Flint’s highly anticipated emotional
story is FINALLY here!
NOW AVAILABLE
**Each book in the series
can be read as a standalone**
Blurb
I come from a family of fighters. I always thought I’d
follow in their shadows, becoming unstoppable in the ring. That changed the day
I saved the life of a woman I loved, but could never have.
My brother hailed me
as a hero, and my reward was a wheelchair.
Paralyzed, my life
became an inescapable nightmare.
Until I met her.
Ash Mabie had a
heart-stopping smile and a laugh that numbed the rage and resentment brewing
inside of me. She showed me that even the darkest night still had stars, and it
didn’t matter one bit that you had to lie in the weeds to see them.
I was a jaded
asshole who fell for a girl with a knack for running away. I couldn’t even walk
but I would have spent a lifetime chasing her.
Now, I’m on the
ropes during the toughest battles of my life.
Fighting the shadows of our past.
Fighting to reclaim my future.
Fighting for her.
Excerpt
“Hey, Flint? What time is
it?” Quarry asked.
Ash’s smile actually
slipped completely. For the briefest of seconds, she appeared almost ashamed.
I dragged my eyes away from
her in order to answer his question, but as I looked at my wrist, I had no
answer at all.
“Here,” she said as she
pulled my watch from her pocket.
What. The. Fuck?
Quarry howled with
laughter, and Ash chewed on her bottom lip.
“Explain,” I demanded,
wrapping my watch back around my wrist and shoving my wallet in the front
pocket of my hoodie.
Quarry filled in the blank.
“She’s a pickpocket, dude. You should have seen her when she fell on your lap.
It was so fucking fast. She straight-up stole that shit from you, and you had
no fucking clue.”
“I didn’t steal it! I was
gonna give it back,” she amended uncomfortably. “It was just a joke.”
A joke.
A. Fucking. Joke.
And
just like that, I remembered why I didn’t laugh anymore.
“Was it funny? Stealing
from the cripple? You get a good laugh out of that?” I snapped, spinning and
rolling myself away. “You know, maybe my judgment of you wasn’t all that off to
begin with. Like father, like daughter, I guess.” It was a low blow, but I felt
completely betrayed by a woman I didn’t even know.
“Flint, wait. I wasn’t
picking on the cripple!”
I fully realized that I had
just used the term, but it enraged me that she’d had the audacity to repeat it
back to me. Who the hell was this chick? I pushed a hand into my pocket,
searching for my keys. Fuck the food. I’d leave her ass there. Hell, Quarry too
if he didn’t get his ass to the car.
“Get in the car, Q!” I
yelled, only to close my eyes and drop my chin to my chest when my hand never
made contact on the keys. “Son of a bitch,” I said as I spun back around.
Quarry was laughing next to
her, but Ash’s cheeks were bright red.
“Keys.” I snapped my
fingers and opened my hand, palm up.
“Stop being a dick,” Quarry
said, casually tossing an arm around Ash’s shoulders.
She didn’t budge as she
held my glare.
“Keys,” I repeated, but she
remained still.
“It was a joke.” Her chin
began to quiver.
For fuck’s sake, I wasn’t
in any kind of mood to deal with bullshit from some girl I didn’t even know and
was quickly discovering I didn’t care to know, either.
Quarry’s eyes grew wide as
she turned to him and buried her cries in his chest.
What the fuck, asshole! Q signed before rubbing his hands over
her back.
Her shoulders shook as she
let out a loud sob that shocked us both.
“Come on. Let’s sit down.”
Q tried to guide her over to an empty table.
Ash refused to look up and
tripped over one of the chairs.
“Shit,” Q said, catching
her around the waist.
I was just about to roll my
eyes when she glanced my way. He was still trying to get her back on her feet
and over to a table when her tear-free, bright-blue eyes pointedly glanced in
my direction. My head snapped back in surprise, but a smile grew on her face.
Ash was about to put on a
show, and with that one look, she had invited me to have a front-row seat.
As she floundered all over
Quarry, her hands slid between his pockets and her own. Every noise she made
and each time she flailed covered up a jarring movement. She was keeping his
mind too busy for it to process all the places she was touching him. Hell, I
was only watching her and I could barely keep up.
There was no denying that
it was entertaining, but I wasn’t willing to show her that. However, as she accidentally lifted her knee, catching Q
in the balls, a laugh erupted from my throat. He cupped his crotch while she
apologized profusely and pushed him toward the same chair he’d been dragging
her to only seconds before. Just before he sat, Ash swung her arm out,
unwinding Q’s belt from around his body before tossing it at me.
