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Book Title: The Harder We Fall
Author: Rebecca Raine
Cover Artist: Bec Rivers
Release Date: March 29, 2021
Genre: MM Romance
Trope: Hurt/Comfort
Themes: Grief, Penance, Personal Growth
Heat Rating: 4 flames
Length: 70,000 words
It is a standalone book.
Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited
For years, I’ve been bound by sleeplessness and sorrow. His voice threatens to set me free.
Blurb
Insomnia. It’s part of the penance I pay for my greatest mistake. But when an ill-timed doze behind the wheel of my car nearly introduces me to a pole, I know something has to change.
Sleep with Me, a locally-made meditation app, promises a cure. I don’t expect it to work. Nor do I expect to become enthralled by the voice of its creator, Sam Stephenson. His ability to coax forth my nightly surrender is unnerving. I have to meet this man and learn the secret behind his techniques, so I can evict him from my head—and still get a good night’s sleep.
In person, the quiet and reclusive Sam is his own kind of complicated. He needs my business skills as much as I need his meditation skills and we forge an unlikely partnership. But the attraction between us soon flares into passion and, as we grow closer, I start to long for more than my guilty conscience will allow.
I have no right to love, not after the damage I’ve done. How can I give Sam all he deserves, when our chance at a happy ending was ruined before we even met?
Excerpt
“We’re running out of time.”
“So, we are,” I say with a false show of surprise. “It’s my fault, of course.” I pause, trying to figure out how to word the next part without making it obvious this was part of my plan all along. “I could always email you the questions. Then you can take as long as you like to answer them. After you send them back, I’ll write up a plan and we can meet again to discuss it.”
He looks aghast at the idea. “That’s a lot of work. I don’t want to take up too much of your time.”
“Actually, Sam, I’m the one asking for more of your time.” I brandish my most charming smile. It’s worked on men in the past, though I’m not usually trying this hard for the win. Desperation may have knocked the polish off.
Sam’s mouth drops open and somehow he manages to look panicked and thrilled at the same time. “You want to see me again?” he asks. “For the quid pro quo, I mean.”
“If you don’t mind.” I try to look calm, but my pulse is roaring like an express train. If he says no, I’m screwed. “I know this is all a bit odd, me coming to you the way I have. I suppose I hoped, once we met, you might be willing to give this whole process some more time.”
He shifts in his chair again, his gaze dropping. There’s no sign of his earlier trepidation, though, only a subtle wariness. “This was never going to be one hour, was it?”
“Not really, no,” I say, surprised at my honesty. “Not if we’re both going to get what we want from this.”
I can feel his attention all over me, even with his gaze glued to the table. “What exactly do you want from me, Tristan?”
It’s the voice. Right there in front of me. Coming from his mouth. Holy fuck.
Hearing that voice say my name, after all the ways I’ve used and abused his—in curses and moans and whispered pleas—is a goddamned fantasy come to life. Lust surges through my veins and I want to growl in frustration. This infatuation has to end. “I need to stop sleeping with you.”
His head snaps upright and we both gasp.
My right hand slaps over my mouth. “Fuck, I didn’t mean it like that.”
Looking away again, he releases a shaky breath. “It’s all right.” He runs absent hands along his arms, soothing a severe case of goosebumps. Sam is responding to my voice, my words, the same way I inevitably respond to his.
How would we respond to each other’s touch? Stifling a groan, I shift clenched fists into my lap. That’s not what this is about. I’m obsessed enough without learning the texture of his skin and the taste of his—
Sam starts to laugh, really laugh. “That stupid name,” he manages to say between breaths. “Sleep with Me. It wasn’t even my idea, but it certainly does get a reaction.” There’s another peel of laughter, as if he’s releasing all the tension from his body, and I find myself joining in. Every time we look at each other it gets worse and before I know it my stomach is sore from laughing. It feels good to laugh at myself. Weird, but good.
“Let me rephrase,” I say as we start to regain our composure. “What I mean is, now you’ve succeeded in getting me to sleep, I want to figure out how to do it on my own.”
“Should be easy enough. It’s probably something in the phrasing.”
