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Clifton Forge #5

Fallen Jester

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From USA Today Bestselling Author Devney Perry comes a small town, surprise pregnancy romance.

Leo Winter loves his life. He works when he needs money. He rides when he craves freedom. He frequents the local bar when he wants a good time. His motorcycle club might be a memory, but the bachelor life still suits him fine. So when a one-night stand surprises him at a family barbecue and claims she’s pregnant with his child, he’s certain he’s died and gone to hell.

Cassandra Cline took one night off from her structured life. One. And now her wild fling with the local bad boy has turned her life sideways. Her dreams and academic career are circling the drain, and none of it would have happened if she’d stayed far, far away from Leo.

Except avoiding him is impossible, especially when she’s forced to move home to Clifton Forge, Montana. And he refuses to leave her side when a series of strange accidents put her and their baby at risk. But are they accidents? Or is she standing in the middle of a battlefield she doesn’t understand?

Her only allies are people she barely knows. And a man who has the potential to steal her heart.

If only he’d stop playing the fool.

372 pages, Paperback

First published May 18, 2021

1437 people are currently reading
12322 people want to read

About the author

Devney Perry

84 books28.2k followers
Devney is a #1 Amazon, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of over forty romance novels. After working in the technology industry for a decade, she abandoned conference calls and project schedules to pursue her passion for writing. She was born and raised in Montana and now lives in Washington with her husband and two sons.”

Visit Devney's website to sign up for her newsletters and learn more about upcoming books.

www.devneyperry.com

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Profile Image for ellie.
354 reviews3,706 followers
February 11, 2022
the latest episode of: being shocked by the audacity of straight white men.
 
description

Leo Winter:
❄️ member of the Tin Gypsies.
❄️ notorious womaniser.
❄️ dumb as fuck.
❄️ an in-denial alcoholic (seriously, try to convince me that this man doesn’t need to attend the nearest AA meeting stat).
❄️ thinks going bare for a few strokes before pulling out is fool-proof contraception.
❄️ the worst baby daddy.


the list is endless. but i would like to nurture back to life the two brain cells i have left so i will leave it at that.

he was not the greatest guy in the beginning. BUT! i think Devney excels at writing a hero who’s fucked up quite a few times but redeems them enough that you can’t help root for them. i.e. my boy, Jackson Page.

Leo is no Jackson.

after his first few fuckups (which everyone has the pleasure of reading since i summarised them for you below), i had totally had enough of this man and his victim complex that wasn’t even an obnoxious kind of victim complex where he constantly waxed poetics about his unworthiness (which he does, a lot of, don’t you worry), but it was how it manifested into his treatment of Cass and their unborn child.

this is about to get *spoilery* fyi.

Leo Winter and his never-ending, monumental fuckups:

☠️ calls her a whore at a barbecue in front of everyone when she tells him she’s pregnant... and doesn’t even remember her name.

☠️ tells her to leave town bcos he doesn’t want her or the baby. and does so by using scare tactics, insinuating that she could be in danger from a rival MC if they knew she was pregnant with his kid.

☠️ goes six months without seeing her/interacting with her after he runs her out of town. knows nothing of the baby and how Cassandra is while he goes about his life.

☠️ when Cass returns to town, they have some back and forth shit before Leo convinces her to move in with him— all in the same night Cass’ dad decks Leo (goooo bestie!!) and where Leo tells Cass he’s moving out of town bcos he doesn’t want to run into her and their daughter💀🚩🚩🚩


description

Leo spends the first several weeks refusing to interact with Cassandra. she spends all of her time alone in his house while he goes to the local bar, The Betsy, every night and gets drunk. sometimes, he doesn’t even come home. WHILE CASS IS PREGNANT WITH HIS CHILD.

☠️ not only does he do this, he does it after he and the MC warned her that she could be in danger from their rival MC. which she was🤡 so she wasn’t allowed to go anywhere alone... yet leaving her home alone for weeks on end???

☠️ goes to the bar and leaves Cass to unpack all of the gifts from the baby shower... that he didn’t attend. “Cass was at home, unpacking and setting up a nursery for the baby—our baby—and I was off to the bar.”


you just exposed yourself, sir.

☠️ this quote alone: ”When I’d hung an ultrasound photo on the fridge, he hadn’t asked me to take it down.”


someone get this man a fucking gold sticker!! how generous of him😍

description

the bar is in hell where Lucifer and all his demon zaddies are taking turns pole dancing on it.

☠️ wakes up the next morning naked in another woman’s bed after Cass saw said woman kiss Leo the night before. but don’t worry guys!! he was just ✨drugged✨ and didn’t actually sleep with her while his fiancé was unpacking their baby’s nursery at home😌


*Cass somehow forgives him for all of this with zero grovelling*

☠️ Leo deciding to not go to the pub one night and actually spend time with Cass and their newborn child, and she kisses him like he just reversed the climate crisis. this man really did the bare minimum and Cass was all over that shit.

you know how i said I thought Willa from Timid wasn’t a doormat even if she was the forgiving type... well the same can’t be said for Cass.

☠️ leaves his dying fiancé who can’t fucking breathe on the ground after an explosion to follow the guy he thinks is responsible?


description

think you’ve got your priorities all in a tizzy, my friend. maybe make sure your fiancé can get oxygen to her lungs first. but im no expert so maybe im just being a silly goose✨✨✨

now below are general things about the book that bugged me. the Leo slander is not over tho😌

he didn’t have a close or decent relationship with his mother, and made it sound like her fault bcos she cut him out of her life and didn’t invite him to her wedding when she was remarried... and i don’t blame the woman. he admits he was drinking, absorbed in the MC and generally being a fucking mess, resulting in his mother’s “exasperation” as he’d called it, and had the nerve to make out like he was the injured party🥴

also even Cass was low-key annoying. like she thought bcos she studied history and read non-fiction over fiction she was special and better than other girls... i studied history and also read fiction *whispers conspiringly* people can like both, or neither, or whatever the fuck they want🥰

when she said ”When other girls were reading Harry Potter, I was reading about the Romanov family and the fall of imperial Russia” i laughed out loud bcos she was trying to act like she was better than the other girls. and lemme tell you something, the two things i have always loved and been slightly obsessed with is a) Harry Potter (the start of my reading obsession) and b) the Romanov dynasty. the amount of books i have read and documentaries ive watched, i even did my A Level course work on the Romanovs... so it was funny and annoying to read her try to elevate herself to be ✨different✨ as though liking one thing over another made her better.

idk i just think by this point i was over the book, so anything Cass or Leo did just pissed me tf off.

the other thing with Cass that bugged the shit out of me, is one of my pet peeves with an MC romance. it’s one of the reasons Giana Darling’s Fallen Men series is so hit and miss for me— when the heroine is an outsider and falls for an MC member, and basically neglects all the old aspects of her life (the way she dresses, her old friendships, even the way she speaks) to be a “biker babe”🙄

description

Cressida and Lou both did it in the Fallen Men series to the point it was nauseating and they were completely unrecognisable to me. Cass wasn’t as bad, but she had a really wonderful friendship with her best friend Olive... and later in the book after they catch up, she admits she doesn’t give a fuck if they stay friends. she’s got Leo and the baby, as well as his whole biker family so doesn’t need Olive :/ it’s a very specific thing about the trope that bothers me – you don’t have to completely change yourself for a man, to fit into his world. i just find it to be a truly bizarre mindset.

and Leo did all of that, pushing Cass away and being a senseless dick all bcos of “the sins of his past” and what a dark and awful man he was, with so much blood on his hands...

***Alexa, start playing Boyz by Jesy Nelson***

what blood? what sins? what darkness? we’re never told anything specific that he did to have that mentality. it was all vague mumbo jumbo. the dark stain on his soul?? what the fuck was it? why did he have it? why didn’t Cass deserve him? if i knew the details, or a least some of them, then maybe id have understood his motives more and been easier on him, more empathetic. but without that info, it was impossible. we got a brief list in a paragraph towards the end, but no real depth to the things he’s done and why/ how it impacted the way he viewed himself. made his reasonings for being a dick feel shallow as fuck.

this book is not Devney Perry’s finest. i wanted to read more of this series but i am too scared after this traumatic shit✋🏻

and side note: if my fiancé married me wearing JEANS you can throw the whole man away, and turn me back around.

description
Profile Image for ❥ KAT ❥ Kitty Kats Crazy About Books.
2,621 reviews10.9k followers
May 15, 2021
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'FALLEN JESTER' is the fifth book in Devney Perry's 'Tin Gypsy' series. It picks up where Noble Prince left off.

Ever since the Tin Gypsies disbanded years back in the quant township of Clifton Forge Leo Winters has felt misplaced, the biker life was all he knew, from the woman to the late night parties, it was his family, it's what kept him grounded. His band of brothers had all moved on in life leaving him trapped and longing for a life no longer.

Twenty-four year old Cassandra Cline was raised well, a good girl with good grades, a good head on her shoulders and knew where she was going in life. Until one night with Leo changed everything. He'd been a crush way back when she used to live in Clifton Forge when she'd see him around town riding his motorcycle he'd played a role in many of her teenage fantasies. He'd been as unattainable back then as he was now.

When a one night stand comes back and bites him in the ass claiming that she's pregnant he's more unsettled than normal, he's scared, he's not made for fatherhood. Making him act out like an asshole which makes Cass determined to do it all alone.

When this arrived on my kindle it was a no brainer to switch off life for the day!! Yet again another book has cemented why I love this series so much, from the characters, to the unique storyline, to the covers the author chooses, I’ve loved this series throughout and I can’t wait for Emmetts story!

I’m also praying to the book gods over a certain book theme our heroine was staging hoping that Devney brings it to life because in a heartbeat I would read it!

Leo and Cass were perfection, this slow burn stomped on my heart and took it captive with all the feels thrown around like confetti landing haphazardly at my feet, I loved the sh#t out of this book! So many feels, the suspense, the love, the terror all made for an unforgettable unputdownable kind of read. This was devoured, inhaled at record speed.

                  

Profile Image for Ashley.
660 reviews2,784 followers
May 21, 2024
4.5⭐

Ok but I love Leo and Cass so much. Leo was grumpy AF in the beginning like damn, I think I hated him. But, then he went and proved us all wrong and became so lovable.

I am in the minority and love surprise pregnancy so this one just didn't disappoint. I also want to say that this romantic suspense series is ELITE because it follows one story throughout every book and I just LOVE IT.

"If you want this, we will have you."

"I didn't want gentle or reserved. I wanted him to kiss me like a woman he wanted to consume. A woman he craved."

