When the Saint Falls

Westbrook #1

by A.D. McCammon

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 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.

Genres: High School, Enemies To Lovers, Romance, New Adult, Contemporary, Young Adult, Contemporary Romance

298 pages, Paperback

First published January 16, 2020

About the author

Daughter, sister, wife, mother, avid reader and writer.

Reviews

[K. Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beta read and oh my gosh ... you know when you pick up a book to read and then smash it in a few hours? This story was great, and Amber should have sent it to me as an ARC. LOL, although I probably wouldn't have taken it as an ARC because I don't have a lot of free time for reading and my preferences normally lie in the thriller genre. I also generally suck with written reviews - as you can see.

I'm now hooked and want the rest of the books in the series :)

And this was just a beta read!

Readers of high school bully romance styled books will love this one.

[Nerdy Dirty & Flirty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good introduction to this new to me author.

When the Saint Falls is a Bully/Enemies to Lovers romance set in high school. While that's not my favorite setting, since I prefer my romance to have everyone eighteen or older, it was pretty well done.

I liked the steady pace of the story and how there wasn't really ever a dull moment. I liked that the back and forth between the two main characters and their romance wasn't overdone. And I absolutely loved the best friends. I'm so happy they will be getting their own books and I certainly plan to check those out.

Overall, I really liked this story. It wasn't heavy in the angst, just enough to keep things interesting. And I appreciate that it wasn't super heavy with the steam given the age of the characters and setting of the story. It's one I would recommend as a good read.

[✨ Lucy ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's the first time I read something about this author , and I have to say it was good.
A classic bully romance kind of book set in high school with a lot of angst and neglected feelings .
Thatcher ,since the first time he saw saint, knew she was something else. Good , kind , prude, she had the power to destroy him, to make him feel something , to make him whole .
A kiss was all it took to him to realize that she was already under his skin .
At the beginning it didn't really catch my attention , but I'm happy I kept reading it.
I gave it 3.5 stars.

[Selly - Leggere Romanticamente · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stelline

New Adult
Ambientato al liceo
Primi amori
Bad boy e Brava Ragazza
Lui è il re della scuola
Lei è la sua "santarellina"
Lettura carina e scorrevole.
Consigliato a chi ama il genere!

[Ela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Normally I don’t read books with teenagers as I already feel too old for them. But when I found an ARC in my mailbox (which I forgot I signed for) I couldn’t leave it like that. I stared right away and read almost whole book at once. I didn’t know I needed this book! It’s fresh and romantic and reminds me of my teenage years (I’ve read it on my 21st birthday so it was like a birthday gift for me ❤️).

I’m really surprised how mature these characters were!! I don’t think that younger people are as dumb as some authors create them. Violet has strong personality and I love that she’s not that innocent, naive girl I was expecting her to be. I also like Rebel but not really liked his decisions which I found really annoying. They didn’t suit his character.

Recently I realised that I like supporting characters more than the mains. So my heart all went towards Arwen!! She’s the badass girl I always wanted to be. I can’t wait to read book about her!!

I love writing style of the author and would love to read more of her books!

(Sorry for my English, it’s not my native language and I’m still learning)

[Kayla Brunson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was so excited to read this one. However, I ended up disappointed in the story and super annoyed with the heroine.

This started off so good! The right amount of angst and chemistry going on. Then we got to know the characters and I was soon over this story. Thatcher’s hot and cold actions were annoying, but besides that, he was just average.

My main issues reside with Violet. What was so special about her for everyone to fawn over her? She was immature and constantly making annoying decisions. At one point she wants Thatcher to fight for her. When he does she becomes super dramatic and refuses to listen to him. She did things for the spite of it, led people on, and was such a “woe is me” character. Seriously, the girl wasn’t worth half the effort that Thatcher spent chasing her and protecting her.

I was disappointed with this and wish I could get my time back for reading it. There are more books for Thatcher's two best friends (let’s use the term “friends” lighty), but I’m not about to invest any more time into this book.

