Release Blitz: Brave By Natalie Gayle

A moment in time, that’s all it took. Beauty, pain and tragedy.

Xander “Pretty Boy” Todd was a demon in the ring. A professional MMA fighter with a career that had the world a buzz—but now it’s gone. Or is it?

Eden Sommers had her dreams of an international modelling career within her grasp—and lost it. Gone within a few seconds, leaving nothing but pain.

How do you go on, when the one thing that defines you is suddenly ripped away—only to leave scars and a hollow shell in its place? Has the beauty gone forever? Or has it just retreated—to now be hidden, and dormant; guarded by the inner demons?

Can these two wounded souls find the inner strength to fight back the demons together and find the beauty in their lives once again?

To do this, they must first accept—The hardest demons to defeat are the ones inside. They’ll have to be BRAVE.

I was first introduced to this author when I reviewed her previous series for a different tour and really liked the books so when I saw that she had a new series out I was excited to check it out.  Especially when I read the blurb I wanted to read it even more so I jumped and signed on as soon as I could to read and review Brave.  Let me tell you, I was expecting it to be emotional, angsty and possible a little on the darker side.  What I didn’t expect was to be sucked in from the start and be completely unable to do anything but read until I reached the very end.

This book was proof that beauty can come from pain and that even the worst of out demons can be battled when you are with someone who heals you.  I quickly fell in love with Xander, my heart broke for Eden, I cried tears of sadness, anger, loss and finally love.  Be prepared Brave will pull your emotions from your body on more than one occasion.  This is the first book of the series and I will anxiously await the next.  

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"If I could give Brave more than five stars I would. It deserves so many more than that. It has become my number one book of 2015 and one that will stay with me for a very long time to come."   Angela—Books and Friendz Blog

“This book has a lot of heart and so many emotional moments!! I totally fell for Xander, I mean how can you not?? Great great book, you’d be crazy not to one click this!!!”  Melissa—Apha Book Club

“This book contains it all! There are swoon-worthy moments, witty moments, steamy moments, and tearful moments that all come together to make this one fabulous read." Paige Smith—Hooked on Books Blog

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Book Trailer

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Excerpt

Fear struck through me. I hated the conversation directed to me, particularly when there were strangers involved. I could have cursed Tori. She knew better than to put me on the spot like this. I could just see her smirking face across the table from underneath my lashes as my throat started to constrict.

“You’re more than welcome to come along and watch. I encourage people to come along and see for themselves what it’s all about.” Oh, there was that voice again.

I was torn. I didn’t want to look up. I didn’t want to see the embarrassment and the man with the beautiful voice looking uncomfortable when he realised what my face looked like.

Surely there was a limit to the torture?

Manners, fear, self-consciousness all warred within me.

The silence around me was deafening. I could tell they were all waiting. I could feel three sets of eyes on me watching and wondering if I was actually going to respond. Finally I took a deep breath. What did it matter if he rejected me? It had happened before, and it would happen again. I could do this. It would hurt, but I was no stranger to pain, both physical and emotional.

Very slowly I raised my chin and turned just slightly towards him. I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t because my throat was closed in fear and uncertainty.

The first thing I noticed was the dark jeans that hung on narrow hips, then a white T-shirt that emphasised his flat belly and defined pecs. Bravely, I raised my eyes a little higher and the pecs ran into a set of wide shoulders. There was a hint of a tattoo peeking out from under one of his short sleeves. It only made his bicep look more delicious and enticing.

I took one final harsh intake of air and allowed my eyes to complete their journey. They travelled up and up the column of his corded neck to his wide angular jaw.

His full lips were slightly turned up in what looked like a half smile or was it amusement? I could only image how it would look once the shock registered when he saw my face.

Above those lips, that looked far too sensual for any man, was a long straight nose with a hint of a flare to the nostrils. The knot in my stomach tightened even further as I finally tilted my head back far enough so my eyes could meet his.

Every muscle in my body was tensed waiting for the shock, horror and embarrassment I was about to see, once my scars registered with his brain. It was an involuntary reaction I realised. Nobody could hide it, no matter how hard they tried. It was just the shock and surprise. I don’t blame them for their reactions, it just hurt that was all.

I raised my eyelids that final few millimetres and forced my eyes to focus on his. Right then and there the world stopped spinning for me. Time halted. My sisters faded into the background and I looked into the eyes of one of the most compelling people I had ever seen. Oh, he was handsome, but he was so much more.

But that was not what had me struck dumb—nope that wasn’t it.

