Publisher: NAL
How did you get this book: e-ARC from publisher
Release date: 3rd June
The New York Times bestselling author of On Dublin Street and Down London Road returns with a story about letting go of the past and learning to trust in the future…
When Hannah Nichols last saw Marco D’Alessandro, five long years ago, he broke her heart. The bad boy with a hidden sweet side was the only guy Hannah ever loved—and the only man she’s ever been with. After one intense night of giving into temptation, Marco took off, leaving Scotland and Hannah behind. Shattered by the consequences of their night together, Hannah has never truly moved on.
Leaving Hannah was the biggest mistake of Marco’s life, something he has deeply regretted for years. So when fate reunites them, he refuses to let her go without a fight. Determined to make her his, Marco pursues Hannah, reminding her of all the reasons they’re meant to be together.…
But just when Marco thinks they’re committed to a future together, Hannah makes a discovery that unearths the secret pain she’s been hiding from him, a secret that could tear them apart before they have a real chance to start over again….
*blurb taken from Goodreads*
Lou: Both Nic and I are big fans of the On Dublin Street series. Fall From India Place is Hannah Nicols’ story–the youngest sister of Braden Carmichael and Ellie Carmichael. Some years have passed and Hannah has finally grown-up. The whole gang have settled down and have family lives. Hannah is teaching at a school but her life is stagnant. She works, has friends but has no romantic life. And it’s the exact way she wants it. But a blast from her past arrives back. Marco, her first crush and love from her teenager years. Marco wants to make it up to Hannah for leaving her that fateful night, but Hannah wants nothing to do with him, and for painful reasons. I must admit Fall From India Place is not my favourite novel in the series. I struggled in the beginning with the info-dump; every single character was explained in detail and it slowed down the story for me. I also wasn’t keen on the dialect speech, which I could not freaking understand no matter how many times I tried re-reading it. I also thought it was strange to use that dialect for certain characters; an illiterate woman and Jenks, a boy who attacked teenager Hannah.
Once I got over those issues in the beginning, I ended up enjoying the story and I enjoyed Hannah and Marco’s romance, though it was painful at times because of Hannah’s past.
MinnChica: I was super excited for this story, not just because I adore this series, but also because I was anxious to see Hannah all grown up. Add in the fact that this was a second chance romance book, and I couldn’t wait to dive into the story. Like Lou, I struggled a bit in the beginning of this book, because it felt as if Young was giving us a lot of backstory. While the backstory was absolutely necessary, at times it felt as it it dragged the story down and kept the book from moving forward. But, once the story really picked up and all the history was explained, I found myself really falling for Marco and Hannah’s romance.
Lou: The backstory in the beginning was unfortunate because it did slow the story down but once the info-dump vanished, I stayed up very late finishing Fall From India Place. Hannah was a tough character in terms of her emotional journey arc. She had a heartbreaking incident during the aftermath of Marco leaving her when they were teenagers. It changed her as a person and she became fearful and very reluctant to trust others, and most specifically, Marco. I did think that at times the teenager romance with Marco (told in flashbacks) didn’t feel quite authentic because Hannah never came across or sounded like a teenager. I only connected with Hannah after learning about what really happened to her and I understood her stubbornness which could probably come off as annoying to other readers. But I liked her and Marco’s romance which was full of sexytimes and I loved that Marco never gave up on Hannah. Until it got to the point where I wanted to smack Hannah over the head. I do believe the author left Hannah’s reluctance go on for too long, especially when it was obvious Marco was deeply in love with her.
MinnChica: I didn’t struggle as much connecting to Hannah, probably because I could understand why she seemed so mature for her young age. An experience like she went through changes a person, and she had to grow up far before her time. I liked that Young didn’t gloss over the fact that Hannah had some serious trust issues with Marco and others, and that she really had to work at building trust with people. At the same time, I loved the way Marco purused her relentlessly. He really set out to prove to Hannah that he was in it for the long run, and that he was there to stay with her. I liked that dogged determination!!
Lou: I adored Marco because he was so loving towards Hannah and very rawr in the smexy department. Hannah’s trust issues I understood to a point, especially when Marco’s secret is revealed. I think that could have been foreshadowed better because it came out of the blue. But I loved Marco’s reaction to Hannah because it showed him in a wonderful light that a certain someone’s welfare came before Hannah. I don’t want to say anything because of spoilers but I thought that person was adorable, and I loved seeing Hannah fall in love. I suppose I wanted Hannah to come to that realisation much sooner because poor Marco was left painfully hanging, uncertain of Hannah and whether they could make it work. At times I felt like Marco’s personality wasn’t as strong as the other heroes in the series but I loved him all the same.
MinnChica: All in all, I did really like this book despite the few hiccups in the beginning. I loved the emotional journey that Hannah had to go on in order to get her trust in Marco back. I liked the fact that she had to come to grips with a lot in her past before she could move forward. I also liked the way that Marco really pursued her, and wouldn’t accept her pushing him out of her life for no reason. For readers who struggle a bit with the beginning, push through!! It definitely gets better!
I give Fall from India Place a B-
Lou: Fall from India Place is a story that centers around the internal struggles of Hannah and Marco. It was painful to read at times, especially a small plot-line involving a student of Hannah’s which had me sobbing because of an event that happened in my personal life recently. Marco did pursue Hannah and I’m so happy he never gave up, even when Hannah made it very tough for him. Like Minn said, push through the beginning and a warning that Hannah is very stubborn but the end is totally worth it.
I also give Fall from India Place a B-