Review: Fighting Fate (Fighting, #6) by J.B. Salsbury

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Review

4 angsty, emotional stars

The long-anticipated book for Killian and Axelle! We knew it was coming, the anticipation has been building, and the scene has been set for an epic friends-to-lovers story, and whoa, this one was a rollercoaster! A messy, angsty and dramatic NA romance with more than one surprise, this one was actually hard to read at some points, but I couldn’t help but love the intensity of the love story and the long-awaited and much-deserved HEA for these two characters.

Introduced as teenagers in book #2 of the series (Fighting to Forgive), Killian and Axelle have been best friends from the moment they met – Killian, the sweet, shy, nerdy boy with dreams of a career in the UFC, and Axelle, the damaged yet feisty daughter of Layla. Now it’s four years later and Killian and Axelle are still best friends. Killian is still the sweet, nerdy boy however he is on the verge of achieving the success in the UFC he has only dreamed about, and Axelle is troubled and emotionally vulnerable and makes up for it by partying, hanging with the bad boys and searching for something to help heal her damaged heart.

For four years they have been glued to each other’s sides. They have been there for each other through good times and bad, they laugh, play and hang out, and more than that, Killian has been Axelle’s protector, defender and rock. And behind all of that, they are desperately and completely in love with each other, but neither of them have acted on it.

In dual POV we get an up-close-and-personal look at the depth of feeling between these two, and wow, it’s intense. Killian’s complete and utter devotion to his best friend is heartachingly beautiful but he doesn’t feel like he is enough for Axelle, and is working on making himself worthy of her so that he can give her the life that he feels she deserves. He has waited for her, ignoring all other women and instead has stood by her while she dates boys who are all wrong for her and treat her badly. Ironically, Axelle also feel like she’s not good enough for Killian. She’s been hurt and rejected by the most important men in her life and it has damaged her. She tried to make her feelings known to Kill when they were teenagers, but things didn’t work out and she believes he’s not interested so she continues her fruitless search for love with all the wrong guys

It’s angsty and a messed up situation, but it shows Killian’s sweetness, loyalty and devotion to the girl he loves – though I kinda wish he had stepped in and put a stop to her self-destructive behaviour. I get that he wanted to wait for the right time, knowing that he would have one chance and not wanting to blow it. But still… a little bit more alpha would have been welcome. And I can’t believe how clueless Axelle was! She and Killian are constantly together, seeing the depth of his love for her through his thoughts, I can’t help but imagine his feelings would be written all over his face. But given her low self esteem and personal issues, I sort of got it. And it just makes their coming together all the more epic when they finally open up and lay it all out.

Axelle loves me.
The words strike my chest and knock the air from my lungs. I drop my forehead to her neck and she holds me to her, comforting me as if she’s aware of the power of her confession. I whisper words of gratitude against her skin, silent praises to God…
She loves me.

And OMG, the feels! I was bouncing up and down as it all unfolded. Beautifully romantic, heartfelt and swoony, I felt it all and the sweetness, honesty and passion between them was just gorgeous!

But then… it all goes to hell. In a surprising twist, it’s all over before it even started and my heart broke as these two who are so destined to be together, fall apart.

Oh, it hurt! But again, it sets the scene for Killian and Axelle to both have some much-needed time to figure themselves out. To sort themselves out, find the strength to move forward with their lives without having each other there, and figure out what it is they truly want. And only time will tell if their love for each other is strong enough to survive.

“I’ll fight for us, but I’ll need you to fight for us, too.”

I’m conflicted in my thoughts on this book. As always, JB Salsbury’s writing is top-notch. The romance, drama and emotion just drips off the page, and the angst builds a wonderful sense of anticipation as we watch Killian and Axelle’s story play out. But having said that, I had some issues with some of the things that went down in this story…

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I was surprised and disappointed at how quickly Killian turned his back on Axelle. Sure, she ‘pushed’ him away, but it was more like a gentle nudge than an actual push, the situation is extreme and highly emotional, and he knows her better than anybody. I couldn’t believe how quickly he gave up and turned away from her – especially given what they had shared together, the fact that he was clearly and openly all-in, and this sort of commentary constantly in his head…

If she tried to leave me, I’d fight to get her back.

And all it took was a few words from her and suddenly he is giving up and walking away? Weird.

And then the fact that he slept with somebody else… *sigh*. I don’t begrudge him for having a life when he and Axelle weren’t even together, but it just seemed so out of character! He had waited his whole life for Axelle, and then to go and hook up with a friend that he doesn’t even have feelings for? The fact that he’s thinking of Axelle the whole time makes it creepier in my opinion. It just seemed a really strange thing for him to do, and SO not necessary!

I can appreciate that they both needed time apart to stand on their own for a while, and I actually think it was a really great twist in their story, I just wasn’t a fan of the way it happened.

But despite all that, I still loved the story. I’m a sucker for a friends-to-lovers romance, and though it wasn’t easy and it wasn’t the story I wanted for them, it was still a gorgeous romance and I loved seeing Killian and Axelle finally get their HEA.

4 stars.