It was his eyes—those bottomless pools of black onyx. I did a mental double take. For eyes so dark they should have appeared cold and icy.

But they didn’t—they weren’t cold at all. They were warm and rich. Right then was the first time I could recall in the last five years, a stranger looking at me with warmth in their eyes. Not shock, not pity, not embarrassment. It was warmth.

The shock paralysed me. I didn’t know what to do or how to act. My brain was shorting out. Nothing made sense. Somewhere in the back of my mind I registered my leg being kicked under the table, but even that didn’t break through my connection with those eyes. I wanted to swim in them, wrap myself in their warmth and burrow down tight.

I have no idea how much time passed.

Finally, he thrust his hand forward to me and without conscious thought, I placed my hand in his to shake. What happened next shocked me even more.

He lent across the table and pulled me into a loose hug and brushed his lips against my left cheek.

My brain was fried and my nerves were all misfiring. Nothing made sense. I was so far out of my comfort zone.

He pulled back slowly and gave me a smile that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

Then he spoke and his words seemed to swirl around me in a caress.

“Hi Eden. I’m Xander Todd.” Suddenly, I realised I had no box to categorise him into.

Author Bio

A confessed readaholic and romantic junkie, Natalie spends her time juggling a busy career as an IT professional and author. In between staring at a computer screen (she spends lot time doing that!) Natalie, enjoys living the Gold Coast life with her very tolerant husband and two school aged children.

She loves spending time with family and friends, hitting the beach, cooking, working out and curling up with a good book. Her pet hates are cleaning and anything else that can be considered “domestic dullness”. If she could have one wish it would be to be able to fit 48 hours into 24.

Natalie is the author of the Centre Games Series. A fast paced, romantic suspense series set on the Gold Coast, Australia. The series tells the stories of the Centre, a quasi government agency established to fight environmental, biological and agricultural threats. The Centre Games books are filled with hot alpha males and the feisty independent females strong enough to capture their hearts. Natalie’s books pack lots of action, hot romance and surprises.

Natalie is currently working on her fifth instalment for the Centre Games Series and a brand new series for 2015. Look out for her new release BRAVE, coming very soon and a couple of surprise projects.

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Book Tour: Fighting Shadows By: Aly Martinez

I come from a family of fighters. I always thought I’d follow in their shadows, becoming unstoppable in the ring. That changed the day I saved the life of a woman I loved, but could never have.

 My brother hailed me as a hero, and my reward was a wheelchair.

 Paralyzed, my life became an inescapable nightmare.

 Until I met her.

 Ash Mabie had a heart-stopping smile and a laugh that numbed the rage and resentment brewing inside of me. She showed me that even the darkest night still had stars, and it didn’t matter one bit that you had to lie in the weeds to see them.

 I was a jaded asshole who fell for a girl with a knack for running away. I couldn’t even walk but I would have spent a lifetime chasing her.

 Now, I’m on the ropes during the toughest battles of my life.

Fighting the shadows of our past.

Fighting to reclaim my future.

Fighting for her. 

I knew going into Fighting Shadows that this was going to be one that would make me feel all the feels, and I felt them intensely.  I had wanted to read Flint’s book ever since I finished Fighting Silence, but while I knew how emotional this would be I had forgotten how beautifully Ms. Martinez can make you just so invested in the words she writes, and how she can pull the emotions so easily from inside of you that her books find a little spot in your heart and stay there with no chance in ever leaving.  I devoured Fighting Shadows, I couldn’t walk away and I didn’t want to either. 

The pain that Flint felt (both emotional and physical), the anger he had festering deep inside and the loss of the use of his legs had me crying for him, had me wanting to smack him when he would be an asshole, and had me laughing when a little of the old Flint would come through.  He had so much going on and no way to really channel all those emotions that he almost allowed that bitterness that was growing inside take over completely. 

Ash was living in her own version of pain and hell but the way she wanted to make Flint smile or laugh and worked hard for it to happen showed how deep inside she was just as beautiful on the inside as the outside.  I felt for her past, the pain of what she was forced to do and the shame that followed.  I hated how Flint hurt her when that asshole side would come out.  I loved how she not only healed Flint but healed herself and others as well.  I really just loved Ash period, especially because she loved Flint.

I can’t wait for Quarry’s story to come out, I have a feeling that it is going to surpass both Fighting Silence and Fighting Shadows when it comes to the emotions it creates, the tears it will cause to shed, and every other emotion possible.  If you haven’t checked out this series yet please don’t wait because you do not want to miss out on these amazing books.  

