Hard to Fall: A Take the Fall Novel

Marquita Valentine

Oct 2016 · Loveswept

About this ebook

Wedding bells are ringing—and tempers are flaring—as the Take the Fall series continues in this sweet, sexy novel from the bestselling author of After We Fall (“This beautiful story kept me transfixed until the very end.”—Krista Lakes).

As a hardworking, hard-partying firefighter, Hayden Walker values his career and his freedom. But as the eldest son of a U.S. senator, he agreed long ago to follow in his father’s footsteps and run for office, and that means settling down and marrying the picture-perfect wife. Hayden just isn’t ready for that sort of commitment . . . not with women like beautiful, curvy Saylor Dean—the naughty bridesmaid he recognizes the morning after his buddy’s wedding—tempting Hayden to stay single forever.

The unwanted love child of a well-known politician, Saylor has always felt isolated and alone, her only solace the animal shelter she runs in Forrestville. Then she meets Hayden at her best friend’s wedding. During their impulsive and unforgettable night together, Saylor feels desired like never before—only to wake up and find that Hayden doesn’t remember his drunken proposal, or their hasty marriage, or her. But when the truth comes out, Saylor finds it’s a lot harder to fall out of love than in love.

Praise for Hard to Fall

“Marquita Valentine strikes gold with relatable and quirky characters in Hard to Fall. She will have you fanning yourself and then reaching for the tissues as you cry from laughter. Hard to Fall is a fun read, full of steam and drool-worthy moments. How can you not fall in love with an alpha male who fights fires? Yum!”—Meghan Quinn, author of Stroked

“Five sweet and steamy stars! With quirky yet relatable characters, a sexy love story, and a compelling plot that keeps you entertained the entire way through, Marquita Valentine has done it again!”—Stacey Lynn, author of the Fireside series

“Sweet and quirky heroine and a steamy hero tangled together in a complicated romance readers will root for!”—Caisey Quinn, author of the Neon Dreams series

“With a hot fireman hero and a funny heroine I could be BFFs with, Hard to Fall kept me grinning and swooning from beginning to end!”—USA Today bestselling author Cindi Madsen

“Hard to Fall pushed all my buttons in just the right way. Sweet, funny and best of all . . . so damn hot.”—New York Times bestselling author Sawyer Bennett

“Hard to Fall combines family, friendships, and politics into an endearing, fun, and hot package.”—Harlequin Junkie

“I have loved every book in this series and Marquita Valentine has just added another winner! Five stars.”—Books Need TLC

“This story was amazing. . . . The twists and turns the story takes will have you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens. Another great book by Marquita Valentine.”—FMR Book Grind

“Yes, this is a story that hit its target, my heart! Five stars.”—The Book Fairy Reviews

“Hard to Fall was my fave out of the whole series, but the bigger picture is that the Take the Fall series is a series not to be missed. I only hope that [Marquita Valentine] will add some more in it because I really need more from these amazing heroes.”—Collectors of Book Boyfriends & Girlfriends

Includes an excerpt from another Loveswept title.

Ratings and reviews

I'm pretty sure I've said this is my new favorite couple with each of the Take the Fall books, but I completely and totally fell in love with Saylor and Hayden in Hard to Fall, and they are my absolute favorite couple in the series. Hard to Fall pretty much pulled every single emotion from me. I laughed, cursed in anger, cried both happy and sad tears, and sighed many times. I love a book filled with emotions, and Ms.Valentine totally delivered with Hayden and Saylor's story. I loved that Hayden and Saylor connected pretty much from the moment they met at their friends' wedding. I loved they became such fast friends, even as I hurt for Saylor when Hayden woke up with no memory of the night before and anything that had happened. I have to say that I absolutely laughed out loud when Saylor finally told Hayden not only had they hooked up that faithful night, but they had also gotten married. Saylor and Hayden both come from political families, though Saylor only recently finally met her biological father, so while Hayden knows the score for the public, Saylor has always stayed off the radar in the political world. I loved that Hayden marrying Saylor gave him the perfect way out of politics and a way to stay with his firefighting job that he loved. While we only got a quick glimpse at both Saylor's mom and Hayden's mom, I found myself loving both their characters so much. They both just love and want to protect their kids and also only want them to be happy. As much as I loved both moms, I have to say I had a hard time liking Hayden's dad in the beginning and absolutely hated Saylor's dad from the moment he appeared on her doorstep. Hard to Fall was a funny and emotional story and it gave me so many feels as I read it. I absolutely fell in love with Hayden and Saylor as both individuals and as a couple. I highly recommend the entire Take the Fall series to anyone who enjoys reading contemporary romances. Ms. Valentine gives her readers characters to fall in love with and stories they will want to read over and over again. Rating: 5 Stars (A+) Review copy provided by publisher

I loved Hard to Fall, by Marquita Valentine, the third book in her Take the Fall series. This book exemplifies Valentine’s creativity, sexy and sensitive scenes, as well as her outstanding writing ability. This is fun loving, hard working firefighter Hayden Walker’s story. Hayden isn’t ready to follow his footsteps and run for political office. While celebrating his best friend’s wedding he marries Saylor Dean, the naughty bridesmaid, without remembering any of it or even her. Saylor is the unwanted love child of another well known politician. She has always felt alone and unloved. Her happiness is found in the animal shelter she runs. Then she meets Hayden at her best friend’s wedding. During their impetuous and unforgettable night together, Saylor feels desired like she never has before. The problem is that Hayden doesn’t remember his drunken proposal, their hasty marriage, or even her. When the truth comes out, it is harder for Hayden and Saylor to actually fall out of love than stay. This was a fun and entertaining story with loveable characters that you want to support and cheer on hoping for that happy ending. The characters were well written, authentic and complex. The story line was riveting and kept my attention to the very end. I genuinely enjoyed reading this book and had trouble putting this book down. I really enjoy reading books written by Marquita Valentine and I highly recommend this book to other readers. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

I found this to be an excellent read. Very enjoyable story with great characters and pace. Hayden is happy with his simple life working as a captain for the fire department, unattached, and free. His father doesn't agree. He was always suppose to follow down the family path and enter politics and now he's pressuring Hayden to step up and run for office. Saylor is a free spirited, quirky soul who runs the local animal shelter. These two meet at a friends wedding and have one incredible night. Too bad Hayden doesn't remember any of it. The next morning when it's clear to Saylor that Hayden remembers nothing of what happened the day before she doesn't bother to fill him in. Although there is one little thing that happened that he probably should know about. One little detail like the fact they got married. Hayden doesn't understand why but he knows that he is inexplicably drawn to Saylor and the more time they spend together the more he wants from her. How will Saylor ever tell him the truth now?? A fun easy read with little angst, lots of passion, and a bunch of humor. Definitely a book I would recommend.

About the author

Marquita Valentine is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Take the Fall, Holland Springs, and Boys of the South series, having sold more than a quarter of a million books around the world. She’s been called “one of the best new voices in romance” (Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews) and her books have been praised as “sexy, fun, and slightly addicting” (The Book Queen). When she’s not writing sexy heroes who adore their sassy heroines, she enjoys shopping, reading, and spending time with her family and friends. Married to her high-school sweetheart, Marquita Valentine lives in a seriously small town in the south with her husband, two kids, and a dog.