Official Review: Falling to Pieces by E.L Green

[AnnaKathleen]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Falling to Pieces" by E.L Green.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Cassie came to Vancouver to start over, fleeing her past and her demons. She thought a new town meant a new life, and a fresh start. Her plan seems to be working – no flashbacks, no nightmares, no falling apart – until Connor. Cassie soon realizes monsters come in more than one form, and demons don’t always stay in the past. As Cassie fights to pick up the pieces yet again, a new knight in shining armor appears not on a horse, but a Harley Davidson and with a dark past of his own. Soon the two begin to wonder just how broken they are, and if the key to facing the past and starting over can be found in one another.

When I first picked up E.L. Green's Falling to Pieces, I was incredibly excited and I couldn’t wait to begin reading. MC romances, or motorcycle clubs/biker romances, tend to be my weak spot, a guilty pleasure of sorts; however, I quickly was hit with a few surprises.

I first noticed a fresh and colorful, albeit muted, cover. Falling to Pieces does not have a stereotypical dark and brooding cover with a highly attractive man or a man and his bike, nor does it have a man and woman in an intimate embrace or anything or the sort, really. It is an image of a young woman whom might be looking back or preparing to run away. Even the title is in a softer and slightly more feminine font than some other novels with the same themes. This may be a subtle difference, something many may not notice, but it stuck with me and while reading it kept coming to mind.

My second surprise came as I read, this is not an MC romance in the traditional sense but rather a contemporary romance with an MC element. Some readers may not think there is not much to distinguish between those ideas, but I found there is. I was skeptical in the beginning, thinking the contemporary romance and MC aspects would not blend very well.

I will inform potential readers this is contemporary romance focusing on characters and emotional relationships rather than the stereotypical erotic romance MC books that focus more of the physical aspects. While sex scenes do occur occasionally throughout the work, they are not overwhelming and random. Depending on reader preferences this can be a pro, or a con, I found myself enjoying this reading aspect but not expecting it due to other MC books I have read. By the end of E.L. Green’s novel, I found myself pleased and wishing I had read the first book as well.

Falling to Pieces is the second novel in Green’s Broken series; however, it can be read as a standalone work. The connections between works are due to characters and the same MC, but each book follows a different main character and has a self-contained story. Book one followed Cassie’s friend, Ellie, while this installment follows Cassie.

This novel was not flawless, but it was an interesting and fun read. My interest in the main couple ebbed and flowed, I found myself more interested in the support characters at times. I questioned the chemistry between Cassie and Leif at times and lost focus while reading. I think this could have been remedied by having more scenes where they see one another equally and explore the possibility of friendship and companionship a bit more, rather than being at odds almost constantly.

My biggest complaint would be that at times the plot seemed rushed. The book is not very long considering just how much happens in it. This gave it an air of being unputdownable but also a sense of moving too quickly and a bit vaguely. I would have loved the conflicts to have a bit more depth and focus, to see characters go head-to-head or certain scenes to have a bit more suspense and moments of menace. I found that the lack of this was the most frustrating part, the subdued moments popped in and out and never lasted long enough to really make an impact and resonate with me as a reader.

Despite this, I absolutely loved the friendship aspects between Cassie and her girlfriends, but also the friendship/brother-like relationships between Cassie and the men of the club. The lighter moments held hope, love, and laughter and balanced less occurring darker scenes while reading.

Falling to Pieces has a bit of everything that can appeal to readers, characters trying to survive a personal trauma, friendship, suspense, hope, and love. It is also a fast read with language that should be easy for people with various capabilities. There are some variants in spelling due to UK English rather than US English, but there were no typos or grammatical errors that I noticed. I would recommend this for mature readers due to possibly triggering topics such as child abuse, rape, physical, mental and emotional abuse and strong language. With these topics in mind, E.L. Green delivers the story in a manner that is not lacking detail but not overwrought either. Potential readers need not fear grotesque, overly explicit or exploitative scenes. Overall, I think Falling to Pieces is a solid 3 out of 4 and I will be following the rest of the series.

