LauraD’s review of Fall Into Me (Hearts of the South, Book 7) by Linda Winfree
Contemporary Romance eBook released by Samhain 6 Jan 09

I’ve got to admit, I give a big fangirl squee every time I see that Linda Winfree has a new title coming out. Several of her books are among my favorite “comfort reads”, and that includes varieties both “tree” and “e”. So how does her newest measure up? 

Pretty darn good. Fall Into Me reveals screw-up deputy Troy Lee as more than a cop, and definitely more than the departmental goober of Chandler County. It seems that Troy Lee has been carrying a torch for local bar owner Angel Henderson, and finally has a chance to make his move.

Angel is older than Troy Lee by almost a decade. She’s recently been dumped hard by her longtime fiancée, and her infatuation with a different deputy has gone nowhere. So when Troy Lee pulls her over for speeding – again – she thinks he’s just adding to her current misery. Little does she know, he just wants her to slow down so that he can catch up to her for awhile.

Fall Into Me is a relationship driven story, and that’s my favorite kind. Troy Lee and Angel have known each other for a few years, and it takes a bit of work and cleverness on his part to get Angel to give him a chance. He’s a good man, and it doesn’t take Angel long to realize that he’s worth hanging on to. However, it would be a short book if all went immediately well. I’d be giving away quite a bit if I revealed Angel’s problem, so I’ll mention that this story includes strong secondary appearances by several of Winfree’s previous couples. It’s actually one of the things I really like about her “Hearts of the South” series: the interconnectedness and family relationships that are part of small towns anywhere. There is also a strong cautionary tale that will have anyone with a teenager to lecture them about speeding.

Troy Lee is a great hero; a smart, funny, and genuinely good guy. He loves Angel, his family, and he’s driven to be a great cop. If he has a flaw, it’s that he is a little too perfect at times. It would have been nice to see him lose his temper, or say something stupid, just to reveal a bit of humanity. We do get to see him stumble in his work relationships, so it keeps his romance-perfection from being creepy, thank gosh.

Angel is also well written. She’s been hurt and disillusioned, but it doesn’t keep her from looking forward and seeing the possibilities. She doesn’t shy away from hard choices, and she’s not looking for Troy Lee, or anyone else, to save her. If she were real, I’d love to have her as a pal. While at first she hesitates because of the age difference between Troy Lee and herself, it doesn’t take her long to open her eyes and accept that she deserves some good in her life.

There is less of a suspense sub-plot in this one than there has been in some of the previous books, but as more characters become involved in Linda Winfree’s stories there is less room for mystery. Winfree does a nice job of running some of the events in Fall Into Me concurrently with happenings in her previous title; and while a lot of established characters are in this book it can be read as a stand-alone.

Fall Into Me is a lovely story about a couple I ended up feeling really good about. “Hearts of the South” continues to be a series I look forward to, and one I can recommend without reservation. I am having a harder and harder time finding romances with just-plain-good people populating the story, and I’m grateful to Linda Winfree for writing another one. For this reader, Fall Into Me is a solid…

Grade: A

Read reviews of other books in this series by clicking on its tag.

Summary:

She’s finally falling for the right man…at the worst possible time.

A part of the Hearts of the South series.

After two back-to-back romantic disappointments, bar owner Angel Henderson isn’t looking for love. In the past month, she’s been passed over twice by men she’d pinned her hopes on, both times in favor of a younger woman. She’s ready to swear off men for life. The only problem? A certain younger man determined to prove he can be her right man.

Sheriff’s deputy Troy Lee Farr is tired of being the department screw-up. The harder he tries to prove himself, the worse it gets. The only thing that’s gone right recently is getting a second chance with Angel. Except she’d rather jam on the brakes than rush into a new relationship. Now he has to work hard to prove his worth as a romantic prospect.

Troy Lee is a patient man, and it isn’t long before Angel is falling into him as hard as he’s fallen for her. Just as Angel begins to think of him as more than a fun date, her past-and Troy’s dangerous reality-threatens the tentative happiness they’ve found in one another.

Reminding them both that security is tenuous…and unconditional love is the biggest challenge of all.

Warning: Cops who talk like cops, explicit older woman-younger man lovin’, and two-boxes-of-tissues emotion.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series (print releases referenced where available):