Review: Kirsty Moseley's "Fighting to be Free (Fighting to be Free #1)."

Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/2bRDCIb

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2bBtraf

Synopsis

Jamie Cole has just been released from juvenile detention. Determined to go straight, he tried to cut ties with crime boss Brett Reye--but Brett has no intention of letting him go. Jamie's life is already more complicated than it needs to be, yet when he meets a beautiful stranger at a bar, Jamie knows he's in over his head. 

Ellie Pearce has just gotten out of a terrible relationship and isn't looking for anything serious...until she meets Jamie. Their attraction is overwhelming and intense-she can't seem to shake her growing feelings for him, even though she's trying to keep it casual.

But when fate goes horribly wrong and Jamie's family is faced with ruin, he's forced to strike a deal with Brett. Despite his struggles, he wants nothing more than a future with Ellie. That's until Ellie finds out that he's been hiding more from her than she could ever imagine... 

Review: Jo

I adore Kirsty Moseley and I have loved all of her previous work so far, however it pains me to say that I really struggled with this one. I am not sure why, but for some reason I didn't click with this book in the way that I usually do with a book from this author. I don't know if it was the age of the main characters or the actual style of writing but "Fighting to be Free" failed to draw me in and I hate to say it, but I was considering giving up. The thought of actually doing that broke my heart, so I continued on and I am so glad that I did this because the second half of the story was a much improved reading experience for me.

"I'd never been this happy before, and it was all down to this girl." 

The premise of this story was a good one. The tale of bad boy, Jamie Cole trying his best to go straight left me feeling desperately sorry for him. The poor boy couldn't seem to catch a break and the more that I read, the more I became frustrated with the hopeless situation that he was in. I would have loved for him to able to turn his life around, but it seemed that he was destined for a life of crime. Jamie had very little life choices in front of him at times and this broke my heart. Although I didn't dislike Ellie, I found it difficult to connect with her. Maybe because of her age, I'm not quite sure. I didn't feel any kind of emotion towards her. Having said that, I did find myself rooting for her in those final few chapters but I think that may be more to do with me hoping for a HEA between Ellie and Jamie. I so wanted things to go Jamie's way for a change. 

"People like us weren't well matched at all. 

Maybe we were doomed from the beginning." 

"Fighting to be Free" was a book that I liked, but unfortunately it didn't wow me, so for that reason it gets 3.5 hearts from me.