Falling Strong

The Sweet Nightmares Trilogy

by Stephen J. Alexander

Falling Strong is the hard hitting sequel to Stephen J. Alexander's debut novel, Made in Milan. It's June 2032, and newly-wed bride Alice Scott has been kidnapped from her beautiful new home on Lake Como. Bound, broken and transported far away from all that she knows and loves, her first thought after Nathan, is to find out why she was taken. Understanding the strange language spoken by her captors, and working out what they mean as they repeatedly use the word, "Olot" may begin to provide Alice with the answers she so desperately seeks. But, while Alice thinks she's been snatched for ransom, it soon becomes clear there's much more to this dark romantic thriller than meets the eye...

234 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 8, 2021

About the author

Hi, I'm Stephen J. Alexander. Author.

My works are:

PETER AND THE DWARF PLANETS (AUG 28, 2018) OLYMPIA PUB., UK

MADE IN MILAN (JAN 21, 2021) KDP SELECT Book 1 in Sweet Nightmares Series

FALLING STRONG (MARCH 2021) KDP SELECT Book 2 in Sweet Nightmares Series


THE DREAMS (OCTOBER 2021) KDP SELECT Book 3 in Sweet Nightmares Series


The first book of my "Sweet Nightmares Trilogy" is Made in Milan (3rd Edition). It was released as an e-book and paperback in January 2021, and tells the romantic story of a chance meeting between a young Englishman and an Italian girl. The trilogy focuses on the lifelong relationship that the couple go on to forge. But it's certainly not passion and romance all the way...

This series of multi-genre novels will take the reader on a rollercoaster ride along with two lives far from ordinary.

MADE IN MILAN, a dual narrative set mainly in October 2031, is predominantly romantic and passionate, FALLING STRONG (out soon) is much darker featuring a high profile abduction in June 2032, political intrigue and a futuristic Catalan civil war for our heroic couple to escape from. THE DREAMS, set in Los Angeles, CA, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, England, France and Switzerland in 2046, is at its core, Science-Fiction. Our heroic couple, faced with a huge existential dilemma, go in search of and eventually meet their maker.

I hope you like my work...

Reviews

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book’s genre isn’t something I usually turn to; however, I find that I enjoyed it nonetheless. It felt a little like espionage in the beginning but it’s not. There are different segments in the book and they all tie together. I think I enjoyed the final sections of the book as the main character is trying to get herself back together. It made for an interesting read.

[Joni Martins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review

Basic Details:
Book Title: Falling Strong
Subtitle: (The Sweet Nightmares Trilogy)
Author: Stephen J. Alexander
Genre: Science Fiction
Part of a series? Yes
Order in series: 2
Best read after earlier books in series? Can be read as stand-alone
Available: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...
Overall score:
I scored this book 4/5
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Short Summary of the book:
Set in the near future, a young bride is abducted shortly after her honeymoon. While reading in her Italian garden, masked men take her from her home. But why? And will she escape or be rescued?
What I liked about the book:
This was high-paced and well worth a read.
What I didn’t like about the book:
There was nothing I disliked about the book.
My favourite bits in the book:
I enjoyed all the suspense and action within the book.
My least favourite bits in the book:
I enjoyed the entire book.
Any further books in the series? Any more planned by this author?
This is the second book in this series.
What books could this be compared to and why?
The book is adventure science fiction.
Recommendation:
In summary, I would recommend this book to the following readers:

Children No
Young Adult Yes
Adult Yes

If you like adventure, this book may be the book for you.
I look forward to reading more by this author.
Book Description by Author:
Falling Strong is the hard hitting sequel to Stephen J. Alexander's debut novel, Made in Milan. It's June 2032, and newly-wed bride Alice Scott has been kidnapped from her beautiful new home on Lake Como. Bound, broken and transported far away from all that she knows and loves, her first thought after Nathan, is to find out why she was taken. Understanding the strange language spoken by her captors, and working out what they mean as they repeatedly use the word, "Olot" may begin to provide Alice with the answers she so desperately seeks. But, while Alice thinks she's been snatched for ransom, it soon becomes clear there's much more to this dark romantic thriller than meets the eye...
About the Author:
Hi, I'm Stephen J. Alexander. Author.

