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Freedom in Falling
West’s needs are simple. Cup of coffee, a book, and a quiet moment away from the drama that plagues his family life. His local coffeeshop should have offered all of those things. Instead it offers Noah, a photographer as attractive as he is infuriating. From the seductive smirk to the blatant flirtation, Noah is everything West shouldn’t want. And after a meet-cute turned meet-hate, West would be happy never seeing him again.
Except every time West turns around, there he is again, looking like the best mistake West could possibly make. And when Noah shows up in desperate need of a new model for his upcoming gallery show, West agrees. For some reason. It's definitely not the way he's been dreaming of Noah naked.
He figures their partnership will be the end of it since they can barely stand each other. One and done. But modeling for Noah draws out a side of West that he barely knew existed, a side that's addicted to the hot look in Noah's eye when they're alone in the studio together. Especially when the clothes come off.
Maybe they're more suited than either of them realized. And after all, what's a little sex between enemies?
Except every time West turns around, there he is again, looking like the best mistake West could possibly make. And when Noah shows up in desperate need of a new model for his upcoming gallery show, West agrees. For some reason. It's definitely not the way he's been dreaming of Noah naked.
He figures their partnership will be the end of it since they can barely stand each other. One and done. But modeling for Noah draws out a side of West that he barely knew existed, a side that's addicted to the hot look in Noah's eye when they're alone in the studio together. Especially when the clothes come off.
Maybe they're more suited than either of them realized. And after all, what's a little sex between enemies?
204 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 20, 2021
3 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 20, 2021
I enjoyed this one a lot!
I always love J. Emery's characters but Noah and West were so good, both on their own and as a pair. I'm especially in love with Noah aka "the sunshine flirty one has anxiety and depression", this type of character is so good but I feel like I rarely get to read books with those. I loved West too though, grumpy and insecure, and his interactions with his little sister were gold. The dynamic between the main two was funny and exciting and just great. The book made me smile wide a bunch of times.
So, the characters are great both on their own and together, which is the main thing to make me like a romance novel, but I also enjoyed the other themes the book brought up. Stuff about art/photography, kink, mental health, and *a lot* of complicated family dynamics and anxieties. Both of the main characters struggle a bit with their respective families, and I thought it was really well done. I felt like we got more closure on that front in West's character arc than Noah's, though, but it wasn't anything major that felt missing.
The only thing I struggled with a tiny bit, and it's my number one criticism in many of the romance books I read, is the third act conflict. I understood the motivations of it, and why it happened, and it's actually not the conflict itself that I had a problem with, but it did get resolved a bit quickly. Or, rather, we didn't get to see much of the aftermath of it. I'm always left feeling a tiny bit dissatisfied if a book leaves me right after resolving the conflict. It's personal taste, I think, and overall I still enjoyed this a lot. Great characters and character dynamics, interesting themes, and complex messy feelings. I had a fun time!
I always love J. Emery's characters but Noah and West were so good, both on their own and as a pair. I'm especially in love with Noah aka "the sunshine flirty one has anxiety and depression", this type of character is so good but I feel like I rarely get to read books with those. I loved West too though, grumpy and insecure, and his interactions with his little sister were gold. The dynamic between the main two was funny and exciting and just great. The book made me smile wide a bunch of times.
So, the characters are great both on their own and together, which is the main thing to make me like a romance novel, but I also enjoyed the other themes the book brought up. Stuff about art/photography, kink, mental health, and *a lot* of complicated family dynamics and anxieties. Both of the main characters struggle a bit with their respective families, and I thought it was really well done. I felt like we got more closure on that front in West's character arc than Noah's, though, but it wasn't anything major that felt missing.
The only thing I struggled with a tiny bit, and it's my number one criticism in many of the romance books I read, is the third act conflict. I understood the motivations of it, and why it happened, and it's actually not the conflict itself that I had a problem with, but it did get resolved a bit quickly. Or, rather, we didn't get to see much of the aftermath of it. I'm always left feeling a tiny bit dissatisfied if a book leaves me right after resolving the conflict. It's personal taste, I think, and overall I still enjoyed this a lot. Great characters and character dynamics, interesting themes, and complex messy feelings. I had a fun time!
