Sandy M’s review of Fall For Me (Danvers, Book 3) by Sydney Landon
Contemporary Romance published by Signet 26 Feb 13

I have to give Sydney Landon props for creating memorable characters. It’s been a few months since my reviews of the first two books in this series, and before I began reading this lastest addition, I remembered quiet a bit from those previous books. That’s not always the case when it comes to book three and on in a series. But in this book I’m going to remember Beth and Nick for very different reasons than before.

In the previous stories we learned that Beth Denton was overweight a big part of her life, a miserable part of her life. Especially with the parents she and her sister Suzy have. They tear their children down instead of encourage, and Beth seems to be their favorite to criticize. But she shed her weight a few years ago and has worked hard to keep it off, so she has a right to be proud of herself. Nick is the younger brother of Grayson Merimon, who has merged his company with Danvers International. He’s a bit of a playboy, women falling all over him. He and Beth don’t get along one bit. At least that’s how it was in the second book, Not Planning On You.

But in a complete turnaround, we begin Fall For Me in the middle of an affair between these two that’s been going on for a few months. Nick and Beth can’t keep their hands off each other. Beth is determined to keep the relationship casual and easy. She knows Nick’s reputation and isn’t about to lose her heart to this man. Calculating pi would be easier. Nick’s reputation is a bit exaggerated, but he does love women. Beth has him captivated and he’s not quite sure what to do with that. Everything changes for them when Beth learns she’s pregnant.

So gaining weight during pregnancy and also having a run-in with her parents’ attitude about her body, Beth goes into maniac mode. She hides food, pushes it around on her plate, anything and everything not to eat so she won’t gain weight. Nick finally realizes what she’s up, tries to intervene, but he only seems to make the situation worse. Things do eventually get worse. Beth goes into shutdown when there’s a problem with the pregnancy, she pushes everyone away, blames herself and refuses help.

Beth is the biggest nitpick for me in this book. She is a likable person. However, she takes too many things too far. I understand her fears about her weight, but the way she constantly puts herself down, thinking Nick won’t want her if she gains any, even during pregnancy, goes on too long. The only place she has any confidence is in bed with him, and that’s a tad baffling. Being that conscious about your body, it would seem nude and making love should create more of a problem for a woman than anything else. The swing Beth makes from being sneaky about eating and then her complete meltdown are just over the top. Her distrust in Nick and his feelings for her never change, even after he proves himself over and over to her. He’s honest with her about everything, but she constantly discounts his efforts. She should have been counting her blessings that she has Nick, no questions asked. He stands up for her, stands by her, and is a total stand-up guy.

I’m also baffled by Suzy’s attitude about talking sex with Beth. It’s always TMI when the subject comes up with her sister. They’re close enough in age that they’re good friends as well as siblings, and girlfriends are the best when it comes to talking about anything, including sex, good or bad. On the other side of the coin, she’s quite protective of Beth. She threatens Nick again and again about treating Beth right. She’s there when Beth needs help near the end of the book. But all the ladies in this series are quick to assume things about their men. While they all have reasons not to trust, I believe these heroes more than show their true selves and that is ignored much too long by the women.

The author still falls prey to overusage of certain words, i.e, “Ugh!” The first half of the book every character uses this a number of times. Similar usage also occurred in the previous two books. But that being said, this is a fun series and the characters do have flaws while being lovable. I’m not certain, but I think there may be a fourth book in the series. There is a secondary romance that has been left hanging, so my hope is high we’ll get that book. There’s no information on the author’s site about that, so we’ll see.

Grade: B-

Summary:

All her life, Beth Denton battled both her weight and her controlling parents. And now that she’s declared victory, she’s looking for her prince charming…

Beth has always lived in her outgoing sister’s shadow, plagued by her own insecurity about her body. It’s time for her to step out from the sidelines and experience what life has to offer—then she’s laid off from her teaching job, and has to rely on her sister to get her a job at Danvers International.    Nick Merimon is gorgeous, wealthy, and a well-known playboy—just the sort of man Beth has always avoided. But even she can’t deny the sparks that are flying between them. He could be just the man to show her what she’s been missing all these years. And after they share one heart-stopping night together, she is surprised when it leads to a relationship.   But as their connection grows, and the realities of their romance begin to show, Beth will have to overcome both her own insecurities and her doubts about Nick’s intentions if she’s ever going to find lasting happiness…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series: