Rival

Fall Away Series, Book 2

By: Penelope Douglas

Narrated by: Abby Craden, Nelson Hobbs

She's back. For the two years she's been away at boarding school, and 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. Two 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.

©2014 Penelope Douglas (P)2014 Tantor

Critic reviews

"As gripping as it was sexy! Witty dialogue, great chemistry and a great plot make Rival a book you don't want to end." (Colleen Hoover, New York Times best-selling author)

Distracting Female Narration

Good story, which I really wanted to get into, but there was a big problem for me personally. The narrator Abby has this distracting hitch of breathe after most of her lines. It got so annoying I considered not finishing the audiobook, but I really wanted to hear the story. Narrator Nelson was good. The story was engaging even if the leads spent the book being angry at each other. If you enjoy that type of storyline this book is a win.

Deep emotions and angst

The characters annoy me a lot of the time, but I'm still really entertained by the story. I listened to the audio and both narrators did a good job, and I'd recommend listening to the book if you have the chance. The main characters play too many games for too long, and definitely needed to mature quite a bit. Madoc and Fallon are step-siblings; they were already teenagers when their parents married each other, so they don't have that brotherly, sisterly thing going on. They both love the other, but neither of them is willing to admit it. Plus, there are some things that aren't quite what they seem. The parent figures in this series leave a lot to be desired, so it's no wonder these characters don't know how to act most times. Fallon thinks Madoc treated her badly, so she has some plan to get back at him and their parents. Madoc thinks Fallon just up and left without warning and said some bad things about him, so he's been treating her badly. Fallon and Madoc play tons of games with each other, which gets tiring after awhile, but I did like how passionate they are for each other. Even when they are hating on each other, you can feel the love they have. I like the depth of emotion these characters feel, and that what essentially draws me into the story. Overall, I'm enjoying this series and look forward to reading the next books.

Madock's Story

Would you consider the audio edition of Rival to be better than the print version?

N/A

What did you like best about this story?

Picks up where Bully left off. It tells the story of Madock and gives his character a more endearing depth.

What does Abby Craden and Nelson Hobbs bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The Narration was perfect. I love that It was a his and hers narration.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

N/a

Any additional comments?

N/a

Rival book 2 in Penelope Douglas “Fall Away” series

Maddoc and Fallon’s story to love was very interesting. It had it ups and downs. It’s swoon moments and of course it’s angst. This book definitely had Pen’s writing signature. I think what I had a problem with is the women’s narrator portion of this book. I did not care for how her voice narrated the males voices. It did not sound natural. That’s my opinion. Other then that Rival is worth a read.

breathtaking

I finished in one listen. Maddoc and Fallon are addictive. Penelope Douglas did it again

Loved the storyline!

I like that this book didn’t recap all the details of prior books, instead it added some to fill in the gaps of what we had already known by having brief flashbacks from someone else’s POV. Fun read!

Delicious

I loved the story and characters in this book. Just the never ending devotion and love for each other. 💙💙💙

So much better than the 1st book

I liked this book so much more than the first one. Madoc is a lot more likeable and because we get his point of view, we see why he acts the way he does. He also isn't a huge bully, he's funny and we see that he cares for Fallon right off the bat. Fallon was a better female main character to me because she stands up for herself and doesn't care what others think about her. The narrators also did a good job with their characters, which helped me get into the story.
I enjoyed seeing more of Jaxon and I'm looking forward to his book next!

So good!

Normally I don’t write reviews but this book and this series is really good. Great easy story. The characters are great and grow. Highly recommend.

Loved it.

The two narrators for this book are absolutely amazing. They brought the story to life and I couldn't stop listening from the moment I first started this book.