Fighting to Forget
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?
Christy's 5 star review!
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Fighting to Forget is the third book in the ‘Fighting’ series by J.B. Salsbury. It is a beautiful and heart wrenching story. I laughed, I cried, i went through varying emotions. Once I picked it up, I couldn’t put this one down.
Gia is working at a bar in Vegas. No one there knows her as Gia. She is Mac now. Gia is in Vegas for one reason and one reason only. To find Rex. The child she once knew. She’s watched Rex for years. Followed his career, kept up on how he’s been. She carries pain and guilt from the childhood Rex endured. She doesn’t ever want anything bad to happen to Rex again.
Rex is a fighter in the UFC. When he’s not performing with his band, he’s fighting or training. Rex’s life is centered on pain. It’s the only thing that keeps him feeling alive. Tattoo’s, fighting, etc. It does the trick.
The pain is all I have. It’s the only thing that reminds me I can still feel. It may be sick and insane, but it’s real.
Rex doesn’t recognize Gia. He doesn’t remember much from that time in his life. The lyrics to his songs tell otherwise.
There’s so much to say, every time we’re together.
But the fear and pain seem to go on forever.
Every night that you come, whispered words spoken.
You calm my soul, and in the moment, I’m not broken.
When Rex and Gia first start seeing each other, you can feel the newness, how real it is. Rex isn’t experienced when it come to relationships or intimacy. Things with Gia are different. I loved watching him come out of his shell and start to grow. When he asked her out, I had the biggest grin on my face.
“Mac, I um.... If you want, would you like to go, with me, on a-”
“Yes.” There’s a hint of a smile in her voice.
“Yes? But you don’t know what I was asking.”
She shrugs and steps in close. “I had a feeling. And honestly, there isn’t much you could ask that I’d say no to.”
Gia wants so badly to tell Rex everything. To open up to him, let him know
what she knows. The more time she spends with him, the stronger that urge gets. But Rex doesn’t remember anything from the past. Gia struggles with what to do. Does she tell him all the terrible things that happened when they were young? Or let him live unaware.
When real feelings start to come into play, things become more complicated...
Some of the things this couple went through broke my heart. Rex and Gia’s story was heavy on the emotions. I cried. More than once. More than twice. Okay, it might have been half a dozen times (view spoiler) I cried for the both of them. I loved the both of them. Especially Rex. I love love love a broken and damaged man. Rex has been through so much. His story may be tragic, but the healing and love that comes from moving forward from his past is truly beautiful. Watching his growth was inspiring. Then there was Gia. Gia was devoted, strong and lovely. There was a time or two I was a little taken back by her actions, but in the end, I had only love for her.
I know I’ve went on and on about how emotional this book was for me, and it really was. But it also had sweet moments, moments I found my self chuckling and some steamy moments as well.
This author’s ‘Fighting’ series is one that seems to get better and better with each book for me. I was captivated from start to finish. Once I started reading, I had to know what was going to happen next. It’s great when a book fully holds your attention like this did for me. Rex and Gia were wonderful, but I loved catching up with the rest of the gang. Jonah, Raven, Blake and Layla. And then there was the twist. There were twists that were somewhat predictable. Then there was another twist. One that I did not see coming. If you’re looking for a book with a little steam, angst, humor, heartbreak and healing- pick this one up! It comes highly recommended by me.
Gia didn’t try to fight my demons, make them bow or wrestle them into submission. She embraced them, accepted them as part of me, loved me despite them and arguably even loved them. And it’s that love and acceptance that quieted them, soothed them, and kept them compliant. After all, what is evil if it has nothing to fight.
Your love’s my safety net.
Keeps me from memories that destroy.
Gives me strength when I’m fighting to forget.
**ARC kindly provided by author in exchange for an honest review**
JB Salsbury, USA Today Best Selling author of the Fighting series, lives in Phoenix, 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.
Fighting for Flight, Fighting to Forgive, and Fighting to Forget are the first three novels in the MMA romance series. Fighting the Fall is due to be released in October 2014.
For more information on the series or just to say hello, visit JB on her website, Facebook, or Goodreads page.
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ReplyDeleteI love your review! I want to read the rest of this series - I've only red the first book and loved it!
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