“Oh God. I’m so sorry!” she
said as Quarry held a finger up to ask for a second to recover. She didn’t wait
at all though. Instead, she walked over in my direction; her prideful smile
grew with every step.
She pulled my keys out of
her pocket and dropped them into my lap. They were quickly followed by Quarry’s
phone, wallet, and house keys. Then she snagged his belt off the floor and
tossed it over her shoulder.
“It had absolutely nothing
to do with you being in a wheelchair. It was
a joke and it wasn’t supposed to
piss you off.”
“Hey!” Quarry yelled. “That
was messed up. You did not have to knee me in the balls to prove a point to
him.”
“Oh, that wasn’t to prove a
point. That was for bullshitting me. You knew good and damn well that he
wouldn’t find it funny,” she said without ever tearing her gaze from mine.
“Look, I’m sorry. I don’t have a lot of friends. And I’ve mentally noted that
pickpocketing might not be the best way to make new ones.” She shrugged.
“Consider it a lesson learned.”
“Three burgers all the way,
onion rings, and a shake?” the guy at the counter called out.
Ash arched an eyebrow. “You
want it to go, or are we good?”
I didn’t have to drop my
attitude. Sure, she’d apologized, but while I might have had a short fuse, I
also had a hell of a long burn. However, as she stood in front of me with her
arms crossed over her chest and her blue eyes pleading for forgiveness, it
magically fell away.
I swallowed hard. “No.
We’re good.”
“You sure?” She leaned in,
eyeing me warily, but her smile began to grow.
I swear to God it pulled at
my lips as well. I fought it. But the harder I tried to keep it restrained, the
bigger Ash’s grew. She was stealing my smile. The chick was good! Finally, with
an eye roll, I let out a quiet chuckle, which seemed to appease her.
“Good. Now, help your
brother get redressed and I’ll make the fancy sauce.” She waggled her eyebrows.
My Review
First and foremost-- I have read everything by Aly Martinez and I have loved EVERY.SINGLE.ONE! No joke. If you haven't read anything by Aly....WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? I started with the Wrecked & Ruined series and was hooked. I loved the way Aly wrote alpha males that could make me swoon!
Fighting Silence (Book 1) is probably my favorite of Aly's. I absolutely loved Till and I immediately fell in love with Flynn & Quinn. So when I saw Flynn was getting a book I was so excited. I couldn't wait to get my hands on it.
It's not necessary to read Fighting Silence before Shadows but I HIGHLY recommend you do. I think what made this book better for me was that I was introduced to them in the first book. I think it gives a better understanding of the struggle this family goes through and how Flynn was before he was shot.
Now to the Flynn and Ash!
Obviously, I love Flynn. Till will always be my favorite but I definitely have a soft spot for Flynn. Flynn gets shot in the back saving the life of someone he loves more than anything. When he wakes up, he is paralyzed. It's a big struggle for him to adjust to this new life. Thankfully Ash comes in to help him heal.
"Flint, don't get so caught up on the shadows that you forget the man who casts it."
Ash made me laugh more times than not. She had a rough life as well and finding Flynn was like a breath of fresh air for her. She was immediately drawn to him and never so him as the guy in a wheel chair. She knew the potential he had and she made sure she showed him what he was worth and making Flynn smile by telling a fantastic joke.
"You know, just to make sure we stay out of trouble. I mean, I totally understand that you're allergic to fun. But you could always pop an antihistamine or something."
An unfortunate event takes place that pushes Flynn and Ash apart for 3 years and I think my favorite part of this book is when Flynn and Ash get back together. They both have matured. Flynn is overcoming his battles and when they get back together it's explosive!
"Yeah Ash, tell me about the tattoo"
"Fuck you"
"Soon enough"
and my favorite...
"Ash, baby, I have three years worth of frustration to work off inside you. And that's the part where your begging becomes fun."
Basically, I loved this book! Flynn will capture your heart and Ash will just make you laugh. You get plenty of Till & Eliza too. These books make you fall in love with the Paige family!
Haven’t read this series
yet? Meet Flint Quarry, Till & Eliza
in Fighting Silence
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1zbJT0u
About the Author:
Aly Martinez
Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, Aly Martinez is a
stay-at-home mom to four crazy kids under the age of five, including a set of
twins. Currently living in South Carolina, she passes what little free time she
has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a
glass of wine at her side.
After some encouragement from her friends, Aly decided to
add “Author” to her ever-growing list of job titles. Five books later, she
shows no signs of slowing. So grab a glass of Chardonnay, or a bottle if you’re
hanging out with Aly, and join her aboard the crazy train she calls life.
GIVEAWAY
$50 Gift Card
Signed Set of Paperbacks
(Fighting Silence & Shadows)
