College rivals. One job site. And absolutely no chance these two are staying just enemies.
You do not need to read the first book to enjoy Free Falling, but honestly... why not? If you already met Ryder and Penny in He Falls First, then coming back for Caleb’s story feels like returning to a family you are not quite ready to leave.
Ryder and Penny may have opened the door to Star Falls, but Caleb and Emma walk right through it with sparks, stubbornness, chemistry, and more emotional weight than I expected. Their story is explosive in all the best ways.
Title: Free Falling by Jill Shalvis
Series: Colburn Brothers #2
Publication Date: February 3, 2026
Genre: Romance, Contemporary Romance
Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)
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Tropes
Enemies To Lovers, Workplace Romance, Small Town Romance, Healing Romance, Forced Proximity, Found Family
Book Description
College rivals become workplace frenemies-turned-lovers in this warm, sexy contemporary romance from New York Times bestseller Jill Shalvis. First, they were rivals… Now they're stuck with each other…
Retired hockey player Caleb Colburn needs this construction project to prove himself in the family business, but he also needs to recover from the injury that ended his pro career. Too bad Emma Sumner, architect liaison and Caleb's college nemesis, is back in town and assigned to the project. They're going to have to see each other almost every day. Which means once again she'll make his life a living hell.
As for Emma, her job is on the line with this big project, made all the more challenging by the project manager. Caleb was the one who had snagged the scholarship she'd desperately needed to stay in college. She's been living hand to mouth ever since and has no intention of ever forgiving the man.
But the beautiful historic building they're renovating is exactly the kind of project that they both love best. Their surprising common ground and a burning mutual attraction start bringing them closer and closer to a potentially explosive mistake. And that's even before the secrets come out.
My Review
Free Falling is one of those romances that pulls you in with tension but keeps you invested because of the emotional payoff. Jill Shalvis does such a good job balancing banter, hurt, chemistry, and healing without letting any one part overpower the story.
Caleb Colburn is trying to prove that he is more than the guy everyone once underestimated. His hockey career is behind him, his body still reminds him of what was lost, and stepping into the family business means he has something real to fight for now. Emma Sumner is just as determined, but in a completely different way. She has spent too much of her life scraping by, trying to hold everything together on her own, and she is in no mood to trust the same man she believes derailed her future years ago.
That history gives this story its bite.
Because sometimes the person you thought hurt you the most is the one who understands you best.
The enemies-to-lovers tension here works because it is not shallow. Caleb and Emma are not sniping over nothing. Their resentment comes from old wounds, assumptions, and a painful past they never fully unpacked. Once they are forced to work together, that old rivalry slowly starts to shift into something sharper, softer, and much more vulnerable.
Emma was such an easy heroine to root for. She is proud, smart, guarded, and carrying so much more than she lets anyone see. There is a loneliness to her that quietly threads through the story, and that emotional undercurrent made so many of the quieter moments land even harder. She does not give her trust easily, and I appreciated that this romance did not rush her into becoming someone else just to make the love story work.
And Caleb? He completely won me over.
He is patient in a way that felt deeply appealing. Not perfect, not overdone, just solid. He listens. He notices. He shows up. Underneath the teasing and the old rivalry, there is a steadiness to him that makes the emotional progression between him and Emma feel believable. Their chemistry is strong from the start, but what really made this couple work for me was the way their relationship gradually became a safe place for both of them.
I also loved being back with the Colburn family. The sibling dynamic continues to be one of the biggest strengths of this series. They are messy, funny, loyal, and fully in each other’s business, which adds so much warmth to the story. That family energy gives the book a comforting small-town heartbeat even when the characters are dealing with heavier emotional baggage.
There is also a subtle thread of suspense running underneath the romance, which adds another layer of momentum and keeps the broader series arc moving. It definitely kept me curious about where things are headed next, especially with the ongoing issues at the job sites. That said, I did feel like the mystery surrounding the trailer thefts lingered a bit too long without a strong payoff here. When it finally circles back, it still feels somewhat unresolved, and I was left wanting a clearer answer about who was behind it all. It reads more like setup for what’s coming next rather than a fully closed loop in this book.
