REVIEW: Free Falling by Sandy James

Title: Free Falling (Damaged Heroes, #2)
Author: Sandy James
Format: eBook
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Source: review copy from the author
Published: June 2009 by Siren Publishing

Workaholic Ross Kennedy never learned to enjoy life until he meets the woman of his dreams. If only Laurie Miller can convince him that's exactly who she is.

A psychologist with empathic abilities, Laurie rescues Ross, who has been stranded in the middle of a Montana blizzard. The two strangers are completely snowed in and out of contact. In just a few days, their attraction to each other is overwhelming, but Laurie is troubled. Her empathic gift seems to have vanished. Fascinated by his pretty rescuer, Ross struggles to open up his heart enough to let this woman in.

When the two return home to Chicago, they try to solve a mystery revolving around a Prohibition Era journal they discovered in Montana. Will they find the missing treasure the journal points to? And as a former boyfriend begins to stalk Laurie, how will Ross be able to protect her?

Why I Read this Book: A few months ago I read Murphy’s Law, the first book in this series, and I greatly enjoyed it. Ross was a secondary character in that book and didn’t get the HEA he wanted. But that’s okay because he gets his HEA in Free Falling. I should point out that even though this book is the second in this series, it can easily be read as a stand alone.

What I Liked: Free Falling is a romantic suspense read with a dash of a paranormal element mixed in. Laurie, the heroine, is an empath; she can psychically read the emotions of others. This is a perfect “gift” for Laurie to have since she’s a psychologist. She truly loves what she does and she loves helping others. Laurie coming into Ross’s life was a breath of fresh air for him. Ross is a good guy; a good guy who didn’t get the girl in the last book. He needs a purpose in life, something other than completely pouring himself into the law firm he works at. I love how Ross and Laurie met and how there was a believable attraction from the start.

All lose ends were tied up by the end of the story. The epilogue was not what I had expected! I like the way things turned out. Also, the book is written in third person narrative, which worked well for this story. (You won’t get overloaded on characters’ thoughts or any over analyzing like you might find with a first person narrative.)

What I Didn’t Like: I wasn’t feeling the connection between the journal’s story arc and the main story. I got confused at times by the information in the journal. It was hard for me to follow; the poems threw me off. (It should be noted that I am not a fan of poetry. If you are, you may not have this problem.) I had to leave it to the characters to figure out the mystery.

Ross and Laurie end up in Vegas and as a last minute decision, they get married. after knowing each other for a month. It felt a bit rushed and it wasn’t thought out much between the two characters. I think it would have been better if they would have waited a bit. However, their sex life took a more realistic approach in regards to timing, especially given the certain circumstances that were present (that I don’t want to give away).

I felt a pause at the 50% mark. It felt like a roller coaster ride – like when you’re approaching the plateau and it feels like you’re not going to have enough momentum to get over the crest – but once the story got over the crest, it came roaring down the track.

Overall Impression: Free Falling is a good read for when you’re in the mood for romance and mystery. And if the Prohibition era interests you, you’ll enjoy the second story arc. Even with the few issues I had with Free Falling, I still enjoyed reading it. I’m glad I read this book because I got what I wanted: a HEA for Ross. I am definitely looking forward to the next book in this series, All the Right Reasons, which features some new characters.

 

The Book Vixen’s Rating: