{"id":3396,"date":"2015-07-09T18:09:31","date_gmt":"2015-07-10T01:09:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=3396"},"modified":"2016-12-11T11:10:44","modified_gmt":"2016-12-11T16:10:44","slug":"review-fighting-shadows-on-the-ropes-2-by-aly-martinez","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=3396","title":{"rendered":"Review: Fighting Shadows (On the Ropes, #2) by Aly Martinez"},"content":{"rendered":"

Buy: Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Review<\/strong><\/h4>\n

3.5 Oh-so conflicted stars<\/b><\/p>\n

The On the Ropes<\/i> series tells the story of the Page brothers \u2013 three boys who had a rough start in life, but who have clung to each other to fight hard (both in and out of the ring) to create a better life for their family. Book 2 in the series brings us the story of middle brother, Flint.<\/p>\n

I absolutely adored Fighting Silence<\/a>, and from the moment I finished it I have been desperate to get my hands on Flint\u2019s book, and while I did enjoy it, it didn\u2019t provoke the level of emotion that I was hoping for. Clearly I\u2019m in the minority with this opinion, because there is A LOT of love out there for this book, and I totally get that, but I just didn\u2019t feel it. I really struggled with how to rate it, and my review is probably going to be all over the place because I\u2019m still not sure on my feelings, or how to articulate them so please bear with me.<\/p>\n

And just a warning that this review is going to be spoilery if you haven\u2019t read the first book in the series.<\/p>\n

At the end of Fighting Silence<\/i> Flint heroically saved Eliza (the woman that he loves, and his brother\u2019s wife) by diving in front of a bullet for her. He took the bullet in the back, leaving him paralysed (at least temporarily). This book picks up from that same moment where we get to see Flint hurt and reeling from the news of his injuries, and for the first time we get to see just how deep his feelings run for his sister-in-law. The timeline then skips ahead and we see him struggling to come to terms his life \u2013 the fact that he is wheelchair-bound, and that he is starting to resent his older brother for having everything in life that Flint himself wants.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhoever said time heals all wounds was an ignorant asshole. In my experience, time made everything worse.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

His devastation has damaged him to the point where he doesn\u2019t even recognise himself anymore. And so, to escape his self pity and find a way to move on, he cuts himself off from his family and starts out on his own. Desperate to create his own life away from the reminders of everything that can never be.<\/p>\n

OK, so issue number 1 – I know that Flint is struggling, and I can\u2019t even imagine what he must have been going through, but I was so pissed off at the way he behave, and how he treated him family. He acts like a selfish little bitch and honestly, I just wanted to give him a slap. BUT\u2026 Aly Martinez does a good job at showing his desperation, and the fact that he has sunk so low sets him up for some incredibly character development later in the story. Right, carrying on\u2026<\/p>\n

At the same time Flint\u2019s story is being told, we are introduced to Ash Mabie. Ash\u2019s life is also incredibly difficult. Pressured to live the life of a criminal by her useless, no-good father, she dreams of stability. Of a home, friends, family and someone to care for her. But unlike Flint, she is bright, sunny, and determined to squeeze every happy moment she can out of life.<\/p>\n

Flint and Ash meet through Flint\u2019s younger brother, Quarry, and from the very first meeting sparks fly. Not particularly good sparks as Ash irritates the crap out of Flint with her constant chatter and happy, flighty nature, but he is intrigued. And Ash sees Flint \u2013 like, really sees him. She can see the front that he is putting on to the man he truly is, and she finds herself drawn to him. So she doggedly pursues him, getting through to him in a way that nobody else can.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t get so caught up on the shadow that you forget the man that casts it.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

They develop a friendship, which develops into something more, and they become each other\u2019s whole world. Ash opens Flint\u2019s eyes again and encourages him to start living again. And in return, Flint cares for Ash and provides a safe haven for her, something she\u2019s never experienced before.<\/p>\n

And then, just when it\u2019s all starting to come together, it all falls apart. Flint fucks up big time and Ash goes into self-protect mode. It\u2019s a painful situation for both of them, but it provides the wake-up call that Flint needs, and he realises that in order to get his girl back, he needs to make himself worthy of her. And from here his long and slow journey back to himself really begins.<\/p>\n