My works are:

PETER AND THE DWARF PLANETS (AUG 28, 2018) OLYMPIA PUB., UK

MADE IN MILAN (JAN 21, 2021) KDP SELECT Book 1 in Sweet Nightmares Series

FALLING STRONG (MARCH 2021) KDP SELECT Book 2 in Sweet Nightmares Series


THE DREAMS (OCTOBER 2021) KDP SELECT Book 3 in Sweet Nightmares Series


The first book of my "Sweet Nightmares Trilogy" is Made in Milan (3rd Edition). It was released as an e-book and paperback in January 2021, and tells the romantic story of a chance meeting between a young Englishman and an Italian girl. The trilogy focuses on the lifelong relationship that the couple go on to forge. But it's certainly not passion and romance all the way...

This series of multi-genre novels will take the reader on a rollercoaster ride along with two lives far from ordinary.

MADE IN MILAN, a dual narrative set mainly in October 2031, is predominantly romantic and passionate, FALLING STRONG (out soon) is much darker featuring a high profile abduction in June 2032, political intrigue and a futuristic Catalan civil war for our heroic couple to escape from. THE DREAMS, set in Los Angeles, CA, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, England, France and Switzerland in 2046, is at its core, Science-Fiction. Our heroic couple, faced with a huge existential dilemma, go in search of and eventually meet their maker.

I hope you like my work...

[Venkatarangan Thirumalai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Falling Strong – A Novel by Stephen J Alexander, is a fiction set in a future (2032) Europe & then moves to the USA. The book is part 2 of a trilogy, but as the author says it can be read standalone as well, which is what I did. I liked the book, it kept me engaged that I had to read it in a single sitting in a few hours.

Alice is the wife of an upcoming movie director Nathan. The young couple is living in a villa in Italy near Milan, when one-day Alice gets kidnapped by Catalan separatists to the city of Olot in Girona, Spain. Not knowing why she was targeted, she experiences untold trauma in the next few days. How did she get rescued, the reason for her suffering and how she recovers forms the story told in three sections?

Each of the sections gets narrated from different points of view: the kidnap portion by Alice, parts of the rescue by Alice and other parts by Nathan, and the last section is narrated by Alice’s psychological counsellor J.P. Though this narration style provides variety, it doesn’t work all the time. I was able to connect with Alice and feel for her, but the same couldn’t be told for Nathan, who comes out cold and distant not only to us, the readers but towards Alice as well. The last section narrated by J.P, the counsellor, though interesting feel like reading another novel, its style and pace were different from the rest – the fact it happens in Los Angeles, having suddenly moved there from Spain & Italy also added to this impression.

The kidnap portion was narrated briskly, kept me hooked up to figure out what was happening and why is Alice targeted. Alice is transported through parts of Italy, France, and later to Spain and we join Alice in the travel, blindfolded most of the time. A good portion of the story happens in the cultural city of Olot, part of Girona and we get to travel by foot to the town square, the roads leading to the cathedral and the old castle. I enjoyed these parts. The escape and rescue of Alice from the separatist were fast-paced and action-packed, the incidents felt to be grounded and believable. There was a bit of science-fiction thrown in as well – like wearable & VR enabled WhatsApp for communication and high tech pistols. Other than these, the story could be happening in the 2020s and need not be in the future. There is also mention of the 2020s pandemic and a tracking chip embedded as part of vaccines – these get casually mentioned and put to no further use anywhere.

The book did talk about the Catalan separatists who kidnap Alice, but for those who know little about the region, we are left wondering who they really are and what are they fighting for. I am not sure how a single wealthy Sergi was able to do what he does. What is his connection to the leaders of the movement and why Nathan was important to them, other than the ransom money?

