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Fallen Men #7
Caution to the Wind
From Wall Street Journal bestselling author Giana Darling comes an age gap, forbidden love story about a rebel soul and her best friend's dad who wants absolutely nothing to do with her...
I fell in love with my best friend's dad when I was seventeen.
He seemed like some kind of heathen god, big enough to kill a man with his bare hands, tattooed with bright, bold images, and weathered by time and a short stint in prison.
Blind to the consequences, I made a mistake that ran him out of town and ruined his life.
Now, he's back after all these years––hating me more than the day he left.
What he doesn't know is that I've been working to atone for my sins.
I've infiltrated the Vancouver Triad that killed his wife.
Always my protector, he decides it's not safe for me to be in this alone, so he resolves to get me out of the Triad and out of his hair for good.
*A stand-alone novel in The Fallen Men Series.*
I fell in love with my best friend's dad when I was seventeen.
He seemed like some kind of heathen god, big enough to kill a man with his bare hands, tattooed with bright, bold images, and weathered by time and a short stint in prison.
Blind to the consequences, I made a mistake that ran him out of town and ruined his life.
Now, he's back after all these years––hating me more than the day he left.
What he doesn't know is that I've been working to atone for my sins.
I've infiltrated the Vancouver Triad that killed his wife.
Always my protector, he decides it's not safe for me to be in this alone, so he resolves to get me out of the Triad and out of his hair for good.
*A stand-alone novel in The Fallen Men Series.*
636 pages, ebook
First published November 28, 2023
1,153 people are currently reading
12.3k people want to read
About the author
Giana Darling
50 books9,681 followersGiana Darling is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Top 40 Amazon Best Selling Canadian romance author.
I love to write about all things dark, forbidden, and angsty.
★CONNECT WITH GIANA★
GOODREADS GROUP: http://bit.ly/GianasDarlings_Goodreads
WEBSITE: gianadarling.com
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IG: http://bit.ly/2eNG8Bp | @GianaDarlingAuthor
PINTEREST: https://www.pinterest.com/gianadarling/
NEWSLETTER: https://gianadarling.ck.page/0b909dc860
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@gianadarling...
I love to hear from readers so please contact me at giana@gianadarling.com if you have any questions or comments.
You can also contact my PA at gianadarlingpa(at)gianadarling.com !
I love to write about all things dark, forbidden, and angsty.
★CONNECT WITH GIANA★
GOODREADS GROUP: http://bit.ly/GianasDarlings_Goodreads
WEBSITE: gianadarling.com
FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/2tKhTKO
READER’S GROUP: http://bit.ly/2CFNVsK
GOODREADS: http://bit.ly/2J5Evtq
AMAZON: https://amzn.to/2E5LPRW
BOOKBUB: http://bit.ly/2lI2UNn
IG: http://bit.ly/2eNG8Bp | @GianaDarlingAuthor
PINTEREST: https://www.pinterest.com/gianadarling/
NEWSLETTER: https://gianadarling.ck.page/0b909dc860
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@gianadarling...
I love to hear from readers so please contact me at giana@gianadarling.com if you have any questions or comments.
You can also contact my PA at gianadarlingpa(at)gianadarling.com !
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 825 reviews
December 3, 2023
DNF af. Anyone who rates this book higher than 3 stars is lying and just kissing the authors ass.
Sorry not sorry, but this book is a mess. The editors did a terrible job- nonstop typos, grammatical errors, pacing problems, and with plot continuation. For a book that was supposedly “done and ready to be published” for nearly two years this book should have been flawless (both in grammar/style and also plot) but it’s actually terrible.
It’s also the exact same story from the first 6 books just with new characters: FMC is a young girl who goes through A Big Sad/Bad Thing and MMC helps her through it during that time but then time jump! MMC helps years later and bam, romance mixed with marginal resistance. It’s literally Lou/Zeus, HR/Lion, and Lila/Nova just add a leather jacket and black nail polish for Mei and a man-child, petulant temper with a chip on his shoulder for Axe-Man.
No one even wanted Axe-Man’s book. There are half a dozen other characters who fans have been eagerly awaiting books for who got skipped so Axe-Man could be the 7th book and now to find out book 8 might not even be one of the OGs from Entrance? Honestly terrible choices. What about Dane? Bat and Temptest? Honey? Lysander? Wrath? What about all the plot lines that have gone unanswered? Nah, let’s do totally new people. I don’t know how many books the author is trying to squeeze out of this series, but damn, it’s disappointing we’re seemingly skipping the people that fans actually are invested in. But whatever, you do you Giana.
You know what else is disappointing? Giana’s behavior the last almost 2 years. It’s one thing to need to postpone a release. Okay, I get it! Things happen! It’s another thing to spend 21 months lying to, ignoring, and gaslighting readers. To say “oh it’s coming soon” for OVER a year and give no details, no explanations, and then have your PA never respond to questions is a terrible business practice. Oh your socials got “hacked” so you can’t release the book? That sucks. (Yeah, ask me if I actually think this happened. Spoiler: I don’t believe it for a second.) But then to release MULTIPLE new covers and special editions and book boxes for previously written books? Hmm? I thought you couldn’t release anything? To go to signings and tell everyone (since at least October 2022) “oh it’ll come soon!” And then never deliver? Shady! You’re bummed because you can’t get on Instagram and Facebook and interact with readers? Did you forget about your tik tok account that was never once affected? Did you forget about your massive list of people subscribed to your newsletters? How about taking over other author friends accounts? Maybe we try a new pen name to make a temporary account? Idk! Seems like there are many options to “engage” with the readers you claim to love and miss so much but was anything like that done? Nope! Just dipped. (Probably to spend a year+ vacationing and planning an elaborate wedding but what do I know!)
And then on top of that, to come back and never ONCE address the problems? To delete comments and posts alluding to the last 20 months as if it never happened? You’re kidding me, right? And I get it- Giana doesn’t owe us details but she does owe it to acknowledge the giant shit show she started. And to think- this would be an ENTIRELY different story if in April 2022 she said “I’ve got things going on in my life, CTTW is on an indefinite hiatus.” But to keep dangling the carrot and play the innocent “oh idk why my Facebook was hacked!” card and then every 4 months send a newsletter that “things are in the works- an update is coming soon!” but never actually share any information is just… baffling. When I explain this to the people in my non-book life they’re baffled how people could continue to support an author who does such shady, shitty things. Transparency with the people who made you successful is the bare minimum. Also, if you’re a Giana defender, don’t bother commenting because I don’t care.
Also idk if it’s just me but reviews are for READERS, not authors. Authors should not be commenting on GoodReads reviews of their books. That’s weird. Get out. This space isn’t for you. Inflate your ego elsewhere thankyouverymuch.
All this is to say, I’m disappointed but not surprised. Zero accountability, or even basic acknowledgement, for her poor behavior. A book that feels like her other books were just put into AI and this got spit out.
This book is not worth the wait and this author is officially on my “never to read again” list.
The end.
