Together We Fall

Redwater Demons #0.5

by Ellie Roth

“You really are just a big happy family of sociopaths, aren’t you?”

Sawyer Solomon, purebred demon hunter, has spent her life upholding the Sanctum’s cause—and enjoying the highest status in its rigid social hierarchy. But when she finds evidence linking the Sanctum to a demonic massacre from six years ago, she’s forced into an uneasy alliance with two wayward demons to uncover the truth… and an even more reluctant alliance with her rival self-defense instructor.

Naomi Gutierrez, mixed-breed demon hunter, just wanted proof that golden girl Sawyer isn’t as infuriatingly perfect as she appears—but getting pulled into a dangerous conspiracy wasn’t part of the plan. Now, with her strike team students assigned to eliminate the demons responsible for the very murders Sawyer is investigating, Naomi will have to reevaluate everything she believes… including her complicated feelings for Sawyer herself.

Questioning the Sanctum is grounds for treason. So is falling in love outside of their social classes. With their students’ final exams looming, will Sawyer and Naomi risk it all to fight for the truth or retreat into the comfortable prison of their old lives?
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Together We Fall is a contemporary LGBTQ+ romantic fantasy novella that features a modern world filled with demons from another dimension and hunters who (occasionally) investigate conspiracies with them, a rivals-to-lovers romance, found family vibes, mild steaminess, major angst, and a happy ending for our protagonists (with a plot-related cliffhanger to be resolved in the series proper). Can be read at any point during the Redwater Demons series, but is best enjoyed after Fool Me Twice.

*Content warnings available on website.

163 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 12, 2025

About the author

Ellie Roth is a contemporary LGBTQ+ romantic fantasy author who writes about love interests earning their happy endings and found families building a more hopeful world for themselves. She can mostly be found in a New York town that no one can pronounce unless they grew up nearby, slouching over her laptop and probably giving herself back problems. Her hobbies include writing, working out, and scrolling through Tumblr to indulge her latest fandom obsessions.

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Reviews

[Siobhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Ellie Roth read was Thicker than Water, the first book in the Redwater Demons series, and I adored it. The story left me eager for more, and I have since started working through the Base City Romance series. I somehow managed to miss the release of the second Redwater Demons book, Fool Me Twice, but I did notice the release of the prequel. It goes without saying that Together We Fall instantly grabbed my attention.

Together We Fall tells the story of two characters who were mentioned in the first Redwater Demons book, with details making it clear of how important their roles were in what had previously happened and in what is to come. I had ideas about them, and I was eager to learn more. Together We Fall does a wonderful job of filling in these details, providing the story of what happened between the two characters along with providing more details about the other characters. Together, it results in a much bigger picture being formed. As much as I adored the way in which Together We Fall helped with the formation of the bigger picture, I do feel the romance in this story took too much of a backseat. It was difficult to believe the shift between the characters into love, as the details on the romance front felt like they were glossed over a little too quickly. Yes, I enjoyed them. Yes, I had fun with them. However, I was not fully convinced of their relationship. This was not enough to lessen my enjoyment of the story, but it did mean the overarching plot was a lot stronger than the romance in this story.

All in all, Together We Fall is a wonderful prequel to the Redwater Demons series – and a must-read for those following the storyline. I am now eager to see what comes next and will be diving into Fool Me Twice to ensure I am caught up before the next story releases.

[Elizabeth D · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 This was a fascinating glimpse into the Redwater Demons world from Sawyer and Naomi’s POVs. They didn’t exactly cover themselves in glory in Fool Me Twice (from the “kids’” viewpoint), but this novella really gave us the opportunity to see everything they struggled with and how they were trying to do the right thing—or as right as you could get in a world of impossible decisions.

I liked seeing the “conspiracy fam” getting their start working together here. It was nice to have some silly teasing and lighthearted moments amidst the terrible conspiracy. It helps to come into this knowing that while it might not be easy, JJ and the others are getting out and figuring things out.

