Take the Fall by Marquita Valentine

**1/2

As a teenager, Seth O'Connor went to jail for a crime he had nothing to do with. He took the fall to protect the girl he loved, but the cruel realities of prison hardened him. After doing his time, Seth shuts her out and enlists in the Marines—until his grandmother's funeral forces him to come home and face Rowan Simmons once again. The woman she's become puts all his high-school memories to shame, and Seth wants her more than ever. Can he be honest about why he denied her for so long?

After Seth pushed her away, Rowan swore that no man would ever hurt her again. But the boy who broke her heart has become a sexy Marine, capable of fulfilling her every desire—and now that he's back in town, old feelings are simmering to a boil. Rowan wants to stay strong, even as her body surrenders to his expert touch. She only hopes that by taking him back, she can finally help heal the wounds that drove them apart.

I have mixed feels about Take the Fall, so much so that I find it difficult to write this review.  The book was interesting and held my attention, but it seemed too easy for Seth and Rowan to get back together after Seth went to jail for Rowan's brother.   This doesn't seem like something you could get around so easily.  Also, the way Seth treated Rowan when he went to jail was awful and she forgives that pretty quickly as well.  I just found it difficult to believe that this would happen as it did.  People aren't that selfless or forgiving.  I know, I know, it's a book and suspension of belief and all that, but it didn't feel honest to me, so I couldn't get lost in the story.  

Valentine has a Boys of the South series that looks interesting, so I think I may give that one a shot.  

~Shel