Review: Tillie Cole's "Sweet Fall (Sweet Home #3)".

Review: Tillie Cole's "Sweet Fall (Sweet Home #3)". 

Amazon UK:   http://amzn.to/1yum7Dg

Amazon.com:  http://amzn.to/1H6OrwI

Synopsis:

We all have secrets.

Secrets well buried.

Until we find the one soul who makes the burden of such secrets just that little bit easier to bear.

Lexington "Lexi" Hart is a senior at the University of Alabama. Surrounded by her best friends, her loving family and having fulfilled her life-long dream of making the Crimson Tide cheer squad, everything is going exactly as she always dreamed it would. But beneath her happy exterior, demons lurk, threatening to jeopardize everything Lexi has worked to achieve. When events in her life become too much to cope with, Lexi finds herself spiraling down into the realm of her biggest fear. Lexi falls hard, victim once again to the only thing that can destroy her and, on the way, finds herself falling straight into the dangerous tattooed arms of a guy from the wrong side of the tracks.

Austin Carillo, starting Wide Receiver for the Alabama Crimson Tide, must get picked in this year's NFL draft. He needs it. His brothers need it. Most importantly, his mother desperately needs it. Brought up in a world where the poor are forgotten, the sick are left to fend for themselves and no hero miraculously appears to pull you out of hell, Austin had no other choice but to make a living on the wrong side of the law—until football offered Austin the break to get his life back on track. But when a family tragedy drags him back into the clutches of the gang he believed he had left far behind, Austin finds himself falling. Falling back into criminal ways and falling deep into a suffocating darkness. Until a troubled yet kindred spirit stumbles across his path, where Austin quickly finds he is falling for a young woman, a young woman who might just have the power to save him from his worst enemy: himself.

Can two troubled souls find a lasting peace together? Or will they finally succumb to the demons threatening to destroy them?

Review-Jo 

"Sweet Fall" was yet another beautiful love story from Tillie Cole and even though there were times that my heart broke, it was a story that I loved. I recommend that you have some Kleenex near by because I am certain that you will need them. I sobbed my way through almost every chapter including the epilogue! 

"We all have...secrets. Secrets well buried. Until we...find the one soul who ....

makes the burden...of such...secrets just that bit...easier to...to bear." 

If you've read "Sweet Home" you will have already met Lexi and Austin. I remembered the characters but I had not got a clue that something was going on between the couple. They hid their secret extremely well! This story gave me the opportunity to discover what was going on between them whilst Molly and Rome were falling in love. 

Austin Carrillo, the Italian boy from the wrong side of the tracks, 

kissed me. And it was magical. He made me feel safe and for 

one glorious night, he made me feel beautiful.

At the beginning of this story, I didn't really like Austin. He appeared to be quite harsh and rough around the edges and I did not like his attitude towards Lexi. He was not at all a character I thought  I could connect with and I was positive that he was not the kind of guy that could steal my heart. Please don't let my first assumptions of Austin put you off because the more I read of this story, the more I discovered what life was really like for this bad boy. My opinion of Austin quickly changed and I could totally understand the reasons behind his actions and his demeanor. Austin had been living the most horrific life. A life that was impossible to break free from. With each new chapter that I read, I found that a tiny piece of my heart would break for him. I felt so sorry for him and wished more than anything that he could find a way out of the awful situation that he lived with. There was way too much heartache in Austins life. 

"You fuckin' bulldozed me, Pix. You, my tiny dark pixie 

made all my defenses crumble to dust." 

Just like Austin, Lexi was broken too. As soon as this story began, I realised that something was wrong with her and it didn't take me long to work out what it was. My heart immediately went out to Lexi. Her life was a constant struggle as she found it increasingly difficult to manage her fears and anxieties. My heart began to break for both Lexi and Austin and I hoped that someone would be able to help each of them with their very different problems. 

"I don't need to look at the stars to feel inferior, Austin. 

All I have to do is open my eyes and look in the mirror."

Lexi and Austin's start was not exactly the best one. You would never believe that the pair would end up falling in love with each other but as the couple began to see more of each other, the closer they became. It wasn't long before they realised that they were both as damaged as each other. Austin and Lexi were able to confide and support each other through their problems. A beautiful relationship began and I soon saw a different side to Austin. I loved how he was with Lexi, he cared for her so deeply and he handled her issues with so much patience and understanding. I was desperate for Lexi and Austin's relationship to work,  however with Austin's dangerous lifestyle and Lexi's demon's, their relationship was never going to be a breeze. 

"Wrapped in a thin blanket and in front of an open fire, a messed-up boy 

and a messed-up girl fell asleep under the stars, holding each other in their arms...and 

for the first time in their turbulent lives, they felt fully exposed and completely understood." 

The story was beautifully written from both Lexi and Austin's POV so I got to know each of the characters well. The issues that were covered in this story were not easy ones to read about but I felt that Tillie covered these heartbreaking subjects perfectly. I feel that I now have more compassion and understanding towards the issues that were covered. It was definitely not a unicorns and rainbows kind of read instead it was a story that was thought provoking, realistic and courageous. 

I didn't care what we labelled it. She could talk to me and I could talk to her. 

Boyfriend/girlfriend titles had no place among the truly fucked up. 

Just that there was someone else like you, someone to understand. 

"Sweet Fall" was a book that started out gritty and gloomy but evolved into a beautiful love story that has earned a place in my heart. This one gets ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️  from me!