The Fallen: A Crow City Prequel Novella
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5.0 • 2 Ratings
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Publisher Description
Reconnect with Gabriel, Gary, Maxi, and Crow City in this free companion novella telling the story of THE LOST's Gabriel Hart before Leigh entered his life--and get a sneak preview of the sinister Priest, hero of THE FOUND (coming 2016).
Gabriel Hart is a broken man.
And everyone close to him dies.
His military unit. His sister. His parents. Everyone he's come to care for has been taken from him, leaving him with nothing but a crippling war injury, a Vicodin addiction, and a scraggly, chewed-up rag of a cat. It's enough to make anyone want to check out. And when he holds his service pistol in his hand and presses it against his temple, for the first time in a long time the world feels right.
But he's not as alone as he thinks. And when grizzled bar owner Gary challenges him to honor his sister's memory by repairing her houseboat before he gives up on life, he discovers she left more for him than her belongings. And her letters lead him on a trail through discovering himself, discovering what he truly wants...and discovering that he has the strength to choose his own path.
Praise for THE LOST from Publishers Weekly: "If the romantic character study is a genre, this fascinating contemporary novel is its exemplar. McCade digs deep into the difficult topics of rape, incest, and sexual abuse via the remarkable voice of Clarissa Leigh VanZandt."
NOTE & TRIGGER WARNING: This novella does not have a romantic or erotic storyline, but is the companion novella to a romantic erotica as a prequel tale told from the hero's POV. While it is a standalone book, it's a character story designed to segue into the beginning of THE LOST and should not be considered a separate romance. This story also contains content discussing suicide and self-harm at length. If you are triggered by such things, please don't hesitate to put the book down and focus on self-care.
Customer Reviews
A beautifully written heart-wrenching, heart-warming read
The Lost was one of my favourite reads of 2015. And whilst it didn't leave me needing any more from Leigh and Gabriel because their story was concluded, Gabriel remained somewhat of an enigma; he was a broken man, we knew why, but not the actual depth of what he went through prior to meeting Leigh. Until now.
"There was nothing left to fight but himself."
It's no secret that Cole McCade's writing works for me: through his prose, he literally lifts you up and drops you to into the worlds he creates. You experience the atmosphere of his settings and the emotion his characters go through, and Gabriel Hart is no different; his story is heart-wrenching yet heart-warming and whilst he may be broken, he is by no means weak.
"Life was all or nothing. Creation or destruction, and little in between."
I devoured this in one sitting. Novellas often leave me wanting that bit more but this wasn't the case; The Fallen grabbed me in the opening chapter and held on tight throughout, it made me cry and smile and the only more I'm left wanting is of Priest (and Maxi and Gary because I'm just greedy and they themselves are superb characters). Whether you've read The Lost or not, this is a book I highly recommend.