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**Each book in the series can be read as a standalone**

 Excerpt:

“Hey, Flint? What time is it?” Quarry asked.

Ash’s smile actually slipped completely. For the briefest of seconds, she appeared almost ashamed.

I dragged my eyes away from her in order to answer his question, but as I looked at my wrist, I had no answer at all.

“Here,” she said as she pulled my watch from her pocket.

What. The. Fuck?

Quarry howled with laughter, and Ash chewed on her bottom lip.

“Explain,” I demanded, wrapping my watch back around my wrist and shoving my wallet in the front pocket of my hoodie.

Quarry filled in the blank. “She’s a pickpocket, dude. You should have seen her when she fell on your lap. It was so fucking fast. She straight-up stole that shit from you, and you had no fucking clue.”

“I didn’t steal it! I was gonna give it back,” she amended uncomfortably. “It was just a joke.”

A joke.

A. Fucking. Joke.

And just like that, I remembered why I didn’t laugh anymore.

“Was it funny? Stealing from the cripple? You get a good laugh out of that?” I snapped, spinning and rolling myself away. “You know, maybe my judgment of you wasn’t all that off to begin with. Like father, like daughter, I guess.” It was a low blow, but I felt completely betrayed by a woman I didn’t even know.

“Flint, wait. I wasn’t picking on the cripple!”

I fully realized that I had just used the term, but it enraged me that she’d had the audacity to repeat it back to me. Who the hell was this chick? I pushed a hand into my pocket, searching for my keys. Fuck the food. I’d leave her ass there. Hell, Quarry too if he didn’t get his ass to the car.

“Get in the car, Q!” I yelled, only to close my eyes and drop my chin to my chest when my hand never made contact on the keys. “Son of a bitch,” I said as I spun back around.

Quarry was laughing next to her, but Ash’s cheeks were bright red.

“Keys.” I snapped my fingers and opened my hand, palm up.

“Stop being a dick,” Quarry said, casually tossing an arm around Ash’s shoulders.

She didn’t budge as she held my glare.

“Keys,” I repeated, but she remained still.

“It was a joke.” Her chin began to quiver.

For fuck’s sake, I wasn’t in any kind of mood to deal with bullshit from some girl I didn’t even know and was quickly discovering I didn’t care to know, either.

Quarry’s eyes grew wide as she turned to him and buried her cries in his chest.

What the fuck, asshole! Q signed before rubbing his hands over her back.

Her shoulders shook as she let out a loud sob that shocked us both.

“Come on. Let’s sit down.” Q tried to guide her over to an empty table.

Ash refused to look up and tripped over one of the chairs.

“Shit,” Q said, catching her around the waist.

I was just about to roll my eyes when she glanced my way. He was still trying to get her back on her feet and over to a table when her tear-free, bright-blue eyes pointedly glanced in my direction. My head snapped back in surprise, but a smile grew on her face.

Ash was about to put on a show, and with that one look, she had invited me to have a front-row seat.

As she floundered all over Quarry, her hands slid between his pockets and her own. Every noise she made and each time she flailed covered up a jarring movement. She was keeping his mind too busy for it to process all the places she was touching him. Hell, I was only watching her and I could barely keep up.

There was no denying that it was entertaining, but I wasn’t willing to show her that. However, as she accidentally lifted her knee, catching Q in the balls, a laugh erupted from my throat. He cupped his crotch while she apologized profusely and pushed him toward the same chair he’d been dragging her to only seconds before. Just before he sat, Ash swung her arm out, unwinding Q’s belt from around his body before tossing it at me.

“Oh God. I’m so sorry!” she said as Quarry held a finger up to ask for a second to recover. She didn’t wait at all though. Instead, she walked over in my direction; her prideful smile grew with every step.

She pulled my keys out of her pocket and dropped them into my lap. They were quickly followed by Quarry’s phone, wallet, and house keys. Then she snagged his belt off the floor and tossed it over her shoulder.

“It had absolutely nothing to do with you being in a wheelchair. It was a joke and it wasn’t supposed to piss you off.”

“Hey!” Quarry yelled. “That was messed up. You did not have to knee me in the balls to prove a point to him.”

“Oh, that wasn’t to prove a point. That was for bullshitting me. You knew good and damn well that he wouldn’t find it funny,” she said without ever tearing her gaze from mine. “Look, I’m sorry. I don’t have a lot of friends. And I’ve mentally noted that pickpocketing might not be the best way to make new ones.” She shrugged. “Consider it a lesson learned.”