Reality seeps back in, killing off the last of my amusement. “No, it’s something else.” Sam isn’t the first person to tell me to let go of my guilt. My mother used to say it constantly. It wasn’t your fault, Tristan. You shouldn’t blame yourself.She didn’t believe her words any more than I did, but she tried. “I don’t know what it is about you that’s different. I don’t think it’s necessarily something you can teach me, but whatever it is, I need to figure it out.”
“So, what’s the plan?” he asks with a baffled expression. “Are you going to hang around me until you get your answer through osmosis or something?”
“Maybe? I don’t know.” I drop my head into my hands. “Honestly, I’m making this up as I go along.”
“You and me both,” he says with a snort. “I don’t know if I can give you the answer you’re looking for, Tristan. But I’ll try.”
Slumping back in my chair, I release a sigh. “Thank you, Sam.”
He smiles that tiny smile and I try not to drool when his cheeks turn pink. “It’s my pleasure.”
About the Author
Rebecca is a long-time lover of all things romance. Whether it’s a book, movie, or real life, she will always have more fun if there’s a love interest thrown into the mix. She lives in Queensland, Australia with her very own hero husband, two quirky kids and one big, black dog. Other than reading and writing books, her favourite things include loud music, enjoying a glass of wine on the patio, organising everything in existence, and spending too much time on the Internet.
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Interview Questions
Q: Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know.
I have the sense of direction of a dysfunctional compass. I can get lost anywhere. It’s occasionally embarrassing but more often annoying because I end up driving in circles or having to walk back the way I came because I headed in the wrong direction. When I do know where I’m going and I can direct someone else there, I experience a weird and overblown sense of pride.
Q: What’s your favorite scene in your latest book and what makes it a fave?
There’s a scene in the book in which Sam confesses his love for Tristan. Nothing unexpected. It is a romance, after all. But Tristan’s response was the big draw for me. Let’s just say… he’s not thrilled.
It was by far my favourite scene to write because there were so many emotions involved and a great many of them conflicted with each other. The scene that follows was also… ah… interesting. *wink*
Would you care to share an excerpt from the scene with us?
I would love to. This scene is from Sam’s point of view:
“I’m not going to stop,” I call out as he reaches the closed studio door. “I won’t even try.”
Tristan stops dead, tension radiating from the long lines of his body.
“Whether you want it or not. Whether you deserve it or not. Whether you love me back… or not.” My voice cracks on those last words, but I keep going. I have to get it all out now, in case I never see him again. “My love is yours.”
The backpack hits the floor as he turns to rush at me. I barely have time to draw a breath before he grabs the front of my shirt and hauls me against him. “Take it back,” he snarls.
“No.” I grit my teeth against the riot. Quaking limbs, crashing heart, sweat and panting and a voice that barely functions. “I love you. There’s no going back. It’s done.”
He backs me up against the wall, his hips fitting themselves to mine even as his eyes spit fire and fury. “I never asked for your love.”
“You didn’t have to.” I wrap my fingers around his wrists, my body restless against his. This show of aggression shouldn’t be a turn on for me but, apparently, it really is. I lick my lips and Tristan swears under his breath, his jaw clenching. “You don’t get a choice in this,” I tell him. “My heart is mine to give and I decide who to give it to.” The rush of blood through my veins is deafening and I’m lightheaded beneath the force of his glare. “I choose you.”
Q: If you could spend some real-life time with one of the characters in the book, who would you choose and why?
I would spend time with Sam, so he can teach me to meditateand quiet the voices in my head. Plus, he’s a good cook so, if I’m lucky, he’ll feed me.
Q: On the flipside, which character would you probably least get along with? Why?
I’m done spending time with Tristan. There were days when being in his head was rough. I love him to pieces and I’m glad I was there to help him reach his happily ever after, but we’re definitely due for a break. If I was to hang out with him again, it would be to curl up on a couch together and not talk.
Q: Have you ever written a line, paragraph, or passage, and thought, “Darn, that’s pretty amazing, even if I do say so myself”? What was it?
This does happen upon occasion and it’s always when I’ve been working with intense focus on a particular scene, sometimes for several days. When it does happen, it really does feel like a breakthrough and there’s an enormous rush of reliefwhen it’s done.
