Shalvis girl you did it again!
He Falls First is book one in her newest series Colburn Brothers by Jill Shalvis.

She brought these characters alive in a way only she can, and she was perfectly matched for this book. Another thing I loved was the moments that were literally laugh-out-loud funny, and there were sweet moments.
Shalvis’ writing always clicks with me and I’m never disappointed.

She has written another heartwarming contemporary romance that I just absolutely loved!

I love Sunrise Cove Series. But y’all I do believe I found a new series to love!
I literally can’t wait for book two Free Falling!
Oh my gosh! I can’t wait!

Thank You NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This small town romance was sweet, emotional, and full of heart.
Penny and Ryder are two people carrying heavy emotional baggage, just trying to keep it together. I loved how Ryder falls hard for Penny and he’s kind, patient, and the ultimate book boyfriend. Penny is guarded and tough, but deep down she’s vulnerable and scared to love again. Their chemistry was great, and the banter had me smiling. I especially enjoyed the family dynamics , from Penny’s quirky grandma to Ryder’s complicated relationship with his dad, there was so much depth. The first part of the book moved a little slowly for me, but the last third really delivered and gave me all the feels. If you love found family, forced proximity, and a grumpy sunshine dynamic with a hot contractor, this book will hit the spot.
Very grateful to the publisher for my copy through NetGalley, opinions are my own

I knew I was going to love this one from the title alone and I was not disappointed! I devoured this book in a day, I just couldn't put it down. Ryder was just too swoony to walk away from and his patience and care for Penny was so endearing.

I can't wait to revisit Star Falls and all the sassy, quirky characters of its small town! One of my favourite things about Jill Shalvis' books are the side characters she fills her worlds with. They always feel real and add such fun dynamics to her stories!

HE FALLS FIRST – Jill Shalvis
Colburn Brothers, Book 1
Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN: 978-1464243899
August 5, 2025
Contemporary Romance

Star Falls, California – Present Day

Ryder Colburn has his hands full running the family business and caring for his ailing father, who suffered a stroke and was kicked out of numerous care facilities. One of the perks at the company is providing food brought in from his sister’s catering business. One of its employees, Penny Rose, has caught Ryder’s eye, but she gives the do not touch vibe. One day, however, he saves her from being hit by a vehicle, and it brings their lives on a collision course when an attraction develops. Penny’s grandmother takes care of Ryder’s father during the day, so it isn’t that they don’t know each other. She just chooses to ignore him. But there is a reason why…she is a domestic violence victim and distrusts men. Penny’s grandmother wants Ryder to ask Penny out on a date in hopes that it will bring her out of her funk. Ryder doesn’t need to be asked because he wants Penny.

HE FALLS FIRST is the first book in the Colburn Brothers series about three brothers, Ryder, Caleb, and Tucker. There is also a sister, Keira, who happens to be Penny’s boss. The four Colburn siblings were raised by their brusque father, and hated him so much that they all left home as soon as possible. But after their father had no place to go after his stroke, they came together with Ryder providing a home for his father. Meanwhile, he’s running the family business and hates that he has too many shoes to fill. Wooing Penny is a welcome change of pace, especially since he likes her…a lot. She is prickly as a pear and doesn’t talk about her former life in Seattle. But Ryder suspects the truth.

Penny was born and raised in Star Falls, but left it because she couldn’t get along with her mother. However, now her mother has taken off, leaving her teenage son with his grandmother, who now needs Penny’s help. After her bad experiences in Seattle, Penny intends to stay here, though it means that her dream of opening her own restaurant or catering business will have to be set aside while she supports her family. Ryder annoys Penny, mainly because he asks too many questions and he is too damn good looking. Oh, and he laughs at her when she gets into silly predicaments. But darn it, he kisses good. How can she resist him?

Star Falls legend says that if you see the three falling stars in the sky, then you are going to find your true love and mate soon. It so happens that Ryder sees the falling stars, so is he about to find love? Penny is skittish and ready to run away from love, but she is drawn like a moth to flame when it comes to Ryder. Will they fall in love during HE FALLS FIRST? Penny and Ryder are an engaging couple, and their romance is pure fun to read. Don’t miss picking up this sizzling and entertaining tale.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

Penny has learned the hard way not to trust her judgement in men. She's got the scars and the restraining order to prove it and has moved in with her grandmother and 12 year old brother to start over. New job, new life is her plan. The life may mean working till she drops of exhaustion to pay bills, trying to ride herd on an over enthusiastic grandmother and a teenager, but that's ok. Less time to think of how she's failed at everything else. And less time to think of hot construction company boss Ryder, who's a complication she absolutely doesn't need.