People who suffer from PTSD go through hell, but the treatment is given by J.P. to Alice comes to me as being naïve and simplistic. If we discount that, the character of J.P. was a likeable one and maybe we will get to read more about him in the last book of the trilogy.
Overall, Falling Strong is an interesting attempt – pick it up for a simplistic yet different novel.

[troublingtrash · Rating 3 out of 5]

Falling Strong, the second book in The Sweet Nightmares triology is a kidnapping thiller that explores the deeper relationship of our main characters Alice and Nathan. Unlike the first novel, which was a singular POV, this novel has dual narrative writing. I personally don't mind dual narrative, but in this case, as I hadn't read the first novel, I felt that I wasn't able to fully connect with the main characters and their plights. I was assured that this novel could in fact be read as a stand alone, but I'm not sure that's the case, it felt as though I was missing out on some important context during intense scenes.

Other than that, the book seemed solid enough, the character's and their relationships seemed to flow as though they had been together a while, and their relationship is still improving and can be further improved upon in the third novel. The introduction of our new character Juan came from the midpoint of the book and it added a lot, especially with the theme of politics being more closely followed in this novel.

I think I might come back to this novel again once I read the first book, just so that I have the context, but for now the book does meet the bare minimum.

[Nerissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, I really liked and enjoyed having the story told by three of the novels characters. This helps give a wide range of views and feelings of the characters in the story and I always think it helps us, the readers, bond with each of the character's better.

It was really different from the first novel in the series. The action and suspense for instance, were quite refreshing and unexpected.

The emotional stress bombarding the Main female character, Alice, makes you feel for her. Even wishing that she'd find some sort of hope through it all. She goes through a really hard time and all of this takes place in less than a week. Luckily in the end...

Very touching, gripping and entertaining.

What I took away from this book is that sometimes people destroy or purposefully hurt others regardless of whether they deserve such a punishment. The world can be a bad place and it's tough, but what matters most is learning to love ourselves and accepting the way we we deal with issues. Never blaming ourselves for the misdeeds of others.

An emotional roller coaster and a worthy book to read, especially if you love a good story line that leaves you wanting more at the end.

[Lynn Bates · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven’t read the first book in the trilogy but thought this book could be read as a stand alone. It tells the story of Alice’s kidnap, the efforts her husband Nathan goes to to free her and the last part of the novel is about Alice’s sessions with a psychologist.
I do feel I would have enjoyed the book more if I had read the first one. I never really felt I understood Alice and Nathan’s relationship. The book is set in the future and we are informed of this by diary dates and allusions to tech that doesn’t exist in the present day. This felt a little clunky and I never thought the characters were in the future till I read the date.
The writing is good, the premise is good but there seemed too many strands to the story for it to flow seamlessly. I feel the kidnapping and rescue attempt was a book in itself.
I might read the first book to see if I get any more context.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Falling Strong was an enjoyable read from start to finish. This mystery/suspense/ thriller/action will keep you on edge and wondering what will happen next. the story revolves around a young married woman who is kidnapped from her home in Italy by some revolutionary rebels and taken across the border into the Spanish territory where she must rely on her wits, skills, and emotional resolve to deal with her kidnappers and their ultimate demands. Set in the not too distance future where driverless cars and the fallout from the global pandemic are a reality, the story reveals a future that is quite possible given the current affairs in the world today and especially in Europe. I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes action/adventure with a suspenseful twist!

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woah!
Okay so my first thought is that there was so much suspense! I was on the edge of my seat (bed lol) the whole time! I really like Alice’s character. She’s deep and authentic and I think this book highlighted her psyche really well.
One thing I would’ve appreciated would be an epilogue so that we got to see her and Nathan again, you know to see how everything settles, but oh well. The pacing of the book was a bit fast but obviously since it’s only 300 pages, whadya going to do haha.
Overall I think this book was really good! A bit of fantasy a bit of thriller and a bit of romance all mixed into one. :)

[I.O. Scheffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Falling Strong is an intriguing tale of survival in the face of fear and danger. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to people who like not knowing where a book is going. It's suspenseful and you feel for Alice.

