Falling Away

Douglas’s hard-edged, emotionally raw third Fall Away new adult romance (after Rival) seethes with passion. Good girl K.C. Carter is home from college for the summer and still reeling from a rough breakup. Vulnerable K.C. is unable to resist the dangerous charms of Jaxon Trent, the bad boy next door. The clash of personalities leads to a series of steamy encounters, and the two begin falling in love despite their best efforts. However, K.C. has to escape the shadow of her dead sister and emotionally abusive mother, while Jax has his own checkered past to overcome. When K.C. reclaims her birth name—Juliet—and Jax opens up his heart, they can finally start healing each other. Passion and anger simmer on the page, turning love into a battlefield (in which sex is one of many skirmishes) as Douglas unleashes her characters’ inhibitions and dark sides. Sometimes it’s hard to believe Juliet and Jax can calm down long enough to establish a healthy relationship, but their chemistry is downright explosive. Agent: Jane Dystel, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management. (Jan.)