-small town
-motorcycle gang
-romantic suspense
-surprise pregnancy
-found family
(low spice, closed door)
Profile Image for  Sonya ♕Chatterbooks book blog♕.
1,017 reviews1,185 followers
May 25, 2021
1621301299665


Getting to read this series has been one of the highlights and joys of being a reviewer and reader. With each new installment, the stakes get higher, the risks more deadlier, and the bond that all of these characters have with each other, has only solidified. This series just keeps getting better and better and I for one am here for the ride.

Twenty Four year old Cassandra Cline has always lived life by the book. Hard working student, respectful daughter, loyal friend, you name it and she’s the epitome of a “good girl”. Deciding to let her hair down for one night and indulge with the well known local playboy and ex biker Leo Winters, she gets way more than she could have possibly asked for. What happens when one night changes the entire course of your life?

Playboy, rebel, lawless, loner in his own right, are some of the words that Leo has been called and if you asked him, he’s ok with it to some extent. When his eyes land on a fiery redhead that challenges him, he knows that for one night this woman is going to be different than anything else he’s ever experienced. Well you know what? he was right.

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I have been going back and forth a little bit trying to decide out of all of the male and female heroes that this author has put out in this series, who are my favorite. I cannot choose!! But I really don't need to and that’s what I love. Every couple was different and they brought something unique to this tight knit group of friends and family. Cass and Leo were the complete opposites of each other but they fit so perfectly well. He was rough around the edges but his heart and his driving force to be a protector is what made Leo, LEO WINTERS.

I cannot say this enough and I don't think I ever will. If you have not read this series, please stop procrastinating and get to it!! I promise that you won't be disappointed if you do.




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Profile Image for Carvanz.
2,379 reviews897 followers
April 24, 2021
Devney Perry did it again! She took a hero that I sincerely doubted I could love and worked her magic, proving she can make me fall in love with any character she wants me to. And holy heck how I fell in love with Leo!


Pin on Bandana men


While I enjoyed Leo through the series, he was always the secondary character, drinking and playing the field with women in a manner that is fine...unless you’re the hero. I was so worried going into this book that I wouldn’t be able to connect with him. But from some of her earliest books, Ms. Perry has proven she can take a trope I despise or a character I mistrust and make them shine. And Leo is a perfect example of that.


False Positive on a Pregnancy Test


With his questionable background as a member of the Tin Gypsies and a home life that was lacking, Leo definitely had some issues to work out. I felt his loss over the club as it was and his need to fill that void as the group was slowly changing. My heart yearned for him to find a happy ever after even as he was standing in his own way.


Pregnant Belly Stages: Size, Shape, And What To Expect | Mustela USA


Cassandra was such a fierce, strong heroine in the face of what life, and this author, was throwing her way. I loved that she made mature decisions and stayed true to herself even as her character changed. She was the perfect woman for Leo, exactly what he needed in his life.


black and white, couple, man, reading, woman on We Heart It


This book entailed some relationship angst that had my heart twisting for this couple. Cassandra and Leo’s story was like an emotional rollercoaster and I loved every minute of it. With danger and drama interspersed as well throughout the book, I felt like I was on the edge of a precipice, waiting for it all to collapse in a moment of horror. I love when a story can shake me up and keep me guessing as to what’s going to happen.


9 HOT Reasons Couples Should Get It On More Often | YourTango


The epilogue was absolutely incredible in it’s sheer perfection and I was tearing up as Leo and Cassandra came out on the other side. I then started to get emotional when I realized there is only one more book in this series and while I’m sad that’s the case, I can’t wait to get it.

Dual POV
Safe
Triggers
Profile Image for Jessica .
2,622 reviews16k followers
August 25, 2022
This is definite my least favorite of the series. We barely got any of the plot with the MC that has been threading through the entire series. I didn't care about Cassie being pregnant, and that's basically what this book was all about. I did love how Leo woke up and realized he wanted to be with Cassie. I also loved how protective Cassie's parents were over her. But honestly nothing really happened? I didn't care that Cassie and all of her friends were pregnant. She just kind of sat around and I was so bored. This definitely just felt like a book you had to read just to get to the final one and conclusion of the series.
Profile Image for Christy.
4,542 reviews35.9k followers
October 19, 2021
4 stars
“I choose you.”

Fallen Jester is the fifth book in Devney Perry's Clifton Forge series and it's one I was really looking forward to. Though I can't stand the secret baby troupe, I really do love a good surprise baby book.

Leo is part of the disbanded MC of Clifton Forge but in a tight knit found family/friendship group. He's one of the only ones in the group that hasn't settled down and he has no plans to. Until Cassandra Cline shows up and his friends barbeque claiming she's pregnant... with his baby. His whole life changes after that.

I loved both Cass and Leo. Their story had a bit of drama and angst, but it also had a lot of heart. It wasn't my favorite of the series, but still really enjoyable. After the bomb dropped at the end of this one I'm so ready to get to the final book of this series!

Audio book source: Audible
Story Rating: 4 stars
Narrators: Lucy Rivers & Jason Clarke
Narration Rating: 4.5 stars
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 9h 35m
Profile Image for Antonella.
4,123 reviews621 followers
May 25, 2021
SERIES: Tin Gypsy #5 - can be read as standalone but I wouldn't recommend it at least read Noble Prince first
GENRE: romance
TROPES: accidental pregnancy, small town, age gap(8 years)
RATING: 4,5 ⭐

“Why am I so boring?” I didn’t want to be dull. Really. I just . . . Olive had told me to loosen up and the truth was, I didn’t have a damn clue how.
“Boring?” A deep, rugged voice sent shivers down my spine. “Nah. Not boring. Not with hair like that.”

