Wednesday, May 13, 2015

AFLAME (Fall Away #4) by Penelope Douglas




From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Bully, Until You, Rival, and Falling Away comes the sizzling conclusion to the Fall Away series. 

The tables have turned. Now I have the power—and it’s his turn to beg…

Everyone wants to be me.

Maybe it’s the sway of my skirt or the way I flip my hair, but I don’t care. Even though their attention is the last thing I crave, I just can’t stop. I dominate the track, the speed rattles my bones, and the wind and the crowd screams my name.

I’m her. The girl driver. The queen of the race. And I’m surviving—something he thought I’d never do.

They all still talk about him. Did you see Jared Trent on T.V? What did you think of his last race, Tate? When is he coming back to town, Tate?

But I refuse to care too much. Because when Jared does come home, I won’t be here.

Tatum Brandt is gone. I’m someone new.
 


REVIEW:


I couldn't have envisioned this series ending any better. We all know that Jared and Tate's relationship has never been easy. Their friendship was easy when they were young, but things changed that summer when Jared went to his father's house.  Once Jared managed to get his shit together and put the demons of his past behind him and openly love Tate, we were all rooting for them. They found a way to balance each other out.  They were consumed with each other, drawn to each other. The only problem was, Tate knew what she wanted from life. She was following the path to secure herself a great future. Jared on the other hand, didn't have a clue what he wanted. He knew he wanted Tate. He knew Tate was who he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, but that wasn't enough. Jared needed to figure out who he was without Tate.  He wanted to be good enough for Tate, to be able to provide for Tate.  Tate wanted to be a doctor and he refused to be anything less than what she deserved.

At the end of Falling Away, we all gasped as we read that Epilogue. I know I did. My heart broke for both Jared and Tate. I understood why Jared made the decision he did.  It killed me to see the pain that Tate was going through. I wish she would have given him the opportunity to explain himself. Instead, her heart shattered into a million pieces and she spoke with anger. Tate couldn't believe the words that Jared was telling her.  Why? Why would he do this to them? Why did he feel leaving was his only choice?

In Inflame, we get to see what transpired between Jared and Tate while they were apart for over a year.  It wasn't easy for either of them. Both of them were still in love with each other. Both of them knew that their hearts belonged to the other, no matter how much distance was between them. No matter who came into their lives to try to fill the void of the other. 

Tate had changed. She was no longer the quiet, timid girl they all knew. Tate took charge of her life, her voice and her fierce need to win at the loop.  She was surviving the loss of Jared. She refused to be that broken girl she once was.  It took her time to come to terms with their brake up, but she managed.  

When Tate and Jared cross paths, the road ahead of them is quite broken. There are several sharp turns, ups and downs, but the question is, is their love for one another strong enough to survive this?  Will the two of them be able to let go of their anger with each other, in order to move on?  Can Tate forgive Jared for walking away from her?  Can Jared let go of the vision he saw when he returned home?  Will Tate and Jared have their happily ever after?

Penelope nailed it with Aflame. This was the perfect way to end the series. She tied up all of the lose ends in the series. We got to see the gang that we fell in love with. Penelope was able to give us readers everything we wanted....  possibly even more with the ending of this series. I am sad to see this series end, but the way she ended it, it may not me the last we see of this group.

This review was written by Heather. An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.





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