Even when she won’t fight for us, I’ll go to war for her…
Inside the Octagon, I have no fear. I’m at home, in my element, inflicting pain onto men trained to hurt me just as badly. Making them submit, knocking them out, maiming them, because it’s them or me. And I choose them.Outside the Octagon, my only weakness is a five-foot-two, classy as fuck woman that I’ve loved for most of my life. She’s the one that brings me to my knees, fills my arms, my heart, and one day soon, my bed. She makes me reckless. Volatile. I drink too much and try too hard to fuck my way out of feeling—all because of her.
Frankie De Rosa is my girl, my best friend. I haven’t earned her yet, but I won’t stand by and let anyone take her from me. She will be the greatest fight of my life, but she’s worth the battle.
Love hurts, but anything worth having does, right?
I’m Deacon “The Hitman” Love — Welcome to the Cage.
We flamed bright and then crashed, losing everything in the process.
Deacon “The Hitman” Love is a successful MMA fighter that’s never lacking for female attention. Unfortunately no amount of faceless women and a few sweaty hours spent between the sheets will never erase his longing for the one woman he truly wants; his best friend, Frankie. Deacon has been in love with Frankie for almost as long as they’ve been friends. She’s been a part of his life and his family’s for years. While she may be like a sister to his brothers, the way he feels for her is anything but brotherly. But Frankie doesn’t see him that way and she’s been dating a royal douchebag that Deacon can’t help but rile at every chance he gets. But then one stolen kiss changes everything…
Frankie doesn’t trust Deacon and his love-them-and-leave-them habits not to break her heart. Her boyfriend is the reasonable choice for her or at least that’s what she makes herself believe. But when Frankie gets hurt, nothing will stop Deacon for fighting his way into her heart.
Frankie is terrified of letting Deacon in, but it’s not long before she realizes that her feelings for him are much deeper than she’s let herself believe.
The relationship between Frankie and Deac was definitely a volatile one. Deacon is hot tempered and Frankie isn’t much better with her flip-flopping feelings. But it just worked in this book. Maybe it was all the delicious dirty talk?
Because I have to say that Deacon really delivered on that end.
I struggled a bit in the first half of the book to really understand the dynamic of Frankie and Deacon’s relationship. I would have loved to have more development on that and really getting a better look into their past that led to the certain quirks they currently have; him kissing the inside of her wrist, buying her expensive jewelry for her birthdays, his whole family calling her “The Princess” etc. I’m not sure if this will be something that Mandi may give us in the next book, but it would have been great to have here. As it was, I struggled a little to really develop a connection to Deacon and Frankie’s friendship. Don’t get me wrong, there is definitely chemistry between them, and the author does a great job with that.
Deacon also definitely has his share of bonehead decisions here. There were times where I wanted to reach through my kindle and beat him with it just to make him see sense.
Frankie was a big question mark for me for a good portion of the book. Considering the majority of the story is told in Deacon’s POV, it was tough to get a good grasp on her. Does she truly care for Deacon the way he cares for her? Is the presence of another guy going to introduce a love triangle? (shudders). Luckily this more or less gets ironed out in the second half, and I found myself warming up to her. Although she is dating someone in the beginning and there is the ex boyfriend that suddenly entered the picture, I never felt that dreaded love triangle situation. Frankie and Deac are definitely the main focus, and I’m so happy about that.
While I could sit and nitpick at certain parts, the bottom line is that I enjoyed the heck out of this book, minor quibbles and all. It was angsty, sexy, and with a little element of suspense. Plus it’s set in my home town of Chicago. How do I not love that?
My biggest quibble? That. Fucking. Cliffhanger. OMG! I swear it almost made me stroke out. How could you leave me like this? HOW? How, I ask you?!! That was just cruel. I need the next book like yesterday! But as much as I hated the cliffhanger, it also made sense. A lot of times I read books and it feels like an author cuts it off suddenly for shock value or for no other reason but to split a book that could have easily been one longer novel into two. This was not the case here. You can tell that these characters had come a somewhat full circle and it needed that break. So as much as that cliffy made me a stabby shouty mess, I get why it was necessary.
I can’t wait to see what’s in store for this couple next!
Love, itself, is a beast that can make a man crazy with lust and insane with jealousy.
Gavin is the oldest brother, and the one I’ve been incredibly curious about since the very beginning. While he seems to be the most balanced of the the Wrath brothers, he still obviously battles demons of his own (pun intended). After the events from book two and the trickery of a certain woman, he finds himself sentenced to the worst kind of torture in Obsidian…for the second time in his life. Worst of all, his sentence is for a crime he had no idea he was committing, but this is one sentence that just may result in his death…
Sabelle is a succubus unlike any of her kind; she hasn’t taken a soul in her entire existence. She’s a loving mother, a caring sister, and a hard worker that soon finds herself stuck between a rock and a hard place. Or in other words stuck between her what she’s forced to do as a succubus and what she truly yearns for; freedom. When she sees a dangerous opportunity that just may give her the answer that she seeks, she’s forced to call in her marker. When she saved Logan’s life at the request of Gavin, she also gets to call a marker of her choosing at the time that she needs. And there’s no better favor to be owed than one from a Wrath demon.
Amazon
If you’ve read the blurb, then you probably picked up on the fact that it pretty much tells you nothing. As far as descriptions go, it’s very vague…AND THAT’S IMPORTANT. I’d advise you to read as little reviews about this book if not any before diving in. Trust me, you’ll enjoy it that much more. What are some things I can tell you about it?
He was such a tortured character, but he also had a very endearing vulnerability to him as well. Maybe that’s also why I wasn’t as bothered by the couple’s almost instantaneous connection. It somehow fit the both of them. Don’t get me wrong, Grayson was not a soft man. Fuck no. He was intense with an undercurrent of brutality, and yet there was always something about him that no matter what fucked up thing he does, you can’t help but love him.
I was learning the hard way that nothing can protect us from the real monsters.
