Ummm I may need a minute to catch my breath 🫣🥵🤯🙃

This was an unexpected rather enjoyable listen due to various reasons. Firstly I thought romance and a bit of action ok I’m here for it but this was like various movies / shows rolled into an audiobook played out in your ears. It was a little bit of 50 shades, seal team six and bounty hunter all rolled into to 1 and I’m sure there are probably others that I just can’t think of to mention atm but what an experience! The ending well that was absolutely incredibly well done because I cannot wait for the 2nd audiobook now!

Usually mature themes can be a bit of a hit or miss with me and sometimes the smut can be a little too smutty but in this it seemed to be done for the most part in ways you could perceive the relationship flowing. The only difficulty is because the nature of the story also has some triggering areas so the crossover may be a bit hard to navigate for some people depending on your nature. However if you’re able to simply take this as it is and leave everything at the door and just embrace this for what it is I think you can and will enjoy this story.

It most definitely leaves you wanting more absolutely fantastically written by the author and well narrated by both narrators. I was invested in all characters from the beginning. They were so well narrated I found myself disliking the villains etc although admittedly there was a little something infuriating about the bounty hunter at first but also something rather endearing at the same time. I definitely didn’t connect the dots of who was involved in preying on Carrie, what a twist! I just couldn’t put this one down!

Huge gratitude to NetGalley, Tantor Audio & Brittany Ann for this ELC in return for an open honest review. Wishing you all best wishes with publication on 20th May 2025 🎧📚❤️🙏🏽

Okay.... how to rate this... I think I have to go with a 3 star and that is being generous.
I don't know why but I really struggled to get through this book. I had high hopes based on title and description, but I really wanted to DNF the book.
First and foremost, please check the trigger warnings before you read this book.
Tropes: Morally Gray character, widow, plus size FMC, dual POV, small town, romantic suspense, grumpy-sunshine vibes.
I think what made me struggle the most, is that the pacing in the book was all over the place and I am not a fan when that happens. With all the time jumps, I just connect to the characters or the plot.
The relationship was off for me and the origin of the relationship.
It did have suspense but it was almost overshadowed by the lack of connection I had to the characters.
There was dark romance, wasn't a fan of the way it was written.
The spice was HOT and HEAVY.
I felt that Carry was well developed, and Grayson was, but not as much as Carry.
I have seen lots of folks who enjoyed this book, so if you like a dark romantic suspense, you might enjoy it!
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC!
Happy Reading!

This was my first book by Brittany Ann—and I’m officially a BIG fan!

Our FMC, Carrie, is a widow on the run from her past, and Grayson, our morally grey, hot, tattooed MMC, is a bounty hunter sent to track her down. Loved the he tension and equal obsession by both characters. The plot felt totally fresh and had me completely hooked from start to finish. If you’re into romantic suspense, this one is a MUST read or listen. The audio was great and the MMCs voice was HOT lol.

It ends on a wild cliffhanger that left me with my jaw on the floor. I’ll be downloading the second book in the duet immediately because I have to know what happens next. Where’s Carrie? Why was she taken? No idea—but I have full faith that Grayson won’t rest until he finds her.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for the ALC—without it, I wouldn’t have found this addictive story or a new author I can’t wait to read more from.

Thank you Netgalley for the ALC of this book!

Catch Me When I Fall is an intense dark romance following a women who is running away to start fresh in a small town and a bounty hunter who is tasked with finding her.

While the story technically spans around eightish months, it felt like the couple only spent a couple of weeks actually together before throwing out "I love yous" — which made their connection feel rushed and, at times, a little cringey.

The spicy scenes were very steamy and hot though!

There were strong emotional threads, especially with Carry’s heartbreaking past. Her resilience was beautifully portrayed, and she stood out as one of the novel’s strongest elements. I loved that the FMC could handle herself — and even better, that the MMC acknowledged this while still stepping up to support her.

Grayson was a refreshing character, and his profession added a unique layer to the story.

In saying that, the time jumps in the narrative made it hard for me to feel connected to the characters and their relationship. It would have been nice to see more of the conversations they were having rather then the author just telling us "they talked".

I do understand this is book 1 in a Duet so I'm sure we will find out plenty more in book 2, I would've liked to find out a little bit more about her father and husband and what they were involved with. There were some subtle hints but it just wasn't enough for me.

In saying this, I did enjoy the ending and am intrigued to read book 2.

Quotes:

"I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure you never lose your light."

