FIGHTING FOR FLIGHT (Fighting #1) by JB SALSBURY

Gitte:  First of all Jenny, I have to say I am so proud of Jamie. Do you remember chatting to her a year ago discussing how there were not enough MMA fighter stories out there? And then she goes and writes this fantastic story, an amazing debut novel with more to come. I am so proud of her right now! Fighting for Flight was really well written and I am so excited to read more from this Author and I have no doubt it will only get better and frankly I cannot wait.

Jenny:  Me too Gitte. I can’t begin to say how proud I am of Jamie for taking this step and yes, I absolutely remember discussing the lack of MMA heroes in books with her.  It was after we had read a couple we loved and needed more and ummmm yeah…Jamie only went off and wrote one!  I think this was a great effort for a first time author and like you, can’t wait to read more from her in the future.  First off I have to say, the author really did start this book off with a bang the prologue was heart stopping that’s for sure and it sucked me straight straight away! What did you think of the story Gitte?

Gitte:  So, what did I think about Jonah and Raven’s story? Well, I loved it for so many reasons. What’s not to love? We have the gorgeously hot MMA fighter Jonah, who is pretty perfect, a protective tattooed alpha male who loves with passion. Then we have Raven, a sweet, vulnerable and beautiful girl with a heart of gold. Raven is a mechanic and the definition of cool, oh and she had a pretty cool tattoo as well!

Jenny:  Yep, what’s not to love about Jonah indeed! A hot, tattooed, possessive hero and an MMA fighter to boot! Well, yes it was love for me!  He’s a pick ’em up and kick ’em out guy and has decided he’s definitely not the relationship type.  Women are for sex, end of story.

Then we have Raven.  I thought Raven was just adorable.  She was so vulnerable, innocent yet sensual who possessed a pure and beautiful soul with an honesty that was so warm and genuine.  I really did like her.  She was so sweet.

This girl has had a rough life.  Growing up without the love of parents, she’s a survivor who has been exposed to the grittier side of life, yet somehow was able to come out the other end stronger yet still retained her innocence despite her dodgy parentage.  How was Jonah every going to resist her?

I absolutely loved the dual POVs and I felt the author did well with both voices. It was very easy to differentiate between Jonah and Raven and both voices lent to the story.

Gitte:  Jonah and Raven’s journey pretty much started immediately. I’ve mentioned this in reviews before, I am not a big fan of “insta love” Jenny nor the 20 something year old virgin which seems to be quite a popular heroine “theme” in a lot of books  at the moment so I did feel it took something of my enjoyment away from this story.

Being able to hear the voice of both Jonah and Raven had such an impact that I connected to the characters immediately and yeah I fell for Jonah completely, seriously just wow

“I swear the man could bed any woman with one look” – Raven

….and Raven; well I just wanted to pick her out my kindle and put her in my pocket.

“The woman I see right now, she’s something special…” – Jonah

Poor Raven’s life has unbeknownst to her been mapped since her birth by her Pimp of a Dad and her prostitute Mum. She lives her life with a sweet innocence despite her back ground trying to distance herself as much as she can, free of any association. Raven works in the garage owned by her substitute Dad – Guy. He takes care of her with the protective fatherly streak she has been missing and is the only constant in her life. Raven is happiest under the hood of a car which is how she meets the gorgeous MMA fighter Jonah ‘The Assassin’ Slade.

Now Jonah…where do I start Jenny. His track record with sleeping around isn’t great. But what girl in her right mind wouldn’t want to go a few rounds with The Assassin right?! He’s seen tragedy and fought his way out and up turning out to be one of the best undefeated MMA fighters out there. His protectiveness of Raven is faultless and he understands who she is and his heart wants her. For the first time ever he wants more. And Raven who has been starved of touch and affection…shrouded in loneliness, having to be so strong through her 20 years thrives in the knowledge that Jonah wants her despite everything.

“You’re unlike anyone I have ever known…” – Jonah

“He wants me. This amazing powerful, beautiful man wants me …” – Raven

Jenny:  I really did enjoy this book Gitte, but, like you,  I have to also highlight the “insta love” scenario you mentioned.  I did have an issue with it because basically, I just didn’t buy it nor did I feel it at that point.  For me, the characters just hadn’t developed enough by then for me to believe it.  To be honest, I actually had a bit of an eye roll when Jonah, a guy who just a week before had slept with a stripper and made it clear sex was all that mattered as far as women were concerned, who was completely shutdown emotionally was able to identify his feelings and verbalise his love for Raven a mere week after she walked into his life.

Whilst I Raven was completely loveable, and you could understand how Jonah could have strong feelings for her, I needed to experience the connection.  I felt I really wanted them to develop as individuals and as a couple before their relationship took on that depth.

Don’t get me wrong.  I absolutely felt the chemistry between these two and I felt the sweetness between them but I really would have loved more character development between the two and more of a build up before it reached such an intense point.

However, once the story started flowing and I ventured further into the book I will admit my issue with the insta love did fade into the background.  Although I will say, the suddenness of it all did cause me timeline issues because I kept having to remind  myself this was all happening within the space of weeks whereas the intensity of their relationship made it feel like more time had elapsed.

Whilst there wasn’t angst as such, there certainly was enough drama to keep me entertained and a couple of heart in the mouth moments to ramp it up.   I found the love between Jonah and Raven absolutely heart melting.  When Jonah has to go against all his instincts to save the girl he loves, you do feel for him. He loves her without exception and will do anything to save her, even if it means going against everything he believes in.

“This whole time I thought I was living.  But the day I met you, the lights came on”  Jonah

Gitte: Jonah and Raven’s journey is pretty emotional and heart breaking. It is also one scary ride with lots of action at times and the passion, the love and the yummy factor made this a pretty addictive read that I found hard to put down.

“Fighting gave me my breath, but you brought me back to life….This whole time I thought I was living. But the day I met you, the lights came on. You fill me with things I thought I’d never feel again…You’re my angel, baby” – Jonah

“When God hands you a gift, you don’t push it away and tell him ‘later’” – Jonah

Seriously….just swoon!!!!

Now, I cannot wait for the second book in this series which features Blake. Oh and I defy anyone not to also swoon over Blake’s cocky character. I loved him! Bring it on Jamie!

Jenny:  This story, whilst slightly predictable, was an enjoyable read.  I found the supporting characters added much to the story and yes…I just loved Blake.  His compassion and care for Raven and his loyalty to Jonah really did make him such a wonderful character and I can’t wait for his story.  How much fun will that be!

Seeing Raven blossom and feel loved really was heart-warming.  Theirs was a passionate, yet sweet love story of two people fighting against the odds told against the backdrop of the MMA and Vegas underworld.  Our tattooed, possessive, fighter falling for the sweet, vulnerable, giggly gorgeous Raven was such that it made this an enjoyable read, even if it did have a bit of a shaky start.  I enjoyed it…..  The steam factor was high and the chemistry between Raven and Jonah was definitely felt.