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Falling to Pieces
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Like AnnaKathleen's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Debjani Ghosh]

My biggest complaint would be that at times the plot seemed rushed.

Romance novels with a gripping plot, consistent pace and great characters are a rarity these days. This novel seems to be no exception. While this book has, more or less, well-developed characters, rushed plot weakens the appeal of the book for me. Thanks for the candid review!

[Emi_Review]

It's funny, I'm from the UK and most of the time when I'm reading or reviewing books on this website, I'm trying to not focus on the US spelling. It seems strange for me to see it's the other way around here. I don't even think to mention it in my reviews! The plot sounds interesting, although I'm a little disappointed it was rushed. I really liked the little details you noticed such as the cover; although we have the saying 'don't judge a book by its cover', I still think it plays a major part in drawing the reader to the book, hinting at what's inside. I thoroughly enjoyed this review, thank you!

[bear_6743]

I thoroughly enjoyed this review and the fact that you stated it was just an interesting and fun read. Great characters are a rarity these days but at least it was not overwrought as you stated.

[topdan30]

A book with alot of suspence always gets me going. Thanks for the review.

[Amy+++]

Sounds like a strong read. I can't wait to read it and the rest of the series. Great review.

[topdan30]

A book that contain everything that can appeal to every reader. this will be a great read. thanks for the review.

[AnnaKathleen]

My biggest complaint would be that at times the plot seemed rushed.

Romance novels with a gripping plot, consistent pace and great characters are a rarity these days. This novel seems to be no exception. While this book has, more or less, well-developed characters, rushed plot weakens the appeal of the book for me. Thanks for the candid review!

I couldn't agree more! I have many more reading slumps than I used to because of the rarities. I hope the review helps and thank you for checking it out!

[AnnaKathleen]

It's funny, I'm from the UK and most of the time when I'm reading or reviewing books on this website, I'm trying to not focus on the US spelling. It seems strange for me to see it's the other way around here. I don't even think to mention it in my reviews! The plot sounds interesting, although I'm a little disappointed it was rushed. I really liked the little details you noticed such as the cover; although we have the saying 'don't judge a book by its cover', I still think it plays a major part in drawing the reader to the book, hinting at what's inside. I thoroughly enjoyed this review, thank you!

I never think of how the US spelling could catch some readers off-guard! I think the plot promised quite a bit but just didn't deliver the way I thought it would. I agree! A cover can impact some readers in a major way, and this cover did a nice job! It was definitely refreshing. Thank you for reading my review.

[AnnaKathleen]

I thoroughly enjoyed this review and the fact that you stated it was just an interesting and fun read. Great characters are a rarity these days but at least it was not overwrought as you stated.

I'm glad you enjoyed the review! I hope it helped. I agree; Great characters with depth and an ability to develop beyond what has already been established is not something you can always find in a story. When you can, it definitely makes reading more enjoyable.

[AnnaKathleen]

A book with alot of suspence always gets me going. Thanks for the review.

Thank you for reading! I love books with suspense too! The more the better. I just wished it had been a bit more developed, more detailed to really make an impact. However, I thought the author did a nice job.

[AnnaKathleen]

Sounds like a strong read. I can't wait to read it and the rest of the series. Great review.

Thank you for checking out my review! I thought it was definitely a good read. I really need to get my hands on the first book (and the next installment when the author writes it as well). I noticed what your favorite book is and if you want more contemporary romances, like that and Falling to Pieces, I highly recommend anything by Tillie Cole or Sylvia Day. I'm not sure if you've read anything by them, but I love their works as well.

[AnnaKathleen]

A book that contain everything that can appeal to every reader. this will be a great read. thanks for the review.

Thank you for checking out my review! I hope you enjoy the book when you pick it up! Happy reading (:

[Amy+++]

Thank you so much for the recommendations. I haven't read anything by them, but I will check them out. Thanks again.