Aflame

Fall Away, Book 3.5

By: Penelope Douglas

Narrated by: Abby Craden, Nelson Hobbs

Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's Summary

Everyone wants to be me. Maybe it's the sway of my skirt or the way I flip my hair, but I don't care. Even though their attention is the last thing I crave, I just can't stop. I dominate the track, the speed rattles my bones, and the wind and the crowd screams my name. I'm her. The girl driver. The queen of the race. And I'm surviving - something he thought I'd never do.

They all talk about him. Did you see Jared Trent on TV? What did you think of his last race, Tate? When is he coming back to town, Tate? But I refuse to care too much. Because when Jared does come home, I won't be here. Tatum Brandt is gone. I'm someone new.

©2015 Penelope Douglas (P)2015 Tantor

it is only the beginning...

In the beginning they were friends...
Then they were enemies...
But they became more. More than lovers, more than friends...Just MORE.

Until they weren't anymore...

When a series like this one makes you a friend and takes you on the journey, you can't help but react. I wanted to pound the crap out of Jared just reading the blurb. I cried for MY loss in the prologue and first couple of chapters. Well, not just my loss, their loss too.

But just like before, Jared and Tate need to get their sh!t together. Neither is happy. Both are fooling themselves. And everyone else is tired of it.

A happy occasion puts them in each others orbit. But will the push and pull of their gravity tear them apart or finally get them where they belong- in each others arms?

Another addition to a beloved series with friends I never want to lose. And I truly can't wait to see the new crop of troublemakers in action!

Great final story!

Thank god the boss wasn't here today!! Just finished the audio and written version. (I love reading along with the narration) An amazing end to the series. I am sad to see them go but I am already trying to figure out couples later on. I see a few stories already :)
An amazing job was done by both narrators as always. These two make the story so enjoyable to listen to and hot... did I mention so hot?

Reality!

I love when a book is real. Bully told the story of how they fell in love. Aflame told the story of what happens when you fall in love to young. When you have not figured out who you are and what you want. It made you ask the question if you don't know what you want how can you take care of the one you love? Jared needed to find out how to be a man without Tate. As you read this book the question you should ask yourself: Now that he knows how to be a man; can he be that man for Tate? This is so worth the credit!!!

Loved this!

Tate and Jared are my fave couple! They have a more realistic relationship in which things may require more effort and time, and they're so hot together 😏🔥 and they way they bully each other is funny to me.

Narration just didn’t work

Nelson was just okay. Abby just did not fit the character at all. It was too hard to listen to. I couldn’t finish the book.

Jared and Tate Finally Find their Forever Happy

This is Jared and Tate's happy ending...finally. To say I was shocked at the end of the last book when Jared left Tate would be an understatement. I mean, what the heck. I thought they had already found their HEA so I wasn't too excited to learn it fell apart, but after listening to this book I now know that NOW, they truly have their HEA.

Jared felt lost in his own skin. He was so consumed with Tate he lost sight of himself and he felt he needed to go off and be on his own to find out who he really was and who he wanted to be. To be better for Tate and their long term happiness. Did I agree with this...no, not so much, but it was completely understandable (I just didn't like it). I felt for Tate, to be blindsided by his sudden departure, I totally understood her shutting him out after he left and ignoring his calls and texts, but I still couldn't believe she tried moving on so quickly.

Overall, I am so happy with the final chapter of this book series with these main characters. I see there is another book (Next to Never) that focuses on Jared's mom and Madoc's dad and that relationship going back to when they were young. From the reviews I've read it also touches on some of the offspring from these characters. The reviews also indicate it will leave you with more questions than answers and you feel left hanging. With that being said, I am holding off on listening to that book until more comes out on the next generation and the kids. I don't want to be left hanging and confused and frustrated.

Engrossing series with deep emotions

So, I knocked a star off for putting these poor characters through a separation, but I actually really enjoyed this book and I loved getting more of Jared and Tate. I listened to the audio, and the narrators did a good job, so definitely listen to the audio. There's probably going to be spoilers in this review, so warning for that. Warning. Warning. Spoiler Warning.

Jared leaves Tate to "find" himself, but does an absolute horrible job of explaining this to Tate. He doesn't really say that he plans to be loyal to Tate, and he doesn't have any idea when he'll be back, so Tate is understandably upset. Supposedly he tries texting and calling, but Tate ends up trying to move on 6 months later. Unfortunately, the timing for the characters in this series is super bad and they always manage to witness just the thing that sends them running again. Jared comes back after 6 months to tell Tate he's ready, but sees her hooking up with some guy, so he runs away again. I understand Tate trying to move on; Jared devastated her and she's heartbroken. This is the only time she sleeps with someone else. Fast forward a year and half later, and Jared's mom and Tate and Jared's friends trick Jared into coming back home for the birth of Jared's mom's baby. After Jared saw Tate with that other guy, he too slept with other women. I don't like that at all. I really wish Penelope Douglas would've had them remain faithful to each other; especially Jared.

So, it's been 2 years since Tate has seen Jared. Tate is newly dating a new guy, but they've only kissed so far. Tate is a bit jaded now, and her friends are worried for her; they don't want her to just settle. I loved that Madoc hasn't been communicating with Jared either, so he can be fully there for Tate. I like that Jared realized rather quickly that he still deeply loves Tate, and he was going to do whatever he needed to win her back. I love that Tate was sassy towards him, and made sure he knew how much she was hurting and wasn't going to put up with his crud. Jared needs to show Tate that she can trust him. I love the depth of emotion between the two of them. They have great chemistry and the passion is red hot. The only things Tate needed to do better is break-up with the guy she was dating way before she did, and the games were getting a bit tiring. This is an entertaining, sweet, heartfelt read that I really enjoyed. The characters in this series annoy me at times, but the story is still engrossing in every single book I've read of this series.

Love seeing the happy ending for everyone, and it's great to see all the characters in this book. I'm not sure if I'll read the next book, I read some reviews that say it's more about Jared's mom and Madoc's dad. I don't like either of them, so I don't really think I care about reading about their relationship. The audio isn't on the romance package as of yet, so maybe if it's added to that, I'll check it out.

OMG

I never even thought this story was going this way...But, damn what great freaking writing! The narrators made it amazing as well. So glad I re-listened. to the whole series again and found these last 2 new releases. Well worth the Credit/money.

Real love

Tate and Jared have been through hell and back. From friends, to enemies, to lovers, to exes. But there is a huge difference in the dynamic of their relationship after some time Apart. Jared is more mature and has found his niche in life. He no longer uses his pain to engage in reckless behavior. Tate on the other had is cold and really self sufficient.

I was expecting them to go back to the bickering from high school.Initially they did but Jared immediately decided he didn't want it to be that way with Tate again. There was a lot of angst and longing but less fighting. This is also a realistic story. Sometimes people fall inlove too young and they don't really know what to do with their lives nor how to love one another. I think this separation had to happen for these two to be full realized people in a happy and healthy relationship. Their love is real and sincere; only this time they are mature enough to handle it.

The epilogue tugged at my heartstrings. It's great seeing the other characters find happiness and settle down as well. I'm so emotionally invested in this series and it's hard to let them go. I'm excited to see what happens with the next generation.

Disappointed

I have to say, the series started out well, so good job with that. However, after waiting in anticipation fot the other books to be rekeased, I'm glad I didn't buy this book when it was released. If I had, I'd have missed out on the other great listens I've enjoyed before listening to this one.

The lessons highlighted throughout this novel were good, very realistic, but, they vouldve been learnt in far more exciting ways. Disappointed that it turned out to be so anticlimactic.