Fall Guy By Liz Reinhardt

Evan Lennox is going nowhere fast. She's living with her grandparents after her parents bailed on her, she got kicked out of her posh private school, her ex-boyfriend proved to be the biggest sleaze imaginable, her former best friend is a back-stabber, and her current best friend is stuck in backwoods NJ. To top it all off, one teeny, tiny fire she lit to burn some memories of her ex goes a little out of control and winds up igniting a good piece of a very powerful family's pecan orchard.

Evan lands her pampered behind in court and gets sentenced to community service. Which she knows she deserves. But the hard labor and humiliation may be her undoing.

Until she meets Winchester Youngblood on the site.

Everything about him is tricky, confusing, not at all what it seems, and so sexy, Evan can't resist pulling closer. But every step she takes to get to know him gives her more of a reason to back up and put him as far out of life as she possibly can. Because Winch is one hundred percent complicated, and Evan isn't looking for that. At all. She needs to meet a nice, responsible guy, not share searing kisses with the charming hustler she met after they both got sentenced in court.

But Winch is so much more than what he seems, and Evan finds out that she's falling hard for the guy everyone underestimates and writes off. And Winch realizes that Evan is the one person who's ever challenged him to ask for more out of his life, and her courage inspires him to try to be the person she sees when she looks at him. With every single odd stacked against them, Evan and Winch need to find out whether they have what it takes to fall for each other.

Thessa's Review:

  4.25-4.5 Stars

I’ve been so busy picking up the pieces for other people, and being around Evan, I’ve started realizing for the first time in a long time how much I want something for me.

When I first saw this book, even before I noticed that it was written by Liz Reinhardt, I saw the cover. Isn’t it gorgeous? What about the guy on the cover? He’s just classically handsome, at least in my humble opinion. I was really looking forward to reading this. I’m a fan of Liz’s Brenna Blixen series, though I hate to admit it, I still haven’t read the last book, yet. I was eager to read about Brenna’s BFF, Evan and her Hero, Winchester Youngblood.

“You’re the fall guy, Winch. You’re the guy they come to when no one else will stand up and take their medicine. And they come to you because you never make them stand up and take it.”

Winch, Winch, Winch. **SIGH** He was such a complex hero. Period. His loyalties have always been to his family. He’s their fall guy. He specializes in cleaning up messes and taking the heat off his older brother, Remy. Remy is in his own personal h e l l. To say Remy has issues, is a severe understatement. Whenever Remy gets into trouble, Winch is there to take the blame. When “House of the Rising Sun” plays on Winch’s phone, he knows Remy is in some sort of trouble. It doesn’t matter what Winch is doing, when that ringtone plays, Winch drops everything and runs to his brother’s aid.

Fuck this breakfast. Fuck this date, fuck this already long ass day following the shittiest night I’ve ever had. Fuck the truth, fuck believing in some fairytale happy ending. Fuck my responsibilities and fuck, fuck, fuck the fact that I just, no doubt, no questions asked, lost my shot at being with Evan Lennox.

Winch is a sexy and charming bad boy. Exactly the type Evan falls for. She knows better. She knows she should stay away, especially when he keeps leaving her panting and wanting more. God, the sexual frustration Winch leaves Evan time and time again was beyond frustrating. Ugh! But Evan wasn’t going anywhere. She’s stubborn and just when she thinks she has Winch figured out, “House of the Rising Sun” plays and Winch has to go. What the fuck is that all about? She is eager to find answers.

Pushing forward physically equals pulling away emotionally for Winchester.

Winch knows Evan is trouble. He likes to be in control, but with Evan, he’s nothing but. He should walk away and break it off with Evan, but he just can’t. He knows he’s in too deep now. Evan is opening his eyes to what life could be like without having to live under his family’s thumb. That’s dangerous thinking, but he’s determined to find a way to be with Evan and still make his family happy. Does a solution even exist?

As much as I really liked Evan’s character, Winch made the story. He’s extremely selfless and just wants to protect his family. However, his family is constantly pushing his limits and with Winch starting to realize the absurdity of some of their wishes, he’s ready to snap. When is it his turn to be happy?

I think fans of Liz Reinhardt will enjoy this story. Plus, this has a little more steam than the Brenna Blixen stories, which was a HUGE plus in my book. The only drawback with this story was the ending. Though happy, it seemed rushed. With all that tension between Winch and his family growing, the solution just seemed too simple, but that’s just my opinion. Anyway, if you decide to try this, you won’t regret it. Winch is to die for and I know you’ll easily fall for him, just like I did =)