Fighting Silence (On The Ropes Book 1)
This is the other book that was getting RAVE reviews a week or so ago that had me flip-flopping as to which one of the two I wanted to start first.
I mean… how could I resist a book about an up and coming bad-ass boxer, surviving despite his bad childhood, and despite the fact that he’s slowly going deaf?!
“You see, meeting the love of my life at age thirteen was never part of my plan. However, neither was gradually going deaf at the age of twenty-one.
They both happened anyway.”
*Gah!!!* Β That part GOT ME! And to top it all off, it was from one of my FAVORITE authors. YES PLEASE!!!
Alas, I chose it second, since I had just read a “fighter romance” and was ready for a little something different before I dove back into another one. Even though SO many insisted this was a MUST-READ NOW love story:
Renata: Fighting Silence was ahhhhmazing! This is Aly Martinez best book yet. A different twist to the usual MMA fighters genre. Till is a true hero in every sense of the word.
Lauren:Β I read Fighting Silence last nightβ¦.then got up this morning & reread my favorite parts.
Melissa: You MUST read Fighting Silenceβ¦.such a beautiful (and often times HOT) story. Plus its Aly Martinezβ¦girlfriend puts words into poetry on the page!!!!!
Ashley:Β Fighting Silence is great. I highly recommend it. Alyβs books get better and better and FS does NOT disappoint. You will fall in love with Till Page and all of the Page brothers for that matter.
Shell:Β Girls I just finished both βFighting Silence β and βThe Dealβ both awesome read in a different way and I loved them both. You all have to read both so doesβt matter which one you all pick first.
Jean:Β Iβm at 80% of Fighting Silence and oh I just love it! I donβt want this book to end! Loved the friendship, the buildup, the angst, the fun, the tears, the loveβ¦. Oh I just love everything!
Β <—Β Sure enough, this one was so very good and beautifully written! Lots of push and pull, angsty drama (namely… romance angst between the two main characters as adults), but both starting with horrible childhoods, being raised – or should I say… raising themselves in absolute poverty, and carving themselves out a little slice of life to make it all better.
It’s a sweet coming of age story, at least for the first half.
She burst out laughing. God, I loved that sound so much. I knew Iβd never be the same when I lost it to the silence. Iβd happily give up every noise in the world if I could just keep her laugh . But my life didnβt work that way.
Depicting the lives of two beautiful, responsible souls becoming best friends despite their circumstances. Because of their circumstances. “Living” together as much as they possible could get away with. Having their secret hangouts, confiding in each other, even helping feed each other.
One day they were going to knock down that building and snatch that life away from us. But with a half boy half man snoring loudly beside me, I was blissfully blinded by the present.
Lots to experience in that whole build-up, and his two younger brothers are just as fascinated by her!
βIs she magic too?β he breathed with wide eyes.
I thought about it for a minute before answering. Was Eliza magic? She is to me.
βAbsolutely.β
Pure sweetness but not overly so. Just enough to satisfy my sweet-read tooth. π
And as they grew, so did their love. Changing into inevitable attraction and devotion to each other. Except as all of our angsty love stories go, there was one of ’em resisting the heck out of “more”. Because becoming more could mean they lose it all.
Even at seventeen I knew I loved Till Page, but I didnβt have grand dreams of how perfect our lives would be together. Maybe it was because I didnβt want to set myself up for disappointment. But I think it was more because I didnβt want to face the fact that there was a future at allβ one that may or may not have included him. I just wanted to live with Till in the present where there was no pressure to pretend to be anyone else. A present where I kept his stomach full of canned foods, and he kept me warm and needed. I scratched his head, and he healed my heart.
And OMG a few times I was just furious with a few specific events… reactions if you will. And all the while, my heart was being tugged on incessantly. Didn’t matter how mad I was!
βI canβt have you without claiming you for forever.β
βThen claim me. Iβll claim you too.β
βThatβs exactly what Iβm afraid of, Eliza.β
*clutching my heart* I LOVE that kind of stuff!! Hard times never leave them, and it’s this story of love and survival, both for themselves, for each other, and for their loved ones that will have absolutely your heart.
So good!
However I suspect that maybe I should have read it before the “other” book that blew my mind, that came out that same week (it ended up being my favorite of the year so far…), ’cause I just wasn’t over it yet. And despite that, I jumped right into this one. And while both have that awesome friendship/crush feel, with a great cast of supporting characters, I just couldn’t shake the feel of the other read, wanting that specific feel and detail, again, and therefore… I was able to put this one down periodically. *sigh*
Maybe it’s ’cause it would skip over months… and at times, years? Sometimes, a big devastating “thing”Β would happen, and we’d only find out about it… after the fact… you know? One thing in particular that was a big game-changer in the book, that I would have loved to properly cry over, and yet… the way it moved… the way the story jumped, I missed out on truly feeling it. And that happened at least twice for me. Yes, I knew it, I sort of felt it, but I didn’t get to drown in it, and for a story like this? When they are drowning… I want to be, too.