What I loved most about Free Falling is that it is not just about attraction or old grudges turning romantic. It is about re-seeing someone. It is about letting go of the version of the past you clung to for survival and realizing the truth may be more complicated than you thought. Jill Shalvis gave this story humor, heat, tenderness, and emotional growth, and for me, it all landed.
This one was a full five-star read for me.
Why I Loved It
- College rivals to workplace enemies-to-lovers with real emotional depth
- Strong chemistry and satisfying slow-burn tension
- A heroine you genuinely ache for
- A hero who shows up in the ways that matter
- Small-town warmth and family chaos without losing the emotional center
- Just enough ongoing mystery to keep the series momentum strong
Character Spotlight
Caleb Colburn may come across like the easygoing former hockey guy, but there is a lot more going on under the surface. He is trying to prove himself in the family business while carrying physical pain, old family wounds, and the need to be taken seriously. What I liked most about Caleb is that beneath the banter and confidence, he is steady, observant, and far more caring than he first appears.
Emma Sumner is guarded, proud, and running on pure determination. She has had to rely on herself for so long that trusting anyone else feels unnatural, and that emotional isolation gives her character real depth. She is smart, capable, and easy to root for, especially as the story slowly reveals just how much she has been carrying on her own.
Tucker and Hazel definitely add another layer of interest in the background. There is clear tension there, and even without their full story yet, you can feel Jill Shalvis setting something up. Their dynamic adds that little spark of anticipation that makes you curious about where the series is headed next.
And I can’t not mention Hank.
Hank continues to be a quiet but powerful presence in the background of this series. Now mostly nonverbal after his strokes, he is no longer the imposing, distant father the siblings grew up with—but his presence still carries weight. There is a moment between Caleb and Hank at the hospital that really stayed with me. It is subtle, but it says everything about the complicated history between them—pain, regret, and something that almost feels like forgiveness without words.
The way the Colburn siblings continue to show up for him, despite everything, adds a layer of emotional depth that runs quietly beneath the romance. It is not loud or overdone, but you feel it—and moments like that make this story land even harder.
Why You Should Read Free Falling
If you love emotionally layered romances with sharp banter, slow-burn tension, and characters who feel real and a little broken, Free Falling is worth picking up.
This is the kind of story where the chemistry builds naturally, the emotional payoff feels earned, and the small-town setting wraps everything together with warmth and just enough chaos to keep things fun.
Final Thoughts
Free Falling is warm, sexy, funny, and emotionally grounded. It gives you the friction and banter you want from an enemies-to-lovers romance, but it also gives you characters who feel bruised, layered, and worth rooting for.
If you love Jill Shalvis for her found-family energy, heartfelt vulnerability, and heroes who fall hard when they least expect it, this book absolutely delivers.
And while this can be read as a standalone, I still think the best experience is diving into the series and spending more time with the entire Colburn crew.
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About the Author
Jill Shalvis is a NYT, USA Today, and Amazon Top 100 bestselling author of small-town romance and romcoms, known for big feels, found family, and plenty of shenanigans.
If you love small-town chaos, meddling friends and neighbors, sizzling chemistry, and heroes who fall hard for the one woman they absolutely did not plan on, you’re in the right place. Jill’s books blend laugh-out-loud moments with emotional gut punches, slow-burn tension, and deeply earned happily ever afters.
She writes the stories she loves to read: small-town romance and romantic comedies packed with heart, heat, second chances, grumpy/sunshine sparks, and the kind of found-family vibes that make you want to move right into the pages. Many of her series are perfect for binge-reading, and a number of her books are available in Kindle Unlimited and at major retailers.
When she’s not writing, she’s probably plotting new ways to torture her characters, avoiding laundry, or daydreaming about fictional men and the strong, complicated women who bring them to their knees—and then making them work for it.
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Do you love enemies-to-lovers romances with a little history, a lot of tension, and characters who slowly earn each other’s trust?
And tell me — have you started the Colburn Brothers series yet, or are you waiting to binge all three books at once?
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