------------

Sex appeal hugged his body like a second skin, swirling with the colorful tattoos that decorated his strong arms. His white T-shirt pulled around his broad chest and the defined muscles of his back. His faded jeans molded to bulky thighs and tapered to scuffed motorcycle boots.

-----------

“What?” I whispered. “What are we?”
“Beats the hell out of me. I’ve never done this before.”
“Had a baby?”
“Had a Cassandra.”

-----------

We’re all flawed. We learn. But no matter the past, it doesn’t mean you don’t deserve my love. Besides, it’s mine to give to who I choose. I choose you. And I chose you a year ago.”



I'm so excited for the final book and to see what the author has planned for Emmett and the series ending...
Profile Image for Jess Brady.
Author 1 book166 followers
May 20, 2021
Devney Perry really stepped up with Fallen Jester because not once have I disliked one of her MC’s, but Leo really was pissing me off for a good portion of this story. Constantly my feelings were changing for him until inevitably I fell in love with him HARD!

“We’d spent so little time together, but with each minute she snuck deeper into my shattered soul.”

Leo Winter was always the wildcard of the Tin Gypsies. He lived his life like it was his last day, going to the bar when he needed some fun or going for a ride when he needed the freedom. As one of the most sought-after bachelors in town he was never lacking in women, but a fiery redhead changed his life one night and he didn't even know it until she shows up six weeks later, pregnant. Fear is not something Leo is too familiar with but that is exactly what he feels the minute he hears he is going to be a father. He can't do this; he was never meant to be a father.

Cassandra Cline just wanted one night off from being the good girl who always did the right thing. She studied when she was supposed to, she didn't party like her friends and she didn't get involved with the wrong kind of guy. When Leo walks up to her at the bar, she knows she shouldn't do this with him but tonight she is not that Cassandra she is the fun Cassandra. After the best night of her life Cassandra goes back to her life as usual but being kidnapped and then showing up pregnant has her making a new plan for her life. She thought when she told Leo about the baby, he would support her in the least but the look of fear on his face proves that she might just have to raise this baby on her own.

When Cassandra moves back to Clifton Forge seeing Leo is something that she knows is going to happen, but she never expected for him to be this person towards her. Cruel almost hateful and she knows why, he is terrified of this child and of her because then he will have to step up and care for the first thing in years. Leo never intended to stay in town but leaving is no longer an option when he sees the mother of his child doing everything she can to make sure this child is taken care of. Leo and Cassandra plan to live together for the sake of the baby but as things usually go fate had other ideas and them just being co-parents isn't working.

Leo and Cassandra are a perfect match!! She is the light to his dark, the heaven to his hell and as these two people form a relationship out of the love they have for their child everything they both thought their future was going to be changes.

Honestly, I loved this book so much!! Fallen Jester gave me everything I love in a Devney Perry book. Love, passion, serious heat and family with the Tin Gypsies. If you can make it through Leo being a self-absorbed asshole then this story was seriously everything I hoped it would be. Tin Queen the last book in the Tin Gypsy series comes out in September and I think everything has been leading up to this with Emmett.
Profile Image for Syndi.
3,710 reviews1,038 followers
June 12, 2021
Fallen Jester is another favorite of this series. I do like Leo. His reluctant to be a father and family man, warms my heart. Miss Perry proofs herself as talented writer.

The story continues in Fallen Jester. The focus is Leo and Cassidy. After ONS, Cassidy left pregnant. And Leo is not taking the news well. It takes a while foe Leo to warm up to idea of being father and family man.

The sex scenes are not plenty but hot, intimate and loving. Next is Emmet!

4 stars
Profile Image for Sarah.
1,907 reviews1,365 followers
May 20, 2021
***AVAILABLE NOW***

5 STARS

GAH! I love this world, and Fallen Jester is one of my favorites of the series.

Surprise pregnancy, retired MC hero, and tons of suspense is everything I absolutely love.

If you love audiobooks, you are going to need this one. Leo will captivate your heart.

Profile Image for Crystal's Bookish Life.
1,026 reviews1,784 followers
November 4, 2021
There is a lot about this book that could have made me hate it, but it was handled so well that I ended up loving it. I LOVE an author who can take something you really dislike and turn it into a book you love.
Profile Image for Sammie Reads.
1,134 reviews183 followers
June 19, 2024
I’ve been waiting for Leo’s book, and it did not disappoint! You know those playboys who meet their perfect girl and immediately fall at their feet, reformed and whole? Yeah…this wasn’t that, and as pissed off as Leo made me, I can’t help but feel like this book was SO realistic! Leo, everyone’s favorite hard partier and smooth ladies man, has met his match in Cassandra. A steamy one-night stand leads to a surprise pregnancy, the timing of which I’ve never seen. Cass, as you may remember from the last book, was kidnapped by the rival MC who has wreaked havoc on the Tin Kings. She escaped with Scarlett only to land in a new unknown…pregnant with Bad Boy Leo’s baby, and guess what? He’s displeased…to put it mildly.

Leo is terrified of becoming his deadbeat dad, to the point that he actively tries to ruin this chance for himself. Cass is pure and special and lovely, everything he doesn’t deserve and wants to protect. And as for the baby, well…he doesn’t deserve that either. Cass does as he asks and goes back to college, but just as Leo is getting ready to make a break and start fresh somewhere else, somewhere even more lonely, she’s back. And Leo realizes this may be a second chance to do right by her, even if it’s against his own better judgement. So the two live together and start to navigate each other, and all of a sudden they’re parents to a beautiful baby girl. And even though Leo’s heart is changing, his past isn’t, and it’s ready for him to pay up.

