Title:  Falling Under
Series:  Ink & Chrome #2
Author:  Lauren Dane
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  August 4, 2015
Publisher:  Forever (Grand Central Publishing)
My Rating:  4 stars
Source:  NetGalley
Cover Description:

The men of Twisted Steel are great with their hands.

And they’re not afraid to get dirty.

Duke Bradshaw, co-owner of the Twisted Steel custom motorcycle and hot rod shop, may devote his days to chrome and leather, but his nights belong to Carmella. His sultry redheaded neighbor has a smile like an angel and a body built for sin, and for the past year both have dominated Duke’s dreams. When a problem at Twisted Steel requires a fast fix, Duke sees his chance to finally make his fantasy a reality.

Ever since she first heard the low rumble of his engine, Carmella Rossi has wondered if Duke Bradshaw handles his women as expertly as he handles his bike. When he shows up at her door offering her a much-needed job at his shop, she gets her chance to find out. Beneath Duke’s masterful touch, Carmella soon submits to a world of unimaginable pleasure.

But history has taught Carmella how bad a boy boy can be. If she doesn’t put on the brakes fast, her hard-bodied heartbreaker could drive her right over the edge . .

Read on for my thoughts on Falling Under.  No true spoilers, promise.

Duke is hot, handsome and Alpha – yet, he’s that Alpha male that’s got a touch of softness to him to soften the edges of the Alpha.  He’s a fixer, well most men are but Duke does his fixing with compassion, slowness and almost automatically.  He sees problems and sets about fixing them.  He could no less walk away from a problem than he could stop dreaming about Carmella… and that’s not about to happen any time soon.

Carmella is a strong, sexy woman who has been beaten down by an emotionally demeaning mother who can’t care about anyone, including herself.  While Carmella is doing everything possible to take care of her mom, no one is taking care of Carmella.  Until Duke, and it will take time, patience and a lot of love to get her to see the woman he sees every single day.  She won’t take sass from him and is willing and able to stand up to Duke when she feels the need.  Carmella is not a weak woman, but she is wounded and Duke is the perfect man to bring her back to who she needs to be.

Yes, Falling Under is a sexy, steamy story – but that’s not what charms me about it.  Watching these two strong people find what they needed in each other and working toward their own happiness through all the crap that life tosses at them was the real joy of this novel for me.  I enjoyed the time that was spent getting past Carmella’s defenses, and of course the sensuous loving these two share was enough to steam up the Kindle… but the more, that was what made this one so enjoyable for me.

If you enjoy your Alpha males showing their gentler side, if you enjoy a story that takes you apart emotionally and puts you back together again – then you’ll want to pick up Falling Under.

*I received an e-ARC of Falling Under from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. That does not change what I think of this novel.*

Available in paperback, audio and for the Kindle