Ryder doesn't need a complication like Penny either. He's drowning in paperwork he can't stand, still greiving the death of a friend and brother-in-law and knowing his sister blames him for her husband's death. He's trying to keep the family and the business together- including a sick father who's gone from an abusive man no one could stand to be around to someone who can't take care of himself and has had a complete personality change. He doesn't have time for himself, let alone a relationship.

But the universe seems to think this is the perfect time for these two people, with brick walls around their hearts a mile high, to come together. And Ryder may have no idea what he's doing, but he recognises the intense chemistry between them and the happiness he feels just talking to Penny means he'd be an idiot not to see where this unplanned, unexpected thing between them can go. When he agrees to let Penny set the pace and isn't chased off by her fears, Penny starts thinking she might be brave enough to give them a chance too.

I loved how you get two damaged people here, both trying to figure things out. Ryder is totally sweet in letting Penny set the pace no matter what, because he understands when she tells him it's about her being brave enough to trust her. But we see Ryder's broken bits too and he learns how to open up to Penny about them. As much as Ryder and his brothers tease each other, they each have their own issues and are there for each other when they need it.

This was a lovely romance with a great mix of sweet and sassy, friends and family, teasing and fun, and very hot chemistry between the two main characters. I can't wait to revisit the Colburn family!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

Finished in just over 24 hours. Loved this book so much, small town romance, characters with trauma and dealing with it together, the relationship between the siblings I adored because it just felt so real. It was a ‘he falls first’ trope for sure but it was done in such a real way that didn’t feel icky or insta love at all. Adored it! Only loses a star because I wish the back story for the 2 main characters delved a little deeper. Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

This was a fun, charming, dual POV small town romance that has Penny, a woman who's been hurt by love in the past taking a risk on Ryder, the serious older brother and caretaker for his stroke victim father who is busy juggling running his business and looking after everyone else in his life.

Ryder initially asks Penny out at the behest of her grandmother but the more time the two take to spend together, the harder they fall. I loved seeing these two selfless older siblings finally putting themselves first. There was a good balance between heavy and light as both MCs have abusive/toxic/absentee parents and have dealt with loss.

Overall I really enjoyed this and thought it was great on audio narrated by Lila Winters and Sebastian York and looks like the start to a great new series featuring more of the Colburn brothers. I'm excited for the next book! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and finished copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was such a heartwarming read with an emphasis on growth and a small town vibe. Penny and Ryder’s connection builds gradually as they learn to trust each other, and I enjoyed their banter throughout.

The family dynamics were a standout for me. Penny’s relationship with Wyatt and Nell was so sweet. Ryder’s relationship with his siblings and tension with his father added more depth. Also, I have to give a shoutout to Pika-boo. 🦜 I’m excited to see what’s next in the series!

Two people have good reason to keep their hearts locked up...

...but maybe they can teach each other to trust again.

Penny survived a childhood with a neglectful mother and then found herself in a toxic relationship. She found the courage to break free and returned to the small California town where the grandmother who helped raise her lives, bringing her teenaged half-brother (also mostly abandoned by their mother) along. The house is in need of major repairs, and Penny works hard at a catering company to bring home money to support the household but is pretty much continually exhausted. One of the company's clients also happens to be the owner's brother Ryder, too good looking by half and (unbeknownst to Penny) himself the product of household led by a cold and abusive father. Ryder is the oldest of four siblings and runs a contracting business; he is also the one with whom his father is living after having suffered two strokes and getting kicked out of every care facility in the area. He feels responsible for the death of his best friend and brother-in-law, who ran the office side of things at the business, a job that Ryder has had to pick up. Penny and Ryder find themselves first attracted to one another and over time discover how much they understand about one another. Ryder is the first to realize his walls are coming down, while Penny remains scared to trust herself after her last disastrous choice in men (a family trait)...will either be able to set aside their baggage and realize that they deserve a chance at happily ever after?
Author Jill Shalvis is known for romance stories that are full of charm, humor and emotion, and He Falls First is no exception to that rule. Penny is a bit of a hot mess, something she freely admits, but having lost confidence in her ability to make good judgements in a relationship has pretty much given up on love. Her feisty grandmother and snarky half-brother are her focus, but Ryder is pretty hard to ignore. Ryder is the family fixer and protector, and is dealing with the crazy situation with his father and his guilt over his brother-in-law's death. He too is working too much and juggling too many balls, and is completely blindsided by the woman who delivers amazing food to his business and sneaks under his defenses without even trying. Quirky characters, families bound together by shared pain as well as love, and strong protagonists who have survived past traumas all wrapped up in a great story. Readers of Susan Mallery, Tessa Bailey and Lori Foster should give this a try, and Shalvis fans won't let this engaging story pass them by. My thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for allowing me access in this first book in a likely series (Ryder has two brothers and a sister, after all....more happily ever afters must be in the offing!) in exchange for my honest review.