Loved these two! Cass is someone who I identified with immediately. The bookish girl who would rather stay home in her cozy surroundings than go to the bar and drink and be around irritating loud people. The girl who wants so badly to be chosen over the vices and the women, who sees the bad boy for the broken, lonely man he really is. Yeah, I definitely get Cass. Leo, well, I knew he would prove everyone wrong and do the right thing, but I didn’t realize he’d be so yummy and wonderful about it! The touch of mystery and suspense added just the right amount of intrigue, and I had a great time reading. And now, for the book we’ve all been waiting for, and my personal favorite guy of the group…EMMETT!!!!!
Profile Image for Esme N.
229 reviews921 followers
February 25, 2022
I have a lot of rage surrounding the fact I read this.
Profile Image for AJ.
3,242 reviews1,070 followers
May 4, 2021
5 “I choose you” stars

I love this book so much! A dramatic, emotional, fun and heartfelt surprise baby romance between a manwhoring ex-MC member struggling to find his place, and a wonderfully strong and sensible younger heroine whose whole world has been turned upside down. It’s sweet, sexy, heartwrenching in places, and beautifully romantic, and I absolutely loved it!

The bombshell was dropped at the end of the last book that ex-Tin Gypsy, Leo, had knocked up the very same girl who was involved in Scarlett’s big drama, Cassandra. Leo is one of the guys who works at the garage with the rest of the ex-Tin Gypsies, and is a much-loved member of the group who cares deeply for his friends. Though he has a dark and shady past with the club that he is desperately trying to forget, he misses the brotherhood that he used to share, and the MC lifestyle, and he remains a man who lives his life wild and free – doing what he wants, when he wants, and whoever he wants. Bottom line, his life is his own, free of commitments, and he is happy with the status quo.

Cassandra is an intelligent, studious and structured young woman. She is studying for her masters and had big plans for her future when she returned home to Clifton Forge for a study break and got dragged into a night out at the local pub where she met Leo and decided to live wild for one night. Turns out that one night changes her whole life. Of course she is stunned to learn she is pregnant, and she’s even more stunned by Leo’s reaction (because, ouch!). But she picks herself up and plows ahead, making plans for the future for her and her little one – and Leo if he wants it - and damn, I just love her!

“We don’t need you.” …
“But we’ll have you” ... “If you want this, we will have you.”

It’s not an easy ride for Leo and Cassie, and there’s a lot that they both have to work through as they come to term with the news, and through it all, Cassie handles herself, Leo, and their situation, brilliantly.

“Whether you’re ready to be a father or not, this baby is yours. You belong to her like she belongs to you. The loyalty you had to your brothers, to your club, is in your blood. And it’s searching for a new connection. It’s screaming at you to find a new place to channel it. That place is here. With her.”

Leo’s road to acceptance of his impending fatherhood is tumultuous. He never planned on kids or having a woman in his life long-term, and though it takes some time, he recognises that there is something about Cassie that is different – something that calls to him, and that he can’t ignore, and he begins to see her presence in his life for the turning point that it is.

I met those caramel eyes and drowned. Would she hold out a hand to haul me to the surface?

It’s a beautiful journey for them as Cassie’s strength and openness bring Leo around, and I thought the change in him was realistic and really well paced. This is a completely alien situation for him, and it takes time for him to come to terms with everything that it means and to figure out what Cassie needs from him, and what he actually wants. But watching him come to that realisation and then act on it was beautifully done.

We’d spent so little time together, but with each minute she snuck deeper into my shattered soul.

“I don’t know what I have to give but…I’d like to be part of this.”

Leo has this irresistible vulnerability about him. Sure, he’s a manwhoring ex-biker who initially behaves pretty badly in this book, but he’s also a man who is lost and is searching for something, and he doesn’t feel worthy of the amazing woman who has appeared in his life. But I loved how willing he was to try. He makes mistakes along the way but he owns it, he admits his struggles, he is honest about it, and he works to take care of Cassie, and to make himself a better man for her and their baby. His storyline is one of redemption, and he grows and changes so much throughout the story. Seeing him in his first real relationship trying so hard to do the right thing, and as a clueless new father, is so freaking cute, and he owned my heart through all of it.

“Who are you?”
A wave of guilt clouded his handsome features. “Just a guy trying to deserve you.”
“Stop.” A sob escaped. “I’m hormonal and exhausted and hungry. Unless you want me to cry through breakfast, I need you to stop being that guy for a minute. Be the other Leo.”
He leaned in, pressing a kiss to my temple. “Your tits are fucking huge.”
I laughed. “Thank you.”
“Welcome.”

And through it all, Cassie is a tower of strength, and is an absolutely sensational heroine! Not only is she pregnant and preparing for her own future, but she supports and encourages Leo the whole way, while never coming off as a doormat. She’s strong, and she cares for him deeply, and I thought she balanced her willingness to be there for Leo, her self preservation, and her ability to just take a back seat and let Leo care for her, perfectly.

“He probably doesn’t deserve you, not after all the mistakes he’s made. The man sure isn’t making it easy. But deserve you or not, Leo needs you. He just hasn’t realized it yet.”

