Review: So impressed with this book!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 8, 2013
Reality comes back to life in this book by touching on loneliness, self-awareness, and surviving in a world where domestic violence is all-too-real. There's a lot of raw material in here that could be considered triggering for some though I do not believe it is nearly as 'dark' a read as the first book in the series, Saving Ella, though it does contain dark subject matter including a violent attack on our female protagonist.There are some mixed feelings about whether or not one needs to have read Saving Ella to read Fighting Back and I feel that I got more out of it from having read the first book prior to picking up this one. It is not essential that you read it to enjoy this story though. I read it through while trying to imagine how I would feel if I had only been given this book to read as a stand-alone rather than both books to get the full scope of the series and yes, I could have easily enjoyed this story without having read about Ella and Jax first.This book is perfectly capable of standing on its own. The story is about characters connected to those found in Saving Ella, but the reader is introduced to those characters again in a way that makes it easy to figure out who relates to who and in what ways. I liked having read the first book before starting this one only because it was like getting to become reacquainted with old friends again. I got to say a new hello to Jax and Ella -this book does take place immediately after the end of Saving Ella- as well as Rebecca and Charlie who we met in that first story. Many other characters crop up in the book too who are made more charming because they are recurring characters in this shared world.I'd recommend reading them in sequence for that reason alone.That being said, I feel that the writing in this book is more solid on a technical level. It's got that same maturity to it that Saving Ella had without any of the construct issues that tossed me out of the story.I read this one in one sitting, too!Character-wise, I absolutely adore Rebecca. She's charming, funny, and enough of an Every-Woman that readers of all ages can relate to her. All her quirks make her memorable in a way that I think is fabulous to see when it's so sad that our female characters often get washed away into the same molds over and over again in favor of making a more interesting male hero for the reader to adore. I love it when I can say that I liked the female protagonist more than the leading man! It makes me smile all over my face. She's my favorite pin-up girl now and I love that I thought of her as Betty Boop before hearing Charlie call her that.Speaking of Charlie!Charlie -our leading man- is also a really funny, unique blend of Alpha male and Every-Man which made it impossible for me not to love him. I never found him too overbearing or too much of anything really. He was just this great guy who has enough swagger to make you want to watch the way he works it! I would have let him sweep me off my feet...or potentially beat the you-know-what out of someone for me. I could go for either option where he's concerned.There was so much chemistry between them that it felt as if I were reading a very natural relationship progression. It's more fast-paced than its predecessor in that sense though these characters carry different baggage than Jax and Ella. They also already had a past that came with them from the first book which made sense for them to move faster.For me, the ending was perfect. I loved it. There was all that mess and madness I'd been missing. I didn't mind at all that it left me wanting more. I read so that I can be inspired to dream and what's more inspiring than being dared to ask "What happens next?"I'd recommend this book highly since it's an obvious labor of love with just the right mix of drama and passion to fall into for a good read.*Review based on a free copy provided for an honest opinion.*Originally reviewed on behalf of This Redhead LOVES Books Blog.