{"id":25349,"date":"2017-09-07T04:00:20","date_gmt":"2017-09-07T08:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=25349"},"modified":"2018-09-29T10:41:50","modified_gmt":"2018-09-29T14:41:50","slug":"review-fighting-fate-fighting-6-by-j-b-salsbury","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=25349","title":{"rendered":"Review: Fighting Fate (Fighting, #6) by J.B. Salsbury"},"content":{"rendered":"

Buy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/b><\/h4>\n
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Review<\/b><\/h4>\n

4 angsty, emotional stars<\/b><\/p>\n

The long-anticipated book for Killian and Axelle! We knew it was coming, the anticipation has been building, and the scene has been set for an epic friends-to-lovers story, and whoa, this one was a rollercoaster! A messy, angsty and dramatic NA romance with more than one surprise, this one was actually hard to read at some points, but I couldn\u2019t help but love the intensity of the love story and the long-awaited and much-deserved HEA for these two characters.<\/p>\n

Introduced as teenagers in book #2 of the series (Fighting to Forgive<\/a>), Killian and Axelle have been best friends from the moment they met – Killian, the sweet, shy, nerdy boy with dreams of a career in the UFC, and Axelle, the damaged yet feisty daughter of Layla. Now it\u2019s four years later and Killian and Axelle are still best friends. Killian is still the sweet, nerdy boy however he is on the verge of achieving the success in the UFC he has only dreamed about, and Axelle is troubled and emotionally vulnerable and makes up for it by partying, hanging with the bad boys and searching for something to help heal her damaged heart.<\/p>\n

For four years they have been glued to each other\u2019s sides. They have been there for each other through good times and bad, they laugh, play and hang out, and more than that, Killian has been Axelle\u2019s protector, defender and rock. And behind all of that, they are desperately and completely in love with each other, but neither of them have acted on it.<\/p>\n

In dual POV we get an up-close-and-personal look at the depth of feeling between these two, and wow, it\u2019s intense. Killian\u2019s complete and utter devotion to his best friend is heartachingly beautiful but he doesn\u2019t feel like he is enough for Axelle, and is working on making himself worthy of her so that he can give her the life that he feels she deserves. He has waited for her, ignoring all other women and instead has stood by her while she dates boys who are all wrong for her and treat her badly. Ironically, Axelle also feel like she\u2019s not good enough for Killian. She\u2019s been hurt and rejected by the most important men in her life and it has damaged her. She tried to make her feelings known to Kill when they were teenagers, but things didn\u2019t work out and she believes he\u2019s not interested so she continues her fruitless search for love with all the wrong guys<\/p>\n

It\u2019s angsty and a messed up situation, but it shows Killian\u2019s sweetness, loyalty and devotion to the girl he loves – though I kinda wish he had stepped in and put a stop to her self-destructive behaviour. I get that he wanted to wait for the right time, knowing that he would have one chance and not wanting to blow it. But still\u2026 a little bit more alpha would have been welcome. And I can\u2019t believe how clueless Axelle was! She and Killian are constantly together, seeing the depth of his love for her through his thoughts, I can\u2019t help but imagine his feelings would be written all over his face. But given her low self esteem and personal issues, I sort of got it. And it just makes their coming together all the more epic when they finally open up and lay it all out.<\/p>\n

Axelle loves me.
\nThe words strike my chest and knock the air from my lungs. I drop my forehead to her neck and she holds me to her, comforting me as if she\u2019s aware of the power of her confession. I whisper words of gratitude against her skin, silent praises to God\u2026
\nShe loves me.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And OMG, the feels! I was bouncing up and down as it all unfolded. Beautifully romantic, heartfelt and swoony, I felt it all and the sweetness, honesty and passion between them was just gorgeous!<\/p>\n

But then\u2026 it all goes to hell. In a surprising twist, it\u2019s all over before it even started and my heart broke as these two who are so destined to be together, fall apart.<\/p>\n

