29 December 2013

{Review} Fighting Love (Love to the Extreme #2) by Abbi Niles

Blurb
Talk about kicking a fighter while he’s down.

Former Middleweight champion and confirmed bachelor Tommy "Lightning" Sparks has lost it all: his belt, his career, and now his home. After the devastating fire, he moves in with his drama-free best friend, Julie. One encounter changes everything and Julie is no longer the girl he’s spent his life protecting but a desirable woman he wants to take to his bed. Knowing his reputation, he’s determined to protect Julie more than ever—from himself.

Veterinarian Julie Rogers has been in love with Tommy since she was ten, but would love to get over the man. She’s quiet nights at home and a glass of wine. He’s clubbing all night and shots of tequila. As friends they work great. As a couple? No way in hell. She just can’t get her heart to agree. When she starts spending time with another fighter, the man who’s always treated her like a sister is suddenly not being very brotherly and enflames her body like never before.

Can two childhood friends make a relationship work, or will they lose everything because they stopped FIGHTING LOVE

My Review
4 stars!!

This book almost didn't make it to a four-star read for me. I'll explain the reason why in few...

What I really I liked...

Julie Rogers. What can I say? She's my kind of gal. She's strong, smart, beautiful and doesn't do drama. I loved that about her. While she did pine for her best friend for a long time, she wasn't a doormat. She knows her mind and she's not afraid to walk away. I also loved that she took the initiative of seducing Tommy when she realized that Tommy is never going to make the first move. I respect that.

I enjoyed the writing, too. The plot, while it has been done before, was well executed and the story was well-paced. Not once did I experience a lull. It just flowed and before I knew it, I finished it. And you know what they say...Time flies when you're having fun. Well, I certainly did have a lot of fun reading Ms. Niles' work.

Now onto what I didn't like so much...

Tommy Sparks. Yes, I did love his back story. Abbi Niles did a great job fleshing out his character. I fell for the whole fallen-hero-seeking-redemption aspect of his character. BUT, I'm sorry to say that for most of the book he acted like a wuss. He runs hot and then cold so fast I had whiplash. The constant back and forth almost ruined the whole book for me.
BUT AGAIN, the guy redeemed himself in the end. That groveling speech he did was wonderful.

The Verdict?

I'll definitely be reading more from this series and I'll be recommending it as well. I'm keeping my eye on Mac's and Brody's story as well. Can't wait.

An ARC was provided by Entangled Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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