Penelope Douglas

"Madoc and Fallon. Two estranged teenagers playing games that push the boundaries between love and war... She's back. For the three years she's been away at boarding school, there was no word from her. Back when we lived in the same house, she used to cut me down during the day and then leave her door open for me at night. I was stupid then, but now I'm ready to beat her at her own game.... I'm back. Three years and I can tell he still wants me, even if he acts like he's better than me. But I won't be scared away. Or pushed down. I'll call his bluff and fight back. That's what he wants, right? As long as I keep my guard up, he'll never know how much he affects me..."--

a Fall away novel

Rival

marta 

Madoc and Fallon. Two estranged teenagers playing games that push the boundaries between love and war . . . She's back. For the three years she's been away at boarding school, there was no word from her. Back when we lived in the same house, she used to cut me down during the day and then leave her door open for me at night. I was stupid then, but now I'm ready to beat her at her own game . . . I'm back. Three years and I can tell he still wants me, even if he acts like he's better than me. But I won't be scared away. Or pushed down. I'll call his bluff and fight back. That's what he wants, right? As long as I keep my guard up, he'll never know how much he affects me . . . Praise for the Fall Away Series 'I read this book in one sitting. Rival was as gripping as it was sexy!' #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover 'Full of feeling and intensity that will appeal to the reader seeking an emotional rush' IndieReader 'I was really craving a book that would make me stop everything I was supposed to be doing and devour every word . . . and that's exactly what Bully did!' Smitten Book Blog 'A unique twist on the bad boy meets good girl tale. I could not put it down!' Aestas Book Blog 'She did something seasoned writers haven't been able to do - take a hero who was a complete ass and make me fall in love with him' Scandalicious Book Reviews

Renata

i read this for the 2nd time it's still this was way too good wayyy too good i loved this so much 
ik that the step-siblings shit is creepy but this book was really freaking amazing and seeing tate and jared and everything it was really amazing madocfallon is really fucking good. 

- "There were people I liked and people I didn't like.People I loved and people I hated. But there was only one person I loved to hate." 

- “Fallon and I were a lot like them. Only I didn’t love her, and she didn’t love me. I was infatuated with her once and loved that she let me take my pubescent urges out on her but we weren’t in love. We were two people in a fucked up family taking our cues from fucked up parents.And neither one of us knew how to do anything differently.”

- “Madoc became my world two years ago. I’d wait for him at night, my heart pumping a mile a minute, knowing that he was coming. Knowing that he was going to touch me. I loved all of it. I never wanted the sun to come up.”

- “That beautiful girl that hated me, and I hated her, but goddamn it I loved how we hated, because it was raw and real. It didn’t make any sense, but yeah it was real.”

- “I was happy and alive when I was with her. I hadn’t felt that for a long time.” 

- “so I never felt like what we were doing was wrong. I loved all of it and wanted more of it.”

- "and the only time I'd felt right was when I had been with Fallon." 

- “I see a woman that wears the cutest little scowl like she’s two years old and was just told she couldn’t have candy. I see a guy that went and got an apadravya piercing, because he wanted to live in her world for even a little while.” (...) "I see a beautiful woman with a knockout body and the guy she drives insane with wanting her." (...) "I see the guy that went so crazy when she left that he tore all of the shit off his walls, thinking she hated him." 

- “Why do you drive me so crazy, Fallon?” “Why does it have to be you?”
And that’s when I realized he wasn’t trying to dominate me. He was desperate. I was in control.”

- “You act like you have no heart, like you just swallow your conscience with all of the pain you cause. But I see through it, Fallon. The truth is, you want me like nobody’s business.” “You’ve always wanted me. You know why? Because I don’t try to kill your demons. I run with them.” “And I never stopped wanting you,”

- “I had never cared about any other girl like this, and I didn't know if that was just me, or if it was Fallon. She and I started so young; maybe she'd ruined me for other women. I didn't know. And I wasn't in the mood to think about whether or not I loved her. I settled on the fact that I was simply not done with her.”

- “Madoc went outside and dug everything back out of the trash.” “He boxed it up and saved it for you.” “That’s what makes Madoc a good kid, Fallon. He picks up the pieces.”

- “You were my first everything. And my only love.”
I wanted her to know that. Even through all the years, the separation, the pain, I wanted her to know that she was the only one I’d loved.”

- “I’d stopped growing up when Fallon left. And I started again when she came home.”

- “Fallon, like me, had seen her parents living exactly how she didn’t want. Lucky for us, our vicarious experience felt like we’d already made our parents’ mistakes. We knew what we wanted now. Even though I knew she was strong, it didn’t stop me from wanting to protect her and give her everything. No one and nothing would stop us.”

- “God, I loved her. There was never anything or anyone I wanted more, and she was mine. When we were fourteen years old she came into my life on the heels of a cruel and self serving woman, but I would do it all again. Every minute. Every ounce of pain. I would go through it all again to get to her.”

