THE FALL Dallas He was the beginning of my heart . . . and the end of it. I was only fifteen years old when he claimed it and twenty when he took it with him. They say what is meant to be will find a way. But when you have changed to the point of no return, how can anything ever be the same? Seven years later, Dean Martin waltzed back into my life in hopes of resuming what I had fought so hard to forget, but he was in for a wake-up call. I was no longer the naïve woman he had left . . . and I was no longer his. I met the love of my life and my soul mate when I was fifteen. I knew that; he knew that. He wanted that girl back. I wanted to forget she ever existed.
Dean What I thought was my pre-destined path was very much an illusion. Living seven years with regret, I realized too late that I was broken, and that I only had myself to blame. I thought love could wait . . . but it didn’t. We’d had it all those years ago, and then I foolishly left it behind. She was all that mattered. She was all there ever was. There was no life without Dallas, no reason . . . except her. No matter how hard she tried to convince me, I knew I had to once again make her mine, to make her remember . . . the fall.
THE MIND
We fell in love in a lightning strike, a sudden anomaly in a sea of lost people. He knew right away, yet I was hesitant. I could have never prepared myself for a love like ours. No one could. As a child, I had conjured an amazing story in my mind. It was a story I could retell about a man that would move me like no other; a story about the way we met and how he had swept me off my feet. But, the ending to that fairytale was so far from the reality. No one will want to hear that story now, but for Grant, I will always tell it.
THE HEART Jack
For the last ten years, I've roamed the globe, captivated by the world around me. I've seen the seven wonders and admired sunsets from every continent. I'd lived and loved and that was enough for me. It would have to be.
I was content, satisfied with my collection of experiences . . . until a phone call led me down a road less traveled.
If I'd known my fascination would pique and be forever quenched only a few hundred miles from where my curiosity had been born, I may have never set sail.
Rose
Stripped of the future I'd planned with the love of my life, my family and my career were now all that mattered. I'd lived and loved and that was enough. It would have to be.
I struggled to move forward, to discard the part of me that held out hope for my obliterated heart. But I was bred a romantic, so it was easier said than done.
The chances of being struck by lightning are 1 in 960,000.
The odds of being struck twice are 1 in 9 million.
I risked those odds every minute, often cursing the dark sky, praying for static and a rumble of thunder, but it never came.
No, that second bolt hit me on a clear day.
Series Order The Fall The Mind The Heart ***Mature audiences only. Explicit sex and language.
New York Times, USA Today, Amazon Charts, and Internationally bestselling author Kate Stewart, a Texas native, lives in North Carolina with her husband, Nick. Nestled within the Blue Ridge Mountains, Kate pens messy, sexy, angst-filled contemporary romance, as well as romantic comedy and erotic suspense.
The Ravenhood Trilogy, consisting of Flock, Exodus, and The Finish Line, as well as the spinoff series, Ravenhood Legacy, have become NYT, USA Today, and International bestsellers as well as TikTok sensations. The Ravenhood was recently acquired for film adaptation with Kate set to co-write the script, as well as executive produce, which will kickstart her lifelong dream of becoming a filmmaker.
Amongst Kate’s other bestselling works, The Bittersweet Symphony Duet, specifically Drive, was a Goodreads Choice Awards finalist for best contemporary romance of 2017. Stewart’s works have been featured in USA Today, BuzzFeed, The New York Daily News, Huffington Post, Glamour Magazine, and translated into over twenty languages.
Kate Stewart excels at writing love stories that are raw and real. Lets face it, love isn’t always pretty and it isn’t always easy. I love her books so much because they portray the more realistic side of love yet still make my romance loving heart happy. The Fall is a fantastic friends to lovers story (the past) and it’s also a beautiful, yet at times angsty, second chance romance (the present).
The Mind- 5 stars
Kate Stewart just ripped out my heart, then stomped on it for good measure. Seriously folks, this one was heartbreaking. It gave me all the feels. But let me tell you something- I loved every minute of it. It wasn’t an easy book to read, but I’m happy I picked it up. After reading The Fall, I needed Rose and Grant’s story. This novella should be read after The Fall. It’s also a prequel to Rose’s book coming out soon. I don’t even know how I’m going to get through that one!
The Heart- 5 stars
When I heard the main characters in this book were named Jack and Rose, I was sold already. I mean, come on. How much more epic can you get? Still, after reading The Mind I was equal parts nervous and excited for this. I loved Rose. I loved Rose and Grant so much. How in the world could Kate make another man as perfect for Rose as Grant was? Well, guess what? SHE DID IT. Jack Sawyer was as close to perfect as you can get for Rose. I guess you could say lightning struck twice for this well deserving heroine.
In conclusion....
