After She Falls

June 1, 2021

DEBUT Adriana Rivera has always been a fighter, having trained in mixed martial arts for a decade. Five years in an abusive marriage have taken most of the fight out of Adri, but she summons the strength to take her daughter Eva and return home to Pennsylvania. Once home, Adri starts to remember the good things about her town, mixed martial arts, and her former flame, ex-fighter Max Lyons. Adri yearns for the freedom fighting once gave her and she begins to train again; eventually she files for divorce. Soon, Max is in Adri's corner as her coach, and possibly something more, if they can learn to forgive themselves and each other. Anyone who has watched a sports movie knows that the underdog will prevail, romance readers know that love wins, and Christian fiction readers know that God is bigger than any problem; Schober's debut novel is unique for being blend of the three. Adri and her family are of Cuban descent; most other characters present as white. VERDICT Readers sensitive to violence or domestic abuse may want to pass (there's also an early scene of animal abuse), but Christian fiction readers looking for a sports angle might enjoy this title.--Heather Webb, Worthington Libs., OH

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