————————————————————————
Original review from Aug 1:
One star for now because of the nonsense going on with the 15 month delay and zero communication from the author!!! Will gladly edit my rating & review if the book ever comes out
Sorry not sorry, but this book is a mess. The editors did a terrible job- nonstop typos, grammatical errors, pacing problems, and with plot continuation. For a book that was supposedly “done and ready to be published” for nearly two years this book should have been flawless (both in grammar/style and also plot) but it’s actually terrible.
It’s also the exact same story from the first 6 books just with new characters: FMC is a young girl who goes through A Big Sad/Bad Thing and MMC helps her through it during that time but then time jump! MMC helps years later and bam, romance mixed with marginal resistance. It’s literally Lou/Zeus, HR/Lion, and Lila/Nova just add a leather jacket and black nail polish for Mei and a man-child, petulant temper with a chip on his shoulder for Axe-Man.
No one even wanted Axe-Man’s book. There are half a dozen other characters who fans have been eagerly awaiting books for who got skipped so Axe-Man could be the 7th book and now to find out book 8 might not even be one of the OGs from Entrance? Honestly terrible choices. What about Dane? Bat and Temptest? Honey? Lysander? Wrath? What about all the plot lines that have gone unanswered? Nah, let’s do totally new people. I don’t know how many books the author is trying to squeeze out of this series, but damn, it’s disappointing we’re seemingly skipping the people that fans actually are invested in. But whatever, you do you Giana.
You know what else is disappointing? Giana’s behavior the last almost 2 years. It’s one thing to need to postpone a release. Okay, I get it! Things happen! It’s another thing to spend 21 months lying to, ignoring, and gaslighting readers. To say “oh it’s coming soon” for OVER a year and give no details, no explanations, and then have your PA never respond to questions is a terrible business practice. Oh your socials got “hacked” so you can’t release the book? That sucks. (Yeah, ask me if I actually think this happened. Spoiler: I don’t believe it for a second.) But then to release MULTIPLE new covers and special editions and book boxes for previously written books? Hmm? I thought you couldn’t release anything? To go to signings and tell everyone (since at least October 2022) “oh it’ll come soon!” And then never deliver? Shady! You’re bummed because you can’t get on Instagram and Facebook and interact with readers? Did you forget about your tik tok account that was never once affected? Did you forget about your massive list of people subscribed to your newsletters? How about taking over other author friends accounts? Maybe we try a new pen name to make a temporary account? Idk! Seems like there are many options to “engage” with the readers you claim to love and miss so much but was anything like that done? Nope! Just dipped. (Probably to spend a year+ vacationing and planning an elaborate wedding but what do I know!)
And then on top of that, to come back and never ONCE address the problems? To delete comments and posts alluding to the last 20 months as if it never happened? You’re kidding me, right? And I get it- Giana doesn’t owe us details but she does owe it to acknowledge the giant shit show she started. And to think- this would be an ENTIRELY different story if in April 2022 she said “I’ve got things going on in my life, CTTW is on an indefinite hiatus.” But to keep dangling the carrot and play the innocent “oh idk why my Facebook was hacked!” card and then every 4 months send a newsletter that “things are in the works- an update is coming soon!” but never actually share any information is just… baffling. When I explain this to the people in my non-book life they’re baffled how people could continue to support an author who does such shady, shitty things. Transparency with the people who made you successful is the bare minimum. Also, if you’re a Giana defender, don’t bother commenting because I don’t care.
Also idk if it’s just me but reviews are for READERS, not authors. Authors should not be commenting on GoodReads reviews of their books. That’s weird. Get out. This space isn’t for you. Inflate your ego elsewhere thankyouverymuch.
All this is to say, I’m disappointed but not surprised. Zero accountability, or even basic acknowledgement, for her poor behavior. A book that feels like her other books were just put into AI and this got spit out.
This book is not worth the wait and this author is officially on my “never to read again” list.
The end.
————————————————————————
Original review from Aug 1:
One star for now because of the nonsense going on with the 15 month delay and zero communication from the author!!! Will gladly edit my rating & review if the book ever comes out
November 22, 2023
UPDATE: release day is Nov 28!!!!!
🫣🤭
I can't WAIT for everyone to fall in love with Mei & Axe-man!!! Mei might be my new favorite Giana Darling heroine. We love a fierce heroine who will go to the ends of the earth to protect her loved ones.
The romance is everything I love: hot, angsty, slow, and filled with chemistry. Mei & Axe-man are decades in the making, with him being her best friend's stepdad. The love and connection they have is raw and powerful and I'm just so obsessed with the way they need each other.
I know this book has been a long time coming, but I promise it'll be worth the wait!
🫣🤭
I can't WAIT for everyone to fall in love with Mei & Axe-man!!! Mei might be my new favorite Giana Darling heroine. We love a fierce heroine who will go to the ends of the earth to protect her loved ones.
The romance is everything I love: hot, angsty, slow, and filled with chemistry. Mei & Axe-man are decades in the making, with him being her best friend's stepdad. The love and connection they have is raw and powerful and I'm just so obsessed with the way they need each other.
I know this book has been a long time coming, but I promise it'll be worth the wait!
December 14, 2024
Please be Kylie and Wrath...I really don't think she's dead
EDITED REVIEW WITH SPOILERS: Kylie is dead, lmfao and Wrath wasn't even there. I read the book and I have a lot of thoughts. I think Axe-Man and Mei are an interesting couple, however I just hated the parentification of her character so much. I thought maybe we'd get a therapeutic moment where she would just get to fall apart at the seams and it never came. I also think the development of her feelings kinda came out of nowhere. They had me at certain moments but overall, this has got to be my least favorite book of the series. I do wish Mei was written to be allowed a bit more grace and emotion like previous fmcs. This was fine and I love the book series but this one just didn't hit the same as the others. Onto the next.
EDITED REVIEW WITH SPOILERS: Kylie is dead, lmfao and Wrath wasn't even there. I read the book and I have a lot of thoughts. I think Axe-Man and Mei are an interesting couple, however I just hated the parentification of her character so much. I thought maybe we'd get a therapeutic moment where she would just get to fall apart at the seams and it never came. I also think the development of her feelings kinda came out of nowhere. They had me at certain moments but overall, this has got to be my least favorite book of the series. I do wish Mei was written to be allowed a bit more grace and emotion like previous fmcs. This was fine and I love the book series but this one just didn't hit the same as the others. Onto the next.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 23, 2023
I stayed up until 12:30 finishing Caution to the Wind and I can’t even tell you how amazing it was being back with these characters and reading Giana’s words again.
This romance is so different than the other Fallen romances. Mei and Axe-man have so much history and pain and love and anger and I just could not get enough of them. The plot was action packed and full of twists I wasn’t expecting. We saw so much of our favorite Fallen characters and it truly felt like I was back home ♥️
Giana has such a gift with words and this story was written so beautifully. The amount of highlights I have!? I am definitely going to reread and annotate a physical copy!
I can’t wait for everyone to read this and fall so in love with Mei and Axe-man!!
This romance is so different than the other Fallen romances. Mei and Axe-man have so much history and pain and love and anger and I just could not get enough of them. The plot was action packed and full of twists I wasn’t expecting. We saw so much of our favorite Fallen characters and it truly felt like I was back home ♥️
Giana has such a gift with words and this story was written so beautifully. The amount of highlights I have!? I am definitely going to reread and annotate a physical copy!