It’s dramatic, and only mildly angsty, but it creates a slow-burning romance which had me simmering with anticipation just waiting for them to find their way to each other. And it’s so gorgeous! There is so much chemistry between these two and the sexy times are seriously sizzling, but it’s their emotional connection that makes it all so intense. Their ups and downs continue, but they are honest with each other, and they work together for the future that they want, and every moment of it is just gorgeous!

“I love you … I am so fucking in love with you.”

But danger surrounds the Tin Gypsy boys, and it’s resurfacing once again. A series of accidents may not be accidents, and when Cassie is suddenly in the firing line, Leo dives in to protect his girl. I loved the added intensity that these moments bring to the story, and it continues the mystery/suspense storyline that has run through each of these books.

The rest of the characters from the series all appear, and I love that we get to see story progression for them. They’re all there to take Leo and Cassie’s backs (in one way or another), and seeing the group all together is a real highlight. And OMG, there’s a teaser dropped for Emmett’s book up next, and I am so here for that!!!

I loved this book! It’s a great story, written with just the right amount of intensity, emotion and lightness, and a beautiful, sexy and heartfelt romance that completely captured my heart. I got to see everything that I wanted to see with these two, and finished the book with a huge smile on my face.

Absolutely fantastic – 5 stars!

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.


Profile Image for Fanny.
2,395 reviews50 followers
January 18, 2022



Devney Perry siempre capta mi atencion, sobre todo con esta serie, no obstante, tengo la sensacion de que Fallen Jester fue muy superior en mi mente, y que en la realidad no cumplio del todo mis expectativas.

Leo y Cass son una gran pareja, pese a muchos contratiempos consiguieron gustarme, pero no me enamore de ellos como de algunas de las otras parejas de esta saga, ademas, en varias ocasiones no entendi su actitud. Leo al actuar de manera tan inmadura e infantil, y ella por tener tanta paciencia con sus desplantes y cambios de opinion, sinceramente, hay desaires de el hacia ella que no hay perdon que valga.

En lo que respecta a la trama principal, la percibi un poco floja, le falta accion y mas suspense, lo que si me agrado fue ver la evolucion de ellos como pareja y luego como una verdadera familia.

Los epilogos fueron magnificos, pero me quede con ganas de un adelanto de lo que sera el proximo libro, Emmett me causa mucha intriga.

En conclusion, Fallen Jester no es el tomo mas destacable, pero si una buena lectura. Te atrapa y no resulta simple o sin gracia, ahora bien, creo que le falto algo que la volviera mucho mas memorable, especialmente para que estuviera a la altura de algunas de las otras novelas de la serie Clifton Forge.

3.25 Estrellas!
Profile Image for tahaslibrary.
383 reviews460 followers
November 20, 2022
coming back to my roots to reiterate that straight white men only have audacity and nothing else.

leo winters is the epitome of a man with nothing to offer the world except his face and schlong. his biggest crime is how ANNOYING he is. i want to know why the hell cassandra, his love interest, is so into him?

is it cause he's a tortured hottie? cause that's all he's offering. he offered her his home but even that had me grinding my teeth. cassandra serves up doormat behaviour and nothing else which makes me sad.

by the way SHE'S ALSO 8 YEARS YOUNGER THAN HIM. he's a man in his early 30s being this obtuse. i can't do this - don't talk to me.

mans doesn't remember her name after a one night stand. proceeds to ditch her after humiliating her in front of everyone and i mean EVERYONE. beware - she's CARRYING HIS CHILD and he straight up ABANDONED her for most of the book. i actually cannot stand a story where a woman is pregnant and left to her own devices because the father of the child has the emotional range of a teaspoon until he switches up at the end of the story.

his little "i'm not a good man, i can't be a father, i can't love" routine gets so old so quickly.

you're rotten and you should have left town. every single one of his friends should have told him to stop being such a shithead and take some responsibility.

me standing at cliff's edge screaming: WHY WERE THEY IN LOVE?????
Profile Image for Ta || bookishbluehead.
560 reviews32 followers
July 4, 2023
I’m never really excited about a (surprise) pregnancy in books and I wasn’t in this book. Still, I needed to know what would happen now that the Arrowhead Warriors are more or less in prison.

Cassandra is not like the other girls, let me tell you that. She normally doesn’t like fiction books, she’s better than that. She’s totally into history. Normally, I wouldn’t mind, read whatever you want to read, but she made it into such a big deal that it annoyed me. She was made out to be so smart, but time and time again she was just stupid and naive. Leo wasn’t on board with the idea of a child and he got a lot of shit for it. I don’t think he handled the whole situation very well, but I still feel he should be allowed not to want a child.

There’s some action in this book, but it could have been more for my taste. We knew that more retaliation from the Warriors was expected and for me it took too long before we got to see some of it. I’m still excited for the next book, the Cliffhanger in this one leaves me hoping for a good story and also, Emmett might be my favorite Tin Gypsy.
Profile Image for Stephanie.
1,220 reviews153 followers
May 14, 2021
Omg this was soo good!! I loved Cassandra’s backbone and her determination to keep going after finding out about her pregnancy and Leo’s rejection. But man.. Leo was everything. Even though he was an asshole, he still won me over. AND THAT EPILOGUE!! Ugh I don’t want this series to end!!

I just wish that this had more steam! Honestly that’s my biggest complaint with DP now. I feel like all her newer books aren’t as hot as her older books and that makes me sad cause I know girlfriend can write a spicy sex scene.

