After I Fall

Jessica Scott

Mar 2017 · Falling Book 3 · Thirty One Fox Books

About this eBook

Her entire life has been a lie. Being with Eli is the most honest thing she’s ever done. 

Parker Hauser lives the perfect life and knows exactly where she's been and where she's going. Parker has to be perfect. Perfect grades, perfect body, perfect life. 

Until she meets Eli Winter. 

Eli throws her entire life into chaos when he denies her the one thing she wants from him. 

One chance encounter stokes her desire for the man who refused to touch her and left her questioning everything. 

When Parker tries to help his new business, the spotlight turns on Eli's military record. And sins from the war he's tried to forget may come back to destroy them both. 

Ratings and reviews

Let me just say that the Falling Series is definitely one of the best series out there... Eli Winters is the one that takes care of everyone else. He is the owner of The Pint, a popular bar in a college town. The Pint is much more than a bar to those that frequent it. It is a place for Vets to feel at home and unwind. Eli makes sure that those who come in his bar will always have someone to go when necessary. Parker Hauser. To many she is a spoiled rich girl who only looks out for herself. She hides the real Parker underneath a facade of toughness that doesn't show cracks. That is until she walked into the Pint and Eli brought out her shadows to the light. Both Parker & Eli are trying to survive in a life that has been built around them. They need to adjust to society, even though society has been harsh on them. When Parker meets Eli for the first time, she expected him to be just like anyone else. She expected him to take what he is offered and not look back. Eli refused. He wanted to look under the surface. He wanted to know more about what was going on before he jump in. Before I Fall... This story is part of a series. It could be read as a stand-alone, but both Parker and Eli are in the previous books. You opinions about Parker will definitely change in this book. This book deals with a lot of issues that many will not tackle, but Jessica Scott does it very well. Parenting, Family, Friendship, Relationships, Veterans, Betrayal, and Forgiveness. The issues are all connected to the characters and they have to find a way to become better people even when things are going wrong. I was so in love with Eli in this book. I knew he would be a brooding bar owner from the previous books, but I was able to see what made him who he truly is & what he really needed to be a better man. Eli learned a few lessons and any man who is willing to admit that he is wrong, is a winner in my book! This book won't disappoint. You see the characters in the story grow & it makes them understand what the need so much better.

After I Fall by Jessica Scott is the third book in her Falling series. This book follows the budding relationship between Eli Winter and Parker Hauser. Eli was introduced in the first book of the series. You would get a glimpse of him but never the whole picture. Eli is owner of The Peak a local bar in a North Carolina college town. Eli a former officer in the Army and a West Point graduate, creates friendships with a group of formers soldiers who often visit The Peak. Although separated from the military, Eli remains a faithful leader by protecting his friends and helps them while they go through their own difficulties. It is this sense of duty mixed with morality that make his character quite admirable. Readers are first introduced to Parker in Scott's Falling series. You do not have to read previous books to enjoy this book. You will however get a outward glimpse of how Parker is viewed by others and how presumptuous her character can be at times. From the first to the third book you do see a positive change in her character. Let me say this, Parker is my least favorite character from any books written by Scott. Parker and Eli meet through chance when she goes to The Peak to speak with Kelsey. After formal introductions Parker interns for Eli and their mutual attraction progresses but not without obstacles from either party. Jessica Scott is an excellent writer and touches upon serious issues while addressing the subject matter in a delicate manner. She creates characters who are flawed and have problems but are working through their issues. If you have no read her previous work you should also consider her Homefront or Coming Home series

After I Fall is the third book in the Falling series by Jessica Scott but each book stands alone. I fell in love with Ms. Scott's writing when I read Until There Was You in 2014 and began reading her backlist as fast as I could; I've read every book (fiction) that she's published. The books in the Falling series have all featured The Pint in some way or another. The Pint is a bar owned by Eli Winter, a West Point graduate who served in Iraq and After I Fall is his story. The story is told in first person POV, alternating between Parker and Eli. Parker Hauser needs an internship to qualify for an executive management program and the one she had lined up didn't work out. Eli doesn't know that one of his employees created a flyer advertising an internship at The Pint until Parker arrives to apply for it. Both of them are quite surprised when they realize that they met the night before in a less than satisfying encounter. I'm having trouble finding the words to describe how I felt about this book. As with most books I've read by Jessica Scott, this was a very emotional read for me (in the best way). Her stories are about real people – well they're about people who seem like they could be real to me. Eli and Parker need each other but it takes them a while to figure out how to make that happen. Parker has issues with her father and fiancé that she needs to deal with and Eli is keeping something from her that could wreck their relationship. The language in this book is fairly coarse but I think it is probably representative of how a lot of college and post college students, and former soldiers talk. I only mention it because sometimes people buy books and then leave negative reviews when they encounter coarse language. If you are bothered by this then After I Fall might not be the book for you. If you like realistic, emotional stories about members of the armed services after they've returned to civilian life then you shouldn't wait to read the Falling series. Kudos to Ms. Scott for another wonderful story!

About the author

 Jessica Scott is an Iraq war veteran, an active duty army officer and the USA Today bestselling author of novels set in the heart of America’s Army. She is the mother of two daughters, three cats and three dogs, and wife to a retired NCO. 

She's also written for the New York Times At War Blog, PBS Point of View Regarding War, and IAVA. She deployed to Iraq in 2009 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)/New Dawn and has had the honor of serving as a company commander at Fort Hood, Texas twice.

She's holds phd in morality in Sociology with Duke University and she's been featured as one of Esquire Magazine's Americans of the Year for 2012.

Jessica is also an active member of the Military Writers Guild.