I can’t wait for everyone to read this and fall so in love with Mei and Axe-man!!
November 30, 2023
4.25 stars
Caution to the Wind has been my most anticipated read for so long so when it hit my kindle, I started it right away. I was so happy to be back into ‘The Fallen’ world and read Mei and Axe-Man’s story.
Mei and Henning (Axe-Man) meet when Mei is young. She’s Cleo’s best friend, and Henning is Cleo’s stepdad. Cleo and Mei have always been close friends, but when Cleo loses her mom, the trauma of that bonds the three of them forever. Then, something else big happens that tears them apart when Cleo and Mei are 17.
Fast forward 8 years later, and though Mei and Cleo have remained as close as they can from afar, Mei and Henning reconnect for the first time. It’s not pleasant, and even though he wants nothing to do with Mei, for Cleo’s sake he endures. I think he was a little too hard on Mei for her past. She was a teen and knew her parents and that situation and I’m guessing he could have figured out the why if he really thought about it, but either way the 8 years has past and now they are in each others lives for good.
I love a good age gap romance and the last 20ish percent was an epic love story. I think the only reason for me personally it’s not a 5 star read is because I wanted more romance throughout the book. My favorite part of this story wasn’t Axe-Man and Mei’s romance, it was Mei and Cleo’s relationship and bond. Found family is everything and theirs was top tier.
Overall this book was fantastic. Giana’s writing is always captivating and her characters and stories are so engaging. After finishing this I’m craving even more Fallen books. I don’t even care who the next one is about, you know I’ll be reading it the moment it releases!
Caution to the Wind has been my most anticipated read for so long so when it hit my kindle, I started it right away. I was so happy to be back into ‘The Fallen’ world and read Mei and Axe-Man’s story.
Mei and Henning (Axe-Man) meet when Mei is young. She’s Cleo’s best friend, and Henning is Cleo’s stepdad. Cleo and Mei have always been close friends, but when Cleo loses her mom, the trauma of that bonds the three of them forever. Then, something else big happens that tears them apart when Cleo and Mei are 17.
Fast forward 8 years later, and though Mei and Cleo have remained as close as they can from afar, Mei and Henning reconnect for the first time. It’s not pleasant, and even though he wants nothing to do with Mei, for Cleo’s sake he endures. I think he was a little too hard on Mei for her past. She was a teen and knew her parents and that situation and I’m guessing he could have figured out the why if he really thought about it, but either way the 8 years has past and now they are in each others lives for good.
I love a good age gap romance and the last 20ish percent was an epic love story. I think the only reason for me personally it’s not a 5 star read is because I wanted more romance throughout the book. My favorite part of this story wasn’t Axe-Man and Mei’s romance, it was Mei and Cleo’s relationship and bond. Found family is everything and theirs was top tier.
Overall this book was fantastic. Giana’s writing is always captivating and her characters and stories are so engaging. After finishing this I’m craving even more Fallen books. I don’t even care who the next one is about, you know I’ll be reading it the moment it releases!
November 30, 2023
Had to edit this since I got the wrong couple. Giana is an evil genius and really set me up to think it was Kodiak and Cleo. It's cool. I'm ready to be hurt by Axe Man.
Update 11/29/23
F-ing perfection. That all.
Update 11/29/23
F-ing perfection. That all.
November 30, 2023
1.5
Read this review at own risk.
ARC provided by Giana Darling and Valentine Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
Disclaimer.. I have not tagged Giana in this.. please do not tag Giana in this or screen shot and tag Giana.. that’s not right or fair.
I’m so sad to say this is the first fallen book I have read and disliked. The wait was not worth it.
This didn’t start out great for me. It felt too similar to her other books. Here we have a young girl , something traumatic happens, she ends up in hospital and her parents are mad. This is so similar to the beginning of quite a few of her books. I’m finding that the formula of it starting out when the female character is a child/teen to explain the history is a little bit boring now, like we’ve had this for a good few books. I feel like there’s a more creative way that we can show the relationship dynamic, but do it in a different way. I just found myself basically being bored reading about this little kid for five chapters and then like always theres then a time jump to teens.. fmc in teens realises she is in love with older MMC. For me it slows down the story.
I also felt like I was reading the last three of her books sliced together. Why can’t we have a main character who has a job who is new to town. A female character from a rival gang (kind of in this story but not well done), the sister of a fallen brother, a lawyer, a doctor etc. We have the same kinda characters just being recycled. Why does the male character have an interesting back story that can stand on its own and doesn’t involve the MFC, but the female character doesn’t.
I also think because we didn’t have the build or even from what I remember mentions of this couple.. I felt like I was not as excited to read this story. It felt quite random in choice.
The enemies to lovers thing doesn’t make any sense, Axeman didn’t have to take the fall for Mei, he chose to do it. He doesn’t get to be mad because he chose to take the fall for something a 17-year-old did and give a big strop because she didn’t visit . He could’ve made that 17-year-old live with that mistake and take the punishment but he didn’t. I’m not going to feel sorry for him.
Essentially, he’s an old man acting like a petty fucking bitch. I feel like he was a teen with how stroppy he was.
After the time jump when Mei is back in town, this also kind of made me not like the rest of the cast that we have come to love, just the way they acted mean to Mei like what was the reason, what was the reason you didn’t like her because from what I know Cleo was asking for her, Cleo wanted her to be round. If you love Cleo that much you would respect her wishes.
Furthermore the switch to relationship was so quick I was like okay what, what happened? I felt like we spent too much time on the mystery gang element then we did actually building up a relationship, to the point when they got into said relationship or were conflicted over the relationship. I didn’t care
The balance between relationship of the couple and secondary element of this, which was gang and triad side-plot was so out of balance, which was shocking because normally her books have that equal relationship and side-pot element.
In addition, the pacing felt a little off to me and I felt like it’s was two books or two novellas put into one. The timing of things was off and then when the action at the end of the book happened, it felt very anti climatic and just plonked in there because that’s the formula of these books.
In all honesty, this felt like someone had took all of her fallen books that had already been published, put them in an AI, and then the AI wrote the story. I’m not saying that’s what happened, but that’s what it felt… like where was the creativity. Where was the innovative storyline, the different dynamics, the interesting characters.
What we got was a stroppy adult man and a one dimensional tough girl character.
Read this review at own risk.
ARC provided by Giana Darling and Valentine Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
Disclaimer.. I have not tagged Giana in this.. please do not tag Giana in this or screen shot and tag Giana.. that’s not right or fair.
I’m so sad to say this is the first fallen book I have read and disliked. The wait was not worth it.
This didn’t start out great for me. It felt too similar to her other books. Here we have a young girl , something traumatic happens, she ends up in hospital and her parents are mad. This is so similar to the beginning of quite a few of her books. I’m finding that the formula of it starting out when the female character is a child/teen to explain the history is a little bit boring now, like we’ve had this for a good few books. I feel like there’s a more creative way that we can show the relationship dynamic, but do it in a different way. I just found myself basically being bored reading about this little kid for five chapters and then like always theres then a time jump to teens.. fmc in teens realises she is in love with older MMC. For me it slows down the story.