Oh, it hurt! But again, it sets the scene for Killian and Axelle to both have some much-needed time to figure themselves out. To sort themselves out, find the strength to move forward with their lives without having each other there, and figure out what it is they truly want. And only time will tell if their love for each other is strong enough to survive.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll fight for us, but I\u2019ll need you to fight for us, too.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I\u2019m conflicted in my thoughts on this book. As always, JB Salsbury\u2019s writing is top-notch. The romance, drama and emotion just drips off the page, and the angst builds a wonderful sense of anticipation as we watch Killian and Axelle\u2019s story play out. But having said that, I had some issues with some of the things that went down in this story\u2026<\/p>\n

<\/span>Spoiler title<\/div>
I was surprised and disappointed at how quickly Killian turned his back on Axelle. Sure, she \u2018pushed\u2019 him away, but it was more like a gentle nudge than an actual push, the situation is extreme and highly emotional, and he knows<\/i> her better than anybody. I couldn\u2019t believe how quickly he gave up and turned away from her \u2013 especially given what they had shared together, the fact that he was clearly and openly all-in, and this sort of commentary constantly in his head\u2026<\/p>\n

If she tried to leave me, I\u2019d fight to get her back.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And all it took was a few words from her and suddenly he is giving up and walking away? Weird.<\/p>\n

And then the fact that he slept with somebody else\u2026 *sigh*. I don\u2019t begrudge him for having a life when he and Axelle weren\u2019t even together, but it just seemed so out of character! He had waited his whole life for Axelle, and then to go and hook up with a friend that he doesn\u2019t even have feelings for? The fact that he\u2019s thinking of Axelle the whole time makes it creepier in my opinion. It just seemed a really strange thing for him to do, and SO not necessary!<\/div><\/div>\n

I can appreciate that they both needed time apart to stand on their own for a while, and I actually think it was a really great twist in their story, I just wasn\u2019t a fan of the way it happened.<\/p>\n

But despite all that, I still loved the story. I\u2019m a sucker for a friends-to-lovers romance, and though it wasn\u2019t easy and it wasn\u2019t the story I wanted for them, it was still a gorgeous romance and I loved seeing Killian and Axelle finally get their HEA.<\/p>\n

4 stars.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Fighting series<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"\u00a0\u00a0\"\"\u00a0 \"\" \u00a0\"\"\u00a0 \"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0 \"\"\u00a0\u00a0\"\"\u00a0 \"\"\u00a0 \"\"<\/p>\n

Fighting for Flight (#1)<\/strong> (Jonah & Raven)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook\u00a0 <\/a>|\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Fighting to Forgive (#2)<\/strong> (Blake & Layla)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Fighting to Forget (#3)<\/strong> (Rex & Georgia)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Fighting the Fall (#4)<\/strong> (Cameron & Eve)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

A Father’s Fight (#4.5)<\/strong> (Blake & Layla)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Fighting For Forever (#5)<\/strong> (Mason & Trix)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Fighting Fate (#6)<\/strong> (Killian & Axelle)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Fighting for Honor (#6.5)<\/strong> (Caleb & Honor – crossover with Harper Sloan’s Hope Town series)
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook<\/a><\/p>\n

The Final Fight (#7) <\/strong>(Braeden & AJ)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook<\/a><\/p>\n

Uncaged (A Fighting for Flight short story)<\/strong> (Jonah & Raven)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

See also <\/strong>Fighting Series – The Next Generation<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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See our J.B. Salsbury Author Spotlight<\/a> for more great reads!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Buy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback Review 4 angsty, emotional stars The long-anticipated book for Killian and Axelle! We knew it was coming, the anticipation has been building, and the scene has been set for an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":23568,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":0,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[297,25,9,58,29],"tags":[681,648,48],"class_list":["post-25349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-angsty","category-friends-to-lovers","category-romance","category-sports-star","category-steamy","tag-fighting","tag-j-b-salsbury","tag-review"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Fighting-Fate.jpg?fit=150%2C225&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-6AR","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25349"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25349\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/23568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}