Blog | Instagram

[Abbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHEN I TELL YOU I AM A SIMP FOR VERY FEW MEN..... Thatcher has now made that list.

Okay I have never read a high school romance this good. First off, the characters were actually written exactly like high schoolers act. Not the typical formulaic crap in most YA published novels. So it was a breath of fresh air to get real feeling people and a real feeling story line.

Thatcher was a bad boy with a heart of gold when it came to Violet. He was so sexy and protective. Her made me swoon and blush quite a few times.

I loved the other characters as well. Violet was just so sweet and down to earth. Arwen was a total bad ass and I adore her, and Cole 🥺 Cole pissed me off a couple times, but he was such a good friend and I wanted to hug him.

Amber's writing is phenomenal and the story was addicting. I can't tell you how many times I laughed out load reading this. It had the perfect mix of everything. Humor, spice, love, dominance, friendship, and so much more. I highly recommend this book!

[Crystal Blanton · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Kimberly Garner · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book that I really enjoyed. I really thought the characters had depth, lord knows they had secrets. The author has great world building, and amazing characters. I was hooked for the get go. I read this book rather quickly, and it is not a short book, I just couldn't put it down. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoyed angst ridden mature YA books.

[Dana Isaly · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I ran here to post this review. I read this book in the span of about ten hours. I devoured it.

Am I a sucker for enemies to lovers? Yes. Do I love a possessive alpha-hole that claims the woman is his? Yes.

There’s something about a guy saying “mine” that just does it for me. I absolutely love McCammon’s writing style. The small details she adds into each character just makes them so real. I relate to them so much.

This HEA made me tear up. This is the type of book that makes you mad your life isn’t actually like this.

[Brittany Grantham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh so good

This book is a good read. Thatcher and Violet are high school students. They meet when he bumps into her in the art room. He’s angry and feels like damaged goods so he pushes her away while protecting her. Protecting her from high school vultures and himself. Violet thinks Thatcher is a hot jerk who has issues. It’s a journey of Thatcher pushing and pulling Violet to and from him. He wants her so very much but he thinks he’s not worthy of her because what he’s been through and what he has done. She just wants him. They are helped along by his best friends Arwen and Cole. It’s full of typical high school drama. Thatcher is crazy(the good kind), funny and stalkerish. It’s a really good book that will have you turning pages to find out what he’s hiding, if Violet gets her man and to see how much more crazy Thatcher gets. He is definitely crazy but the good fun kind. I’m very glad I read this.

[MaryRomance_book · Rating 2 out of 5]

La storia aveva davvero delle potenzialità che però non sono state sfruttate. Viene definito un Bully romance ma non ci sono davvero molti elementi che lo possano definire tale. La protagonista femminile viene amata da tutti ma personalmente non la ritengo una figura molto amabile.
Un grande problema di questo romanzo è quello che sembra quasi mancassero dei pezzi tant'è che sono dovuta tornare indietro più di una volta per capire se mi ero effettivamente persa qualcosa. Thatcher per tutto il libro dice di non meritare la ragazza perchè aveva fatto cose orribili ma non sappiamo quali siano, o cosa lo ha reso il "re" della scuola.
Un romanzo non molto originale ma se sviluppato nel modo giusto poteva regalare ai lettori qualcosa di bello.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

First time read from this author and I have to say I enjoyed it. My go to when it comes to books is bully romances. I love them. So this tells the story of Thatcher & Violet. Thatcher isn’t your typical rich, popular bully. No he’s more complicated than that. He’s been through stuff that hard made him the way he his. And poor Violet is on the end of his wrath simply because he wants her but doesn’t want to give in to it.
Violet is sweet and doesn’t realise that Thatcher bullying her because he’s attracted to her.
I enjoyed this book because I liked that Thatcher was a bit more complicated in his reasons for being the way he is. I’m also excited to see that their will be another 2 books in this series. Arwen & Coles story which I’m really looking forward to.
I received an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Sandy Eiynck · Rating 5 out of 5]

First time reading this author. If you like high school bully romance, I would recommend this title. Lots of angst moments and it kept me intrigued as to how it would end. Great read!

