fighters

Review: Legend by Katy Evans

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01 leg The most REAL ending to this series I could ever hope for.

Reese Dumas is staying with her cousin, in order to get a break from her life and to find the real her. She’s been hidden away for so long, now the chance to find her. I liked Reese. She seems very sheltered on some ways, and yet very worldly in others. She has a very low self esteem and is trying to make herself into a person that she thinks is perfect. But there is no such thing as a perfect person.

Maverick Cage is fighting to prove himself worthy. He just needs a chance to do it. But really all he wants is for someone to be in his corner. Deep down that’s what we all want. When we first meet him, he has this passion and drive and it hurt to see him being rejected for reasons outside of his control. But he never gave up. By some miracle, he stumbles upon Reese and his world is about to change.

Love is a funny thing. I don’t even know if you could it a “thing,” precisely. It’s a force. An energy. A feeling. A moment. A look, a kiss, a smile. All of those things in one.

It sneaks up on you; you never see it coming. And when it does finally hit you, it isn’t a small little poke. It’s like a rhinoceros rammed itself against your chest. Or you just got run over by a car. It knocks the wind out of you. Slams you against the wall. Kick-starts your heart.

Of all the fighters she could’ve fallen for, he was the worst. But for her, he was the best.

The crazy thing about this book is that it seemed like there was WAY more action and less talking. Normally I don’t like that, but I felt this book needed that. We needed to be inside Reese and Maverick’s head to fully understand their trials and pain. Of all the fighters she could’ve fallen for, he was the worst. But for her, he was the best.

While I am sad to see the series end, I think it went out with a bang. With the roll that Remy played, I don’t think this book could’ve ended any better. Bittersweet.

~Melpomene

Be sure and grab Legend (The REAL series Book 6), since Katy will be donating a percentage of sales to the NationalMsSociety.Org.

Review: Xavier Cold by Michelle A. Valentine

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01 aa1 YES!!! It seems like we’ve been waiting forever for this, but we really haven’t. The ending of Phenomenal X left us hanging and freaking out. So many conclusions were happening in my head. I needed to know. So when I got Xavier Cold, I opened this bad boy up so quickly and closed myself off from my family. A book nerd’s gotta do what a book nerd’s gotta do.

SYNOPSIS
“What’ll it be, Anna Cortez? Are you in, or are you out?”
One momentary loss of control has now ruined everything Xavier Cold had going for himself. With his world unraveling fast, he’s willing to do anything to save not only his job but his relationship with the only woman he’s ever loved.

Anna Cortez, still reeling from shock, tries desperately to save the man that’s consumed her heart, body and soul. She’ll have to dig deep and find courage she never knew she possessed to help Xavier fight demons from his past—a past that’s even more haunted than she ever imagined.

Looking back on my updates, I remember exactly what I was feeling. Heart racing. Nail biting. Stomach churning. Anna and X loved each other so much, but I swear they couldn’t seem to catch a break. Just when they thought they were going to be able to move on, something or someone threw a wrench in their plans.

Anna loved X so much and would do anything for him, but X after living the horrible life he did, has a fear of losing her. No matter what she said, he wouldn’t get it through his thick skull. I was getting so frustrated with him. You could see that he was trying to save her from himself, but she wanted nothing more than to be with him. He had good intentions, but goodness, he needed a whack across the head a few times.

I loved Anna and her never ending love for X. She was going through some very hard times but no matter what she was going to remain strong.

Very good conclusion to this duo. I am happy that they found their peace and I hope they move on and live a happy life together.

~Melpomene

Buy Xavier Cold (Hard Knocks Book Two) (Hard Knocks Book Series 2)

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Review: The Hurricane by R.J. Prescott

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01 hurI completely enjoyed this book. The one part that sticks out to me is the fact that these are regular people, in the sense that they’re not rich. They’re actually far from it. Love is simpler that way. It’s the little things they do, instead of the grand gestures.

When Cormac “The Hurricane” O’Connell first caught site of sweet timid Emily, he was hooked. In his mind she was his and he would do everything in his power to protect her. Little did he know the scary past that haunts her daily. She needed someone to protect her and defend her. She’s never had that before.

When she starts to work in the gym he fights at, she is nervous being around all these huge and intimidating guys, but they slowly break down her barriers and weasel their way into her heart. But it’s O’Connell who latches on fiercely and doesn’t let go. She is taken with him, even though he scares her, but given her past, she’s still nervous to pursue anything more than friendship.

The more time she spends with O’Connell she comes to realize that she’s his. Watching her deny that there was anything between them, was funny. She wanted to hold him at arms length, but you can’t hold a guy like that back.

I loved the sense of loyalty and protectiveness all these characters had. They defended each other, stood by each other, and loved each other. Most definitely not your traditional family, of blood, but of the heart. Those are the best kind of families. I can’t wait til book 2 to continue reading their story. But I’m hoping to see Kieran get a book as well. I think it’s going to take someone super special to tame that boy.

