Heaven Should Fall by Rebecca Coleman

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA

Publication Date: September 2012

Category: Literary

Description:

Alone since her mother’s death, Jill Wagner wants to eat, sleep and breathe Cade Olmstead when he bursts upon her life—golden, handsome and ambitious. Even putting college on hold feels like a minor sacrifice when she discovers she’s pregnant with Cade’s baby. But it won’t be the last sacrifice she’ll have to make.

Retreating to the Olmsteads’ New England farm seems sensible, if not ideal—they’ll regroup and welcome the baby, surrounded by Cade’s family. But the remote, ramshackle place already feels crowded. Cade’s mother tends to his ailing father, while Cade’s pious sister, her bigoted husband and their rowdy sons overrun the house. Only Cade’s brother, Elias, a combat veteran with a damaged spirit, gives Jill an ally amidst the chaos, along with a glimpse into his disturbing childhood. But his burden is heavy, and she alone cannot kindle his will to live.

The tragedy of Elias is like a killing frost, withering Cade in particular, transforming his idealism into bitterness and paranoia. Taking solace in caring for her newborn son, Jill looks up to find her golden boy is gone. In Cade’s place is a desperate man willing to endanger them all in the name of vengeance…unless Jill can find a way out.

My Thoughts:

When you first read the synopsis of this book it sounds like a romancey type of thing doesn’t it? Oh ho ho, it’s so much more. Jill and Cade do fall in love. There’s your romance. That’s about it. Shortly after Jill becomes pregnant they go to stay with Cade’s family and things take a dark, twisty and crazy turn.

The characters in Heaven Should Fall are wonderfully thought out. They are real, they are flawed and they make you want to slap them across the face a time or two..or maybe give them a hug? I really connected with these people and I know I’ll be thinking about them for a while.

How much can a person stand? How far can someone be pushed before they lose sight of what and who they were? This book is compelling and desperate and compulsively readable.