FALLEN JESTER (Clifton Forge #5) by DEVNEY PERRY

“Whether you’re ready to be a father or not, this baby is yours. You belong to her like she belongs to you. The loyalty you had to your brothers, to your club, is in your blood. And it’s searching for a new connection. It’s screaming at you to find a new place to channel it. That place is here. With her.”

We couldn’t wait to get back to Clifton Forge to read Leo’s story as not only has he entertained us throughout this series but also because his life was about to change completely after a bombshell announcement was dropped by Cassandra in Noble Prince. The Tin Gypsy series has grown in strength and we’ve fallen in love with these ex-MC guys as they navigate life in the aftermath of the violent and dark world they inhabited for so long. However, can they truly separate the then and now? Will the past continue to snap at their heels, and will the shadow of retribution follow them? This series has certainly kept us captivated! The continual storyline threaded through each book in the series looks like it’s heating up to a final crescendo in the last installment, Tin Queen, which sounds like it’s going to be an angsty one! So yes, we absolutely loved being back in this world, feeling as we were back home with friends.

‘I’d fallen. I’d fallen for Leo. I’d fallen for his lies.’

We loved Cassandra, the woman who knocked Leo for six. She had the strength, the willpower, and the ability to see past his bullshit. This, despite the harrowing experience she went through which almost broke her. Her run-ins with Leo were laden with emotion, but this girl held her head high and gave as good as she got. The way in which Leo was written throughout this series showcased a hard-as-nail biker who showed nothing but utter devotion and loyalty to his band of brothers, the Tin Gypsies. He would lay down his life for them.  A man who pretty much lived at The Betsy hooking up with women and getting drunk with his ‘brothers’, engaging in witty banter. Leo was quite the player who lived wild and free. However, we had a feeling that under this façade was a man who needed to feel loved. The closest he got to that was the almost parental role the late leader of the Tin Gypsies, Draven provided. Leo was a ‘lost’ man, looking on as everyone around him was settling down, finding their one, and having babies. So really, he was quite vulnerable and hesitant under all that bravado. His sparring with Cassandra was very entertaining!

“Sitting beside you was like seeing the stars for the first time. You were out of my universe. And when you left me behind last month, it was a reminder that I wasn’t enough.”

Fallen Jester was a slow build romance that celebrated strength, family, loyalty, love, and passion. It highlighted that the family in our life doesn’t have to be blood, it’s the people who love us regardless of our flaws, who have our backs when we need it, and who stand by our side through the good as well as bad times. We really enjoyed Leo and Cassandra’s story and now we cannot wait for the last installment in this fabulous series, Tin Queen which is Emmet’s story.

“We’re all flawed. We learn. But no matter the past, it doesn’t mean you don’t deserve my love. Besides, it’s mine to give to who I choose. I choose you. And I chose you a year ago.”