REVIEWS OF 'FALLING':

 

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fun and Unusual Love Affair

Reviewed in Canada on October 19, 2022 by Carol Balawyder

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Falling has a unique premise: James Hynde, at the end of his rope, decides to commit suicide by jumping off a building. He lands on Olivia who is coming from an interview with the Royal Ballet Company and her dreams of becoming a ballerina are literally crushed while James has failed his suicide attempt.

Wheelchair bound, Olivia is intent on getting her revenge to the man who ruined her life.

Falling is a novel with two very well rounded characters filled with greed, money, revenge and yes, even romance as a relationship between Olivia and James ensues. Not an ordinary love story though, where, James’ motivation is guilt for having ruined Olivia’s dream while Olivia’s is one of bitter revenge. Two people marrying each other for the wrong reason.

About a quarter of the way through the novel Olivia’s revenge is blocked by several obstacles involving a mother-in-law, tainted money and the appearance of an ex-wife.

Life keeps knocking Olivia down while James, on the otherhand, is out to prove that he is not a deadbeat loser.

When Olivia discovers that her dream of opening up a ballet school is squashed by James’ dark secret, their marriage turns for the worse. Olivia wants a divorce which James refuses to give her and they end up being business partners.

In lockdown, will their business partnership survive?

I enjoyed this novel. It is a fun, light read with twists and turns that make it unpredictable.

The moral of the story, in my opinion, is spoken by Olivia’s mother:

“Don’t let what’s happened to you make you bitter. It’ll destroy the rest of your life.”

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Here's a 5 star review from D.G Kaye on 9/10/22:

This is a story of both the literal falling and everything else that falls around James Hynde's world after his intended demise falls apart, leaving poor Olivia Benet to take 'the fall'. As always, Turner always delivers a good story in the women's fiction category.

 

James Hynde was in a world of trouble due to his greed and decides the only way out of his mess is to commit suicide - but he couldn't even get that right because when you're running bad, the streak continues. Sadly, James' lame attempt of jumping off a building landed him right on top of poor, innocent 19 years old, Olivia Benet, below. She broke his fall and got the brunt of injuries and paid the price by ending up in a wheelchair and losing her dream to join the ballet company.

 

Olivia decides to visit James in jail before she began her suing endeavor, to see if she can detect any remorse. Her visits became more frequent to the jail as the more James was rude, the more she felt she had to hear something compassionate. On one of her visits, he finally opens up to her and apologizes. This broke the ice, and we see an 'interesting' relationship develop between them. James eventually bares his soul to Olivia, telling her some juicy scoop about some of the money he'd swindled and where it was. This interested Olivia.

 

When James gets out of jail, his relationship with Olivia heats up. They get together, and then again separate. Later when they reunite, they decide to start up a new business together, out of the city, away from the competition. Some new shady characters are introduced in the new business, along with some baggage from James’ past – mainly, a greedy ex wife.

 

So, what happens when ex-wife Fiona shows up? Well, you're going to have to read on to find out!

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https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5105942470

19/11/22 by Jan Sikes - 4 stars

'When James Hynde's world came crashing down around his ears, he did what any weak-minded man would do—commit suicide. End it all. After all, He can't face prison, which he knows is the only future for him, after stealing millions from the bank where he worked. With a bottle of whiskey in hand, he climbs to the top of a parking garage and throws himself off.

Olivia Benet is rushing to get back to her car before her paid time runs out. How could fate possibly intervene at that exact moment for her to cushion Hynde's fall? Yet it did.

While he suffers minor injuries, she is left completely paralyzed and unable to walk. Her career as a ballet dancer is ended, and her dream crushed.

While James goes to prison for his crime of embezzlement, Olivia is faced with trying to rebuild her life again from a wheelchair. The only thing that keeps her going is the desire for revenge, to take from James as much as he took from her on that fateful day.

What happens next is quite the twist, when James falls in love with Olivia. They even marry once he is out of prison. But her motivation is still revenge, and she finds a way to get her hands on the hidden money that no one knew about except Hynde's mother.

Over and over again, things come together for James and Olivia, only to fall apart again throughout the story. I don't want to leave any spoilers here, but as secrets are revealed, and lives are devastated, there only seems to be one way to go from rock bottom, and that is up. Ms. Turner did a great job writing this story, and I ignored chores to finish reading it. She even brought the COVID pandemic into the story in a completely realistic and believable way. If you are a fan of compelling drama with realistic overtones, you will enjoy this story as much as I did.' 

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Reviewed 17/12/22 by Sally Cronin

This is a riveting story of how dreams and expectations can be shattered in seconds and how rebuilding your life can be full of twists and turns.

The author has the great knack of exploring human nature with all its complexities in a creative way. She brings the characters to life so well you almost feel you have met them or someone like them in your own life.

 

You also have to consider how you would react under similar circumstances and it is fascinating to follow the paths Olivia and James follow after their life changing encounter. There are few choices for them it seems and they both carry the weight of regret, guilt, despair and a desire for revenge and atonement. Romance seems highly unlikely to be on the cards for this ill-fated couple, but you can never underestimate the human spirit and its will to survive.

 

There are some interesting bit players who are woven into their story who push the couple in and out of their relationship, but it is heartening to discover the strength and ingenuity of the human spirit as they towards a better understanding and respect for each other.