"I know you're beautiful. You are a work of art, made to be admired by a man like me."

🎧Thank you Net Galley and Tantor Audio for the ALC🎧

Narrated by: Penny Li & Alex Kydd
Narration style: Dual
Written: dual POV, first person
My overall rating: 3⭐️

Before I get into my thoughts on the audiobook, I do have to say that unfortunately this book wasn’t my favorite. The pacing of the book was confusing. Very inconsistent time jumps which threw off the progression of things. I had a really tough time with the way their relationship formed, it all happened way too fast, but also over the span of almost a year? That being said, I do think the suspense part of this book was well done. I became less interested in the romance and more interested in seeing what’s going to happen! That for me is really rare because I’m usually more focused on the romance development. I honestly did go in blind to this story so I was actually surprised that this was romantic suspense (slight mafia-esque?) and on the darker side. I am not a big dark romance girl but this was just enough that I didn’t mind.

🎧: 5⭐️ - the audiobook truly elevated the story for me! I would likely have dnf'd the book if I was reading it physically.

-Narrators were both new to me and both gave excellent performances.
-Pacing and production were great and no issues there at all.
-Penny did an incredible job and I am definitely looking forward to hearing her narrate more!
-But WOW did Alex Kydd totally blow me away, his narration here was damn near perfect! He reminds me a bit of Joe Arden in the way he just breathes through his lines. It’s a performance - the breaths, the grunts, the growls, those little things make an ~grumpy/dark character come to life. He is easily a new favorite of mine.

Catch Me When I Fall is book one in the Catch Me Duet. It follows Carrie Hale, a woman with a troubling past who is running toward her new life and Joseph Grayson, the grumpy bounty hunter tasked to bring Carrie back to her old life but ends up falling in love instead.

This book was so flipping great and such a rollercoaster of emotions! I literally read it in one day because I could not put it down! This book covers love, loss, and healing in such a positive way. This was the first book I've read by Brittany, and it will not be my last! I plan to read through all of her backlog now since they are all interconnected because I need to know everyone’s history!

This book was so well written, and I loved the fast pace of it all! I also really loved that the FMC is a curvy/plus size woman because we need more rep!!!

The very first note I wrote when meeting Grayson for the first time was “Grayson is grumpy as shit.” which he 100% was and I loved it! He was dark but very protective and a tiny bit of a cinnamon roll around Carrie. I loved Carrie so much, and my heart literally shattered for her while reading this book! She went through so much in her life and still turned out to be this beautiful, kind ray of sunshine! Their chemistry from the start was explosive, and I am so happy Grayson got his head out of his ass!

Also, the cliffhanger at the end should be illegal!

This book can be read as a standalone. Brittany’s books are all interconnected, so it’s recommended to read her other books, but as someone new to the Brittany-verse, you don’t have to read the other books to fully enjoy this one! You will not regret checking this book out!

The narrators were so perfect bringing Carrie and Grayson to life. They really sucked me in and told the story so wonderfully.

Thank you so much to Tantor Audio & Netgalley for the gifted copy!

3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for the audio ARC

This was my first book by Brittany Ann and now it won’t be cause that cliffhanger! I enjoyed the audio. I really enjoyed the male narrators voice. The story flowed nicely. I really enjoyed listening to Brittany and Graysons story.

This book has a certain audience that likes brooding men and helpless women that are connected by a need to rescue. I'm not that audience. I was interested in a romance with substance but this book felt like it might appeal to a younger audience. I cannot really say that the writing is bad but it doesn't feel nuanced or intelligent. Most of the plot feels "forced" and far-fetched. With that said, I am sure there are people that this book and the surrounding "world" this is set in will enjoy. I'm just not their typical reader.

I’m so confused 🫤 you know when you’ve just come off of a rollercoaster and you’re really not sure if you loved it or hated it? Bit like that.

There was so so very much cringe in this title, it’s definitely not my genre of choice, and I have more questions than answers. Like what’s a lavender latte and where can I try one? but I very rarely finish a novel and immediately want to read the next in the series. Wtf was that cliffhanger?! I need to know where it goes next…..

There are a lot of triggers in the novel but there are also loads of sweet moments loads of positive affirmations.

A very befuddled 3.75🌟

Great narration.

Huge thanks to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this ALC 🎧

The book was ok I enjoyed it. I like the story line. I didn't like the dialog between the characters in some parts. I didn't have to skip through the book though. I loved Carrie, Margo, Sarah and Rossi. The narrators did a good job.