Review: "Rival" by Penelope Douglas

"I never forgot you. I never stopped loving you."

Rival is the second story and third book release in the Fall Away series by one of my favorites, bestselling author Penelope Douglas. As was the case in Bully and Until You, books one and 1.5, the main characters in this installment have a past that they share with each other. If Jared Trent and Tate Brandt were former best friends turned tormentor and victim, respectively, and now lovers, Madoc Caruthers and Fallon Pierce are step-siblings turned lovers, and now consider each other persona non grata. 

Madoc has always appeared to have a good life. He's popular, he does well in school, his family is rich, and he's got loyal friends. The one thing he doesn't have is a girlfriend and he's kept it that way for a reason. When he finds out Fallon is returning to their family home after a sudden two-year absence, Madoc is not sure what to think. She upped and left without so much as a goodbye, leaving him to suffer alone, and now her return is forcing him to suffer in a completely different way.

Fallon's return is all part of her plan to exact revenge on those she believes hurt her two years ago. It may require her getting Madoc's attention once again but then that's the price she needs to pay to get what she ultimately wants. She's ready to do what's necessary and to use what she knows to her advantage and against those on her shit list. However, even the best laid plans can go awry and Fallon finds herself questioning if Madoc was as much a victim of what happened in the past as she was. 

This book was on my TBR list from the time it was announced that it was coming out. I absolutely loved the first two books and I wanted to know Madoc's story, especially since he was such a memorable character. Learning about what he and Fallon went through in the past and what they had to confront in their present seemed to have been avoidable, especially since the lies of one individual caused them all this misunderstanding and heartbreak. But then these are young people whose circumstances were being manipulated by those who should know better.

Rival is a great story of first loves, second chances, and what "family" truly is. Madoc and Fallon are well-developed characters who are far from perfect but together find that they're exactly what the other needs. I loved that Jared and Tate were still around and Jax is definitely one whose story seems to be worth waiting for (Falling Away, formerly titled Native, releasing in January 2015). This book put a smile on my face, tears in my eyes, and a flutter in my heart and anything that can do that rightly deserves five stars and goes on my "Best Reads of 2014" list. ♥

My Bully five-star review on Goodreads can be found here.

My Until You five-plus-star review on Goodreads can be found here.

Date read: 11 September 2014

Learn more about the wunderkind that is Penelope Douglas here. 

Grab a copy of Rival and Ms. Douglas' other books on Amazon | Barnes & Noble.