One Day to Fall is a cute, sweet contemporary romance that perfectly captures those first precious hours of meeting someone special.
Sophia Roux is already tense and fractious when the accident occurs. An early morning visit to the hospital waiting room to sit for hours as her older sister Angela goes through labor is not her idea of a good time. She had escaped under the pretext of getting snacks for her other sister Zoe and some water for her mom when a man barrels into her and knocks her flat, sending her much needed food fortifications flying.
Parker Jones is in something of a stupor as he walks across the hospital lobby. He hasn’t slept for twenty-four hours and has just been told his mom has alzheimers. What had seemed like a small car accident had in fact been the final conclusive piece of evidence the doctor needed to make the assessment. His mom hadn’t been hit by a car - she’d walked into one. Naturally, this is the cue for him to have a collision of his own. He isn’t sure how he misses seeing the beautiful woman with her arms full of treats but he is sure he doesn’t like her attitude after the two crash into each other. They snark as they get themselves sorted and then part ways, both thinking that it was a shame the beauty on the inside of their crash buddy hadn’t matched the attractive exterior.
Parker heads for the hospital parking lot, where he picks up his taxi to head home. He’s rolling out of the lot when he hears a hand slam on the bonnet and his back door open. He recognizes the imperious voice of the woman he ran into earlier demanding to be taken to The Company Garden.
Sophia delivered the food but when Zoe berated her rather thanked her, she’d fought back and stormed away. This early in the morning, the only thing she can think of to do is visit the Spring Ceremony at The Company Garden. She’s not thrilled that the nearest taxi she finds is being driven by the nasty man she’d bumped into that morning but she’s desperate enough to get away that when he tells her he’s off duty she talks him into driving her. She turns down Parker’s offer to accompany her once they get to the park but he tags along anyway and the two wind up sharing an emotionally intimate breakfast at a nearby restaurant afterwards. They don’t always get along but their conversation is both meaningful and plentiful. They quickly find themselves spending a full day together and wondering - should they end the relationship that evening or explore where it goes over the days ahead?
Sophia and Parker are both going through big moments in their lives. Sophia has spent the last few years taking care of her mother and youngest sister and is tired of having them abuse her for it. Her elder sister abandoned the family after their father’s death and Sophia is angry with her for leaving her to carry the burden. The Roux family has a lot of water under the bridge and that water has heated to a boil and looks to be about to overflow.
Parker and his mother have a fantastic relationship, but his dad wasn’t in his life until recently. Parker basically doesn’t want him there at all. Now he is having to face a future in which he will slowly lose the person he loves most and deal with the fact that the father he doesn’t care for will remain.
Sometimes it is easier to open up to complete strangers and that’s exactly what winds up happening here. Sophia and Parker’s conversations are painful, occasionally harsh and produce wounded feelings on more than one occasion but they are also intensely personal, letting our hero and heroine know each other better than many dating couples do even after months of being together. The fact that they started out with no desire to impress each other meant that they’re more their authentic selves during their encounters than is typical in relationships, which gives them rare insight both into themselves and into each other. That interaction gives this one day relationship a lot of depth.
The attraction/tension between them starts from that first volatile encounter and intensifies throughout the day, eventually leading to steamy kisses and some very heavy petting. At the end of the day, things have progressed far enough both physically and emotionally for the pair to start thinking about whether they really want to part ways or if they should stay together and see what comes next. It’s a romance novel, so of course they opt to pursue a relationship and we are given a lovely epilogue of them six months down the road.
One Day to Fall excelled in many ways. I typically don’t like relationships filled with tension and snark but the author showed me how this was the perfect type of communication for Parker and Sophia. Ms. Beharrie captured all the feelings that we experience when we first meet someone special so perfectly I was left in awe. The creation of a one day relationship that built an incredibly strong foundation for an HEA was amazing. This isn’t a perfect book but it sure seemed a perfect way to spend a summer afternoon to me. I think other fans of contemporary romance will agree.
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Sensuality: Warm
Publication Date: 08/2019
Recent Comments …
Carrie said what I was thinking. This trope can be one of my favorites when it’s done well, partly because…
I’m actually talking more about it as a romance trope, not necessarily what goes on in real life. IRL is…
I always admired the US ability to fail and try again. At least, I was told that this is American:…
These characters sound like empty nightmares whew!
Congratulations on the book!
Congrats, Lynn!