Released: February 25th, 2013
What happens when in order to win, you're forced to lose?
The only daughter of an infamous Las Vegas pimp, Raven Morretti, grew up an outsider. Liberated from the neglectful home of her prostitute mother, she finds solace as a mechanic. WIth few friends, she's content with the simple life. Flying under the radar is all she knows, and more than she expects.
Until she catches the eye of local celebrity, UFL playboy Jonah Slade.
Weeks away from his title fight, Jonah is determined to stay focused on everything he's trained so hard to achieve. Undefeated in the octagon, he's at the height of his career. But resisting Raven's effortless allure and uncomplicated nature is a fight he can't win.
Jonah trades in his bad-boy reputation and puts his heart on the line. But when her father contacts her, setting in motion the ugly truth of her destiny, Jonah must choose. In a high-stakes gamble where love and freedom hang in the balance, a war is waged where the price of losing is a fate worse than death.
Will the hotheaded Jonah be able to restrain his inner fighter to save the woman he loves?
Or will Raven be forced into a life she's been desperate to avoid?
But then I read it.
And well… holy. fucking. shit.
Jonah's just like:
But really, all the other characters are fantastic. Eve, who seems so strong on the outside, but is fragile since she seems to have an infatuation for jackasses. Then she meets this guy who she's so head-over-heels for and he's keeping secrets of his own. Dominick is the cruel and heartless kind of criminal you would expect, even with his own "daughter". Milena who seems to not give a shit about anything at first, you find out to be pretty awesome. And Jonah's mom. The way she so quickly accepts Raven is just A+! FOUR FOR YOU, WOMAN!
I envy their relationship so much because Jonah isn't only her boyfriend. He's her best friend. Her life line. Her family. Her everything basically. They're not only together to date but to keep each other at bay, to make sure that the other doesn't drown. It's pretty fucking awesome.
What happens when in order to win, you're forced to lose?
The only daughter of an infamous Las Vegas pimp, Raven Morretti, grew up an outsider. Liberated from the neglectful home of her prostitute mother, she finds solace as a mechanic. WIth few friends, she's content with the simple life. Flying under the radar is all she knows, and more than she expects.
Until she catches the eye of local celebrity, UFL playboy Jonah Slade.
Weeks away from his title fight, Jonah is determined to stay focused on everything he's trained so hard to achieve. Undefeated in the octagon, he's at the height of his career. But resisting Raven's effortless allure and uncomplicated nature is a fight he can't win.
Jonah trades in his bad-boy reputation and puts his heart on the line. But when her father contacts her, setting in motion the ugly truth of her destiny, Jonah must choose. In a high-stakes gamble where love and freedom hang in the balance, a war is waged where the price of losing is a fate worse than death.
Will the hotheaded Jonah be able to restrain his inner fighter to save the woman he loves?
Or will Raven be forced into a life she's been desperate to avoid?
"It's not easy to do: owning and accepting the pain of our past, the heartbreak, our misgivings, and using them for good. Make our lives better not in spite of it all… but because of it."I went into this book expecting it to be the typical fighter romance (who doesn't love a fighter though?) and nothing really special. A four was my predicted rating in the beginning.
But then I read it.
And well… holy. fucking. shit.
MY GOD. THIS BOOK WAS FREAKING FLAWLESS, despite little minor faults I barely paid attention to. I mean, come on. It's about Jonah Slade, the smoking hot playboy who's an unbeatable fighter. And then the heroine? Hell, she's a tough chick who's been through more shit than you could count and, now she's being trapped into doing the one thing she's been avoiding. To top that off, the author's awesome writing style and the intensity and deepness of the book just knocked my socks off. Literally.
I have to be honest. I loved all of the characters, even the supporting ones. Jonah's friends, Guy, Milena, Dominick, etc., etc. The whole book was just so freaking intense with the heart-pumping scenes, either through the fights with the as-thick-as-the-great-wall-of-China tension or the sexy as fuck sex scenes.
Jonah, Jonah, Jonah. My baby. I just instantly fell head over heels for this man. He was just the sweetest. He really wasn't used to these strong emotions he felt towards Raven and he couldn't control it.