~Melpomene

Buy The Hurricane

Review: The Song of David by Amy Harmon

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01 song “The most intimate thing we can do is to allow the people we love most to see us at our worst.”

My heart is full and happy. The Song of David was so beautifully written, I can’t seem to wrap my head around any coherent words that will make this review even a hint of what it should be. I can’t see through my tears, even if I could think well enough to do that. Amy Harmon’s stories are perfect. The characters are real. The problems are real. The hurt is real. She is the master creator of stories that will change you and heal you.

SYNOPSIS
I won my first fight when I was eleven years old, and I’ve been throwing punches ever since. Fighting is the purest, truest, most elemental thing there is. Some people describe heaven as a sea of unending white. Where choirs sing and loved ones await. But for me, heaven was something else. It sounded like the bell at the beginning of a round, it tasted like adrenaline, it burned like sweat in my eyes and fire in my belly. It looked like the blur of screaming crowds and an opponent who wanted my blood.

For me, heaven was the octagon.

Until I met Millie, and heaven became something different. I became something different. I knew I loved her when I watched her stand perfectly still in the middle of a crowded room, people swarming, buzzing, slipping around her, her straight dancer’s posture unyielding, her chin high, her hands loose at her sides. No one seemed to see her at all, except for the few who squeezed past her, tossing exasperated looks at her unsmiling face. When they realized she wasn’t normal, they hurried away. Why was it that no one saw her, yet she was the first thing I saw?

If heaven was the octagon, then she was my angel at the center of it all, the girl with the power to take me down and lift me up again. The girl I wanted to fight for, the girl I wanted to claim. The girl who taught me that sometimes the biggest heroes go unsung and the most important battles are the ones we don’t think we can win.

No one fights alone.

David “Tag” Taggert has been a fighter for most his life. He will fight for those he loves and cares about, until he can no longer swing. We met Tag in The Law of Moses and I’m so glad we get to see more of him. He hasn’t had the easiest of times, since the death of his sister, but he puts on an act and carries on. On the outside he seems like the most confident and happy go lucky kind of guy, but there’s a secret that he’s keeping from those who love him most.

I adored Millie!!! She was the best girl for Tag. She’s a fighter and a mighty protector. She lays it out there and tells him what he needs to hear, not what he wants to hear. No matter how much he wants to protect her from the ugly side of life, she forces him let her in and be there for him.

“When you’re with me, I feel like I glimpse a David nobody else knows is there. It’s a Song of David, and nobody else can hear it but me.”

This book struck a chord with me. So many parts of this story I could relate to, and it made me connect and feel it, even more than I normally would. There is a connection between David and Goliath that everyone faces at some point in their lives. They must fight their giants, and keep fighting til they’re taken down and destroyed. Never stop fighting. No matter what.

“You hold onto me. You trust me. You lean on me. You rely on me. You let me shelter you. You let me love you. All of you.”

~Melpomene

While you can read this as a standalone, to avoid spoilers and get the full experience, read The Law of Moses
first. You can thank me later.

Buy The Song of David

Review: Take Me On, by Katie McGarry

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01take

“I can’t convince you to tap out on me?” “No tapping out.”

Would you think I’m silly if I told you I didn’t know what this book was about? I saw the cover and assumed it was about fighters, but I never read a single teaser or blurb. I’m so glad I didn’t. I get all the feels, when I go in blind.

Haley has been beaten down. This poor girl has been through so much, my heart hurt. She used to live a in nice home with her parents and siblings. But after her dad lost his job they had to move in with an uncle, who’s words, towards her, cause more damage than fists would. She used to be a champion kickboxer, until a disastrous night made he decide to never step foot in a gym and swear off fighting. She’s just trying to get by and graduate. She’s trying not to cause any trouble. She takes all the hits, since no one will tap in for her.

West is privileged. He has everything he could ever needs. While his sister is in the hospital, after an accident that almost took her life, he constantly makes one wrong decision after another and soon loses everything he thought he couldn’t live without. He is thrust into a lifestyle of want and then realizes that he was one of the lucky ones.

While we watching West fall apart, we see Haley barely hold herself together.

“Sometimes I wonder if the agony inside myself would disappear if someone would shed the tears for me.”

I just couldn’t believe the things this poor girl had to endure. No one was fighting for her. No one tapped in to fight for her. That is until West came into her life. He steps up and accepts a challenge, on her behalf. But he is in no way prepared for it. So Haley is forced to help him train and let someone help her for a change.

While they agree to help each other out, they want to keep in strictly in the ring. But you know how well that always works. Soon they realize that their bond is more than just about fighting.

I was so angry with some of the characters in this story. I wanted to hit a few people myself. The way Haley was treated made me sick. These people were supposed to be there for her and protect her, but they weren’t doing anything. But I was super excited to see Abby come into the story. I know there’s a secret about her. I’m crossing my fingers for her and Haley’s cousin, Jax’s, story.

~Melpomene

Buy Take Me On (Pushing the Limits)