As for the writing itself, it could have used a bit of work, especially with the POV switches and making all of them engaging. I'm not sure why some futuristic elements were included, because they didn't seem super necessary to the plot. But, overall, the reading experience wasn't hindered greatly by the few issues the story had.

[Lizz Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Booktasters recommended this book to me I was ready for something fresh to read. Although this is the second in a series this novel stands just fine on its own. Does it leave you wanting more? Absolutely. I am looking forward to the third installment.

The character development of Alice was really strong which makes everything that happened more intense. I really enjoyed the three character perspective. The storyline was not predictable which I really appreciated. I can't say too much more without giving anything away.

Thank you to Booktasters for their recommendation.

[Rachel “Koala” Glenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a favorite

It was difficult to stay engaged for the entire book. There was some repetition. A large part of the book is in past tense. The book seems to be two different books but no real reason for the second part because there's not much plot there.
This author has some good ideas. I don't know if I will read more from this author.

[Francie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a page turner that I had a hard time putting down. I really felt the main character's ( Alice ) feelings of fear and terror during her "time away" . This book was a roller coaster ride that I was happy to get off of. I liked the author's descriptive style it got me inside the story and kept me interested to the end.

[Renata Preciado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review coming soon

[Joy Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This is the second book that details the love story between Alice and her husband Nathan Scott. This book can be read alone, but I probably would have enjoyed it more had I read the first book. Alice is planning on having a relaxing day involving reading a book while sitting in the back yard of her home. Just as she settles in to read and think, she is attacked from behind and kidnapped. The first half of the novel discusses all the details of her kidnapping, the fear, the anger, and the helplessness she feels. It also allows us insight into her past, information about her husband and her thoughts as she navigates this new reality. Captivity is extremely hard on her and she swings between strength and despair.

I will not spoil the rest of the story, but the author has built characters who have depth and understandable motivations. This book is the middle of a trilogy and as such would usually be a bit darker, but I have confidence that the story will end well. If you enjoy a real romance with some exciting, if terrifying, twists for the main characters, this series is for you.

[Lauri Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a sequel to made in Milan, part of a trilogy; but can also be read as a stand alone. It is fiction set in future (2032) Europe & the USA.

Alice is the wife of movie director Nathan. The couple is living near Milan, when Alice gets kidnapped by Catalan separatists to the city of Olot in Girona, Spain. Not knowing why she was targeted, she experiences untold trauma in the next few days. How did she get rescued, the reason for her suffering and how she recovers forms the story told in three sections?

Each of the sections gets narrated from different points of view: the kidnap portion by Alice, parts of the rescue by Alice and other parts by Nathan, and the last section is narrated by Alice’s psychological counsellor J.P. Though this narration style provides variety, it doesn’t work all the time. I was able to connect with Alice and feel for her, but the same couldn’t be told for Nathan, who comes out cold and distant not only to us, the readers but towards Alice as well. The last section narrated by J.P, the counsellor, though interesting feel like reading another novel, its style and pace were different from the rest – the fact it happens in Los Angeles, having suddenly moved there from Spain & Italy also added to this impression.

The kidnap portion was narrated briskly, kept me hooked up to figure out what was happening and why is Alice targeted. Alice is transported through parts of Italy, France, and later to Spain and we join Alice in the travel, blindfolded most of the time. A good portion of the story happens in the cultural city of Olot, part of Girona and we get to travel by foot to the town square, the roads leading to the cathedral and the old castle. I enjoyed these parts. The escape and rescue of Alice from the separatist were fast-paced and action-packed, the incidents felt to be grounded and believable. There was a bit of science-fiction thrown in as well – like wearable & VR enabled WhatsApp for communication and high tech pistols. Other than these, the story could be happening in the 2020s and need not be in the future. There is also mention of the 2020s pandemic and a tracking chip embedded as part of vaccines – these get casually mentioned and put to no further use anywhere.