He Falls First is the first book in the new series .featuring the Colburn Brothers. It is everything you would expect from a Jill Shalvis book. It is full of romance with humor mixed in.
Penny works as a chef and is trying to help her Grandma and brother out as they go through a rough time . Ryder is oldest of four siblings and runs a construction company with his brothers while trying to care for their father whom has been difficult all their lives. Ryder and Penny are instantly attracted to each other and form a relationship after Ryder continues to show up for Penny over and over.
This book has some dark elements but is highlighted with humor , love and family . Jill Shalvis will continue to be one of my go to authors.
Thank you NetGalley and publisher for a copy for my opinion.

First off, content warnings for childhood abuse (in the past and just barely off page), domestic violence (again, in the past and just barely off page), and death of an important side character (in the past and off page).

The prologue of this book had me questioning if I wanted to read it, because it was clear there were going to be some heavy themes. And both of our MCs are dealing with a lot of trauma - Penny from recent domestic violence and Ryder from childhood abuse and the death of his best friend.

Somehow Jill Shalvis manages to also make a person laugh and write extremely sexy scenes while also confronting all that trauma. These two are so into each other, and also so committed to their families. Like the title says, he falls first, but she is not very far behind.

A really strong contemporary romance. Also has a poop obsessed budgie for some comic relief.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Truth in advertising: in Jill Shalvis' new series starter, HE FALLS FIRST, he definitely falls first! This is a sweet, swoony, little-bit-spicy romance that is perfect reading for a lazy August weekend.

Ryder Colburn is the oldest of the Colburns and runs their successful family home restoration business. During their childhood, Ryder protected his siblings from their abusive father and he remains the glue that holds his family together. He's closed off to love as he is still feeling guilty for the death of his business partner/brother-in-law in a skiing accident.

Penny Rose has moved back to Star Falls and in with her grandmother and brother to escape an abusive relationship and has sworn off of men. She's a chef with a dream to open a cafe, but she's making ends meet by cooking for a company that supplies food to businesses. When Ryder saves her from being hit by a car during a delivery to Colburn Restorations the sparks fly, but the two develop a friendship before trying to deepen the relationship.

Since Ryder does fall first, I particularly enjoyed how he treated Penny with patience, not asking for more than she could give. The development of their relationship felt right as both recovered from past trauma and slowly opened themselves to each other.

You count on Shalvis for a low-angst, high-emotion good time, and she didn't disappoint here. I'll be waiting on the second book, and even though this is the Colburn Brothers series I'm hoping we'll get a book for Kiera, too!

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for this eARC. Opinions are my own.

Awww what a beautiful story! This is my first Jill Shalvis book and will definitely wont be my last. There are heavy themes in the book yet somehow, it felt light but at the same time, very insightful. We have two flawed characters who have experience pain and trauma in the past - Ryder with his dad and Penny with her ex boyfriend. I love the slow progression of their relationship from banter, teasing until it evolved into flirting and then love. Their love story shows and proves that everyone deserves to be loved and is capable of love. The walls they both built around themselves due to their past were conquered and slowly removed brick by brick by the right person. The book is brimming with sweet and swoony moments with the right amount of spice. I adore the Colburn siblings, their banter and their love for each other. I am so excited for the rest of the books. I love Nell, Penny's grandma and even her secretly sweet brother Wyatt. With such heavy topics, this story is so heartwarming and I found myself smiling a few times while reading the book.

Overall, this is an amazing romance read. This is a love story between two people but it also shows love beyond that with siblings, friends, and family. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you Sourcebooks Casa for the early copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Penny and Ryder are each dealing with their own past trauma and enter each other’s lives at the exact right moment. Penny is a caterer and Ryder’s company is one of her clients, but to intertwine them even more, her grandmother is his father’s caretaker.

I enjoyed this for what it was, but it fell a little short for me.

Penny seemed a little too juvenile at times and Ryder was great, but felt a little bit too “trying to create the perfect book boyfriend” to the point where it was taking me out of the story. The man’s only flaw is that he can’t make cookies, which of course, Penny knows how to do perfectly. I know this is the first in a series but it also felt at times like this was one giant setup for the next book.

This one’s a dual POV and it’s relatively spicy, but nothing too intense.

Thanks NetGalley for this enjoyable ARC for my honest review. This story is about Penny’s journey back from an abusive relationship. She moves in with her grandmother to help raise her brother, Wyatt, when her mother leaves home yet again. Penny loves to cook and is great at it and always dreamed of opening her own cafe. However, those dreams have had to come to a halt due to her current situation. She thought she had written off all men until she meets Ryder on a catering job and he comes along and plays with all her emotions and does his best to break through all the layers of protection she has created. I absolutely loved this story of Pennys journey back to learning to trust herself and let someone in her heart and love again. And most of all to never give up on her dreams on all levels. Thanks Jill Shalvis for the great read.