"But pansy or not, I'm drawn to her by some unseen force. […] Like getting caught up in a rip tide, one minute I'm swimming, free to go in any direction, and then I feel a tug. I'm kicking and failing my arms and legs toward shore while the invisible pull takes me in the opposite direction. No matter how hard I swim, I keep going further and further out to sea."Damn, baby. His possessiveness towards Raven is just so fucking hot and adorable at the same time. The fact that he'd do anything – I repeat, any. fucking. thing. – for Raven is so damn sweet. No, he does not seem like a pussy since he didn't just act all caught up with her. They were both best friends and kept each other from drowning in their pasts.
Jonah's just like:
He accepts her for who she is, despite her name and her background. He knows her weaknesses and faults and yet still loves her thoroughly and sincerely.
"I'll always hold you when you're scared. Comfort you when you're sad. Take care of you when you're sick. I'll make it my life's mission to make up for every second you were neglected."
Jesus, this man could not be any more perfect. And he's a smoking hot UFL fighter!
Then there's Raven Moretti. I swear, if I was her, I'd probably be such a crybaby. But I thank God every second that she wasn't. She was actually tough, but she wasn't stubborn and put up walls to block Jonah out. She just went with the flow and took risks when it came to love, since she was just as much of an amateur at it as he was. She was so damn innocent that it was adorable. Not the fake and forced kind of innocent. Like, real innocent. She couldn't even curse.
Raven: "I never cuss unless I'm mad."
Blake: "You can't do it, can you?"
Raven: "Yes, I can."
Blake: "Go for it, baby girl. I'm waiting."
Raven: "Shitass!"
I almost pissed my pants. God, she's so fucking adorable. And when she saw Jonah:
"Sanity gone, fan-girl lust-buckets owning and operating my mind, I bite back an audible swoon."
"A simple handshake had me drooling like a dog in heat. A kiss would probably send me into a seizure."
I completely feel you, girl. Plus, she's a mechanic! This girl really knows her stuff (not that I do), but she does sound like she does. She's obsessed over cars and it's hilarious knowing that giving her the Overhaulin' show can just make her grin like a kid.
But it's never been easy for her. She's grown up way too fast especially the fact that her mother's a prostitute and her dad's one of the most notorious criminals a.k.a. pimps in Vegas. With her last name, it's impossible not to shock people when she just tells them. But Jonah accepts her, albeit he was pretty surprised at first. He totally did a nice save.
"It doesn't matter how you were raised or who you were raised by. All that matters is who you are now."She's lived almost all her life, thinking that she might never be loved. Her mother's practically abandoned her and her father's got other plans in mind for her. She doesn't think that she deserves the love and she's ashamed by her history. But she doesn't whine or bitch about it, which I freaking love.
AND BLAKE! How can I ever forget Blake? This guy was just the comical character in this book. He was so damn hilarious. Only Raven could laugh at his perverted jokes.
"Potato fucking poe-tah-toe. God, you're testy. Are you on the rag? I tell you what, grab a Midol and a brownie and call me in five to seven days."And he proceeds to laugh at his own joke.
"Raven, a little later we can play TItanic. I'll yell iceberg and you can go down."
"If I flip a coin, what are the chances I'll get head?"Oh, Blake.
But really, all the other characters are fantastic. Eve, who seems so strong on the outside, but is fragile since she seems to have an infatuation for jackasses. Then she meets this guy who she's so head-over-heels for and he's keeping secrets of his own. Dominick is the cruel and heartless kind of criminal you would expect, even with his own "daughter". Milena who seems to not give a shit about anything at first, you find out to be pretty awesome. And Jonah's mom. The way she so quickly accepts Raven is just A+! FOUR FOR YOU, WOMAN!
I envy their relationship so much because Jonah isn't only her boyfriend. He's her best friend. Her life line. Her family. Her everything basically. They're not only together to date but to keep each other at bay, to make sure that the other doesn't drown. It's pretty fucking awesome.
Minor Faults:
- The part where Raven first meets her dad was a bit too rushed. I wished that the author would prolong it a little bit and add more suspense and tension, so it'd be more interesting.
MY RATING:
J.B. Salsbury 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. 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.
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