Review: Rival

Title:  Rival
Series:  Fall Away #2
Author:  Penelope Douglas (Website | Twitter)
Age Group:  New Adult
Publisher:  Penguin Group (USA)
Publication Date:  August 26, 2014
Source:  Bought

Madoc and Fallon. Two estranged teenagers playing games that push the boundaries between love and war…
She’s back.
For the two years she’s been away at boarding school, 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….

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My Review:  I can't seem to find the right words to describe my feels about this book.  Did I like it?  Yes.  Was it better than the first one, Bully?  In my opinion, again, yes.  It hooked me from page one and I couldn't get enough of it.  I flew through it like a rocket and when I came out on the other side, I was wearing a smile.  But looking back on it, there are some things that just didn't sit right with me.

One thing I did enjoy about this was the love-hate relationship between Madoc and Fallon.  I love exploring relationships like that in novels because it creates amazing tension!  And the fact that we didn't know exactly why there was so much tension made things 10x better and more intense.  I was caught up in unraveling the mystery that surrounded their past.  And when we finally did, I just loved their relationship all the more.  They had a lot of passion between them which fueled both their arguments and the love they shared between each other.  

The only aspect of their relationship (and of the book in general) I didn't totally like was how quickly it moved.  It felt like one second they were completely disgusted with each other and the next they were professing their undying love to each other.  While I really wanted them to be together, I feel like it could have been more satisfying had there been more build up to the moment when their relationship changed.  Their opinions of each other changed at break-neck speed and that bothered me.  

  

Besides how quickly their relationship moved, I really enjoyed the plot.  There wasn't any boring moments and I loved seeing the characters from the first book in this one.  I love it when there are crossovers like that!  Like I said before, I was just completely hooked on this story.  It helped that the writing style was awesome, too!  Penelope Douglas just paints a picture in my head and conveys emotions so perfectly.  I feel like I'm right there with the characters.  

Rival is a novel that is fast paced and entertaining.  I would definitely give it a go if you're looking for something full of romantic tension, interesting characters, and a mysterious past!  

Four Cards