[Have Coffee Need Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Romanticamente Fantasy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vanilla_91 - per RFS
.
Il ribelle è il primo libro della serie Westbrook.

Thatcher Michaelson è il bullo della Westbrook High; gode della propria reputazione e si sente forte nell’apparire agli occhi degli altri arrogante e spietato.

Una delle poche persone che osa tenergli testa è Violet St. James, una ragazza timida e gentile che sembra riuscire a scorgere nel giovane qualcosa di buono, che va oltre le battutine ironiche e i comportamenti inspiegabili.

Fenici, il primo aspetto positivo di questo libro è che si tratta di un racconto auto-conclusivo; la storia di Thatcher e Violet si snoda nell’arco di circa 300 pagine e si esaurisce senza cliffhanger che, diciamocelo, troppo spesso ci tormentano e ci tengono sulle spine.

Credo sia una scelta giusta perché, a mio parere, i due protagonisti “hanno detto il loro” e voler allungare il brodo non sarebbe congeniale.

È una lettura basata sul genere “hate to love” e sicuramente rispecchia tutti i canoni di un buon new adult.

L’autrice ripropone tutte le situazioni che rappresentano i “punti chiave” in questi romanzi: scene di gelosia, passioni forti che sbocciano da rapporti conflittuali e amori puri che portano alla redenzione.

Non so per voi, ma su di me ha sempre avuto un forte ascendente il fascino del bad boy e, se ben strutturato, adoro il cliché del “bello e impossibile” che si innamora della ragazza acqua e sapone.

Sarà perché sono un’eterna romantica e anche perché le storie ad ambientazione scolastica mi portano davvero a svagarmi con la mente, ma a me il libro è piaciuto.

Ho trovato Il ribelle una lettura gradevole e sicuramente capace di coinvolgere a pieno un pubblico più giovane, alla ricerca di struggimento ed emozioni intense più che di logica e razionalità. Sotto questo aspetto i due protagonisti giocano bene il loro ruolo, riuscendo a creare il giusto hype. Forse in alcuni punti Violet avrebbe avuto bisogno di una scrollata per svegliarsi e reagire, ma del resto, come diceva Proietti, “so’ ragazziii”.

La narrazione semplice e diretta rende fluida la lettura, che risulta scorrevole e dinamica.

Consiglierei il libro a chi sa apprezzare le storie travagliate e a chi adora leggere di amori viscerali, insomma a chi ha voglia di dedicarsi a un racconto in cui c’è molto cuore e poca testa.

Quattro stelline sono ben meritate per un libro che rispecchia tutti i canoni del suo genere e che regala una lettura leggera.

[Sandie Book Boyfriend Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

This is the last book I read in 2019 and it was the best way to bring it to a close.
I have read all of A.D. McCammon's books and while this is definitely different than the others I have to say, it is truly bringing out her writing in the best way possible. I have seen her level of writing grow with each book, but this book has surpassed anything I could have expected from her. In her other books, she tended to shy away from the sexy times, which is fine but man oh man in this book she did not and I can say she did it well! Not too much, not too little.

I wasn't sure how this book was going to go once I started I was sucked in and didn't come up from my kindle until I was done. The characters were engaging and interesting. We get to see the change and growth which I love seeing. The side characters are still stuck with me and I can not wait to read Arwyn and Cole's stories.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!! :D
Love them Both!

I’m looking forward to reading more from this Author! :D

[Serena Weigand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let's start with I won an ARC of When the Saint Falls on a fan page. This was the first book I read by A.D. McCammon and let me tell you I was hooked right from the Preface. Saint and Rebel that's what the main characters Thatcher and Violet call each other. Violet is considered a goody two shoes and from the moment Thatcher sees her he wants her but doesn't believe he's good enough for her so he does everything in his power to keep her away by bullying her. Violet even though Thatcher is a bully to her she can't deny that she's attracted to him too. After two years of torture and one kiss later Thatcher realizes that keeping her away isn't so easy anymore but he's done things he doesn't want her to find out about so even though he wants her he still won't give in. Can Violet convince him that she's worth giving in? Will Thatcher let down his walls and let her in? Guess you'll have to read this amazing bully romance to find out!

