Review: Fighting to Forgive (Fighting, #2) by J.B. Salsbury

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Review

“Everyone needs someone fighting in their corner

4 stars!

A beautifully romantic story with one of my favourite tropes – cocky manwhore and a single mother.  This book wasn’t what I was expecting, with an interesting journey for our couple, but it was beautifully written, and I was invested from start to finish as they figured themselves, and each other, out and fought for their happy ending.  With great banter, sweet moments, laughs, some angst and a swoony, passionate romance, this was a great read!

While reading Fighting for Flight, I fell in love with manwhoring jokester, Blake. A UFL fighter, he is always quick with a dirty joke or innuendo, he enjoys his very active sexy life while staying emotionally disconnected from his hook-ups, and he is absolutely there for his friends. Blake had a hard childhood, but he is happy now, living his life on his own terms – and that includes keeping things simple by avoiding drama and women with baggage. In fact, in the first book, he boldly declared…

“Remind me when I decide to settle down to find a girl without baggage. Preferably one with no family.” He hold up his hand and starts ticking off fingers with each stipulation. “No kids, ex-husbands, pyscho dads, fucking skeletons in the closet. None of that shit … I’d rather stay single my entire life, banging anyone who can keep up, than take on some chick with issues. You can tattoo that on my ass if you don’t believe me.”

From the moment I read that declaration, I just knew where his story was going to go, and I couldn’t have been more excited for him to meet his match.

Layla is new to Vegas. She has just walked out of an abusive marriage, and is starting fresh with her 16 year old daughter, on her own for the first time in her life and determined to create a good life for the two of them. She gets a job working in the office at the UFL, and when she meets all of the fighters, it’s Blake that captures her interest. Cocky and gorgeous, she knows he is the last thing that she needs, but there’s no harm in looking!

Blake is instantly attracted to Layla, and is honestly surprised when she rejects his advances. Things become a bit strained between them, but most of the animosity is driven by the mad sexual tension zinging between them, and eventually a tentative friendship develops. And that friendship soon becomes more as, against their better judgement, their attraction becomes too hard to ignore.

She’s got an ugly past, a teenage kid who’s working through some crap, and a serious case of emotional yo-yos. The whole situation screams trouble. Annoyance. Waste of time. But all I hear is, Don’t let her go.

I loved watching things progress between Blake and Layla. There are plenty of reasons why they shouldn’t get involved, but their chemistry is undeniable, and the connection between them only strengthens as they get to know each other more. Despite Blake’s reputation and overwhelming physical presence, Layla has never felt safer than when she is with him, and even though Blake has sworn to avoid women with children, and women with baggage, there’s just something about Layla that he knows he can’t walk away from.

The development of their relationship is beautiful. It’s a first for both of them in a lot of ways, and they have a lot to learn. They also have a lot to overcome before they can truly be together, and the patience, openness and understanding between them as they work through their issues is just gorgeous. They share their pasts and are open with each other in a way they’ve never been with anybody before, and their mad passion for each other ties in with the emotion that grows between them, and I was swoonily swept up in all of the intensity as they fall and fall hard for each other.

I love that Layla’s daughter was involved in the story. She’s an important part, as she should rightly be, and I love how her relationship with both Layla and Blake was explored. Her moments with Blake in particular absolutely melted my heart as he fell for her right along with her mom.

“I want them. They’re mine.”

Blake and Layla don’t have an easy road to their HEA. Apart from their own personal issues, there are things happening outside of their relationship which impact on both of them, and I like the way these aspects of the story were woven in. There is some angst, but it’s minor, and the things they go through work to progress the story, and I thought it was all really well done.

“Anything worth having in this life, you fight to get it. And you don’t stop fighting until you get it.”

I loved this book. Sweet, fun, intense, sexy and romantic with great banter and just the right amount of drama, Blake and Layla’s story is really special.

4 stars.

 

The Fighting series

      

       

Fighting for Flight (#1) (Jonah & Raven)
Review
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Fighting to Forgive (#2) (Blake & Layla)
Review
Buy:  Kindle Ebook Paperback

Fighting to Forget (#3) (Rex & Georgia)
Review
Buy:  Kindle Ebook  |  Paperback

Fighting the Fall (#4) (Cameron & Eve)
Review
Buy:  Kindle Ebook Paperback

A Father’s Fight (#4.5) (Blake & Layla)
Review
Buy:  Kindle Ebook  |  Paperback

Fighting For Forever (#5) (Mason & Trix)
Review
Buy:  Kindle Ebook Paperback

Fighting Fate (#6) (Killian & Axelle)
Review
Buy:  Kindle Ebook  |  Paperback

Fighting for Honor (#6.5) (Caleb & Honor – crossover with Harper Sloan’s Hope Town series)
Buy:  Kindle Ebook

The Final Fight (#7) (Braeden & AJ)
Review
Buy:  Kindle Ebook

Uncaged (A Fighting for Flight short story) (Jonah & Raven)
Review
Buy:  Kindle Ebook

 

See also Fighting Series – The Next Generation

 

See our J.B. Salsbury Author Spotlight for more great reads!

 

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