A thoroughly enjoyable read with plenty of elements, twists and turns to keep the reader turning the pages to the end of the book. Highly recommended.

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1/2/23 by Phil Huston 4.5 stars

Last summer I started reading waaaaay out of my usual Reading For Entertainment sphere. Falling was the jumping off point.

4.5 Stars Is it my kind of book? Not really. Is it ambitious and well executed? Yes.

First off, this is a long book. Back in the 80s it would have been in the Jackie Collins Sweeping Saga category. However, unlike Collins, this is an Epic Character Study, not an excuse for the what-a-web-we-weave with sexual indiscretions across multiple generations.

As an Epic Character Study, I stand in admiration of the author’s tenacity and ability to maintain continuity. Other than that, anything I say about this book would be a spoiler. Indeed, the last line of the blurb is tantamount to a spoiler. I quote—

James Hynde, fortified by several tots of whiskey, climbs up onto the roof of Parker Mews’ multi-storey car park and peers over the parapet. The game is up. The police will soon seize his millions, the Maserati, the London townhouse, and the Caribbean mansion on Windjammer Island.

Should he jump feet first or hold out his arms and topple over and over like a somersaulting gymnast? He closes his eyes, feels the breeze on his face, and pitches forward into the unknown.

Sixty feet below, Olivia Benet, a budding ballerina, rushes along Parker Mews towards the entrance to the multi-storey. Her interview for the Royal Ballet had taken much longer than expected, and she has but a few short minutes left before her parking ticket expires.

James has no idea of the consequences his action will have on his and Olivia’s lives.

See? I’d just as soon not know anything but a suicidal dude’s on the top of a car park and a ballerina is running for her car… I should have to open it to hear the thump.

When I read this book, after the initial BAM, I kept being reminded of a line from Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

“What’s that smell in this room? Didn’t you notice it, Brick? Didn’t you notice a powerful and obnoxious odor of mendacity in this room? There ain’t nothin’ more powerful than the odor of mendacity.”—Big Daddy.

I say that because every character in this book oozes mendacity. In fact, after a while when the two leads might appear to be honest, as a reader you are cautious to believe them. Which is a feather in the author’s cap. Telling you why the deuteragonists court each other, ultimately leading to marriage, divorce, a run-in with the London Deli Sandwich Mafia, ex-wife, more deli chicanery and misbehaviors In the country, which are only a few in a long string of broken and super-glued dreams, would spoil the book.

The character cast is deep, well drawn, and in keeping with the mendacity theme. Nobody shows up not wanting something and willing to tell a lie or three to get it. The ensuing Epic Character Study wrestling after each introduction is enough to keep you paying attention. And I don’t read this kind of thing.

The author does an excellent job hiding both the leads’ motivations for the first third of the book, so when the mendacity driven by avarice seeps out, it’s both startling and rewarding. In an Oh Dear, these people are kinds of fucked up way. After that, I felt like there was some occasional redundancy, as no one seems to learn anything from their misadventures and the same ol’ shit lands them in yet again another mess. Short version, male lead has a bad habit or two, and it fucks them up. Repeatedly. And often

I will confess to several trifles with Falling. Everyone takes way too many deep breaths, exhales, holds their breath, blows out a breath, sucks in a breath. I know everyone needs to breathe, but hardly a page goes by without someone breathing as a tag. Breath as a modified noun, breath as a verb. Rarely with an adverb, though. There are a few ‘whens’ and ‘thens’, nothing out of the ordinary. There are some chapter/scene endings that suffer from the same authorial leading as the last line of the blurb, but nothing major. What I call Very Acceptable Book Practices, personal preference aside.

My major trifle was with the male lead, whose addiction, though well written umpteen different ways in umpteen situations that drive the trials of this book, is a one-trick pony. Save for the female lead’s few encounters with shit heads who aren’t the lead. Yep, he’s pretty much bad news from page one and plays ‘the won’t do it again’ guilty puppy routine to the hilt, even from jail, but keeps doing it. Well enough for all but a few to keep buying it.

My favorite part of this book is toward the end when the deuteragonists discuss turning their diaries of life as a disappointing series of lies and cons and lost opportunities into a book, a work of Misery Lit that at once seems to explain this book and gives a post-modernist nod to breaking the fourth wall without coming right out and winking at us.

About Falling. These are some Contagiously Engaging Very Sick Puppies and if the human drama is your cup of tea, the author does a great job of portraying them. You’ll turn the pages just to see who will tell what lie or run their trip on whom next.

This is also, by far, including the few minor gripes, the most well written of Stevie Turner’s books. While I dislike most of her cover art and feel they do a disservice to her content by putting clip art people on the cover instead of leaving them to the reader, this one is so Escher-esque and outside that I can handle it. Take that comment with a grain of salt because Stevie’s books are about people. With at least one character who has a socially predatory psychology. And an author with a dry, dark sense of humor about some of the worst behaviors.

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May 15, 2023 on Goodreads (5 stars)

I couldn’t put it down.

Really looking forward to reading more from this author, because this was AMAZING.

Flawless writing style, incredible story, pacing, characters, dialogue, all the crazy, unexpected twists — just brilliant, all of it. Kept me up until 2 in the morning, because it’s one of those “just one more chapter” books.

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