[Clare Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[Sally Mieske · Rating 5 out of 5]

Im really loving this high school bully romance genre. That is what lead me to this author and she didn’t disappoint. This is her first time writing a bully romance and she knocked it out of the park. I read this book in a day, I couldn’t put down. I had to know if Thatcher was going to get his girl. I love Violet and Thatcher. Thatcher was attracted to her on her first day in his school. He doesn’t believe he is worthy of her, so the bullying begins. Violet is Thatchers complete opposite. She is sweet and kind, and totally attracted to her bully. Can Violet make him see that he is worthy? Will Thatcher get his his girl? You will have to read to find out 😉

I voluntarily read an arc and this is my honest review

[Amanda Wetzel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t stop once I started this book. Violet St. James is a good girl with a heart of gold. She also knows what she wants & that’s her rebel, Thatcher Michaelson. Thatcher was a different form of a bully, which was a great change of pace. He never hurt or pursued Violet with violence, crossed boundaries or hate as bully tropes tend to do. He protected her from the wolves of high school. He tries as hard as he can to push her away so he won’t hurt her because of how much he loves her. But Violet pushes him to let her in, broke down his walls and made him realize that he was worthy of love. Their chemistry was amazing and once all Thatchers past was out in the open, their love for each other grew even more. Can’t wait to see glimpses of Rebel & Saint in the following books!

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I love a push and pull romance, there was something off about this one. Thatcher didn't really bully her either, I didn't get where his power "king of school" thing came from. Also the author kind of skipped over all the 'bad' things he did. I was getting really tired of him telling her "I'm obsessed with you, yet I won't pursue anything with you because I don't deserve you". Also both his best friends just fell in love with her and automatically became her best friends and then they sort of snubbed him? Like those are some shitty ass friends, mate.

I wanted to love this book but I found it okay. I will pass on reading the next two.

[Julia Red Hatter Book Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[E&A Book · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best bully romance this year. I could not put this book down. Thatcher was completely swoon-worthy & broke my heart thinking his past was to dirty for his love interest Violet. He made her life miserable from the day he met her, just to keep her away. Violet is the sweet new girl, who can not figure out why Thatcher hates her so much. With one kiss the whole dynamic between the two of them changes. It was fascinating watching them push and pull at each other while falling in love. Their love story is messy, but in the end it was so worth it.

[Angela Hillier · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked these set of character’s.The story grabbed me from the beginning and I found myself making time to sit and read to get to know what happens next. You get little tidbits of what’s to come in the next two books which I’m definitely going to read.
The sex scenes where hot and sweet. The angst and teenage pain was real and I’m looking forward to see what happens next.

It’s my first book from this author and I was lucky enough to get an early copy for my honest opinion.

[Karina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although cliché , I love a high school bully romance - but I didn’t see any bullying in this one. It kept being mentioned that the H did bad things and had bad people at his party ... but I didn’t really see any of that. I expected more but maybe that’s just me . I will read the next one - the friends seem to have a little more personality then the main characters so I’m looking forward to their stories.

[Kat Savage · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not generally a bully romance reader but I thought if I could give anyone a chance, McCammon was the way to go. I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed this read. YA isn’t normally my thing either but I really enjoyed traveling back to the complexities of youth. Oh to be that age again. The characters were complex, I didn’t feel like any came across as flat. The tension tugged on me. Really well done!

[CK · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was hesitant when I read the synopsis of A.D. McCammon's next release. The premise is quite different from what she has previously published.

But I took a chance, I dived in headfirst, and I wasn't disappointed.

McCammon's classic raw emotion, combined with a new sexy side, will leave readers breathless. I know I was.

Looking forward to book 2!