thatcher has a past. One he detests. One that makes him fell unworthy, but at the same time is the reason he is who he is. Everyone wants to be him or wants to be with him
” In high school, you’re either the hunter or the prey. It’s all about survival. The bottom of the chain is brutal.”
Violet has always been on to not care about what anyone says. She mainly stays to herself. Always polite. The good girl, never breaking rules and striving hard to make good grades.
“You’re into her because shes different than the rest of us. She’s innocent and kind. She doesn’t try to fit in or impress people. She is who she is without apology and zero fucks given.”
Her freshman year a bump into Thatcher decided her fate, bullied in a way he could only do. Never truly going out of his way, but still accomplishing it.
“I refuse to be a toy you keep in the box on a shelf. If you want me, you’ll have to play with me.”
Fast forward a few years later and everything changes. Thatcher, Cole, and Arwen ( The Westbrook 3) come full force into her life. Find out all their shenanigans. The whirlwind of love and friendship that awaits you inside these pages is something I could not stop reading. I read this in one sitting and wanted more. These characters will funnel their way into your heart and mind and you will not want them to ever go away. When The Saint Falls is a wonderful read.
” She turns all the darkness from my past into nothing more than shadows. “
I devoured When The Saint Falls. The push and pull between Rebel and Saint and the electrical charged that was created whenever they were together kept me begging for more. This is different from what the author has written before but oh so good in all the best ways. I love a great enemies to lovers storyline and she knocked this one out of the park. And then the side characters are to die for! I’m so excited they will be getting their own books as well.
One-click this one right now.
This is the 1st in a new series from this talented author and Thatcher and Violet’s story is a fantastic introduction. This is a well written emotional roller coaster journey, which is filled with secrets which all lead to a slow burn entertaining read. I was hooked throughout and look forward to reading the next novel in this amazing series. I recommend for all readers.
From the moment the rebel met the saint he knew she was different. There was a reality about her that few others displayed.
He crashed into her life literally and then made it hell, but still she saw more in him than his behaviour towards her.
True colours will always be revealed sooner or later, the question is what will happen then…?
Wowsers what a read!
A bully with a twist, and an innocent with a hidden strength. I loved that this was different to other reads of this genre.
The cat and mouse games, along with the chess board moves had me thoroughly excited!
There’s so much to love about this but to say exactly what is to spoil part of the story. Just know that my heart was stolen and passed between the characters like a present in the pass the parcel game!
I’ve read A.D McCammon before but this is by far my favourite of hers, and I cant wait for Arwens story!
” every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future. ”
– Oscar Wilde
All the feels!
Violet is the walking definition of a saint. She is far from perfect but she tries to make the right choices, to see all sides before passing judgment. In a way, that big heart of hers is what made her the perfect target. Bullies are superficial creatures they target those who have what they desire but can not achieve – like honesty, integrity or the simple art of unconditional acceptance. Virtues and traits that can’t be bought, faked or crafted.
Our sweet Violet is about to be crushed.
Thatcher has so much anger buried in him and no proper way to process it. The day his dark world collides with heavens light was the first day of his forever.
Thatcher had his own experiences with bullies. He evolved, overcame and ended up on top. Now he does what he must to keep his place.
In his quest to bring down his tormentors, he became one.
When you hold on to anger it consumes burning not only you but that which is closest to you, possibly making you what you hate most.
” Stop it you’re getting feels all over me”
Arwen I love her can not wait to read her story just from the breadcrumbs I know it is going to rip out my heart and leave it shattered.
And the ever-faithful sidekick and sometimes a voice of reason, Cole.
There is a story here!
We get a glimpse, a couple of hints but nothing substantial.
He may be the genius that manipulates the ether-net in their fight against evil but I believe he has a formidable opponent of the fairer sex manipulating who is about to challenge his crown.
This read for me like a journey of self-discovery for both of our main characters.
There are a lot of smaller plot lines that play in the background and some areas I never did get my answers.
-Who they took down?
-How they did it?
I get the why but …
Lots of laughs, all the drama and a heart melting HEA.
Need the next in series, please!!
Incredible book! It’s a romance that’s full of intricacies and depth. Just when you thought you knew the characters well- violet and thatcher – you don’t. Such depth that’s not typical of a ya romance. Loved it and can’t wait to read more in the series!
A.D. McCammon is a new author for me and after reading this book I can tell that she is going to be a regular! This book focuses on the arrogant Thatcher Michaelson and sweet, Violet St. James. Having been in school together for a while, Violet has always been on Parker’s radar and she doesn’t know why. He isn’t necessarily a bully, but he also doesn’t treat her great either. Then one day he kisses her and all bets are off…Violet is going to be Parker’s.
This is a really fast paced book and it doesn’t leave you wondering what is going to happen, especially since Parker is so hot and cold with Violet. Violet for me was a really strong character and she didn’t suffer Parker’s abuse in silence. She told his friends what they though and I really liked the development between them and Violet as they knew that what Parker was doing and how he was acting was wrong. (I definitely want to read a book with the Arwen and Cole in it).
I liked the fact that we got to find out more about both main characters and that they were more realistic, mature and had really great banter between the two of them (Rebel & Saint). This was a really great book and I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next.
ARC received for a fair, honest and sometimes long review
More of my reviews can be found on my blog:
https://thehotmesslibrary.blogspot.com
I Received this ARC from Author for Honest Review.
I Give this Book a 4.5/5 Star Rating, Listing as 5.
No Major Spoilers.
HEA(?): Yes! Though I do wish there was a future epilogue rather than a ‘present’ one.
That was the only thing was a bit of a let down.
Drama: 4/5
Heat: 3.5-4ish/5
Romance: 4/5
Suspense: 3.5-4/5
Bully: 3.5/5, it did come to an odd halt, that kinda left me a bit ehh… when he rescinded his protect over her and I was expecting the repercussions to be a bit severe but it was rather dull. So in my opinion that bully quality isn’t dark or as strong as I would’ve liked or expected.
This was highly enjoyable read and I will most definitely be reading this book over and over again, I also highly recommend this book.
I cannot wait for Arwen & Cole’s Books!! 😀
Love them Both!
I’m looking forward to reading more from this Author! 😀
This is the perfect high school bully romance. The author wove a beautiful story of two people who fall in love. Violet, or Saint as she’s nicknamed meets Thatcher unexpectedly. Sparks fly, but Thatcher begins to bully Violet to keep her away. She names him Rebel and they have lots of bantering back and forth, until Thatcher realizes he wants more. A great story unfolds and there are other great supporting characters in this book. Arwen, Cole, and Samantha round out this realistic teen love drama.
I absolutely couldn’t put this book down! The story was addictive and I couldn’t wait to find out what happened to our main couple! The side characters where fabulous and I was super happy to hear that we’d get their story’s too! Anyone looking for a bully/enemies to lovers story should definitely try this read out!
A.D Is one of my very favorite authors . I absolutely loved this book , the chemistry between the characters Was instant . I literally stayed up all night until I finished
I’m a big fan of good Bully Romance stories and this one, even though a little different from the others I’ve read, did not disappoint. It’s very well written with great characters and an entertaining and easy to read storyline.
The bully, Thatcher, tries to deny his attraction and the pull to make her his.
The bullied, Violet St. James, spent the last two of her years being bullied by Thatcher while hiding her desire to be close to him.
Now two years later one single kiss changes EVERYTHING. An unexpected separation, revealed secrets and haters of the new blossoming romance make their journey even more complicated. Buckle your seatbelts,l because your in for one crazy roller coaster ride.
Highly recommended!