August 16, 2021
Freedom in Falling has a trope I don’t see often enough – prickly meets a different kind of prickly. West is the more traditionally prickly – grumpy and tightly wound. He keeps people at bay with frowns and coldness. Noah is prickly sunshine. He keeps people at a distance with bright colors, a performance of arrogance, and being kind of an asshole. Both of them are really soft disaster anxiety babies.
I liked the way J. Emery unfolded their relationship – from the meet-disaster to reconciliation. West and Noah spend a good chunk of time being irritated and attracted to one another while we get to know them – their families, their friends, and Noah’s art – before they start spending time with each other. Both men have difficult relationships with their families, and each has one sibling with whom they are close. Both respond by shutting down. Noah makes himself smaller around his family, while West is almost entirely shut down in every part of his life. Only his sister, Charlotte, is able to draw him out, until being mad at Noah gives him the freedom to be unlikable. With Noah, he can be more himself, so when Noah asks him to model for some photographs, he says yes.
Freedom in Falling is seething with emotion. Noah has been told he’s too much and is constantly waiting for rejection. Their disastrous first meeting removes the burden of being likable for both of them and they are more fully themselves with each other. Noah shows his softness and West shows emotion and vulnerability. My only wish for them beyond what I get from the book, is that they both have the time and resources for some therapy. It seems like Noah would be a good influence on West in that regard.
It was a lovely read, and J. Emery has intrigued me. I’m grateful to Candace Harper for the recommendation.
I received this as an advance reader copy from the author via Booksprout in exchange for an honest review.
I liked the way J. Emery unfolded their relationship – from the meet-disaster to reconciliation. West and Noah spend a good chunk of time being irritated and attracted to one another while we get to know them – their families, their friends, and Noah’s art – before they start spending time with each other. Both men have difficult relationships with their families, and each has one sibling with whom they are close. Both respond by shutting down. Noah makes himself smaller around his family, while West is almost entirely shut down in every part of his life. Only his sister, Charlotte, is able to draw him out, until being mad at Noah gives him the freedom to be unlikable. With Noah, he can be more himself, so when Noah asks him to model for some photographs, he says yes.
Freedom in Falling is seething with emotion. Noah has been told he’s too much and is constantly waiting for rejection. Their disastrous first meeting removes the burden of being likable for both of them and they are more fully themselves with each other. Noah shows his softness and West shows emotion and vulnerability. My only wish for them beyond what I get from the book, is that they both have the time and resources for some therapy. It seems like Noah would be a good influence on West in that regard.
It was a lovely read, and J. Emery has intrigued me. I’m grateful to Candace Harper for the recommendation.
I received this as an advance reader copy from the author via Booksprout in exchange for an honest review.
dnf
August 30, 2021This is more of a DNF for now than an outright DNF. I read the sample of the book off Amazon and I’m just not feeling it. I though there was going to be more anxiety! and angst! But the characters just seem to be floating by with nothing I care about happening in the story yet.
West has to care for his 16-year-old sister, Charlotte. And Noah is reluctantly getting dragged by his brother to go to their oldest brother’s wedding. I’ve only read the first 10% of the book since that’s all the sample gives, but it’s a very boring 10%. Maybe I will come back to this one day, but that day isn’t today.
West has to care for his 16-year-old sister, Charlotte. And Noah is reluctantly getting dragged by his brother to go to their oldest brother’s wedding. I’ve only read the first 10% of the book since that’s all the sample gives, but it’s a very boring 10%. Maybe I will come back to this one day, but that day isn’t today.
August 18, 2021
I really enjoyed this story, and its tale of an unlikely couple finding happiness together.
Noah for me was a standout character, I found his mix of flirtiness and anxiety very recognisable and compelling. I especially enjoyed seeing his relationship with his brother Liam (and I assume this is a standalone book, but I'd love to read more about him!) and how he struggled to deal with his nice sister-in-law to be. West at times was a little harder to read, but I lived his relationship with his sister, and the exploration of how rope play grants him the freedom and peace he is seeking. West's passive-aggressively sneering brother Reese was suitably terrible, to the extent that I felt the frisson of dread when he appeared.
My only quibble really was that I wanted more of a grovel from West at the end.
Overall, an excellent contemporary romance full of heart.
