Penelope Douglas

BULLY:

My name is Tate.

He doesn't call me that, though. He would never refer to me by a friendly nickname. No, he'll barely even speak to me. But he still won't leave me alone.

We were best friends once. Then he turned on me and made it his mission to ruin my life. I've been humiliated, shut out, and gossiped about all through high school. His pranks and rumors got worse as time wore on, and I made myself sick trying to stay out of his way. I even went to France for a year, just to avoid him.

But I'm done hiding from him now, and there's no way in hell I'll allow him to ruin another year. He might not have changed, but I have. It's time to fight back.

UNTIL YOU:

Have you ever been so angry that hitting things felt good? Or so numb that you actually felt high? The past few years have been like that for me. Traveling between fury and indifference with no stops in between. Some people hate me for it, while others are scared of me. But none of them can hurt me, because I don't care about anything or anyone.

Except Tatum. I love her so much that I hate her. I hate that I can't let her go. We used to be friends, but I found out that I couldn't trust her or anyone else. So I hurt her. I pushed her away. But I still need her. She centers me, and I can pool all of my anger into her. Engaging, challenging, bullying her--call it what you will--but it's my food, my air, and the last part of me that feels anything human. But then she went and screwed everything up. She left. She went to France for a year and came back a different girl. Now, when I push, she pushes back.

RIVAL:

Madoc and Fallon. Two estranged teenagers playing games that push the boundaries between love and war…

She’s back.
For the two years she’s been away at boarding school, there was no word from her. Back when we lived in the same house, she used to cut me down during the day and then leave her door open for me at night.
I was stupid then, but now I’m ready to beat her at her own game…

I’m back.
Two years and I can tell he still wants me, even if he acts like he’s better than me.
But I won’t be scared away. Or pushed down. I’ll call his bluff and fight back. That’s what he wants, right? As long as I keep my guard up, he’ll never know how much he affects me….

Penelope Douglas Books on Amazon

Penelope Douglas is a writer living in Las Vegas. Born in Dubuque, Iowa, she is the oldest of five children. Penelope attended the University of Northern Iowa, earning a Bachelor's degree in Public Administration, because her father told her to "just get the damn degree!" She then earned a Masters of Science in Education at Loyola University in New Orleans, because she HATED public administration. One night, she got tipsy and told the bouncer at the bar where she worked that his son was hot, and three years later she was married. To the son, not the bouncer. They have spawn, but just one. A daughter named Aydan. Penelope loves sweets, The Originals, and she shops at Target almost daily.

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Review: All of the current books in the Fall Away series (with more coming soon) are based on the complex love lives of teenagers struggling to find their places in the world. Despite this, they are definitely aimed at a much more adult audience (being pinned at 18+) and Penelope Douglas does a great job of making the plots of her stories appeal to an older audience, even if they can't always relate. It's a difficult thing to write a romantic story between a bully and his victim, but by the end of the books a better understanding of these characters means that the reader eventually falls in love with all of them. I have read Bully, Until You and Rival and I cannot wait for K.C's story in Falling Away...I am already excited to learn where her journey will take her. 

I would recommend these books to anyone who loves romantic books, but is looking for something a little edgier with twists and turns that you won't expect.