No worries though, she drowns us a little later.Β
And it’s not all bad, and angsty. There are some true comedic moments too. ‘Cause it doesn’t matter how much he thinks he deserves, or doesn’t deserve… he’s a true guy where it counts. The MINE moments, the bad-ass moments, the stand-up guy moments, and even the “corny-guy” moments.
“…It was a real blow to the ego.β
βOh, God, no! Not your fragile ego!β I slapped my hands to my cheeks and feigned horror, earning me one of Tillβs one-sided grins.
βI know. I took it hard. I had to flex in front of the mirror for a full five minutes before I was able to come down here.β
*snort!!*Β Β What a goof!!Β
He’s fun AND fearless. Well… mostly.
So if you’re in the mood for a great hard-luck love story between two best friends that just keep trying despite everything life throws at them, this is a great choice! Plenty of “feels”, lots of drama, lots of hope and hurt and then back again. π
Our goodbye was bound to happen. People like us didnβt get handed happiness on a silver platter. We had to work for it.
And work for it, they did. Does it all work out in the end? Ah ah ahhhhh…. you know I’m not tellin’. π
3.5 to 4 stars! (4 stars for a few of the angsty parts that the author hits us with and allows us to wallow in. 4 stars for the amazing cast of characters and a heartwarming story that encompasses all sorts of different kinds of love! 3.5 stars for a few *big* parts – at least to me – that I felt weren’t detailed enough, and therefore, didn’t overwhelm me the way I anticipated it would).
P.S. Aly confirms (and teases) that:
Aly Martinez: You do NOT need to read ANY of the Wrecked and Ruined series to read Fighting Silence. It is ALL new characters. Slate is from another of my books (Among The Echoes), but he only has a father figure role in Fighting Silence, so you donβt need to know how he likes it in bed to appreciate him. HAHAHA! The others just make cameos. Itβs a small treat for my avid readers, but not necessary in ANY way.
Fabi: omg Aly, that comment about slate is hilarious. lmao
Amy: Well okay thenβ¦looks like my TBR list is shifting yet again to make room for Fighting Silence!Β
Β But you know, how they like it in bed is *what* we appreciate about βem. Just sayinβ.Β
Maryse: *snort* π
Aly: BAHAHAHA! Amy! Slate is a talker in bedβ¦.imagine that while he dishing out life lessons in Fighting Silence!Β
MichelleS: β¦.. eating popcorn laughing my butt off hereβ¦.. how he likes it in bed, indeed!!! now I have to add Fighting Silence to my Kindle ASAP, just to meet this Slate hottie!!!! (have I mentioned how super hot it is when the guy is a talker in bed? that gets me so much more worked up then graphic details)
Cheryl: βDishing out life lessons in bedβ -love it!! *eating cotton candy oreos while adjusting tbr for Fighting Silence next*
LOL!! She rocks!
βββ Β Looking for more of my must-read recommendations? Browse my 5 star and 4.5 star and 4 star reviews. π
βββ Β Love this author? Browse more Aly Martinez features and reviews on my blog. π
Great review Maryse! I get what you are saying…..I don’t always like the jumps in time either and I would have liked some more of the situation with Flint at the end. But hoping that we’ll see all of that in his book which is next and I can’t wait!
Oh and I read this before the “other” book, so I probably would have felt the same as you! Everyone seems to be in a book funk because of it!
So, what are you reading now?
Yes… I cant help but wonder how i would have felt had I reversed the order.
Right now I’m reading a review copy of Colleen Hoover’s “Confess”. Its coming out on Tuesday. I’m 20% in and so far so good. The beginning made me tear up big time. And i mean the very first pages. Poignant and heartbreaking…
Confess?!? Oh I’m jealous!
This one will be my next review…
Just finished Fighting Silence too right after The Deal. I too wonder how it would have felt read in reverse order. This one was very sweet. I liked that the connection between them was so strong and true and it was really about the bond and family. What’s interesting to me without spoiling too muchβ¦ is that with both books they ended knowing that someone else had feelings for the main character which makes me really want to read both follow-ups!!! Logan and Flint’s books!! I can’t remember ever encountering this kind of scenario but did in both of these books! Thanks for the recommendations!!
Yeah, okay…you just had to mention that you are reading Confess right now. Well, ya know what? I didn’t want to read it until Tuesday anyway!
*turns around and holds palm towards Maryse*
π
I read Fighting Silence first, then read The Deal. I felt the same way Maryse did (only in reverse). I absolutely loved FS but TD was much more mild and without much angst comparatively. I’m thinking that I should have read something COMPLETELY different in between. Or two somethings! LOL
π― Did you just “talk to the hand” me, Amy!?? π
*studies and picks at fingernails*
If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck…
*giggle* I’m looking forward to your review! π
*hrmph*
Stomps!!!!!
okayyyyyy…
*snort* π
*snicker* π