Title: Watch Me Fall
Author: Riley Parks
Series: Start Something #1
Publisher: Boroughs Publishing
Release Date: March 27th 2018
Genre: Contemporary MM Romance
BLURB
Having it all is hard work, and Elijah Tucker has no problem 24/7-ing to keep himself on top. But life has a sense of humor and a big-ass mirror that reminds Eli where he came from, and shows him what he’s really made of when he meets Gideon Valsecchi.
Gideon Valsecchi has one life goal – get out of the shithole where he lives on the South Side of Chicago. To say life has been unkind is a joke he can’t even laugh at; to say he’s going to have to claw his way out is a reality that nearly crushes him every day. But...he has a secret weapon, and he’s learning how to hone his skills. Yet, hope is a feeling he won’t indulge in until he gets to know Elijah Tucker, who shows Gideon there is an out, and it can include love.
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Momma Says: 4 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐
Watch Me Fall is a well-written, gritty romance that skates just this side of taboo with Gideon's age. He is legal, but just barely and the age difference between him and Eli really isn't that great, except when you consider the amount of growing up that happens in those years between eighteen and twenty-seven. That part did bother me in the beginning, but it also helps to explain Gideon's negativity throughout so much of the story. Given his age and circumstances, he's learned to hide behind a veil of sarcasm and denial rather than let his feelings show and risk getting hurt. Eli is patient with him despite the intense attraction. He does sometimes come across like he's trying to buy his way into Gideon's life, but once parts of Eli's story are revealed, that too begins to make sense. The romance is a bit of an emotional roller coaster with this pair relying quite a lot on the physical attraction to keep the relationship moving. Considering all of this, it would appear that I didn't particularly enjoy the story, but in reality, I really did. Eli and Gideon are both interesting characters with equally interesting backstories and their combined story made for a compelling read. So, while there were things that frustrated me, in the end, I felt like that may have been intentional. We do get a happy for now, open ending, so there are still some questions about this couple's future and I expect that we'll see a few more ups and downs and hopefully, some emotional growth for Gideon in the next part of their story.
EXCERPT
“I don’t want your fucking sweatshirt, man,” Gideon stated, clicking his tongue. “Ain’t your fucking charity case. Go give shit to some other motherfucker if you need to deal with some kinda winner’s guilt or something. I’m not the one.”
“It’s not any kind of guilt,” Eli protested. “I fucked yours up and I’m giving you a new one.”
“Don’t want it,” Gideon replied simply. He began to walk again, visibly irritated when Elijah continued beside him.
“How about breakfast?” Eli asked, holding up the McDonald’s bags in his other hand.
Gideon stopped again and reluctantly held his hand out, appearing taken back when Elijah handed him both bags.
“I didn’t know what you liked, so I got you everything,” Eli said, giving Gideon a small grin as he peeked in the bags.
“Are you serious right now?” Gideon questioned, his nose crinkling as he studied Elijah’s face. “Did you poison this shit or something?”
“Seriously?”
“It’s a normal question,” Gideon stated, suddenly looking amused by the situation. “If a guy fucked your wife, would you buy him a Ferrari?”
“I don’t have a wife. I’m gay,” Elijah reminded him.
Gideon narrowed his bright blue eyes. “That’s not the point. It’s hypothetical. When people do fucked-up shit to you, do you always bring them fucking breakfast?”
“Mostly I buy them lunch,” Elijah admitted, thinking getting mugged on the South Side wasn’t that different than getting fucked over by half the agents he bought lunch for. He smiled when Gideon coughed out a reluctant laugh.
“I’m not gonna eat all this for breakfast,” Gideon informed him, turning around so he could head back to his house, “but I’ll put it in the fridge and eat it sometime.”
Eli nodded. “Good.”
As they walked in silence back to the Valsecchi house, Elijah reflected on how strange the moment was, but how pleasant at the same time.
“D’you want something? Before I put it away?” Gideon questioned, grabbing a wrapped sandwich out of the bag without giving much of a thought to what it was.
“I’ll eat something,” Elijah decided, reaching his hand into the bag and grasping the first thing he could.
“Hold this,” Gideon said, tossing Eli his sandwich and stomping out his cigarette before disappearing into the house. Once he returned, he took the food back, still regarding Eli suspiciously. “You sure you didn’t do something to this?”
“I’m eating one, too,” Elijah replied, tearing the wrapper and smirking at Gideon, who cautiously did the same.
“I don’t got time to shit my brains out if you laced it with laxatives,” he stated. “Got a game tonight.” He took a tentative bite of the sandwich, watching Eli do the same.
“Mmm, this is damn good,” Elijah remarked, shocked by how delicious the food was.
“You okay over there?” Gideon asked, his mouth full.
“Yeah, it’s just…wow. It’s better than I remember.
“Were you on Mars for a while?” Gideon snarked, grinning when Elijah laughed.
“I don’t eat it a lot,” Elijah replied, talking another big bite. “Shit. So good.”
“Yeah, well…” Gideon cleared his throat as they approached the corner, “enjoy jizzing over your fucking McGriddle, man, but I don’t need you to walk me to school.”
Eli nodded his understanding and offered the sweatshirt one last time. “You sure you don’t want it?”
“Positive,” Gideon scoffed, giving him a dirty look.
Elijah shrugged and started to walk back toward the L.
“Thanks,” Gideon called out, but before Eli could turn and respond, the guy was gone.
About the Author
Riley has always loved to write, believing that life has the possibility to be its most beautiful when it’s portrayed on the pages of a book. Feeling the need to create and liberate in the midst of the political landscape, Riley writes novels that focus on LGBTQ protagonists, wanting to honor a community that deserves better representation depicting lives, loves and triumphs in all facets of fiction.
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