Really looking forward to Chester’s book. Want him to be safe and happy too!

I received an ARC from BookSirens. This is my honest review.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to BookSirens and Ellie Roth for a free advance review e-copy of this book, I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Set 6 years before the events of Redwater Demons book 1, and concerning the events leading up to the defection of Sawyer Solomon and Naomi Gutierrez, Team Kappa’s trainers.

What I liked: This was a great background story and it was fun seeing the interactions of Team Kappa as 16 year olds. Sawyer and Naomi are much more likeable in this than they came across in Book 2 so I’m glad I got to know more about them.

What didn’t work for me: I’m not sure why this didn’t reach my 5 star point, I just found I wasn’t hooked enough to read it quickly, especially for a short book/long novella.

Final Thoughts: A nice prequel to an awesome series.

Who would like this: Followers of the series, I wouldn’t recommend reading this before book 2.

[June · Rating 5 out of 5]

This slow burn sapphic rivals-to-lovers urban fantasy is a prequel to the Redwater demons series but it's recommended to be read after book 2.

The book takes you through the events of Sawyer and Naomi defecting, giving you a lot of context for the rest of the series. You learn most of this in Fool Me Twice but seeing it all unfold from Sawyer's and Naomi's POV is really a different experience.

My tiny rebel self really enjoyed how both women realized that the problems with the Sanctum are just the system working as intended, and there's no fixing it, it has to be dismantled. (Or "burned to the ground," according to Naomi.)

Altogether, this was a fun book and I'm happy to recommend the whole series as one of my surprise favorites from last year.

Thank you to the author for the ARC! All thoughts are my own.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arc reader review.
This was such an interesting world to read about. I loved seeing how the corruption and the gravity of it was revealed. You could really feel shocked along with the characters!! The in-depth description of the characters and world helped me invision everything I was reading.

This was my first book by this author and given the depth of the book I am seriously considering getting all books from them.

Overall, really interesting and I loved the cute sapphic romance!! I would definitely recommend!!

[Alexa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is everything i’ve been wanting in terms of backstory and filling in the dots!

The characters feel like coming home and i ADORE this look at Sawyer and Naomi’s origin story and their bond with Micah and Gregorio!

A wonderful short novella that has only left me hungrier for the final book in the series!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Dulaine Roode · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sawyer and Naomi are in charge of Probationary team Kappa. During their preparation for their final exam, they uncover a plot by the sanctum and the chain that is very suspicious. And then go on the run together when they try to take the organization down that tries to keep them apart as well.

This was a great read for me, I can't wait to read the next installments.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Priscilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

A purebred and mixed breed hunter on the run with no explanation. This provides a great companion to the series as it explains Noami and Sawyer's disappearance that rocked the Redwater Sanctum. It is getting me excited for the installment.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ashleigh Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most excellent. This is a great introduction to the world of demons and demon hunters. A huge conspiracy and some unlikely allies all come together to create a must read scenario. My only (small) criticism is the end felt rushed and overall the story could have benefited from being longer. Still really enjoyed it though.

[Trippentigger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a good read, it’s well paced and storyline intriguing. The very beginning was just a touch abrupt, but soon became invested in the two MCs. Will be looking for more in this series, knowing they cover other characters stories, I’m hoping I’ll still enjoy them as I really want more of these two frankly. Voluntary review of an ARC.

[s.elle.books · Rating 5 out of 5]

📚🎧 I was so excited to get back into the world of Redwater, and this novella was the perfect addition!
I was able to listen & read this novella thanks to the ARC I received from BookSirens.
This is book 0.5 of the series, due to the timeline of events, however I read it as the third book based on their release dates. I think it would be extremely satisfying either way, but having a novella in the middle of a series is a fantastic pallet cleanser.
I rate this novella 4.5⭐ and highly recommend checking out this series!!
For more information about Ellie Roth and her books, check out her website:
https://www.ellierothbooks.com/