I also felt like I was reading the last three of her books sliced together. Why can’t we have a main character who has a job who is new to town. A female character from a rival gang (kind of in this story but not well done), the sister of a fallen brother, a lawyer, a doctor etc. We have the same kinda characters just being recycled. Why does the male character have an interesting back story that can stand on its own and doesn’t involve the MFC, but the female character doesn’t.
I also think because we didn’t have the build or even from what I remember mentions of this couple.. I felt like I was not as excited to read this story. It felt quite random in choice.
The enemies to lovers thing doesn’t make any sense, Axeman didn’t have to take the fall for Mei, he chose to do it. He doesn’t get to be mad because he chose to take the fall for something a 17-year-old did and give a big strop because she didn’t visit . He could’ve made that 17-year-old live with that mistake and take the punishment but he didn’t. I’m not going to feel sorry for him.
Essentially, he’s an old man acting like a petty fucking bitch. I feel like he was a teen with how stroppy he was.
After the time jump when Mei is back in town, this also kind of made me not like the rest of the cast that we have come to love, just the way they acted mean to Mei like what was the reason, what was the reason you didn’t like her because from what I know Cleo was asking for her, Cleo wanted her to be round. If you love Cleo that much you would respect her wishes.
Furthermore the switch to relationship was so quick I was like okay what, what happened? I felt like we spent too much time on the mystery gang element then we did actually building up a relationship, to the point when they got into said relationship or were conflicted over the relationship. I didn’t care
The balance between relationship of the couple and secondary element of this, which was gang and triad side-plot was so out of balance, which was shocking because normally her books have that equal relationship and side-pot element.
In addition, the pacing felt a little off to me and I felt like it’s was two books or two novellas put into one. The timing of things was off and then when the action at the end of the book happened, it felt very anti climatic and just plonked in there because that’s the formula of these books.
In all honesty, this felt like someone had took all of her fallen books that had already been published, put them in an AI, and then the AI wrote the story. I’m not saying that’s what happened, but that’s what it felt… like where was the creativity. Where was the innovative storyline, the different dynamics, the interesting characters.
What we got was a stroppy adult man and a one dimensional tough girl character.
Currently reading
November 28, 2023Now Available!
ONE CLICK HERE: https://geni.us/CTTWGianaDarling
Be sure to add it to your TBR!
Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3v3VAwn
Axe-Man Axelsen
Brooding, Widowed Single Dad
He swore to protect her at all costs
Here’s what you can expect:
☑️ A 16 year age gap
☑️ Best friend’s dad
☑️ Friends to enemies to lovers
☑️ Interracial relationship
☑️ An alpha male biker
☑️ A badass heroine
☑️ Found family
ONE CLICK HERE: https://geni.us/CTTWGianaDarling
Be sure to add it to your TBR!
Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3v3VAwn
Axe-Man Axelsen
Brooding, Widowed Single Dad
He swore to protect her at all costs
Here’s what you can expect:
☑️ A 16 year age gap
☑️ Best friend’s dad
☑️ Friends to enemies to lovers
☑️ Interracial relationship
☑️ An alpha male biker
☑️ A badass heroine
☑️ Found family
December 1, 2023
I don't like giving out negative reviews, especially when I've been been waiting for this book for over two years (and the little to no contact the author had with her readers just doesn't seem right, but moving on) but this was just not good. This couple came out of nowhere, and that would have been fine if they had worked, but they just didn't. It's like the same plot has been recycled this entire series: a woman in a dangerous situation who doesn't have a personality outside of what's happening to her, but the man who's in charge of rescuing her is a full fledged character. Which to be clear, i don't necessarily mind. It worked in the other books to a degree, so that's all well and good. I think with this one, my expectations were so high, especially with the long wait, that I was hoping this would be a lot different instead of more of the same.
I also didn't understand why Axelman had such a disdain for Mei. I get he thought she had ghosted him and essentially handed him out to dry, but when she explained what actually happened and the reason WHY it took her so long to get in contact with him, he still resented her! It was just ridiculous. And the jump from resentment to full-on love gave me whiplash. This book was *long*, but no time was spent on forming an actual romance. There was just hate, sex, and then all of a sudden, we're supposed to believe he loves her just as much as she's always loved him? Pass.
This was just disappointing, and I hate how something I've looked forward to for so long ended up being like this. I think this author just isn't for me anymore, and that's fine, but this just felt like a huge smack in the face to everyone who's been anticipating this book.
**I received an ARC of this book and these are my honest opinions **
I also didn't understand why Axelman had such a disdain for Mei. I get he thought she had ghosted him and essentially handed him out to dry, but when she explained what actually happened and the reason WHY it took her so long to get in contact with him, he still resented her! It was just ridiculous. And the jump from resentment to full-on love gave me whiplash. This book was *long*, but no time was spent on forming an actual romance. There was just hate, sex, and then all of a sudden, we're supposed to believe he loves her just as much as she's always loved him? Pass.
This was just disappointing, and I hate how something I've looked forward to for so long ended up being like this. I think this author just isn't for me anymore, and that's fine, but this just felt like a huge smack in the face to everyone who's been anticipating this book.
**I received an ARC of this book and these are my honest opinions **
December 2, 2023
Dnf 300 pages in
I ve been waiting for this book for almost two years just to get a very unnecessary 600 pages and weird ass characters
Disappointed to say the least
Miss Giana just drop the fucking book already for the love of Zeus Garro
I ve been waiting for this book for almost two years just to get a very unnecessary 600 pages and weird ass characters
Disappointed to say the least
Miss Giana just drop the fucking book already for the love of Zeus Garro
November 30, 2023
I have been waiting for this book for a very long time to the point where I had honestly given up on it. It was more than a highly anticipated because I knew the story itself was going to be gritty, forbidden and dangerous and after reading this, I was absolutely right.
From a very young age, Mei has had almost everything that her heart's desire but still feeling like an outcast and not loved. Everything changed when she met her best friend Cleo at nine years old and they've been inseparable since. That friendship gave her love, let her embrace her Chinese culture more, and it set her on a path of finding justice for a tragedy that's going to shape her life. But through it all the one thing that kept Mei going was knowing that not only she had her best friend, that friendship gave her someone else and he's more than off limits.
Henning-Axe Man has seen his fair share of tragedy and as the years go by, it seems to get worse. Now on a mission to get to the truth about something that happened years ago, Axe knows that his choices from here on out is going to set other things in motion. Some for the better, some for the worse and there's one girl who's going to constantly be in his orbit.
Everyone that knows me knows that I do not play around with forbidden age gap romance. I love everything about it and that's not going to change any time soon. The crackling of sexual tension, the forbidden current, the stolen moments, I love it all and when I saw this one, I needed it like a cool drink of water after being in the desert for so long. I will admit that I didn't feel the connection between the main characters for quite some time but thankfully that changed a bit for part 2.
