The Harder You Fall

By: Gena Showalter

Narrated by: Savannah Richards

Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

From New York Times best-selling author Gena Showalter comes another scorching Original Heartbreakers tale featuring an aloof bad boy and the rowdy Southern belle who rocks his world.

Millionaire video-game creator Lincoln West has a dark and tragic past. The sought-after bachelor lives by a rigid schedule and a single rule - one relationship per year, lasting no more than two months. No exceptions. When he gave up the big city for a small town, he hoped to escape the worst of his memories - until a brash beauty dredges up long-buried emotions.

A reformed party girl, Jessie Kay Dillon is determined to walk the straight and narrow. But her love-hate sizzle with West is just too irresistible. They can't be near each other without tearing off their clothes, but the last thing she needs is to be his next two-month dump. Will she become the one exception? Because as any former girl gone wild knows: Rules are made to be broken.

©2015 Gena Showalter (P)2015 Recorded Books

A rating overall...

My Review:
Overall.... 4.5
Performance... 4.0
Story.... 4.5

I've loved this group of guys that have been featured in this trilogy. Although they all have their horrible mental scars over what they've been through, West has always seemed the most tragic. It was his girlfriend who was raped and then she committed suicide. He's also had to fight a horrible drug addiction (which just adds to his guilt over what happened to her because he was high the night she died.)

Now West has a rule for women in his life. For two months a year, he can have a lover...one single lover and then he goes back to a life of celibacy the other 10 months of the year. West is VERY controlled and structured about every aspect of his life. It's all part of how he's stayed sober. He has a schedule he sticks to...every single day. Nothing is allowed to intrude on that one fact of his life.

Jessie Kay is pretty much the opposite of West in every way. She's the messy, party girl who has spent her life sleeping with just about anyone trying to find a connection. In fact, she's slept with both of West's best friends, which is a serious sticking point for him. But Jessie Kay may be bright and happy and sunshiny on the outside, but she's hiding her own hurts. She truly doesn't think she's worthy of love. Something that is just enforced over and over by West's rejection of her. Because, yes, West wants her desperately. He just won't allow himself to indulge. It's his penance. His price to pay whether anyone else understands his reasoning or not.

I loved how opposite these two characters are. Jessie Kay can make anyone feel better and smile, even West...and that's not something that most people can do. He's so serious, and she's well aware of his hangups with his schedule and such so she makes it her goal in life to show him that life doesn't have to be so rigid. And she's not doing it to mess with him. Jessie Kay has one of the biggest hearts around. She truly wants him to be happy and knows that won't happen with the way he's living his life right now.

A great book and a great romance. Now, I know the three friends were the basis for this series, but I'm really hoping that this isn't the end. I'm thinking Jessie Kay's friend, Daniel, really needs a story, too. *crossing my fingers*

Note: (And I also pointed this out on the other two books in the series which I also listened to on audio) Overall, I really enjoy this narrator, but she doesn't have many differences between her men's voices. It's okay though because of Gena Showalter's writing...she's always good about identifying who is speaking when the guys are all together.

Loooove

I love the whole series but this particular books is tied with 1st place amoung the other books in the series! So good! love West!

only together would the two make it

Jessie Kay was most mens fantasy.At leasr on a temporary basis. She looked for the comfort she sought in all the wrong places. She was a riot. West was a man you the core. Broken. Hurt. Confused. Tormented.

Narration did not really add or detract, but it was consistent and smooth.

Great story!

This was such an entertaining book to listen to. I loved the interaction between Jessie K and West. The dialogue was hysterical. I adore Jessie K's character. I laughed with them but also cried learning about the baggage they all carried. Overall a wonderful story to listen to. Savannah Richards was an awesome reader.

SENSUOUS, ANTICIPATORY, &, MY FAVORITE..HUMOROUS

Of the three books in this series, this being the third and West & Jessie Kay's story, this was my favorite. The two previous books (Jace & Beck's stories) were great and I loved listening to both equally. This one, however, made me sit on the edge of my seat to hear what was going to happen next, sigh when the closeness and softness came between West & Jessie Kay, her big heart and, best of all, it made me outright belly laugh at the "devil may care" attitude Jessie K had, the phrases she used, the things she said that embarrassed her sister, Brooklynn and her outlook on life. Even though she was damaged from her childhood experiences and self-recriminations, she was a tough cookie.

I really enjoyed all of Gena Showalter's books that I have listened to but this series and this book in particular were my all time favorite. After all, she writes about alpha men and strong women, plenty of descriptive but tasteful sex & lovemaking, throwing in suspense and drama; hey, it ticked all my boxes and if you are a suspenseful romance nut with HEA endings like me, who could ask for much more?

Savannah Richards is one of my all time favorite female narrators as well and the pairing of a great author and great narrator are of utmost importance to me. A bad narrator can ruin, as far as I am concerned, an excellent book and even though I'd want to listen to a favorite author, again, if the narrator is bad I won't purchase, use a credit for it but if it inadvertently
happens, I'll return the book.

Oh, and I would have given this book 5 stars, but it's just not like me to do so as I have only given 2 books that honor, however, this one does deserve 4.8.

excellent series

I love this book along with the other two books that go with this series I couldn't get enough wish there were more books that went along with it the narrator is excellent I enjoy listening to her as the narrator I wish there were more narrators out there like her also like I said hopefully they'll be more books to this series as I would purchase them in a minute.

I hate Spiders too!

As always Savannah knows how to these books well. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book the first time and listening to it was even more fun. Plus when I had to ugly cry I didn't have to pause to do so lol.

A Real Romantic COMEDY

This book was an irresistible combination of humor and sizzle! You’re in for a treat with this one. I found I loved the heroine, Jessie Kay – she’s just a bright and feisty personality that the narrator, Savannah Richards did an excellent job of bringing to life. She's the fun, crazy one the group of friends, and has an indomitable spirit to boot, while also being really sweet. Her and West playing off one another was sometimes electric and sometimes hilarious. This is my first book by Showalter (yeah, I jumped right into the 3rd book in the series – it seemed the most interesting of the descriptions) and I’m almost hesitant to try another because I think this one will be hard to surpass!