4.5 stars
arc received in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Amanda Blanche.
360 reviews39 followers
October 25, 2025
Age gap, surprise pregnancy, motorcycle club romance

Cassandra is the straight laced, intelligent and focused woman out for night on the town with her friend. Trying to let loose, she makes the decision to hook up with the bad boy biker Leo - for a one night stand. As Leo does not want a relationship and is known for being a womanizer. After their night together, they go their separate ways - until a couple months later when Cass finds out she’s pregnant. Knowing Leo will not like the news, she tells him. And he’s a jerk about it. He does not want a relationship or to be a father. He thinks he doesn’t deserve any of it. But when the risk of losing out on his dream girl and his child become more than he can bear, he decides to try. Try to become a man worthy of Cass. But as accidents start happening more and more and past enemies start coming out of the wood works - he needs to fight for more than his relationship, but his and Cass’ life.
Profile Image for Alina.
264 reviews19 followers
April 15, 2025
Тропи:
- несподівана вагітність
- різниця у віці (8 років)
- маленьке містечко
- саспенс
- байкер

Лео - такий мудак
Навіть те, що він виправився в другій половині книзі, не змило гіркоти його дій.
І взагалі, головна героїня отримала не одну дитину, а 2 😤

Поки що, мені сподобалися тільки перші 2 книги серії.
Сподіваюся остання теж сподобається. Хоча я вже не люблю Нову 😤 та і Еммет не скажу, що зацікавив мене 👀
Profile Image for Shabby  -BookBistroBlog.
1,934 reviews988 followers
May 5, 2021
Staggering story of love, passion and loyalty, that kept me invested in every character at every page.
This series of Tin gypsies is not just a biker gang story. It's brotherhood and family in all its promises and glory. They ride, they drink, they watch each other's back.
All for one, one for all
It's an Engrossing story of love amidst the dangerous battleground of rival gangs and a few corrupt cops thrown in. Devney engages the readers in this enthralling, edgy book and I had a hard time putting it down. Pages couldn't turn fast enough, I was on tenterhooks throughout this book, anticipation thrumming my pulse.
"He was the older, unattainable bad boy all the girls wanted to tame. A legend. A legend who was quite clear that he didn’t touch girls."

description

A former Motorcycle Club Membet-Leo Winters, current playboy, free riding maverick meets a nubile, studious beauty- Cassandra Cline and their one night of bare passion costs them both dearly. The news that she's pregnant hits Leo a little too hard
"Boom. One shot fired, close range to the chest. I was dead on arrival."
And he reacted like an asshole too. So Cass decides to do it on her own.

description

But once a Gypsy, Always a Gypsy, even if it means by association only!!
It's not a second chance story is a Last Chance Story. Cassandra has a big heart, is gracious and strong and definitely deserves a guy who'll be there for her and her baby(according to dad Dale), and Leo knows that too. But the hearts are twisted together and there's no separating them now.
"She was a good woman with a bright future. I was a reformed thug who’d probably screw up and break her heart. I was the danger."

description

His skittish, restless nature clashes with her nesting spirit many times and I wanted so hard to jump in the book and shake Leo- open your e0yes to the possibility dammit!!
His struggles to conform to the new normal in his life and his own past that fills him with insecurities, make Leo a scared, apprehensive guy.
Nothing that immense love of Cass can't cure though. Their relationship took baby steps and the buildup was full of heat and tenderness all at the same time.

description

Things turn for the worse before they attain some balance, but Devney keeps the threats looming large on them and their love and loyalty is tested to the limits!!
Very unexpected twist, jaw dropping revelations and unsolicited connections bring the story to a screeching bend. It's all downhill from there.
"Ooof, that hurts soon turned into damn it, that hurts. Damn it became hell. Hell became shit. Shit became fuck."
I loved revisiting my favorite gang, sad that next book will be the last but anticipation for it grows strong now that the family is growing.
5 stars for "Little""Firecracker"
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Profile Image for Raffaella.
1,947 reviews296 followers
January 28, 2025
Good three stars.
Safe read.
He’s not with anyone else after her even if they’re separated for six months and they’re never together.
They have a ONS then nothing more.
They meet again weeks later, she tells him shes pregnant and he acts very bad, tells her she’s a liar and he doesn’t want anything to do with the child.
She leaves for six months.
He’s going to leave the town because he does not want to see her.
When she’s back he decided to try to be a father, so she moves in with him.
He’s scared because he was a mc and a criminal and there’s a rival band that could be after him, and her too, so he wanted her safe and far from him.
And he didn’t want a child. I couldn’t blame him, he was unsafe and there was real danger, and he didn’t want to have children.
He changed his mind but it takes time.
There’s ow drama when a woman drugs him and tries to have sex with him, and the heroine misunderstands it. But he was never with another woman after he met her, even those six months when they were apart.
So I believe him when he says he loves her and she was always special.
He was a playboy before her. She changed him, but he didn’t think he was good enough, being an ex criminal who was not in jail because he was lucky.
So I wasn’t very angry for his behavior in the beginning, he was really scared, he was really ashamed of himself and he really thought she was too good for him.
There’s a mystery with some accidents that are not accidents at all, and that was good too.
I the end it was a pleasant reading, not much angst, because the heroine is veeeeery sensible and no nonsense and she understands his fears with an aplomb that left me speechless. So, since she didn’t do drama, there’s no real angst to talk about.
Profile Image for Gretchen.
1,019 reviews152 followers
May 18, 2021
Fallen Jester was fantastic from beginning to end. I loved this surprise pregnancy trope with all the emotion, drama, sweetness, and love. I couldn't read it fast enough as Cassandra and Leo experienced so many ups and downs. Riven Knight has been a favorite but this one has given it a serious run for its money!