This was a complicated story between two characters that have endured so much pain over the course of the years and they wear their scars sometimes too proudly at times. Mei and Axe were always in sync with one another even when they were younger but I loved seeing it when they were older. After some dangerous encounters and fueled anger that span for nearly a decade, these characters will test you but you'll be glad that you took their journey. If you're a fan of this author or you love forbidden MC romance with a tough heroine, this one's for you.
This is a standalone but characters from the author's previous books are mentioned. Keep in mind that this is a MC family so if you're curious about other couples, I would recommend you read their books.
November 23, 2023
I honestly really enjoyed this. It was great to be back in the Fallen World. Mei and Henning were so compelling. It was so hard to put it down and be social with my family!
All the characters we love are here and there are answers for some questions from the past and puzzle pieces clicking in to place. There were also new people to fall for. This world is far from finished!
Mei was an epic chick! I really felt for her and was rooting for her all along the way. She has to fight for the family she wants and it's heart-rending and powerful to see.
Axe-man has been through some dark stuff and the journey to his HEA is anything but easy but it is hard earned.
This book may have been a long time coming but I do feel like it lived up to the wait. It also seems like Giana is back in full force, with promises for more books very soon!
I hope you love this return to the Fallen Men as much as I did!
5 stars
4.5 on the spice scale
All the characters we love are here and there are answers for some questions from the past and puzzle pieces clicking in to place. There were also new people to fall for. This world is far from finished!
Mei was an epic chick! I really felt for her and was rooting for her all along the way. She has to fight for the family she wants and it's heart-rending and powerful to see.
Axe-man has been through some dark stuff and the journey to his HEA is anything but easy but it is hard earned.
This book may have been a long time coming but I do feel like it lived up to the wait. It also seems like Giana is back in full force, with promises for more books very soon!
I hope you love this return to the Fallen Men as much as I did!
5 stars
4.5 on the spice scale
January 1, 2024
I started my reading these year epically!
This book is so amazing, brilliant and hard to forget.
It’s worth the reading.
This book is so amazing, brilliant and hard to forget.
It’s worth the reading.
November 21, 2023
I am so happy to be back in the fallen men world. I just don't think there is anything like Giana's writing. I absolutely loved how Aex-Man and Mei love ferociously. Those who they consider family are protected by them. No matter. I love the dynamic, the writing, the romance, EVERYTHING.
March 26, 2023
Is this book EVER coming out...like wtf???
February 24, 2024
Oops.... I just now (months after reading Caution to the Wind) see that I didn't write a review of this book. Now, the only thing I remember is that I loved it very much!
★ ▬ ✩ ▬ ★ ▬ ✩ ▬ ★ ▬ ✩ ▬ ★ ▬ ✩ ▬ ★
20-05-2022: Until Giana has working social media accounts again: Until I get an email telling me I am free to open all new accounts, I need to postpone Caution to the Wind indefinitely.
Giana Darling: Honestly y’all, Axe-Man is a bit of a mystery! There are hints of him and some info you’re missing in the comments that has been mentioned in the books… for example, he went to medical school which is mentioned in Fallen King… but his origin story is explained in Caution to the Wind! ❤️
Josh Mario John = Axe-Man! 😍
★ ▬ ✩ ▬ ★ ▬ ✩ ▬ ★ ▬ ✩ ▬ ★ ▬ ✩ ▬ ★
20-05-2022: Until Giana has working social media accounts again: Until I get an email telling me I am free to open all new accounts, I need to postpone Caution to the Wind indefinitely.
Giana Darling: Honestly y’all, Axe-Man is a bit of a mystery! There are hints of him and some info you’re missing in the comments that has been mentioned in the books… for example, he went to medical school which is mentioned in Fallen King… but his origin story is explained in Caution to the Wind! ❤️
Josh Mario John = Axe-Man! 😍
December 3, 2023
Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Trope: best friend’s dad; friends to enemies to lovers
Angst: 😱😱😱1/2
Smexy: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
10 fucking stars.
Caution to the Wind was a super meaty story about betrayal, vengeance, and redemption served up like only Giana Darling can. This book had me glued all the way to the end. I'm a fan of more intricate storylines and it certainly delivered. Axe-man and Mei had a super complex history and their path to find each other again. Don't go into this thinking it's just going to be another age-gap romance. This was definitely a slow burn. There are tons of really hurt feelings that need to be worked through, but it lended for some of the hottest hate-smexy I've read, lol. This was definitely worth the wait!
⛔️ My bookshelves can sometimes be spoilers
Trope: best friend’s dad; friends to enemies to lovers
Angst: 😱😱😱1/2
Smexy: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
10 fucking stars.
Caution to the Wind was a super meaty story about betrayal, vengeance, and redemption served up like only Giana Darling can. This book had me glued all the way to the end. I'm a fan of more intricate storylines and it certainly delivered. Axe-man and Mei had a super complex history and their path to find each other again. Don't go into this thinking it's just going to be another age-gap romance. This was definitely a slow burn. There are tons of really hurt feelings that need to be worked through, but it lended for some of the hottest hate-smexy I've read, lol. This was definitely worth the wait!
⛔️ My bookshelves can sometimes be spoilers
November 27, 2023
"I wanted her to burn me down to ash and raise me up like a phoenix, reborn in the fires of her all-consumin' love...I wanted Mei and I didn't care about anythin' else."
Axe-Man and Mei have a history that is raw and beautiful, but also tumultuous and full of pain as time and circumstances change the trajectory of their friendship to something close to hate rooted in love.
I highly recommend reading Dead Man Walking (or rereading the last 30ish% of you've read it before) to understand why Mei's arrival to Entrance is pivotal to her best friend, Cleo's healing. With Mei's return also awakens feelings Axe-Man hasn't faced in years, and he's ready to get some answers from Mei. It doesn't help that Axe-Man is fighting an attraction to Mei that she's never kept a secret. The only problem is, can he forgive her, and what is he going to do about it?
Romance aside, the plot itself was intriguing. Mei is a badass and will stop at nothing to get justice for her loved ones. Watching Mei's world collide with that of the Fallen was fun and nostalgic because we got to catch up with some of our favorite Fallen couples!
Did I mention that a heroine being the only one to call a hero by his real name is now one of my favorite micro-tropes? Cause Mei being the only one to call Axe-Man by his real name just added something to their connection for me!
Caution to the Wind was definitely worth the wait, and I am so excited about the next few Fallen releases the author teased at the end!
TROPES: age gap (16 years/older hero); best friend's dad; friends to enemies to lovers; interracial relationship; motorcycle club (MC) romance; badass heroine; found family
AUTHOR'S NOTE/TWs: graphic violence; death of a loved one; violence against women
(author strongly recommends reading Dead Man Walking first as Caution to the Wind contains spoilers for that book)
Axe-Man and Mei have a history that is raw and beautiful, but also tumultuous and full of pain as time and circumstances change the trajectory of their friendship to something close to hate rooted in love.
I highly recommend reading Dead Man Walking (or rereading the last 30ish% of you've read it before) to understand why Mei's arrival to Entrance is pivotal to her best friend, Cleo's healing. With Mei's return also awakens feelings Axe-Man hasn't faced in years, and he's ready to get some answers from Mei. It doesn't help that Axe-Man is fighting an attraction to Mei that she's never kept a secret. The only problem is, can he forgive her, and what is he going to do about it?