Content notes: anxiety, panic attacks, abusive family relationships, rope bondage
*I received a free ARC from Booksprout and I have chosen to leave a review*
Noah for me was a standout character, I found his mix of flirtiness and anxiety very recognisable and compelling. I especially enjoyed seeing his relationship with his brother Liam (and I assume this is a standalone book, but I'd love to read more about him!) and how he struggled to deal with his nice sister-in-law to be. West at times was a little harder to read, but I lived his relationship with his sister, and the exploration of how rope play grants him the freedom and peace he is seeking. West's passive-aggressively sneering brother Reese was suitably terrible, to the extent that I felt the frisson of dread when he appeared.
My only quibble really was that I wanted more of a grovel from West at the end.
Overall, an excellent contemporary romance full of heart.
Content notes: anxiety, panic attacks, abusive family relationships, rope bondage
*I received a free ARC from Booksprout and I have chosen to leave a review*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2021
I liked the author’s approach to this romance, which offers interesting spins on some familiar tropes. The “meet disaster” that could have been a meet cute lets our protagonists show each other their most spikey, least polished selves and build from there, and the grumpy/sunshine dynamic being replaced by two characters who are similarly defensive but presenting it in different, sometimes opposing ways let the characters, and the readers, presume that they had less in common than they really did— it was fun, going from there, to find out otherwise. I liked too that the book didn’t shy away from difficult things: family relationships, individual expectations, and more. I wanted the best for both characters, and even when I found them frustrating, I liked them.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
August 28, 2021
I absolutely loved this story. A solid mix of steam, touching moments, tough moments, and it was a wonderful story about everything that makes life complicated and messy and worth it. The dialogue is succinct and the prose is evocative with lovely imagery. Considering one of the main characters is an artist, I appreciated that the descriptions of his process were immersive and came across well-researched/well-informed. There were definitely a few moments that had got me in my feels, so I was sooo ready for that happy ending! Very excited to read more from this author.
January 5, 2022
This was an incredibly sweet story between a camp, neurotic wreck who hides behind smartass remarks, and a grumpy man from a rich family who is struggling to stand up enough for himself to keep what he wants.
In some ways, this put me in mind of Just Like This, only instead of a student they are working together to save, it is an art gallery that Noah is putting together, and West somehow agrees to model for.
As one might imagine, it's a smartass comment from Noah that ends up putting West off side before they've even properly met. Thankfully, West's younger sister Charlotte adores Noah. She becomes more or less the reason why West doesn't lose contact with Noah, although the fact that the two can't seem to avoid each other once they first meet is another contributing factor.
The biggest problem I had with this story is that both men had similarly uncomfortable family situations which meant that, when they were ruminating on them, it was difficult to remember which person went with which family, and which point of view we were currently in. While West has a fantastic relationship with his sister, the return of his big brother Reece brings on him as much anxiety as does the upcoming wedding of Noah's older brother Eli.
The best parts of this book all surrounded the photo shoots between Noah and West where, as West observes, the two of them are taken out of their usual lives and actually get to know one another in a way that is slightly less prickly than out in the rest of the world.
In some ways, this put me in mind of Just Like This, only instead of a student they are working together to save, it is an art gallery that Noah is putting together, and West somehow agrees to model for.
As one might imagine, it's a smartass comment from Noah that ends up putting West off side before they've even properly met. Thankfully, West's younger sister Charlotte adores Noah. She becomes more or less the reason why West doesn't lose contact with Noah, although the fact that the two can't seem to avoid each other once they first meet is another contributing factor.
The biggest problem I had with this story is that both men had similarly uncomfortable family situations which meant that, when they were ruminating on them, it was difficult to remember which person went with which family, and which point of view we were currently in. While West has a fantastic relationship with his sister, the return of his big brother Reece brings on him as much anxiety as does the upcoming wedding of Noah's older brother Eli.
The best parts of this book all surrounded the photo shoots between Noah and West where, as West observes, the two of them are taken out of their usual lives and actually get to know one another in a way that is slightly less prickly than out in the rest of the world.
August 26, 2021
This is the first book I have read by this author and I enjoyed it. It is the story of West and Noah. West is a university student who enjoys his coffee, a good book and an escape from his family. Not being supported by his family (except for his younger sister Charlotte) West keep losing himself. He is continually changing to try and make his family happy but knows that it will never happen. He is slowly fading away. He no longer knows who he is and how to be himself. Noah is an artist. He is grumpy to keep people away. They both first meet at the coffee shop. They both have a spark of want but their meeting deteriorates to a disaster. Noah is excited by the spark that West causes in him. He needs a model to take pictures of for his upcoming show. West deciding that he needs to make a change, steps out of his comfort zone and agrees to be a model. This is their story. It is well written and easy to read. I immediately hated West's mother and the way that she treated West. A mother is supposed to love and nurture. Apparently that is out of her skill set. Your heart just breaks for him. The two main characters have lots of chemistry between them. It is a long and windy road for both of them to get their happy ever after.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 18, 2024
I really liked Noah and West. Two Sad Boy TMs.