“Three burgers all the way, onion rings, and a shake?” the guy at the counter called out.

Ash arched an eyebrow. “You want it to go, or are we good?”

I didn’t have to drop my attitude. Sure, she’d apologized, but while I might have had a short fuse, I also had a hell of a long burn. However, as she stood in front of me with her arms crossed over her chest and her blue eyes pleading for forgiveness, it magically fell away.

I swallowed hard. “No. We’re good.”

“You sure?” She leaned in, eyeing me warily, but her smile began to grow.

I swear to God it pulled at my lips as well. I fought it. But the harder I tried to keep it restrained, the bigger Ash’s grew. She was stealing my smile. The chick was good! Finally, with an eye roll, I let out a quiet chuckle, which seemed to appease her.



“Good. Now, help your brother get redressed and I’ll make the fancy sauce.” She waggled her eyebrows.

Haven’t read this series yet?  Meet Flint Quarry, Till & Eliza

in Fighting Silence

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Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1Lhhn62

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About the Author

Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, Aly Martinez is a stay-at-home mom to four crazy kids under the age of five, including a set of twins. Currently living in South Carolina, she passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a glass of wine at her side.

After some encouragement from her friends, Aly decided to add “Author” to her ever-growing list of job titles. Five books later, she shows no signs of slowing. So grab a glass of Chardonnay, or a bottle if you’re hanging out with Aly, and join her aboard the crazy train she calls life.

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Release Blitz: Fighting For Forever By JB Salsbury

Slut. Hooker. Whore. 

The taunts never bothered me. They only see what I allow them to see, and a Las Vegas stripper is the perfect cover.

My life had direction. I had a mission—until the man I needed vanished and is presumed dead.

It’s time to move on—give up the dream for revenge—and no one shows me that more than the mop-headed fighter with eyes the color of the ocean.

If anyone can teach me just how sweet life can be, it’s him. But first, I’d have to let go.

Mase. Baywatch. Mayhem.

I’m known by many names, but there’s only one that stirs panic and worry in my gut every time I’m called it.

Brother.

I’ve bailed him out of trouble for years, so when he turns up in Vegas and asks for me, I’m prepared for the worst. And the worst is exactly what I get in the form of a lilac-eyed beauty named Trix.

She’s everything I hate about Vegas: a stripper, loose with her body and her morals. But there’s something about her, a complexity that she buries deep, and I’m determined to uncover it.

The deeper I go, the less I understand. When I finally learn the truth, we engage in a battle where life and death hang in the balance. Fighting could kill us both, but if we win, forever is the prize.

It’s no secret that I have loved the Fighting series and recently read all of the books in preparation for Fighting For Forever.  I wanted Mason’s story from the first time we meet him and to say that Rex now is not alone when it comes to my favorite fighter would be an understatement.  Both Rex and Mason share that title now, sorry guys I can’t choose just one of you!

Mason is the good guy, the one who always ends up hurt.  He really liked Eve and when she chose Cam it hurt big time, especially since he has to see both of them on an almost daily basis.  While Mason may be called Baywatch because of his surfer days, he does have a harder edge to him that no one in the UFL knows about.  So the few times he’s an asshole to a certain stripper it may seem like it doesn’t bother him, but it does.  Little did he know that stripper would turn his world upside down as well as his heart.

Trix is a stripper.  She isn’t ashamed of it, nor is she overly proud.  It is a means to an end, and a way to find out information about her sister’s murder.  She is on a mission to find out about who killed her sister, and nothing and no one will make her change that course she is on.  Trix may come across as just a stripper but she’s hard on the outside but has a soft spot to her inside, well that is once Mason chips it away.  Trix is a strong, sassy, and sometimes bitchy heroine; but she is also loyal to her family, takes care of those she cares about and wants Mason to be hers.

Like the previous books there is drama, some smoking hot sex, sexy fighters, and the women who bring them to their knees.  So what kept this from being a solid 5 star read for me?  Sadly it was Trix, but let me explain before you say “hey didn’t you say she was a strong heroine and you usually love those?”  Trix ended up getting on my nerves for the last 30% or so of the book.  She let her need for information hurt Mason and in the end was it even worth it?  Well that is for you to decide when you read the book, but for me I wish she would have done it differently.  Don’t let that keep you from reading Fighting For Forever because you will fall in love with Baywatch and want a surfer boy turned fighter for your own.