It’s a feeling I experienced for one paragraph at the beginning of a chapter in The Harder We Fall. I spent hours deliberated over every word, every phrase. I came back to it in several different writing sessions. In the end I was happy with how it turned out. Mainly because of how simply and succinctly it summed up Tristan’s character. I ended up using it for one of the teasers for the book. It went like this:
Some moments in life are so big in their smallness, they come to define who you are. Not just who you are in those few seconds or who you become from then on. They define all of you. Outside of that moment, you are nothing. You can be nothing. You barely exist.
Q: What’s the one genre/sub-genre you haven’t written yet, but would love to? What’s kept you from it so far?
I’m completely happy in my sub-genre, but there are heaps of tropes I haven’t yet written that I’d love to try. Like enemies-to-lovers, fake engagement, and brother’s best friend. I’ve barely scratched the surface when it comes to tropes.
Q: Let’s talk tropes: do you have a few favorites that you enjoy both writing and reading? If so, what are they and what makes them your favorites?
I’m a total sucker for friends-to-lovers stories and second chance stories. I’ve written several of both and I adore them. I think I’m drawn to the idea of longing for someone for a long period of time and then finally getting the chance to, not only live out the fantasy of being with them, but having it exceed all expectations. Who doesn’t love to see a dream come true?
Q: If I were to interview your main characters, what would they say about you?
I hope Tristan would say I’m a good friend who listenedwhen he needed me to. He would also complain that I had no right to put My Immortal by Evanescence onto the book soundtrack—even for a day.
Sam would say I need to stop thinking so much.
Stuff & Nonsense Questions
Q: Let’s pretend you’re taking a road trip, and you can choose any three of your characters to go with you. Who would you want on the ride-along, and why them?
I would take Amber from Lost in Amber, because she would have every person we met along the way wrapped around her little finger within minutes. Also, Jeremy from Everything We Need and All the Broken Pieces because he would be sooooomuch fun to hang out with. I would never get enough of his infectious smile. Finally, I would bring Dante from Finding Grey, because it’s only a road trip if you spend half of it singing along to a rocking playlist turned up to full volume. Dante is a rock star, he would sing along with me for sure.
Q: If you had to choose between becoming a superhero or supervillain, which would you choose and why? What would your superpower be?
Being a supervillain sounds like fun, but my conscience couldnever handle doing anything that would classify me as a ‘badguy’. So, I would have to be a superhero. I would be telekinetic. That’s my superpower of choice—every time.
Q: If James Corden invited you to Carpool Karaoke, what song(s) would you sing with him?
What’s Up by Four Non-Blondes. There is nothing about that song that isn’t pure awesome.
Q: Star Trek or Star Wars - both or neither? Explain.
Lost in Space. I remember watching Star Trek growing up because my mother loved it. I didn’t see Star Wars until I was much older. But Lost in Space was a favourite in our house. As a kid, my favourite part was the ‘friendship’ between Will Robinson and Dr Smith.
THANK YOU
By
Rebecca Raine
Review
By
Heidi Lynn’s Book Reviews
First, I want to thank Rebecca Raine and Gay Book Promotions for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review.
Yes!!! Rebecca Raine is back with her latest MM story The Harder We Fall. Out of all the books I have read by hers this is the one that liked the best.
One thing I commend Rebecca about that is different than most other LGBTQ+ books is that hers has substance to it. She has a good powerful story to it. Sure there is a lot of sexual tension and some sexual scenes-but-there is so much more to this story. It is so refreshing!
This is the first book in a very long time that I officially say I have two new book boyfriends, Sam and Tristan! Their chemistry and sexual tension was off the charts. They both had life struggles they needed to overcome.
The Harder We Fall very much interested me as I could relate to Tristan who suffered from Insomnia too. Like Tristan I too have tried everything to fall and stay asleep. Nothing I have tried worked. Now if I had a good looking man like Sam to help me maybe lol!
Rebecca focuses on some very important topics in this book such as Insomnia, loss of a loved one, dangers of being sleep deprived, nightmares, anxiety, child abuse, a tragic accident, agoraphobia, etc.
The epilogue put a huge smile on my face to see how these characters evolved and where they were today.
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