I do wish there had a been a bit more exploration of West and the ropes, because it seemed like something that just would awash him with peace… but instead of seeing more of that each time, it was less and less.
I also wish there was either less family stuff being these huge rain clouds over them, or have more of that on page. Noah had enough on his plot plate without the family issues that didn’t really pop up on page. And I would have thought there’d be a bit more Reese, since Reese was the boogeyman West was dreading the whole book.
Overall, I really liked, but there was a lot going on that left me wanting a little bit more of *just* Noah and West. No family stuff, no wedding stuff, no art show stuff… just Noah and West in their bubble. They spent two or three days holed up together and we just got a peek at it. And I’m just greedy and wanted more.
I do wish there had a been a bit more exploration of West and the ropes, because it seemed like something that just would awash him with peace… but instead of seeing more of that each time, it was less and less.
I also wish there was either less family stuff being these huge rain clouds over them, or have more of that on page. Noah had enough on his plot plate without the family issues that didn’t really pop up on page. And I would have thought there’d be a bit more Reese, since Reese was the boogeyman West was dreading the whole book.
Overall, I really liked, but there was a lot going on that left me wanting a little bit more of *just* Noah and West. No family stuff, no wedding stuff, no art show stuff… just Noah and West in their bubble. They spent two or three days holed up together and we just got a peek at it. And I’m just greedy and wanted more.
September 3, 2021
In stories that indicate that there is a strong reaction between the main characters, either attraction or a wish to never be around the other again that is an indication that something significant is happening. In this story West and Noah start off experiencing ups and downs. The meet cute that turns into something not good. The desire on West's part to not see him again but he is often there. Agreeing to model for Noah. These two are not only drawn together but they are similar in ways that were not obvious to them or the reader until we get deeper into their story and are revealed as their story unfolds. I liked both of these characters and their bumpy road to getting to know one another and realizing that they belong together. This was good and worth another read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
August 29, 2021
Noah and West's Story . . .
The two main characters give the appearance of being opposites, yet when we get to know them, they are very much alike. The differences come out in their way of expressing themselves as their own means of dealing with conflict. But when Noah is in a bind and wants West to pose for some photographs, they can begin to be themselves with each other, and the magic works for them.
Families are not always easy to get along with, they can do lots of damage, and each of the guys has things to deal with regarding their family situation. Sometimes, as here, it is the sibling(s) who can make the situations tolerable. But all the conflicts help to shape us to become who we are. It’s just a part of life, and it was handled well in this story line.
The two main characters give the appearance of being opposites, yet when we get to know them, they are very much alike. The differences come out in their way of expressing themselves as their own means of dealing with conflict. But when Noah is in a bind and wants West to pose for some photographs, they can begin to be themselves with each other, and the magic works for them.
Families are not always easy to get along with, they can do lots of damage, and each of the guys has things to deal with regarding their family situation. Sometimes, as here, it is the sibling(s) who can make the situations tolerable. But all the conflicts help to shape us to become who we are. It’s just a part of life, and it was handled well in this story line.
September 1, 2021
The romance in this story took a while to begin, and it actually began as just sex, not romance. Before long, they realized they had something in common, a kinky side they weren't aware of. But family matters got in the way of their relationship, and it was frustrating to see them derailing their relationship for no valid reason. The romance itself took a long time to build. The best character in the story was the little sister Charlotte, the only one who wasn't messed up by their family dynamics.
August 29, 2021
Good story. Different vibe from what I'm used to reading and that is always a good thing.
Two people who for all intent, seem to be different. Yet they are more alike than expected.
There are several moment that can be related to IRL.
West and Noah were an indulgent pair of characters. Worthwhile read.
**I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.**
Two people who for all intent, seem to be different. Yet they are more alike than expected.
There are several moment that can be related to IRL.
West and Noah were an indulgent pair of characters. Worthwhile read.
**I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.**
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