This series is a MUST READ! I love ALL THE BOOKS <3
If you haven’t read the Reluctant Romantic series, you have no idea what you’ve been missing! I’ve read all three books in this series and recommend them all. Putting them together in a box set is a fantastic deal. The books feature two sisters and their epic love stores. The Fall is Dallas’s story. The Mind and The Heart tell Rose’s tale. There aren’t any cliffhangers, but they should be read in order.
For fans of second chance romances and friends to lovers stories, this series will be your holy grail. It has all the feels—on steroids. The Fall is particularly angst filled, but all the books are tender, emotional, sexy, and humorous. Treat yourself to this wonderfully absorbing series.
The Reluctant Romantics are contemporary romance at its best! I simply love every single character in this series. Dallas and Dean shared so much history and their love proved to stand the test of time. Rose loved and lost but finally met her match in Jack. My heart and soul sings with love for Kate Stewart and her prose. So poignant, so raw and so freaking beautiful. Also read my reviews of the books individually.
I Loved this series. Start to finish. This is beautiful angst...steamy intimacy...heart felt emotions. Any lover of great romance would be grateful having this series!
The emotional roller coaster was delightful. This box set had me swallowing each page as fast as I could. My love for Dean, ahhh. Spitfire Rose cracked me up. Book 1.5 was hard. And oh sweet "Cajun". I'm so happy I crossed this series, was fantastic!
So the first book didn’t quite grab me from the start. I thought there was a little too much back and forth between the main couple, each of them having doubts when the other was finally on board. Also, a little too much sexual longing and sex, IMHO. However, the farther I got into it, the more I loved it. There is a lot of love and a lot of loss in this story, and at one point I didn’t think I could read the second or third books. So glad I did. Great writing, and definitely HEAs. Highly recommended.
DNF @ 33% I tried. I was so looking forward to this after reading all the great reviews and I had high hopes after just finishing the Camouflage series which I loved. But I just couldn't get into it. The writing is wonderful but I just couldn't connect with the characters at all and that did me in. I think this is a case of it's me not you.
I love this author soooo much! It’s unreal. I read all of her recent stuff and saw this little beauty on my kindle. I instantly fell in love with Dallas and Dean. Then the second book killed me. That was the book of Rose and Grant. And then the third book was phenomenal! The book about Rose and Jack... hahah Titanic... that it’s all of the family together. I think I read the books in the wrong order because this is a continuation of the book Room 212. The love story of Laura and Seth (the girls parents). I’m going to jump right into that one and see for myself where all this loving came from!
This series just reinforces everything I love about Kate Stewart...the love, the angst, the humor, the playlists! I want to live in any world that Kate creates. This series gives you second chances, heartbreaking love and new beginnings. To be loved as completely as Dean, Grant and Jack love would be the greatest gift. You also get to catch up with some old friends, which was a great surprise! I totally recommend this series!
I read and really enjoyed the first book. Things kind of dragged on in the last 1/4; I kept thinking the book was over and then something else would happen. There were a few moments/events that felt tacked on and out of place with the rest of the story. Overall a good read though.
I stalled out on reading the second book because I'm still trying to decide if I want to be that sad. I think I'm going to skip it and move on to the third one; it just doesn't seem necessary to read #2.
This was a collection of stories involving Laura and Seth's daughters from the book Room 212. These stories were about 2 strong women not so lucky in love. Some heart breaking times followed by reunions in one form or another. All 3 were sweet, yet sexy reads.
These stories had me laughing and crying, then SOBBING, yet I read on. They were angsty enough and filled with so much real emotion. They sucked me in and I had to know what happened. They were reads that made me feel so much, but did put me back together at the end.
If you like love with angst this is a perfect series. There is so much to love about these families. I would like to say so much more, but the twists and turns are so much better if you don’t know what is around the corner. I laughed and cried so hard the words blurred on the page. Some love stories, no matter how hard, need to be told.
I cried, I laughed, I went dark and stepped away, only to come back for more. I reacted so deeply as I do to all of her books, simply because her words when put together in a sentence, a chapter, a book .. make you feel EVERY DAMN THING.
This set of 3 books were a good fun read. Dallas and Dean book was of second chance love after heartbreak. Rose and Jack book is also second chance after losing your loved one. Both books head up and downs but such great stories in them
I have found a new favorite author in Kate Stewart. These 3 books broke my heart and put it back together. I LOVED both couples. I loved the relationship between Dallas and Rose. Made me wish I had a sister... I highly recommend this series! I plan on telling all my friends to read it!
I hav loved and hated this three book journey. You want to talk about all the feels…I went through the full spectrum of emotions. Wow, you will not be disappointed. The mermaid reader
Just what I needed after the Ravenhood trilogy. This was a beautiful love story of Dean and Dallas and then Rose and Jack. It made my heart smile BIG. On to the next Kate Book 🥰