Flint\u2019s character development is huge. From an almost unlikeable ass, he becomes a strong, in-control alpha male, determined to get his girl back.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can try to run, and I may not be able to chase you physically, but we need to be clear on one thing, Ash. I will <\/i>not let you go again\u201d \u2026 \u201cYou belong with me. And I will do whatever I have to do in order to keep you. I fucked up the first time. I won\u2019t do it again. You can walk out that door, but know that I will find you. I will chase you for the rest of my life if that is what it takes to be with you.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He actually almost becomes like a Kristen Ashley alpha, referring to Ash as \u201cmy woman<\/i>\u201d and sprouting off lines like \u201cChanged my mind. We\u2019re not trying. We\u2019re doing.<\/i>\u201d But if this is the new Flint, I\u2019ll take him, because the man sure knows how to win a girl over!<\/p>\n

I just wanted to be with her. To show her who I truly was\u2014 not the jaded asshole she probably remembered. I wanted to find out who she had become and, even more than that, who she <\/i>wanted to be. And then I wanted to be the one to give her that.
\nI draped an arm across her hips then pulled, forcing her to roll over on top of me. Her laughter abruptly stopped when I grazed a soft kiss over her lips. \u201cNo more running. Give me time to fix this.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Which brings me to issue number 2 – In some ways it felt like their coming back together seemed too easy.

<\/span>Spoiler <\/div>
After ONE MONTH together, they are apart for THREE YEARS only to fall instantly back together (with Flint popping Ash\u2019s cherry no less) the very same day they are reunited.<\/div><\/div> Sure, it\u2019s romantic (and highly smutty \u2013 damn, Flint is like some sort of highly skilled, slightly kinky sexual beast, and he\u2019s certainly unleashed a tiger in Ash!), and usually that sort of thing would be right up my alley, but for some reason I just didn\u2019t feel it. I still can\u2019t pinpoint what it is, but I didn\u2019t feel the thrill or exhilaration that I was expecting. I liked them together, and I liked the way their relationship unfolded once they sorted themselves out (which also seemed really easy), but I didn\u2019t get the emotional punch that I usually get with Aly Martinez\u2019s writing.<\/p>\n

But I did enjoy watching how things developed in the second half of the story. Flint and Ash find something incredibly special together and the emotion, playfulness and passion between them is really gorgeous.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my dreams, you were walking,\u201d I whispered, kissing his chest.
\n\u201cIn mine, you stayed,\u201d he replied on a deep, content sigh.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I loved that we get to see more of Till and Eliza (I love these two), and I particularly loved getting to know a grown up Quarry more. He\u2019s still a foul-mouthed smartass, but he\u2019s such a great character! The twist in his story was completely unexpected, and there is a sensational lead in to his book. I can\u2019t say it\u2019s what I wanted for him, but OMG, there are some epic feels coming!!<\/p>\n

The book finishes off with a wonderful epilogue, and it left me with a smile on my face. So even though I did have some issues and it wasn\u2019t quite what I was hoping for, I love Aly’s writing and I enjoyed the read and I\u2019m still incredibly eager for the next instalment.<\/p>\n

3.5 stars.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The On The Ropes series<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"Fighting<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\"Fighting<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\"Pageflex<\/a><\/p>\n

Fighting Silence (#1)<\/strong>\u00a0(Till & Eliza)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0\u00a0Amazon US<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Amazon UK<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Amazon CA<\/a> |\u00a0Amazon AU<\/a><\/span> |\u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Fighting Shadows (#2)<\/strong>\u00a0(Flint & Ash)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0\u00a0Amazon US<\/a>\u00a0| Amazon UK<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Amazon CA<\/a>\u00a0| Amazon AU<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>|\u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Fighting Solitude (#3)<\/strong>\u00a0(Quarry & Liv)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0\u00a0Amazon US<\/a>\u00a0| Amazon UK<\/a> |\u00a0Amazon CA<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Amazon AU<\/a><\/span>\u00a0|\u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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

Buy: Kindle Ebook\u00a0|\u00a0Paperback Review 3.5 Oh-so conflicted stars The On the Ropes series tells the story of the Page brothers \u2013 three boys who had a rough start in life, but who have clung to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3400,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":3.5,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"Product","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,24,29],"tags":[194,206,48],"class_list":["post-3396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-romance","category-second-chance-romance","category-steamy","tag-aly-martinez","tag-on-the-ropes","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\/2016\/03\/Fighting-Shadows.jpg?fit=150%2C239&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-SM","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3396","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=3396"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3396\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}