- "What does "Fallen' mean? The tattoo on your back?"
"It doesn't say 'Fallen.'"
"Fallon?" 
"I got it a couple of years ago," "I never forgot you. I never stopped loving you."

Beatrix Haase

Never put this as a book i've read, it is one of my all time favorites and I have read it like 20 times. I love the Fall Away series and can't wait to read the next generation.

Bea

Amelia 

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. This series is everything. I’m loving it. Fallon and Madoc, oh my god are you kidding. Perfectly sexyyy! Like come on is anyone willing to talk about the park scene, I mean damnnn. 

Dear Penelope Douglas, you have changed my life with your books...

Lover of Romance 

Madoc and Fallon have been estranged for two years after connecting with each other in a intimate way. Fallon was forced away, and her mother forced her to go through a traumatic experience that changed Fallon forever. Now she is back, and she is after something and she needs Madoc’s help in a way. But Madoc burns with anger at Fallon, for what happened before and never hearing a word from her ever since. But on the one night they happen to reconnect again, Madoc wakes up alone and finds her gone and having betrayed him once again. Fallon did what she had to, and even though she craves Madoc, she also knows that he will never forgive her. But she can’t resist him, but fate has a way of bringing these two together once again, forcing them to reveal the truths of the past and begin anew….together.

Now I had a blast with this story, boy was it good. I am such a fan of Madoc, he is a hoot but we really see hidden depths of his character in this book. He doesn’t handle Fallon leaving him very well….okay quite frankly, he handles it so badly. But it was also amusing at the same time. Even though there is a level of angst in this book, there is still an emotional and fun feels to this story that has you reaching for more. Fallon isn’t perfect, and she makes mistakes, but she also follows through on what she believes in. I really liked seeing more of the other characters too!! The romance is pretty engaging, and these two go back and forth like a ping pong ball but I had such a fantastic time all the while!!! Truly a win of a romance!!

catia

“You were my first everything. And my only love.”


Fallon and Madoc were a freaking ride! Kinda more crazy than Jared and Tate but I really liked them and I think Fallon is definitely one of my fave characters in this series!
At first I thought they were a little bit toxic to each other, always trying to make the other one hurt and never really telling each other the whole truth but god they did fight it all and against the freaking whole world to be together and they did it! They got together and it was actually really beautiful and a little bit heartbreaking but just perfect for them! I loved how they kinda pulled a Naley and got married young and fuck the world, it was so them and I loved it! 
I preferred this book over the first one but reading Jared and Tate from Madoc or Fallon's pov was actually so damn cute and heartwarming!! Madoc and Tate's friendship in this book meant the world to me and also how Fallon finally got the family she truly deserved and people who cared and loved her by her side through it all! Their development was a little bit more powerful than Jared and Tate's but both couples were so worth it and so good! 
Loved seeing more of Jaxon here and I was so ready for hits book since he responded to Liam ehehe I bet his book will be my favorite even tho K.C kinda annoyed me in the first book but I have faith in her!!


  “I got it a couple of years ago,” I told her. “I never forgot you. I never stopped loving you.”
“That’s because we’re unstoppable.”

JoLee

4/5 Loved It

The angst and banter was perfect as I like in a bully romance with enemies to lovers. Fallon can hold her own with Madoc. The best part it was Fallon who was hot and cold towards Madoc. Usually heroes are like this so it was nice to have something different. It has the forbidden romance as they are step siblings. Unpredictable with a good twist. Loved seeing how Tate and Jared are doing from Bully #1.

Elise Soper

Just as amazing as the first! It was such a good read and I loved every second of it. It’s very fast paced and definitely wasn’t expecting a lot of the plot twist. Another absolute masterpiece by Penelope!

Samantha 

4.5 stars 

First off let me say that you, Penelope Douglas, are fucking awesome. 

Secondly, OMFG I love Madoc and Fallon!!!!

Thirdly, I am already desperate for Jax's story!

I'm not one to write long reviews, so that is all. :P

Find this review and more at 
  kimberlyfaye reads
.

It's difficult to pinpoint what my favorite thing about Penelope Douglas' Fall Away series is, but if I had to pick just one thing, I would say it's that she's not afraid to "go there." And "there," in Rival, is with a taboo relationship between step-siblings. (No, this is NOT incest. They're not related by blood.) Penelope has a way of taking less-than-perfect characters and making me fall head-over-heels in love with them, faults and all. She did with Tate and Jared in Bully and Until You. She did it again with Madoc and Fallon in Rival. 

If you've read Bully or Until You, you're already acquainted with Madoc, Jared's best friend. He's kind of a jerk. He's a bit of a manwhore. But there was something intriguing about him all along. (Or there was to me, at least.) I couldn't wait to get his full story. And oooooh boy. What a story it was. Madoc's life is turned upside down when his step-sister Fallon returns. First, he's ordered not to come home while she's there. It was clear *something* happened between them when they were younger and their parents were trying to keep history from repeating itself. Then there's just the feelings seeing Fallon again brings out in him. I really saw a different side of Madoc in this book. (And I liked that side a lot more than the one I'd seen in the previous books.)

