Review: Battle by KJ Bell

A battle is fought by soldiers on the ground in a time of war. Or at least that’s what I used to think.

I’ve never had to fight for anything in my perfectly planned life, and I certainly never thought I’d have to fight for love.

I was wrong.

One wild, carefree night, and one stupid dare made me realize you can’t appreciate love until you’re forced to fight for it. I want the complex, sexy bull rider who stole my heart in the middle of a deserted wheat field. But Battle McCoy doesn’t believe in love.

What do you do when you aren’t prepared for battle? When someone you care for becomes your greatest enemy? And your surrender is imminent?

I’m going to fight.

There’s a chance he’ll destroy me, but my heart will go to war to make him mine.

4.5 Star Review by Jennifer Hagen

Let me introduce you to my new book boyfriend, Battle McCoy.  He is all kinds of sexy from his name to his swagger, and everything in between…or should I say “the middle?”

Faye is a self-proclaimed people pleaser.  She has been in a long-term relationship with Wyatt, and he appears to have a commitment phobia, asking for several breaks but to keep it hush-hush from their parents.  Both sets of parents expect them to marry and both sets of parents are hung up on what the combined names would mean for their benefit.  Wyatt is a douchebag…for lack of a better term.  Faye can do so much better than him, but she is scared of the unknown.

I question if he’s an actual piece to my puzzle, or if I’m forcing him to fit because I’m afraid of what will happen if he doesn’t. 

Faye has very good friends and what do friends do when one of them just breaks up with the boyfriend?  They take her out and get her drunk, throwing a dare in there for good measure.

“If any guy’s worthy of poppin’ your one-night stand cherry, it’s Battle McCoy.  I’ll bet a hundred bucks you won’t do it.”

Battle is a professional bull rider, but for reasons unknown to the general public he stays close to home on the circuit even though he is good enough to go on the nation tour.  Battle doesn’t do love.  He has it engrained in him that love will only end up hurting him when the person he has holding his heart leaves him broken.   Battle is known in the gossip world as being a man who knows his way around the women.

Initially Battle seemed to cast a few interested glances towards Faye, but as the evening wears on it seems like his look of lust has turned into a look of disgust.   Faye is dumbfounded by this turn of events, but still takes matters into her own hands…literally.

As I look down watching my hand work him, I decide this is who I want to be.  If only for tonight, I want to forget what’s expected of me.

Oh my Lord…their sex scene was HOT HOT HOT.  Battle is something else…okay moving on.

Battle and Faye have a lot of work to do if they want to take it to the next level and see where it leads them.  They have to work against a manipulative ex-boyfriend, her parents who deem Battle a rebel, a friend who is now a competitive enemy, and also against Battle himself.

Life has been cruel to him.  Memories plague Battle and have hardened him.  He’s built walls to protect himself, walls so thick I’m not sure I’m capable of tearing them down.

Battle and Faye have a unique way of finding out each other’s secrets.  It is through a game of dice and that seems to be the only time that Battle is willing to give out the answers to his dark secrets, and there a few of them.  In fact, there is one particularly dark secret that may end up destroying the trust between them.   But before that secret is revealed, we have to hit the road of angst.   This road is stomach plummeting with hair-pin turns.  I will gladly pay any tolls required though because it is too delicious to find another path. 

“You tell me you don’t love me, and I’m gone.” 

He laughs from deep in his chest, but maintains my gaze, his dormant, and void of its usual vibrant intensity.  “I don’t love you.”

I love, LOVE angst and Ms. Bell can write it like it was made for only her to write.   Have you read her Irreparable series?  I rest my case…angst like no other. 

Battle is a unique individual and he will settle deep inside your heart.  I found this to be a quick read that incorporated everything I like in a book – humor, sexy scenes, angst, and a happy ending.  You want to know what else I like about Battle?  The cover…it’s PERFECT.  I love how a cover ties into the story.  Now about the middle I mentioned at the beginning…I’ll be in the middle with Battle any day.