Leo and Cass were engaging characters that took me on an emotional roller coaster and I loved the ride. I felt for them and wanted to yell at them and hug them all at the same time. I loved Leo but he totally stressed me out at times and broke my heart a bit. I loved him sorting himself out and coming out on the other side. I loved Cass, she was so caring and determined to do the right thing with her pregnancy while dealing with past trauma. I loved her battling her fears, opening up, and sharing. I loved the back-and-forth tension between them, the conflicts, and the build. I loved when feelings started to come into really emerge, there were all these wonderful moments happening that made my heart melt. When the baby comes, it was so precious! Everything with Leo and the baby made me melt.

I love the family the Tin Gypsy’s have formed and the bonds the woman have and the camaraderie the men share. I also really liked the complicated relationship between Leo and Cassandra's father, there some really great moments between those two. Just to add, one of my favorite scenes was the naming of the baby. I got so choked up and loved it.

I loved the details and development, really pulling me in. I loved the drama and bits of suspense that were woven in and all the hints throughout the story that kept me guessing. I have thoroughly enjoyed the overall storyline that's continued over the series and can't wait for the conclusion in Tin Queen. The epilogue was freaking awesome! There was a seriously excellent teaser that makes me excited for what's to come next!

This was everything I could have wanted. I felt the pain and tension between Leo and Cassandra. I loved them battling their demons and opening their hearts. Watching these two fall in love and get their HEA thrilled me. Fallen Jester is another amazing story in the Tin Gypsy series and it's not to be missed.

Complimentary copy received.
Profile Image for Sarah Cook.
170 reviews12 followers
April 27, 2021
Devney did it again!!

Leo. Oh Leo. My goodness. Dare I say he might just be my favorite thus far out of the Tin Gypsy series. Total swoon. I feel like most of us have met a Leo at some point in their lives, he reminds me of quite a few men I've come in contact with over the years. Maybe that's why he has a soft spot in my heart.

I absolutely adored Cassie. Every part of her was pure, even her sassier sides. Everything about her I loved and adored.

Their story is electric, and has twists and suspenseful turns you don't see coming. Kept me guessing and reading obsessively until the end. Definitely felt all of the emotions in this one.
Profile Image for Jo.
795 reviews96 followers
May 18, 2021
WHAT A BOOK!!

There’s a reason Devney Perry is one of my favourite authors. No matter the trope, she nails it every time. Each hero is my new favourite. Each heroine I wish to be my next best friend. I want to move to Montana and see the mountains. I want to feel the protection of a badass biker.

Not exactly a smooth story or one full of happiness for Cass and Leo but the ends justify the means and the path they walked brought them together at the best time for them.

But, of course, the Tin Gypsies may be disbanded but that doesn’t mean a thing to those blasted Warriors so expect the suspense and angst of that! Like edge of your seat stuff!!!

Thank you, Devney, for another amazing addition to this series! Leo is EVERYTHING!
Profile Image for Fancy Jenn.
171 reviews1 follower
October 7, 2021
5 Stars are not enough!!!!! This is my new favorite Devney Perry book EVER!!! First of all, surprise baby books are my catnip. This pregnancy wasn't a surprise in this book since it was revealed in the last Tin Gypsy book, but we get to experience Leo and Cassandra's story in Fallen Jester. The reader learns how they met and how things progressed to result in a baby. When Leo learns of Cass' pregnancy, he wants nothing to do with the baby. Not only is he scared, but he doesn't deem himself worthy or capable of being a father. Cass is wiling to do it on her own, but is hoping she doesn't have to. She has faith in Leo and knows that he is scared. Cass keeps giving him chances to be involved, but will he take them?
"But we'll have you," I whispered. "If you want this, we will have you."
Leo's fears double when he realizes that the Warriors, a former rival motorcycle club, may be after him. He fears that anyone connected to him may be in danger. He doesn't want to put Cassandra, or his child, in harms way.

This is by far my favorite Devney Perry book to date! I wish I could read it for the first time again and again. It gives me all the feelings I love when reading a book. I cannot wait for the next book in this series! 10 BIG SHINY STARS!
Profile Image for Rachael*Caribbean*girl*bibliophile.
2,255 reviews517 followers
January 31, 2025
Spoilers ahead


There are two things this book was missing to make it a really great read.....


1)A FMC with a backbone

2)A new MMC


******
Baby from a ONS
H was a huge manwhore before her but nobody after
Separation of weeks before she's able to tell him about the pregnancy, then separation of 6 months when she told him and he reacted like a total and complete jackass and wanted nothing to do with her or the baby
He continues living his life, going to the bar every night but no sex with ow
She finished school and returned
Petulant boy hero
Weak spineless heroine
One ow incident where he left the pregnant h at home to go to the bar, got drunk, was drugged and woke up next day naked in bed with OW. Nothing happened

Now to bleach this from my brain


ETA gosh this bitch was weak! While pregnant!!! Ffs


" I have a daughter.” I blinked and raked a hand through my hair. “Holy fuck, I have a daughter.”

When Leo said that ☝🏿all I thought was you undeserving fucker 😂 man I hate this dude
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