Romance aside, the plot itself was intriguing. Mei is a badass and will stop at nothing to get justice for her loved ones. Watching Mei's world collide with that of the Fallen was fun and nostalgic because we got to catch up with some of our favorite Fallen couples!
Did I mention that a heroine being the only one to call a hero by his real name is now one of my favorite micro-tropes? Cause Mei being the only one to call Axe-Man by his real name just added something to their connection for me!
Caution to the Wind was definitely worth the wait, and I am so excited about the next few Fallen releases the author teased at the end!
TROPES: age gap (16 years/older hero); best friend's dad; friends to enemies to lovers; interracial relationship; motorcycle club (MC) romance; badass heroine; found family
AUTHOR'S NOTE/TWs: graphic violence; death of a loved one; violence against women
(author strongly recommends reading Dead Man Walking first as Caution to the Wind contains spoilers for that book)
October 22, 2024
Hoping, praying that this is about Cleo and Kodiak. 👾👾
—
Update: this was not about Cleo or Kodiak
3.5 ⭐️
Genre: Adult romance
Age group : 18+
POV : Dual
Characters: 5/5 ⭐️
Plot: 3/5 ⭐️
Setting/Themes: 4/5 ⭐️
Writing: 3/5 ⭐️
Spice: ✅
• please check trigger warnings
• mature language, graphic sexual scenes, blood play, violence, murder, torture, physical assault, death, sexual assault, mentions of rape, guns, & etc
• dark MC romance
“Her breath hitched as she realized why I’d painted her all in red and white, makin’ her into the red dragon I’d once won for her at the Calgary fair, showin’ her what I’d seen beneath her skin all along.
She was a dragon, fierce and beautiful, and I wanted every fuckin’ inch of her, even her sharp teeth and hooked claws.”
Right so I enjoyed this a lot, as usual it kept me hooked and interested as Giana always does <3
I loved that we’ve got a POC female lead tbh, I’m veeeery into it and having the main couples back was such a lovely thing.
However, I did find caution to the wind just a tad bit underwhelming. Compared to how I felt with the the rest of the books, this was a little muted. But I won’t lie, Henning and Mei did grow on me.
I enjoyed CTTW, and the fresh look at Calgary. But I just wished it gave me more, how the fallen men usually do.
—
Update: this was not about Cleo or Kodiak
3.5 ⭐️
Genre: Adult romance
Age group : 18+
POV : Dual
Characters: 5/5 ⭐️
Plot: 3/5 ⭐️
Setting/Themes: 4/5 ⭐️
Writing: 3/5 ⭐️
Spice: ✅
• please check trigger warnings
• mature language, graphic sexual scenes, blood play, violence, murder, torture, physical assault, death, sexual assault, mentions of rape, guns, & etc
• dark MC romance
“Her breath hitched as she realized why I’d painted her all in red and white, makin’ her into the red dragon I’d once won for her at the Calgary fair, showin’ her what I’d seen beneath her skin all along.
She was a dragon, fierce and beautiful, and I wanted every fuckin’ inch of her, even her sharp teeth and hooked claws.”
Right so I enjoyed this a lot, as usual it kept me hooked and interested as Giana always does <3
I loved that we’ve got a POC female lead tbh, I’m veeeery into it and having the main couples back was such a lovely thing.
However, I did find caution to the wind just a tad bit underwhelming. Compared to how I felt with the the rest of the books, this was a little muted. But I won’t lie, Henning and Mei did grow on me.
I enjoyed CTTW, and the fresh look at Calgary. But I just wished it gave me more, how the fallen men usually do.
Read
August 15, 2024She has a website that hasn’t been updated, her social media is promoting other books. I’ve given up.
November 26, 2023
Here’s what you can expect:
16 year age gap ✓
Best friend’s dad ✓ Friends to enemies to lovers ✓
Interracial relationship ✓
An alpha male biker ✓
A badass heroine ✓
Found family ✓
Sometimes, when the anticipation is really high, you’re sometimes bound to get disappointed. But, thats not the case for Caution to the Wind. It’s been months and months of waiting and Giana Darling is back with a bang!
Mei and Axe-man’s story is so very different from her other books in this series.
Mei is such a badass and I have nothing but amazing things to say about her. Her level of maturity , her loyalty, her unwavering love… her ability to be both kickass and soft is something I love about her.
You all know my love for Zeus but dammit! Axe-Man is a close second. When Mei said Axe-man was beautiful…I got it. When she spoke of his goodness, his generosity of heart, his strength … Gosh! Axe-man was beautiful. But let’s not forget that Axe-man is an alpha male biker so expect growly alpha male hero vibes times 100!
There was so much heartache, attachment, and anger in Axe-man and Mei’s history and the present is just as passionate, rooted in such devotion..its explosive. I also found myself feeling very protective towards Mei and Axe-man… they are both nothing short of badasses but behind their enormous hearts, there was this vulnerability about them that just makes you protective.
When we talk about found-families, the Fallen series by Giana Darling is a perfect example. The protectiveness and the loyalty amongst the characters is just… it makes your heart feel good.
Caution to the Wind was definitely worth the wait. I found myself constantly checking my kindle, hoping that I had more of Mei and Axe-man’s story. I genuinely didn’t want it to end.
December 3, 2023
This is book 7 in a MC series, but you could read it as a standalone. It’s age gap (16 years), and he’s her best friend’s step-dad. I wanted give this 4 stars, because I liked the first half. And, this author writes lyrical nice prose, in a way that you don’t often see in spicy books - especially MC. She isn't as good as Lauren Gilley (the best MC writer), but she's still better than 99% of others in the genre. Even a “meh” book from her is a cut above most others. But I had to knock off a star for the second half.
This is “friends to enemies to lovers,” about Mei, who’s a new character, and Henning / Axe / Axe-Man (who’s been mentioned in past books, but in a vague way. Just like, we know he exists. He hasn’t been built up much before getting his own book, which is odd). Since it’s a Giana Darling age gap story, of course it starts when the heroine is SUPER young – she’s 12 and he’s 28, at the start. (They don’t get romantic until after a time jump, when she’s 25 and he’s 40).
He's her best friend Cleo’s step dad. After Cleo’s mom gets murdered, both Axe and Mei feel responsible for protecting Cleo, and avenging his wife. So they’re kind of a “found family” team. (Cleo was in past books, but since this book took so long to come out, I barely remembered her. But, that ended up being okay. This story filled in context about her, so I wasn't lost).
I was skeptical about this premise, but it’s handled well. Although he loved his wife, he wasn’t IN love with her. They didn’t even sleep together. So, it doesn’t feel like Mei is “second best” to his dead wife. It also doesn’t feel too weird that his wife was a mother figure to Mei – it doesn’t feel like Mei is betraying this woman, by later being with him – since he and his wife were a “friendly love” vibe.
And: I have to give this some credit: Mei is half-Chinese, and it's not done in a way where there are a couple references to her having dark hair, but other than that, we could easily forget. The culture is really woven in. You can tell research was done.