Both Madoc and Fallon were interesting and complex characters. It's difficult to call them likable because they were both so flawed that it took some time to really connect with them. I was sucked into their story long before I felt truly connected to their characters. But their story. Wow. Because Rival is told in dual POV, readers have a chance to get inside both Madoc and Fallon's heads. Even still, it takes some time before their entire history is revealed. Let me just tell you, I wasn't expecting all of this. As a matter of fact, this book was full of some surprising twists and turns. 

I know I'm being incredibly vague here and I'm doing it intentionally. It's difficult to review this book without giving away important pieces of the story. Basically just know that Rival was great and exhausting and a total roller coaster ride. It was hot and sexy. It was sweet. It made me want to tear my hair out. It was full of feels. By the end, I was completely addicted to these characters and their story (both in the past and present). There was a ton of drama in this one and not all of it was the Madoc and Fallon's. Their families played a big part in this book – and not always in a good way. Some of the drama worked for me, other parts of it didn't as much. But all in all, this was a great read. 

I love Penelope's writing and can't wait for more of it. Particularly, you know, Jax's book. It simply can't get here soon enough. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Lacey

Originally posted at Booklovers For Life

Oh my gosh, OH MY GOSH! Rival was utter perfection! I laughed, I swooned, I gasped, and I fell deeply and madly in love with this book. Rival is a stunning, beautiful, heart-wrenching book that will make fans of Penelope Douglas fall in love all over again with this series after reading it.

Rival was definitely one of my TOP anticipated reads of the year, and it didn’t disappoint. It totally met every one of my high expectations and then some. So for those of you who, like me, fell in love with Jared and Tate’s story and were wondering if Rival will be just as good? I’m here to tell you that it abso-freaking-lutely is. It’s been a while since a book has had me so consumed in its story, but once I started Rival, I literally could not stop reading. I was utterly addicted to each and every page.

There were people I liked and people I didn’t like. People I loved and people I hated.
But there was only one person I loved to hate.

Madoc and Fallon: step-siblings–who hate each other. Basically, the perfect ingredients for one hell of a book.

Two years ago, Fallon was sent away to boarding school. Madoc was left behind, and during those two years, hatred festered over misunderstandings and hurt. But the Madoc we know now? He’s not exactly an angry boy. He’s obnoxious, rude, funny as hell, but not very emotional. But now that Fallon is back, all these emotions are rising up in him–his lust and hate for her–and the chemistry between them is passionate and can’t be denied.

That beautiful girl that hated me, and I hated her, but–goddamn it–I loved how we hated, because it was raw and real. It didn’t make any sense, but yeah–it was real.

I absolutely loved how Penelope Douglas portrayed Madoc and Fallon’s attraction. No matter how much they hate each other, that attraction is always there, and it’s hard and fast and felt very, very real. I could feel the tension between them, how on edge the two of them were. I felt like I was on the edge of my seat, with my heart pounding, just waiting for the tension to explode between them. And besides, love and hate? There’s a very thin line between the two, and Madoc and Fallon cross that line again and again.

Fallon is one hell of a chick. I loved her, admired her, felt for her, hurt for her. She goes through such emotional turmoil from past and present hurts, all the while never giving up that badass persona. She tough through and through, but the one person who can get through those walls, the one person who sees her for her, is Madoc. Madoc, the first boy she’s ever been with, the boy who broke her heart, and now the man who fires her up like no other.

“You act like you have no heart, like you just swallow your conscience with all of the pain you cause. But I see through it, Fallon. The truth is, you want me like nobody’s business.” She closed her mouth and swallowed. “You’ve always wanted me. You know why? Because I don’t try to kill your demons. I run with them.”

Madoc and Fallon definitely don’t have an easy path ahead of them. They have so much history that we piece together as it’s slowly revealed throughout the book. Rival almost felt suspenseful, in the way that it was so thrilling and intense to read. There is just so much for Fallon and Madoc to overcome, but there is no doubt that these two can do anything together.

Rival is told in both Madoc and Fallon’s POVs, so we come to understand how both of them feel. We understand where their anger comes from, how their anger is justified. I never even wanted to smack either of them, that’s how much I came to love and understand them. This couple has one of the most gripping and addicting stories, and I applaud Penelope Douglas for creating them, for creating characters that I’ll never forget.

And Jared and Tate fans, don’t despair! These two play a heavy part in Rival, which totally me happy. And holy crapola, JAX! We get to see a little more of Jax, Jared’s brother, and I have to say, I have a feeling I’m going to love Jax even more than Jared or Madoc, which is saying something because I love Jared and Madoc to infinity and beyond. I grew a little obsessed with Jax while reading Rival–I swear, Falling Away cannot get here fast enough!

So, Rival? It’s one of the best books I’ve read all year. I loved every single thing about it. I was up until three in the morning finishing this darn book, but it was so worth it. I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK!

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Rival a Fall away novel

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