Rone kept nuzzling her cheek, her jaw, her shoulder, and he was mumbling words it took her a minute to hear clearly.
“Lenna good. Lenna home. Lenna home.”
At least for the moment, it felt like she was.

I picked up Fall right after finishing Hold and skipping Rise, curious to see where Claire Kent would take a story that seemed to offer a unique setting; a modern, capable heroine dropped into a brutal, stripped-down world to see what she does to survive.

Lenna, a 29-year-old smuggler, has lived her life skirting rules and staying one step ahead of trouble. But when she is planet-dumped and forced into a primitive society, survival suddenly depends not on clever smuggling routes but on aligning herself with the right people.

Her first encounter with Rone, the caveman-like warrior of the Kroo tribe, is tense and bewildering. He is gruff, mostly silent except for his clipped language, and entirely different from anyone she has known. Lenna has always thrived on her independence, but here she is dependent on him in ways she does not want to admit. The Kroo’s world is harsh, patriarchal, and unforgiving, yet through Rone’s eyes, Lenna begins to see glimpses of protection, devotion, and a kind of love she never expected.

The heart of the story lies in how two people from entirely different worlds manage to connect. The language barrier and cultural chasm between them creates misunderstandings, jealousies, and insecurities, yet there is no denying the pull between Lenna and Rone.

Their mating is both raw and tender, a reminder of how survival and intimacy can become hopelessly intertwined. Still, I could not help but feel that Rone’s character deserved more depth; his perspective was deeply missed, and the language gap kept him from being as fully fleshed out as he could have been.

What I liked most was how Claire Kent does not shy away from showing the compromises Lenna has to make. She is not a damsel; she is pragmatic, stubborn, and willing to fight for herself. Yet she is also forced to adapt, and the choices she makes feel both frustrating and understandable. The dynamic with Desh added another layer, particularly his role as translator and outsider, though at times it distracted from the intensity that could have been between Lenna and Rone alone.

On the flip side, I wished this story had been longer. The richness of this setup, with its primitive tribe politics and the clash between Lenna’s modern worldview and Rone’s way of life, begged for more space to breathe. The brevity meant some emotional beats felt rushed, especially towards the end, when resolution came quicker than I would have liked.

Recommended for: readers who enjoy survivalist sci-fi romance, primitive existence dynamics, and heroines who are fighters in their own right.

Final Verdict: Raw, primitive, and unexpectedly tender, Fall is engaging but left me craving more depth.

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