Book Reviews

Caution to the Wind (The Fallen Men, #7) by Giana Darling

Pages:
Publish date: 28 November, 2023
Publisher: –
ISBN: 9781774440223
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Caution to the Wind :

There are major trigger and content warnings for this book and series. I’ve included a list at the bottom of this review, but this is a dark series, that includes dark themes.

I received an e-arc of Caution to the Wind (The Fallen Men, #7) by Giana Darling in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings. This review will contain some spoilers from the rest of the series.

While you can read these books as standalones, I highly recommend that you read them in order. All these stories connect and sometimes stories intertwine.

So, I am not going to lie, it was quite a big wait for this book, but let me tell you. It was so worth it. I didn’t know what to expect from Caution to the Wind (The Fallen Men, #7) by Giana Darling. I’ve really like this dark MC series, I’ve given most of the books 4 starts, so I knew I was going to like it. I didn’t know I was going to love it and now it’s maybe my favourite book in the series. This one honestly took me by surprise, and I am not mad about it.

Photo by Alexey Malakhov on Unsplash

Caution to the Wind is really told in two parts. The first part follows Mei while she is still young, still in school. Where Mei and Henning Axelsen are there for each other, and they both go through some pretty dark parts. The past is where everything falls apart. The second part is where we left the Fallen Men in Dead Man Walking.  

I’m normally not a massive fan of books that jump a lot of time. Mostly I don’t love being in the past. I get bored and just want to get to where everything hits the fan. But Giana did such a fantastic job here. From the moment that the book opens, it was all hell. I wasn’t prepared for that start at all, but it absolutely grabbed my attention. It was a fantastic way of showing who not only Mei and Henning were before, but how they became who they are now. If I thought the past was heavy, well the now isn’t much better. Mei is so young at the start of the book, but the events that she goes through change her, and put her on a path that is dangerous and at times she is helpless.

It’s been years since Mei and now Axe-Man had seen each other. He doesn’t want to see Mei; he doesn’t want her around and he absolutely doesn’t want her around his daughter and her best friend Cleo. But Cleo has just been something unimageable and she just wants her best friend there. Axe-Man and Mei’s first encounter after so many years is harsh and makes my heart hurt. But they are thrown together throughout the book, they need to work together if anything is going to happen. But there is just so much pain between the two of them. Axe-Man doesn’t want to hear any of it, and Mei feels like she deserves it.

Mei is a whole new character to us, we don’t know anything about her before this book starts, and it’s hard to know the real her for a good part of the book. In the past, she is young, she is in pain, and she is letting her emotions take over. Then in the now, we know that we don’t know everything. And for me, it isn’t until we do, that I know feel like we know the real Mei. She is fighting and fits in with the Fallen so well. Even if they are quite harsh with her. She is so alone and that made me hurt so much. She would honestly do anything and everything for Axe-Man and Cleo, and she does. Even if it hurts her.  

Photo by Maxim Hopman on Unsplash

Even though Axe-Man has been here from the start, I feel like we don’t know a whole lot about him. We find out things here and there throughout the series. But it’s here that we get to see who he is. And for the most part, he is just hurt. And that leads to hate. He like Mei, would do anything for those that he loves. And Cleo is at the top of that list. After Dead Man Walking, he feels like he has failed. And I honestly think that plays a lot into this book and how he feels about Mei.

Caution to the Wind is a book that isn’t easy to read. From the physical abuse that happens throughout the book, to the mental struggles that both Mei and Axe-Man go through. They have both hurt each other, but with Axe-Man not wanting to talk, there is just more and more pain. The romance in this one was slow and long. It’s been quite a few years between them parting and when they see each other again, there is just so much hate. So much hurt. It takes them quite some time to both forgive the other and let go of the strain that they have. This isn’t a simple hate-to-love romance. There are so many layers, and it’s a slow peel. Caution to the Wind explores the length of what people would do for love, even if it means tearing their own hearts in the process. I found that there wasn’t a lot of romance for a lot of the book, and more pure lust and hate. But if you dig deep, it is love that drives it.

There is a lot going on in terms of plot, we have all the tension and history between Mei and Axe-Man that we are uncovering, as well as some new evils that have come to town. Both have connections to the past for Mei and Axe-Man. I didn’t feel that this was as intense as some of the other books in terms of these themes. I mean there are still some dark things that happen, but after the last book. This one was a little tamer. I liked that we got to see both Mei and Axe-Man work together, but also try and find things on their own. Mei was badass and I loved it. While all the other females in the Fallen Men series are some of my favourites, there was something about Mei that just stood out.

Taking about the Fallen Men, I loved that I was back in this world. I have missed it. We were able to catch up with the characters that we love and care for. But we also get to see them from an outsider’s perception. Other than the first book, most of the female leads have had some sort of connection to the club. But Mei knows nothing about them. And at first, their reception isn’t warm – at all. And I kinda hated it. I have grown to love my Fallen woman, and I know that it was coming from a place of love. But Mei, Mei is alone and this group of women, this family didn’t want her there at first. Cleo is dealing with a lot and while she does stand up for her, it’s hard. I just wanted these badass women to love and welcome another badass woman. However, as the Caution to the Wind goes on, Mei breaks down their walls and they come to trust and even really like her.

Photo by Maxim Hopman on Unsplash

Overall, I think Caution to the Wind could be one of my favourites in the Fallen Men series. I don’t know if it’s because it’s been so long since I’ve had a new book in this world. Or because I simply loved reading it. It’s dark and mysterious adding to that being hot and heavy. As soon as I picked this one up, I didn’t want to put it down. Caution to the Wind made me enjoy time jumps and spending quite some time in the past.

Caution to the Wind has many highs and lows. It follows Mei and Axe-Man on a long journey from hurt and betrayal, to forgiveness and love. It’s forbidden, and dark and will keep you reading until the end. It’s full of love, pain, anger and so much angst. Caution to the Wind is a story that is raw and powerful and hits you right in the middle with everything at once. This age-gap romance is perfect for anyone who has loved the rest of the series and for those who want something dark in their lives.  

Tropes and Themes: Age-Gap, MC, Forbidden Romance, Best Friends Dad, Dark Themes  

⚠️ Trigger Warnings Include; Violent Death On Page, Graphic Violence, Kidnapping, Gun Violence, Torture, Death of Loved Ones, Illness of Loved Ones, Graphic Sex.

Have you read Caution to the Wind by Giana Darling yet? What did you think of it? Have you read any of the other books in this series? What is a book that you have read recently that you loved and took you by surprise? Let’s chat! 

You can check out the rest of my reviews of The Fallen Men series and other Giana Darling if you would like.