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Author Bio

JB Salsbury, New York Times Bestselling author of the Fighting Series, lives in Arizona with her husband and two kids. She spends the majority of her day as a domestic engineer. But while she works through her daily chores, a world of battling alphas, budding romance, and impossible obstacles claws away at her subconscious, begging to be released to the page.
 

Her love of good storytelling led her to earn a degree in Media Communications. With her journalistic background, writing has always been at the forefront, and her love of romance prompted her to sink her free time into novel writing.
 

For more information on the series or just to say hello, visit JB on her website, Facebook, or Goodreads page.

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Review: A Father's Fight By JB Salsbury

Life changes in the span of a heartbeat—one tiny heartbeat.

Blake and Layla have lived through disappointment and regret, only finally finding relief through the powerful love they have for each other. A love they intend to fight to keep.

They’ve had to forgive each other, but can they truly move forward without facing the pain of the past?

Layla’s been avoiding the phone calls. Nine months pregnant and exhausted, she doesn’t want the complication. But she can’t run from the truth. Whoever’s calling was there eighteen years ago. Unlike her, he remembers the night that changed the course of her life, and he’s ready to confess.

Blake’s preoccupied with an email, a few simple sentences sent through cyberspace that have the capability to rob him of his sanity, his freedom, and the people he loves most in the world. When he’s called home for a mysterious reason, leaving Layla isn’t ideal, but hope for reconciliation with his father combined with his brother’s secrecy ignites a curiosity he refuses to ignore.

Putting the pain behind them is no longer an option.

To get the answers they need, they must face the past and open up old wounds that threaten to bleed them dry.

If you haven’t read the previous books in the series yet there may possibly be some spoilers of the previous books in this review.  You have been warned so take the appropriate actions now.

I didn’t think that I could love Blake more than I did when I read Fighting To Forgive, but A Father’s Fight has made him my all time favorite character of the Fighting series so far.  Sorry Rex, you know I have love for you but Blake showed what a real man and father is.  One that protects his family and hold on tight and never lets go. 

We know from their previous book that Layla had been date gang raped in high school which led to her pregnancy of Axelle Rose (I still freaking love that name).  Layla and Axelle are still working through that knowledge and Blake is there helping by taking care of his girls.  But now there is someone who could possibly try to take that happiness away from him, someone who is asking questions about who the biological father Axelle really is.  Both Layla and Blake try to do the right thing but sometimes instead of keeping truths in the name of protecting the ones you love you need to be a team and be there for one another.  And no I am not going to tell you who it is.  Read the damn book people.

I really liked seeing how Blake not only was looking forward to becoming a father, but how he was dealing with an issue from his past as well.  Again read the book.  Even though in Fighting To Forgive you can tell how important both Layla and Axelle are to Blake, in A Father’s Fight it becomes almost real.  When we first met Blake I can honestly say I never thought he would turn out how he has and I am glad that he continues to fight for his girls.  Oh and the baby’s name is perfect for this family.

A Father’s Fight reminded my again why I love this series as much as I do.  It is because the tough alpha MMA fighters fall hard for their women and will do anything to protect them and their families.  In other words they are what real men should be.

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Review: Fighting The Fall By JB Salsbury

The toughest fighters aren’t created in the octagon but are born of necessity. When life delivers blow after punishing blow, you fight back or get destroyed.

Eve Dawson has had her fill of bad luck. A string of unhealthy relationships has left her angry, bitter, and frustrated. She’s given up on being happy and settles for content. Swearing off men, she repels advances and makes herself a challenge to even the most persistent suitors. After all, how much can the fragile human heart take? But life isn’t finished with her, and when things can’t possibly get worse . . . they do.

Stay on your feet.

It’s Cameron Kyle’s motto, but with his fighting career ripped from his grasp, a child he wasn’t strong enough to save, and a marriage that even the brawn of a heavyweight couldn’t hold together, it’s getting harder and harder to stay upright. He takes on the position of CEO of the UFL, intent on hiding his biggest weakness in order to forge a path that leads him back into the octagon.

When an old rival mysteriously gets wind of Cameron’s plan to fight again, he comes out of retirement to settle old debts, but secrets, lies, and betrayal threaten to deliver the death-blow. The distraction of a sass-mouthed girl seventeen years his junior is the last thing he needs until a tragic accident shatters the firm foundation of his resolve and he realizes just how far he’s fallen.

Will they risk it all and fight to be together?

Or does defeat lie within the fall? 

I hate to even say this but for me, Fighting The Fall is my least favorite of the series so far.  Don’t get me wrong I did like it but I think after such an emotional book as Fighting To Forget was that Fighting The Fall just didn’t come to that same level of greatness.