This had slower pacing than this author’s other books, and there's no steam until around 60% in. For the first 32% Mei is 12 and then 17, and he’s 28 and then 33. Some readers might be put off by that. But, the story drew me in. Did this part need to take up the entire first 32% of the book? Probably not! But, I liked how it took the time to build their relationship. I like their dynamic here, where they’re close and understand each other on an instinctive level, but it’s hard to label what they are to each other. This did a good job showing us that (instead of just telling us).
After an 8-year time jump, she’s 25 and he’s 40 for the rest of the story. Suddenly, now he’s mean to her – so is the club, since they're on his side. This is where the story lost me, a bit.
I love “friends to enemies to lovers.” It’s a great angsty trope! But when they meet again after being apart for 8 years and he hates her, his reason doesn’t make sense. This book keeps saying that it’s her fault that So, there’s a disconnect between what this book showed on the page, and what it keeps saying. It feels like this book is gaslighting us. We were there! We saw what happened! It's like, this story can’t make up its own mind about what it’s even saying. One paragraph will acknowledge that it was Then a few paragraphs later, this book is like, “it was Mei’s fault.” It’s very weird.
This story also says that another reason for his hate is that Mei didn’t Words have meaning!
So, he seems foolish, for acting like a victim, and Mei is annoying, too, for acting like a martyr. When Axe and everyone in the club treats her poorly, she takes it, because she “deserves it” for what she did years ago. Her crime was
I’m not against a story where a heroine wronged the hero– but then, she should be legitimately guilty! It’s like, this book forgot to write Mei actually doing the crime. And all the characters are reacting to a story that wasn’t shown on the page. So, although I like the “friends to enemies to lovers,” trope, this fumbled the “enemies” phase. (And this book took forever to come out, so the author had plenty of time to make this stuff more coherent).
Axe’s behavior during this part seems childish. He was interesting and likable and had depth in the first half. Then in the second half, he’s like a petulant teen boy. It flattens his character from all the good methodical work that the first part of this book did.
Also, in his POV chapters, his thoughts are written like: I'm drivin’ to school and pickin’ up my daughter. I got pulled into the story enough to overlook it. It’s fine for him to talk like that aloud in dialogue, but it’s annoying and distracting for his inner monologue to be that way. He even texted like that, which had the OPPOSITE effect of seeming casual and colloquial – since it takes more effort to type like that than to just text normally. (If I remember right, other books in the series are like that, too. But it’s still not working).
This series has been weird, because in past books, other side characters have been built up to get their own stories (like Wrath. Or Honey and Lysander. And this book made me remember that Cleo and Kodiak have been built up). Axe and Mei got NO build up – he was on the fringes of past books, and she wasn’t even in them. And it sounds like book 8 might be about Cedar, a new character introduced in this book, and it will skip over all those other OG characters who have been built up and waiting for their own books. Who cares about Cedar? I’m a clown because I’ll probably give it a try anyway. But, the logic in how this series is unfolding makes no sense.
Despite my issues with it, I did enjoy reading a lot of this book. I've had some problems with every book in this series, but it's still among the better MC series. (For example: Good Gone Bad had an even messier plot than this. The religious fanatics plotline in Dead Man Walking was tedious, etc etc). There’s something about the way this author writes prose and characters and relationships that just draws me in, regardless of how messy some parts of her books are.
This is “friends to enemies to lovers,” about Mei, who’s a new character, and Henning / Axe / Axe-Man (who’s been mentioned in past books, but in a vague way. Just like, we know he exists. He hasn’t been built up much before getting his own book, which is odd). Since it’s a Giana Darling age gap story, of course it starts when the heroine is SUPER young – she’s 12 and he’s 28, at the start. (They don’t get romantic until after a time jump, when she’s 25 and he’s 40).
He's her best friend Cleo’s step dad. After Cleo’s mom gets murdered, both Axe and Mei feel responsible for protecting Cleo, and avenging his wife. So they’re kind of a “found family” team. (Cleo was in past books, but since this book took so long to come out, I barely remembered her. But, that ended up being okay. This story filled in context about her, so I wasn't lost).
I was skeptical about this premise, but it’s handled well. Although he loved his wife, he wasn’t IN love with her. They didn’t even sleep together. So, it doesn’t feel like Mei is “second best” to his dead wife. It also doesn’t feel too weird that his wife was a mother figure to Mei – it doesn’t feel like Mei is betraying this woman, by later being with him – since he and his wife were a “friendly love” vibe.
And: I have to give this some credit: Mei is half-Chinese, and it's not done in a way where there are a couple references to her having dark hair, but other than that, we could easily forget. The culture is really woven in. You can tell research was done.
This had slower pacing than this author’s other books, and there's no steam until around 60% in. For the first 32% Mei is 12 and then 17, and he’s 28 and then 33. Some readers might be put off by that. But, the story drew me in. Did this part need to take up the entire first 32% of the book? Probably not! But, I liked how it took the time to build their relationship. I like their dynamic here, where they’re close and understand each other on an instinctive level, but it’s hard to label what they are to each other. This did a good job showing us that (instead of just telling us).
After an 8-year time jump, she’s 25 and he’s 40 for the rest of the story. Suddenly, now he’s mean to her – so is the club, since they're on his side. This is where the story lost me, a bit.
I love “friends to enemies to lovers.” It’s a great angsty trope! But when they meet again after being apart for 8 years and he hates her, his reason doesn’t make sense. This book keeps saying that it’s her fault that So, there’s a disconnect between what this book showed on the page, and what it keeps saying. It feels like this book is gaslighting us. We were there! We saw what happened! It's like, this story can’t make up its own mind about what it’s even saying. One paragraph will acknowledge that it was Then a few paragraphs later, this book is like, “it was Mei’s fault.” It’s very weird.
This story also says that another reason for his hate is that Mei didn’t Words have meaning!
So, he seems foolish, for acting like a victim, and Mei is annoying, too, for acting like a martyr. When Axe and everyone in the club treats her poorly, she takes it, because she “deserves it” for what she did years ago. Her crime was
I’m not against a story where a heroine wronged the hero– but then, she should be legitimately guilty! It’s like, this book forgot to write Mei actually doing the crime. And all the characters are reacting to a story that wasn’t shown on the page. So, although I like the “friends to enemies to lovers,” trope, this fumbled the “enemies” phase. (And this book took forever to come out, so the author had plenty of time to make this stuff more coherent).
Axe’s behavior during this part seems childish. He was interesting and likable and had depth in the first half. Then in the second half, he’s like a petulant teen boy. It flattens his character from all the good methodical work that the first part of this book did.
Also, in his POV chapters, his thoughts are written like: I'm drivin’ to school and pickin’ up my daughter. I got pulled into the story enough to overlook it. It’s fine for him to talk like that aloud in dialogue, but it’s annoying and distracting for his inner monologue to be that way. He even texted like that, which had the OPPOSITE effect of seeming casual and colloquial – since it takes more effort to type like that than to just text normally. (If I remember right, other books in the series are like that, too. But it’s still not working).
