REVIEW: 'Watch Me Fall' by Riley Parks
Title: Watch Me Fall
Series: Start Something #1
Author: Riley Parks
Published: March 26, 2018
Publisher: Boroughs Publishing Group
Genre: Contemporary Romance; Erotic Romance; New Adult
Length: 299 Pages
Tags: Gay; M/M; Athlete/Sport: Soccer; Coming Out; OFY; First Time; Virgin; Mental Illness; Interracial
About Watch Me Fall
After pulling himself out of poverty and shame, Elijah Tucker finds he's yanked back to the South Side of Chicago by a man he never saw coming.
Sometimes, You Can
Having it all is hard work, and Elijah Tucker has no problem 24/7-ing to keep himself on top. But life has a sense of humor and a big-ass mirror that reminds Eli where he came from, and shows him what he's really made of when he meets Gideon Valsecchi.
Gideon Valsecchi has one life goal - get out of the shithole where he lives on the South Side of Chicago. To say life has been unkind is a joke he can't even laugh at; to say he's going to have to claw his way out is a reality that nearly crushes him every day. But...he has a secret weapon, and he's learning how to hone his skills. Yet, hope is a feeling he won't indulge in until he gets to know Elijah Tucker, who shows Gideon there is an out, and it can include love.
5 HEART READ
REVIEW:
I challenge anyone to find a more unique opening to a story than Riley Parks serves up in her newest novel Watch Me Fall. Parks combines gutsy, complex characters with a creative and interesting story line. The result is a gritty, super-hot romance that will hold your interest to the very last page. This book is listed as the first in her new Start Something series, so I’m thrilled to know more books are in the works.
If you read Riley Parks’ debut novel Bleeding Like Me, then I don’t need to rave about her clever writing style. She sets up her plots quickly, painting vivid pictures, and pulling you in right from the start. Watch Me Fall is a fun and unique story, and I was pleased by all the unexpected turns this one takes. The unpredictability is just another thing I love about Riley s’ writing.
Willing to do anything to get out of Chicago’s South Side, and the certain depressing future that awaits him if he can’t, Gideon Valsecchi selects the wrong pocket to pick. His victim, successful real estate broker Elijah Tucker, speaks from experience to give Gideon some advice that served Elijah well. He tells Gideon, “‘Use your brains or legs instead.’” This is what Elijah did to rise from a similar situation nine years earlier - it wasn’t easy, but it was not impossible.
I challenge anyone to find a more unique opening to a story than Riley Parks serves up in her newest novel 'Watch Me Fall'.
The star of his high school soccer team, with the possibility of a scholarship lurking, Gideon can’t jeopardize his future by getting into trouble. He grudgingly takes the good advice for what it is. Besides, coming from handsome, charismatic, wealthy Elijah, it’s not such a bitter pill to swallow.
Given everything that’s against him, Gideon has stayed in school, kept his grades up, and attended extra training sessions with his coach. His determination is admirable. Don’t get me wrong; he still maintains his thug persona: drugs, vandalism, and everything else a South Side gang-banger should be. But underneath is a driven and focused young man.
Gideon also surrounds himself with some very supportive people. He may have gotten into soccer as a bit of a dare, but he’s gone above and beyond with his training and takes advantage of all the help his coach offers. Gideon’s siblings and friends urge him on, and his deadbeat parents are thankfully absent from his life. I was equally touched by the way Eli constantly builds up Gideon’s confidence, how he seizes opportunities and makes the most of what he can out of them.
There’s something about Eli that Gideon can’t resist. And while the free food and other nice gifts appeal to Gideon, once they start spending serious time together the attraction is mutual. The sex is hot as hell (kudos Ms. Parks!) and I could really feel their connection. As they get more into each other and Gideon gets more confident (it’s great the sex can do that to a guy) their chemistry just gets better and better.
Watch Me Fall deals with some serious issues, but Parks keeps it light and humor is laced throughout the whole story.
I really enjoy the way Riley Parks describes these characters. She completely brings them to life in the way they interact with each other. Eli and Gideon have so much personality… they’re snarky and sarcastic and very real. They wear their imperfections and scars in full view, exposed and raw. These guys just won me over with how authentic they are.
These were some of the same things that impressed me with Riley Parks’ first novel, Bleeding Like Me. She speaks from the voices of her characters perfectly, like she can completely put herself in their shoes and knows how they’re feeling. Parks has great fun with the dialog and she totally captures the way teenage boys talk, both to each other and to adults. She stays true to the vernacular, but still makes it easy to understand; don’t worry, you won’t be lost if you’re not from Chicago’s South Side.
Watch Me Fall deals with some serious issues, but Parks keeps it light and humor is laced throughout the whole story. There were many laugh out loud, smile on my face moments; I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. This novel is so much fun, and if you haven’t yet discovered the wonderful writing of Riley Parks, I urge you to pick up either one of her novels. I for one am definitely looking forward to all the places this talented author takes us next!
A copy of Watch Me Fall was provided to Kimmers’ Erotic Book Banter, by the Riley Parks, at no cost and with no expectations in return. We offer our fair and honest opinion on behalf of our readers.
Meet the Author
Riley has always loved to write, believing that life has the possibility to be its most beautiful when it’s portrayed on the pages of a book. Feeling the need to create and liberate in the midst of the political landscape, Riley writes novels that focus on LGBTQ protagonists, wanting to honor a community that deserves better representation depicting lives, loves and triumphs in all facets of fiction.
For more be sure and visit Riley's website!
