Sophie Toovey loves reading and writing romance. She's an English teacher who drinks too much tea, and a total Jane Austen geek. She lives in Wales, in the UK, and enjoys smart romcoms where there's a bit of grit and realism. She writes clean, closed door romance with kisses only. Sign up for her newsletter at https://sophietoovey.com and receive a free ebook of I Want You Back, a contemporary retelling of Persuasion. If you follow Sophie on BookBub and Amazon, you'll get notified whenever she has a new release. Go to https://www.bookbub.com/profile/sophi... and to https://shorturl.at/7Hygj to follow her.
ARC Review: This book is so cute! It handles a difficult topic but in a way to easily digest and open the door for more introspection and independent research. Olivia and Sebastian are cute together. I would say grumpy sunshine but it’s definitely a grumpy/grumpy turning to sunshine together. These two complement each other while also highlighting the beautiful dynamics of a forced situation that neither want. It also showcases the ability to grieve and love and continue with life in a different outcome than you ever wanted. Grief takes time and looks so different for everyone and this book really shows how grieving can weigh you down but then lead you to the most rewarding outcomes. Olivia and Sebastian are goals- realistic and true. Also, Sebastian’s mother deserves her own POV because I think she’s absolutely hilarious!!
Olivia, a police officer from the UK, is visiting her recently married sister in Oregon. They’re at a party that is also a fundraiser to support an arts camp for underprivileged teens. She’s not exactly having the best time, until a man comes up to her and starts a conversation. That man is Sebastian, and he’s there under the guise of purchasing art. As it turns out, Sebastian is also a friend of her sister’s husband. When it’s clear that his cover isn’t working, Olivia steps in as his girlfriend. And they end up having to dance, after Miranda, one of the suspects, calls Olivia’s supposed bluff about dancing the salsa.
Of course, Olivia knows how to dance. But she didn’t realize Sebastian does, too.
Both Olivia and Sebastian have problems letting go of work. In Sebastian’s case, he’s been working on this trafficking scam for a year, and he wants to finally close it. Olivia is still grieving her former partner Jason, and won’t go to therapy to work out her issues. This means, of course, that something seemingly unrelated will send her down the rabbit hole for a while.
At first, they have a kind of “love to hate you” relationship, but as they get to know each other, that changes. Still, both of them have trouble communicating their thoughts, and more than one misunderstanding will take them back a few steps.
Grief is a tricky thing. When you lose someone, you don’t stop grieving them. I know this from having lost both my parents. You don’t get over that, you just…learn how to live with the loss.
I really enjoyed this book, as it had a little of everything. A billionaire (Olivia’s brother-in-law, Nathaniel), an undercover operative (Sebastian), a daring leading lady (Olivia), dancing, and taking a dip in the Valentine Falls…err, falls. Is the water healing like local legends say? Maybe. Maybe not. Only those who have taken the plunge could say.
This is also the first of three books, and I’m really looking forward to what’s coming next. If you like your romances with true love, intrigue, and a little danger, this book is for you.
This is part of a multi author series that takes place in Oregon and features Valentine Falls.
Sebastian has been working for over a year on trying to get enough evidence on Johnson to bust up the human trafficking ring. Olivia, who is a policewomen in London, has come to the states to visit her sister and unwittingly gets involved in the operation. In an effort to protect Sebastian's cover, Olivia pretends to be his girlfriend. With the close proximity that fake dating puts them in, difficult past experiences are shared and feelings start to happen. But of course - how would it ever work out when Olivia is only here on holiday.
While this book deals with some heavy topics, the banter between Olivia and Sebastian is fun and will have you laughing out loud at times. This is a sweet romcom story that finds the characters quickly falling for each other, working through grief and healing, and being protective of each other.
I feel like this book was left open to have its own spin off series, especially with how the story ended. Which I'm hoping this is true as I'd love more from Sebastian and Olivia.
Content: grief, mention of human trafficking and sex trafficking, abduction, death of police partner (past), parent neglect, mention of infertility
Quotes: "I could get addicted to this feeling of him kissing me, like I'm the only girl left on earth, the only one who matters to him now."
"I want someone who will fight for me. Someone who loves me enough to push through the hard stuff, and shows up when it matters."
"As much as I want a happy ending, I don't know if they exist in real life."
This is an entertaining read (a novella size book) with unique love story filled with healing, pain, suspense, and love.
Oliiva is a cop in England, who is visiting her sister in Valentine Falls U.S, here she meets Sebastian an FBI agent who is working on a human trafficking ring investigation. They decide to fake a relationship to help with his investigation, and discover much more about each other. They are both maskng pain/grief that makes them closed off -almost grumpy- but as they get to know each other, the relationship starts to organically grow through space, conversations, time, moments which lead them to open up about their loss, pain and leads them to start a healing process together.
The plot is fast paced and filled with humor, insight, intelligent conversation, the MCs are so relatable and humanly depicted that you feel their pain and can identify with them. BE ready to laugh at their banter, at his mom's insights, but also feel their struggles and be open to see grief shown as waves.
I so pleased I am on the review team for this series, Falling Dangerously is book 1. We meet Olivia who is in Valentine Falls on holiday, spending time with her sister and brother in law. One night she attends a gala with them both and ends up dancing a tension filled tango with Sebastian. Sebastian in working undercover for the CIA, trying to stop a sex trafficking ring. Olivia get pulled into the undercover mission, the more time she and Sebastian spend together the more both of them want. However, Sebastian’s job means he has to try and keep a distance between them and Olivia is recovering from the death of her police partner. As the pressure to put a stop to the ring mounts can they work together? I really enjoyed the setting, the Falls sounds delightful. Love that there is a legend attached to them as well. Olivia and Sebastian are complex characters that help both ground and bring out the best in each other. There banter is witty and it is obvious that they care about each other. The tango scene was so good, I could see it happening. The close relationship Olivia has with her sister and brother in law was well written and you felt how protective they all were of each other. I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the other books in this series.
A spy romance with a fake romance that becomes more. An enjoyable read with a bit of suspense to keep you turning pages. Olivia is working through grief associated with losing her partner of the police force that might have been more; while visiting her sister, she finds herself helping Sebastian bring down a trafficking ring. Both work through their fears of this becoming real while they gather evidence that will stop the trafficking. Although there are many factors conspiring against them, each looks for ways to make it work even while the other seems resigned that it won't work. A story about persistence and hope.
This sweet romance wrapped in a suspenseful plot was a delightful short read!
I really enjoyed Sebastian and Olivia's banter. And although their relationship started out by pitting them against each other, I loved watching them come together as a team; not only to defeat the bad guys, but also to fall in love.
I usually find that it's hard to accomplish a well written slow burn with short novels, but Sophie did a tremendous job slowly leading our two characters together without it feeling rushed. I also loved the fact that there was a little bit of faith weaved into the story as well! It was the icing on the cake!
All in all, I really enjoyed this story and I am excited for the next adventure in Valentine Falls.
I absolutely loved Olivia and Sebastian's story! The chemistry between then was electric and you could just tell they were made for each other.
The book has elements of grief that I think the author wrote about so well. I loved how the MMC helped FMC through it and gave her the space she needed while also being there for her.
I would absolutely love to hear more about Olivia and Sebastian's story or even some of Emily and Nathaniel's. Absolutely a must read!!
This ARC review is part of 3 books that all take place at Valentine Falls but each book follows different characters & are written by different authors. Dangerously Falling is book 1 and sets a beautiful benchmark for the next 2 books. My favorite part of this book was the FMC healing from past pains & tragedy. Plus the patient and caring MMC! Learning through each other and with each other. All “PG” clean romance here. Plus HEA.
Olivia is on vacation visiting her sister in Oregon but she can’t stop the instincts that come with being a London cop. Sebastian is under cover trying to catch a human trafficking ring. When Olivia overhears one of the trafficking suspects talking she jumps in to keep Sebastian’s cover intact. Now Olivia is the fake girlfriend and dance partner of an undercover agent… what a fun story! I am excitedly waiting to read the next book in the series!
This book was emotional and action packed due to the fake dating undercover assignment the two Main characters started their relationship as. As the novel grew on fake turned real and we learn about the loss that led to Olivia being in the States and meeting Sebastian. I appreciate the way the author handled everything with care. I can’t wait to read the next books in this series. Check it out if you haven’t are wanting a clean romance.
Dangerously Falling is an absolute delight—I couldn’t put it down. The plot is engaging, and the chemistry between the FMC, Olivia, and the MMC, Sebastian, is undeniable. The dual point of view adds depth to their story and makes the tension even more compelling. If you love enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and instant chemistry, this book is absolutely for you.
This book was quite interesting. It was a romance, which I enjoyed. It features a cop and a FBI agent, which was interesting. The storyline was pretty good. This book is written by an author that doesn't live in the USA, which made me think about some of the vocabulary more than usual. Overall, it is a good story!
Such a good cross-cultural romance with a little intrigue on the side! Sebastian and Olivia do the same type of work, just in different countries. Liv accidentally getting pulled in changes everything when the two address a community threat in Oregon. So much about the relationship sheds light to trauma and how to deal in a healthier light. Definitely recommend!
The story line of law enforcement main characters and under cover is one of my favorites, but I feel as though this book had so much missed opportunity. There were minimal details about anything or anyone, and the ending wasn’t what I had hoped for.
This had a lot of potential but being a novella didn't feel fleshed out quite enough for me. I'd have loved a bit more depth to feel more connected to the characters. An enjoyable escapism read, was just left wanting a bit more.
When forces combine they can do anything together. They fought each other at first, but in the end he got the message she was picking him. Super short easy read, the spice is mild temp but still so good.
So much to love about this book! Being from a small town myself, I absolutely love small town stories! I enjoyed watching Liv and Sebastian grow and learn more about each other while working through grief and a tense op all at the same time. I could have read double the pages about them!
ARC review: I really enjoyed the way this book was written. Perfect Novella size read, with a good storyline. having the waterfall in there was so sweet.
I was so excited to read this one & it did not disappoint. The characters had depth & the struggles they faced were real & important issues facing our society today. The push & pull relationship between Olivia & Sebastian was one of my favorite things about the book, besides the backstory of Jason. 😥