Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: The Fall
SERIES: Love in O’Leary
AUTHOR: May Archer
NARRATORS: Alexander Cendese & Iggy Toma
PUBLISHER: Tantor Audio
LENGTH: 8 hours and 28 minutes
RELEASE DATE: February 19, 2019
BLURB:
“I was in free fall the moment we met, and I just keep falling.”
Small-town police officer Silas Sloane knows every resident of O’Leary, New York. He’s earned the love and respect of its citizens, though living under the small-town microscope grates on him. But though he’s good at his job, there’s one thing he’s not good at: commitments…until Everett.
Widower Everett Maior, O’Leary’s newest citizen, came to the small town kicking and screaming. He never wanted to become primary caretaker for his grandfather and has no interest in living the provincial life. Snarky and superstitious, he’s proficient at keeping people at a distance…until he lays eyes on Silas.
Strange disappearances are plaguing O’Leary, though, even as Silas and Everett find their growing attraction undeniable. Can they find their way to a future together, even as ghosts from the past threaten to tear them apart?
REVIEW:
Everett Maior comes to O’Leary to help his grandfather, proprietor of the local hardward store. Henry Lattimer has broken his leg and lives above the store. He needs help getting around (much to his chagrin and disapproval). Ev’s mother convinces him to leave Boston as much to clear Ev’s head after his husband’s death 15 months prior as to help her father. So Ev and Daphne, his cat, land in O’Leary in an unexpected fashion.
Silas, local officer, finds Everett his first night in town and helps him out. He feels a connection to Ev that he can’t explain. He’s averse to the townsfolk being in his business all the time, so he generally dates (read “hooks up”) out of town. He wants to help Everett settle in and so he offers his guidance, but of course the gossip mill runs wild! This ends up causing a rift between Ev and Silas. And after Ev spills to Silas about his husband and his grief, things go off the rails a bit.
When Silas makes amends and they start to move their relationship forward, strange happenings in town distract Silas. Ev and Silas come to an understanding and fall into a rhythm in their relationship, but Ev is still holding back and Silas is unhappy. Until the mystery moves into overdrive and Silas has to save the day 😉
This is the first book in this series although Book 2 takes place along basically the same timeline fut from the perspective of a different couple. I read the books in reverse order, so I guess it’s only right that I’ve listened to them out of order as well 😛 One thing I really enjoyed about the early books of this series is the dual narration from the alternating POVs of Alexander Cendese and Iggy Toma. This is another wonderful example of their style and skill. The voices for all the characters are quite challenging, but they are up to the task and I was thoroughly engaged throughout the story. Silas and Everett are very different men. Their life experience is very different and yet, there is a connection from the very beginning. In a way, it’s crucial that Silas doesn’t have all the facts of Everett’s life prior to his move to O’Leary. Silas has a lonely life and when he connects with Ev, it’s very different from how he’s been living. And it’s very different for him to actually have to make an effort for someone else rather than just being the pursued and also not looking beyond the next hookup. But it seems he might be at that point where he can see a different kind of future and Ev could be that future. Ev is suffering from a few things – survivors guilt after his husband’s death, a misunderstanding about his relationship with his grandfather, and his assumptions about what Silas would really want from him. Silas has his own survivor guilt to deal with as well as his family’s inability to move on. And of course he has the added benefit of the whole town being in his business his entire life 😉 But as things progress with their relationship – in a bit of a 2 steps forward, one step back fashion – they both come to the conclusion that life will only be worth it if they are willing to risk being hurt. There is an added mystery element as well as the introduction of a lot of the folks of O’Leary who show up in the subsequent stories as well. Last year, this series was one of my uncovered gems 😀 I heartily recommend this book, the series, and the audios – particularly those narrated by these two talented men. Recommended.
RATING: 
BUY LINK:
Audible