This series has been weird, because in past books, other side characters have been built up to get their own stories (like Wrath. Or Honey and Lysander. And this book made me remember that Cleo and Kodiak have been built up). Axe and Mei got NO build up – he was on the fringes of past books, and she wasn’t even in them. And it sounds like book 8 might be about Cedar, a new character introduced in this book, and it will skip over all those other OG characters who have been built up and waiting for their own books. Who cares about Cedar? I’m a clown because I’ll probably give it a try anyway. But, the logic in how this series is unfolding makes no sense.
Despite my issues with it, I did enjoy reading a lot of this book. I've had some problems with every book in this series, but it's still among the better MC series. (For example: Good Gone Bad had an even messier plot than this. The religious fanatics plotline in Dead Man Walking was tedious, etc etc). There’s something about the way this author writes prose and characters and relationships that just draws me in, regardless of how messy some parts of her books are.
November 30, 2023
mei was used this entire book.
used by cleo as a crutch and shield.
used by axe-man for comfort, support, and sex.
used by the triad and the fallen.
used by this author.
i was very excited for this book, but could not stomach how mei was being treated throughout its entirety. she was made to sacrifice and give. why is cleo called the giver when it feels like cleo and axeman were parasites to her all book.
axe man was awful. nice to all women except mei? treated her like trash for so long and didn’t make up for it? where was mei’s backbone? her self worth is in the trash, and it just hurt to not see the proper buildup for her.
it was clear the favorite character this book was axeman. mei was secondary, just for the tropes + plot devices.
used by cleo as a crutch and shield.
used by axe-man for comfort, support, and sex.
used by the triad and the fallen.
used by this author.
i was very excited for this book, but could not stomach how mei was being treated throughout its entirety. she was made to sacrifice and give. why is cleo called the giver when it feels like cleo and axeman were parasites to her all book.
axe man was awful. nice to all women except mei? treated her like trash for so long and didn’t make up for it? where was mei’s backbone? her self worth is in the trash, and it just hurt to not see the proper buildup for her.
it was clear the favorite character this book was axeman. mei was secondary, just for the tropes + plot devices.
Want to read
September 25, 2022(25/09/22)
pov: The Fallen MC lives rent-free in your head and you're patiently waiting to jump back into their world. At this point, I just need a bear hug from daddy Z 🥹
(03/03/22)
Update: Okay I have no idea who this book is about. But its lowkey giving Wrath and Kylie or Cleo and Kodiak
(11/02/22)
My predictions:
1) This is Z and Lou's second book. Some crazy shit happens, Z retires as prez and King takes the throne.
or
2) Bat and Dane's book.
or
3) Ares and Angel (this one is a reach but I'm not putting anything past Giana lol)
pov: The Fallen MC lives rent-free in your head and you're patiently waiting to jump back into their world. At this point, I just need a bear hug from daddy Z 🥹
(03/03/22)
Update: Okay I have no idea who this book is about. But its lowkey giving Wrath and Kylie or Cleo and Kodiak
(11/02/22)
My predictions:
1) This is Z and Lou's second book. Some crazy shit happens, Z retires as prez and King takes the throne.
or
2) Bat and Dane's book.
or
3) Ares and Angel (this one is a reach but I'm not putting anything past Giana lol)
January 12, 2024
Pleeeease, for the love of liquor. When will this book be released?
December 7, 2023
This book! Caution was a book we’ve been waiting for, collectively, for a year and a half and it was definitely worth the wait. That said, this book is thicccck and it took me a lot longer to finish. So much happens in this book and we are put THROUGH IT right along with Mei, Axe-Man, Cleo, Kate, Old Dragon, the Fallen family, and more. This read was a journey of emotions and darkness and love and family and acceptance and heartache and pain and devastation. But wrapped up just so beautifully in Giana’s writing.
This is the 7th book in the Fallen series and you will definitely get more out of this having read the series in order, especially the last couple books at least. We see Mei and Axe-Man go from friends to enemies to lovers, he’s her best friend’s dad, and their bond is just so strong. It’s slow burn because it needed to be. I loved being back with the Fallen and this amazing family they have, we see alllll the former couples in the series and I loved it so much. I have soooo many highlights in this book. Inked in Lies is still top tier for me but I really loved the direction this book took and seeing possibly the future of the Fallen series.
This is the 7th book in the Fallen series and you will definitely get more out of this having read the series in order, especially the last couple books at least. We see Mei and Axe-Man go from friends to enemies to lovers, he’s her best friend’s dad, and their bond is just so strong. It’s slow burn because it needed to be. I loved being back with the Fallen and this amazing family they have, we see alllll the former couples in the series and I loved it so much. I have soooo many highlights in this book. Inked in Lies is still top tier for me but I really loved the direction this book took and seeing possibly the future of the Fallen series.
December 28, 2023
It took me a long time to rate this book. First of all the author's behaviour was weird asf and I would have ignored it if the book was good. Unfortunately it was not.
If you put all the previous fmcs in a blender and add a leather jacket plus a bit of iamnotliketheothergirls into it you will get Mei. About Axelman, I get why he was upset but I really don't understand why he was so mad. If Mei had ghosted him for 8 years and then suddenly reappeared now I would have completely understood, but that girl had contacted, yes a bit late, but you could have asked her why? Also why did he still hate her even after she explained? Why did he> forgive her? What did she do to him? First of all you CHOSE to go to jail for her, and second, how will she contact you if she was in a mental hospital? All this made no sense.
The side plot was okay but it wasn't very interesting. The next book is about someone from the Calgary chapter and I really don't understand why they are getting a book instead of an old character (Kodiak, cleo, wrath, etc). Tbh I would much prefer if Jiang got a book instead lol.
—2/5★
If you put all the previous fmcs in a blender and add a leather jacket plus a bit of iamnotliketheothergirls into it you will get Mei. About Axelman, I get why he was upset but I really don't understand why he was so mad. If Mei had ghosted him for 8 years and then suddenly reappeared now I would have completely understood, but that girl had contacted, yes a bit late, but you could have asked her why? Also why did he still hate her even after she explained? Why did he> forgive her? What did she do to him? First of all you CHOSE to go to jail for her, and second, how will she contact you if she was in a mental hospital? All this made no sense.
The side plot was okay but it wasn't very interesting. The next book is about someone from the Calgary chapter and I really don't understand why they are getting a book instead of an old character (Kodiak, cleo, wrath, etc). Tbh I would much prefer if Jiang got a book instead lol.
—2/5★
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 23, 2024
♾️⭐️s this is the most beautifully written book in the series. Giana said I’M BACK BABY! I Laughed, I cried (I cried during a spicy scene like hello?!?) and I actually have a lot of thoughts on this so maybe I’ll add more to this tomorrow. Just know this series is so special and perfect and I’m so happy my girl is back.
***thank you Giana for the ARC copy I am not worthy of one 😭
***thank you Giana for the ARC copy I am not worthy of one 😭
Want to read
March 9, 2022Excuse me??? How is this book coming out in a month and we STILL don’t know who it will be about 🤯 My money is on Cleo and Kodiak… 👀
March 6, 2024
The thing w this series, is that I can never rate the books? I'm always conflicted lol
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