Jill Shalvis has been my all-time favorite author for much longer than she or I would probably want to admit. I can never quite pinpoint what it is that is so special about her books, except for the way her characters and their relationships make me feel. I simply fall in love.

I fall in love with the honesty with which she writes and develops her characters. I fall in love with the female characters and their quirkiness and their strengths and vulnerabilities. I fall in love with the main male characters and their unwavering devotion to those that they can't help but fall for, their protective feelings toward them...and their desire to back them up against a wall. Nobody write romance better. He Falls First is yummy...just plain yummy.

Thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the digital copy. All thoughts are my own.

This is the start of a sweet new series, The Colburn Brothers—though I’m hoping for a Colburn Sister story, too, just saying—by Jill Shalvis, and a great example of comfort-food escapism. It's a lighthearted, low-stakes story that celebrates loyalty, family and friends, and the support network you build with the people who care about you. There’s never any question about where this is going, and the conflict, if you want to call it that, with the protagonists doubting themselves/feeling guilty/feeling unworthy, got somewhat tired and dragged on too long, IMO. That said, Ms. Shalvis’ writing is solid and provides a pleasant interlude for a few hours of no-angst entertainment.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the chance to read/review an ARC. Opinions are 100% mine.

B O O K 💫 R E V I E W
TITLE: He Falls First
AUTHOR: Jill Shalvis
RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
SPICE: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
KU:✅
RELEASE DATE: 8/5/2025
NARRATOR: Lila Winters & Sebastian York

Welcome to Star Falls, home of the legend - “Anyone from Star Falls knew the Legend, which said that if you caught sight of the rare phenomenon of three falling stars arching together across the sky, your soul mate would enter your life.” Enter the Colburn Brothers - who saw the Legend together. Ryder, his brothers keeper - with all the family’s stress on his shoulders meets Penny - Penelope Rose - aka Wonder Woman - who just returned home to take care of her family too. These responsibility driven characters need to remember that all work and no play make people miserable. This book has it all, chemistry, tension, banter, the feel good that Jill Shalvis is known for and so much spice (washing machine scene, IYKYK).

I loved that both of our characters are healing from abusive past situations but they do not allow their experiences to prevent their combined happiness 💙
No third act break up here - “I wanted to take away your pain. Only, when I wasn’t looking, you took away mine.”

As usual, Jill does not let me down and I am so excited to fall in love with Star Falls like I did with Sunrise Cove! Ultimately, if she writes it, I’ll read it, knowing it’s going to be amazing!

Thank you to @hambright for sharing the audio and @netgalley for the opportunity.

Sebastian York is always amazing and this was no different, I loved Lila as Penny!

Thank you NetGalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca and Jill Shalvis for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked it and all signs pointed to a great book but it just didn’t go further than a like for me.

Maybe it’s on me for going in with assumptions but the cover and description made me think I was getting a gut punch to my emotions and there certainly were sad storylines but I just didn’t connect deeply.

Both the FMC and MMC (actually, every character in the book) has some previous trauma that leaves them avoiding love. However, they are drawn to each other and feel surprisingly comfortable lower protective walls for each other.

Despite Penny’s reluctance to date Ryder they continue to spend time together, open up and have fun together.

I kept grabbing my kindle to read this book and part of me wants to know which brother gets the next story but another part of me is trying to remember what even happened in this book.

New series about a small town called Star Falls. New wonderful characters, as always, laughter, family and sweet romance we always
know we can expect from Jill Shalvis.

Penny Rose escaped Seattle after a difficult breakup, swearing off men. Her family needed her, so she moved back to Star Falls to stay with her Grandma Nell, and her 12 year old brother Wyatt. Nell is in her 70’s, independent and feisty. The other part time resident is Hank Colburn, non verbal after two serious strokes. Nell takes care of Hank. Unusual for Hank, he was always known as being extremely strict, raising his family like military recruits. His children are trying to get used to this new quiet, very mild mannered Hank.

Ryder Colburn oldest son in the family, is CEO of Colburn Restorations, and his brother Cabe and Tucker work with him. Kiera, only sister owns Busy Bee catering. Penny works as a chef for Busy Bee and delivers meals to Colburn Construction twice a week. Ryder has been observing Penny for a while, and she fascinates him. They have a banter that is hysterical, and despite Penny’s no men rule, she’s attracted. A slow sweet love story evolves.

I really enjoyed meeting the Colburn and Rose family, and all the other characters I’m sure we’ll learn about in the next books. I especially enjoyed Pika-Boo the Budgie and his conversations! A Five Star read for me.