Review: Get lucky with Irish.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 14, 2014
After giving a lukewarm review to RULES OF ENTANGLEMENT I was really nervous about reading FIGHTING FOR IRISH. I'm happy to say that it may just be even better than SEDUCING CINDERELLA.Kat MacGregor's future brother-in-law (Jax from ROE) knows how much it means to his bride-to-be (Vanessa from ROE) that her little sister get tracked down. Aiden "Irish" O'Brien owes Jax a favor so he hightails it to where the private investigator tracked her down. But Kat's in over her head, indebted to the Tennessee mob for twenty-grand and only forty-eight hours to pay up. Irish doesn't owe his old friend from his MMA fighting days that kind of favor but he's willing to help the skittish kitten he's more than a little attracted to. Fighting to get her the money is one thing but the tangle of lies that come with it could end their love before it ever really gets a fighting chance.I hate admitting to how much I loved Irish but he's just so darned... perfect. The man has manners! When he learns Kat's secret the way he handles it... I have no words, I had tears. But it's his imperfections than make him realistic and likable, he's a slob and he has these googly moments he chides himself over. Yep, he's definitely a hero you're gonna love. Irish's nickname "kitten" for Kat definitely fits her personality. She's sweet and vulnerable but really prickly when provoked. Part of me wanted to dislike her for the situation she'd wound up in and yet she charmed me by not being apologetic for her life.As much as the owes-the-mob plot didn't work for me—okay, I'll admit the stereotypical mob goons amused me a bit—the romance made up for it in spades. But I must note without getting too spoilery that for victims of rape and abuse there were some trigger topics that might be tough to read. That said, Maxwell did something amazing with it and I wish there were more men in the real world who could be part of the healing process of those who've gone through such horrors. Like I said, there were tears on my end as I read Kat's secrets and well, recognized the research that had to have gone on behind the scenes to handle such a story with such aplomb.I love a romance that has the power to heal and FIGHTING FOR IRISH tells one heck of a healing love story... with plenty of sexy bits for those of you whom I know were dying for me to get to that part. lol Yes, there was a bit of that going on you perverts. ;) Wouldn't be a Brazen book without a generous serving of lust. I definitely have a favorite scene but I doubt it's going to be the popular one, so I'm sure other reviewers can give you more sordid details.If you're a Brazen fan this is a no-brainer, you're gonna want to read it. New to Maxwell? I actually think you can read FFI without reading the first two books and then go back to them, you'll be a little confused when other series characters are mentioned but otherwise it's a great place to start. I especially recommend this one for readers who are seeking a hero who is capable of brute strength, yet is blessed with the manners and gentleness every heroine deserves.