Lovin' los libros

Kat MacGregor has forty-eight hours to make good on the debt her ex-boyfriend owes a crime boss. Unfortunately, the measly tips she makes waitressing are barely enough for her to live on, much less cover the twenty-thousand needed to keep her breathing. With time running out, Kat 's forced to accept help from the only man who's ever made her feel fire rather than fear.

When he learns a friend's sister is in trouble, former Boston MMA fighter Aiden "Irish" O'Brien heads to Louisiana to offer himself up as collateral to keep her safe. But to satisfy the debt, he has to do the one thing he swore hed never do again: fight. With more than just money on the line, will Irish have what it takes to not only reclaim the man he once was, but become the man he needs to be for the woman he can't live without?

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*Disclaimer: Due to the adult nature of this book, the following discussion also deals with some adult topics.*

 

 

I really enjoyed Fighting For Irish! I loved how strong of a plot it had and how Maxwell took the time to really develop her characters and show us just how multi-layered they both were. While this was a slower moving story- I felt learning the details of Kat and Aiden's pasts was imperative to the overall storyline and watching those two work through the pain of those pasts was a really strong addition to the novel.

 

I liked Kat's character a lot. Watching her open up to Aiden slowly but surely after a life of never trusting anyone but herself was really inspiring. Kat has literally been to hell and back, as she has experienced things in her life that no woman ever should. She still carries that weight with her, which leads her to intimacy issues with Aiden. Yet, once Aiden realizes that something traumatic has happened to her, he is completely understanding. He's not a jerk and doesn't push her to a point where she would ever feel uncomfortable with him.

 

Their relationship is both beautiful and incredibly raw at the same time. Because of what happened, Kat has not let a man in intimately and she really is quite innocent in her sexual encounters with Aiden. It takes a lot of trust and patience for her to open up to him, but once she does- these two's chemistry is so hot. Car sex, people. Car. Sex. Whew.  

 

It's kind of funny to think of this huge hunk of a man having such a calming effect on her, but he does. Aiden might carry his own burdens and feel the weight of his own guilt suffocating him, but when it comes to Kat, he would do anything to protect her- from external AND internal forces. I loved Aiden's character. As I said, he carries a lot of guilt over an event that happened in his past, and he really tries to keep his distance from Kat. He is there as a favor to a good friend and to her sister- he's NOT there to fall in love with the beautiful red-haired woman. However, keeping his distance proves to be extremely difficult as Aiden gets involved in the mess Kat is desperately trying to run from. Yet, he tries to hold her at arm's length, never truly believing he is worthy of her or able to give her what she needs. Aiden is afraid to enter back into the world of fighting as he has seen what it does to him and he is so afraid of losing control. When he is fighting, something snaps and everything becomes a blur. The darkness and the adrenaline take hold and he doesn't want to be off balance again. Yet, some sacrifices must be made if he has any hope of getting Kat out of the mess she has found herself in.

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Thanks for joining us for another Brazen feature this week! Come back next week as we talk Against the Wall by Rebecca Zanetti!