 

We first meet Eve in Fighting The Flight.  She is Raven’s best friend and hasn’t had the best luck when it comes to relationships.  She didn’t have the best life growing up and she almost accepted that being treated like shit was acceptable and almost a given.  The emotional abuse she suffered made her the way she is.  I think it was her not seeing her own worth and even being extremely immature at times is what kept me from liking her like I have the rest of the women in this series.

Cam’s past is filled with a different kind of pain.  He had to give up fighting because of the risk of another concussion being life threatening as well as other reasons he is determined to work hard and get in the ring no matter what the cost.  Sadly something tragic happens and causes a whole type of pain to occur.  I can’t imagine what Cam was living through or feeling, something like that would have killed me that I wouldn’t have been able to go on.  While I feel deeply for Cam his treatment of Eve is inexcusable at times and didn’t really prove to me as a reader that he was worth forgiveness. 

While this may not have been my favorite of the series so far, this was still emotional and at times heartbreaking.  Emotional abuse is something that is real, words can’t ever be unsaid and when those words beat you down emotionally the damage caused can be unrepairable.  Fighting The Fall is the fourth book in this series and will make you want to repair any damage your words may have caused someone in the past.

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Review: Fighting To Forget By JB Salsbury

Every fighter is drawn to the violence, the release that a perfect hit can bring. 

But very few are drawn to the pain. 

Rex Carter lives behind a wall of indifference. The demons from his childhood act as an anesthetic, keeping him distant from emotional connections. Only the ache from a knock to the jaw, the sting of a tattoo needle, or the heat from a piercing can jolt him back from the numbness. The fiery pain is all he can feel, and nothing compares to the burn. 

Or so he thought. 

Working in a Las Vegas bar isn't Georgia McIntyre's dream. But she hopes it'll be an end to the nightmare. 

She's watched him, followed him and kept tabs, all in preparation for this moment: to make amends and share the secret she’s been carrying since she was a kid. But she didn't count on the feelings that seeing him again would stir up, the vacant look in his stormy-blue eyes, and his perfect body now mutilated by ink and metal. 

And she knows why. She's lived his pain every single day, since the day he left. 

Changed by time, Rex doesn't remember the girl from his past. If only she could do the same. 

Will she get the absolution she's spent her life seeking? 

Or will he continue Fighting to Forget?

Before I even get into my review I want to warn you guys.  Fighting To Forget deals with sexual abuse so if you have triggers please be warned.  There isn’t graphic details but it is emotional to read about and I cried a lot.  So just keep that in mind when you start to read it.

Like I said above I cried a lot during Fighting To Forget, this is an emotional read and I wanted to wrap my arms around Rex, hold him tight and never let him go.  I wanted to go back in time and protect him and Mac from every single instance of pain and abuse that they survived.  Yes survived because that is what both of them are, survivors but they are anything but healed. 

Rex finds what he needs in his music and when he is in the MMA ring.  He gets off on the pain, in a way it’s almost healing to him but he doesn’t remember exactly what it is that he is healing from.  You just read that right he repressed those memories and thank God he did. But deep inside he remembers, it effects personal relationships as well as causing serious OCD.  Everything you may have guessed about Rex from previous books isn’t anything close to the real thing.

Mac has secrets of her own, but hers can destroy Rex if he finds out on his own.  Mac has loved Rex since they were kids but she looks nothing like she used to so Rex doesn’t realize who she is.  What she is doing honestly wasn’t in any way shape or form meaning to be cruel or to hurt Rex, she wants to love him.  The information about his past and who she is has the ability to destroy him and when he finds out the truth his reaction is extreme and in a way rightfully so but Mac never intended to hurt him.  He throws Mac away and I hurt not just for her but I also hurt for the loss of their relationship.

I know I have said in previous reviews that love can heal old wounds and I truly believe that but sometimes that healing causes pain and lost time before that healing can begin.  Rex and Mac needed each other to heal and until Rex was able to open his heart to Mac he was unable to not only forgive but love her as well.  I have tears forming as I type this review because Fighting To Forget still brings those emotions to the surface weeks after I read it.

JB Salsbury has written a series that isn’t just about a bunch of guys beating the hell out of each other in the cage, or about who can have the dirtiest or kinkiest sex (although there are some very sexy scenes in all the books).  She has written about healing, second chances at not just love but life and that when you find that other piece to your heart that past pains can be healed sometimes you just have to fight for it.

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