Unbroken

Title: Unbroken
Author: Scott Hildreth
Published: 10-25-14, ERALDE Publishing
Genre: Fighter Romance


4 Hearts

Unbroken is the second and final book in the "UNDEFEATED" series.

This book follows the lives of Shane and Kace from book One - UNDEFEATED, and is the follow up to book one.

As Shane Dekkar prepares for the biggest fight of his career - the Heavyweight Championship of the World - life throws him an unexpected uppercut so damaging he takes a step back and reconsiders EVERYTHING.

In his reevaluation of life and all things in it, he migrates to where he found comfort for years, street fights and bare knuckles matches for spare cash. Risking his career, health, the championship, his relationship, and his friends, Shane must find a way to rise from the muck and mire he's living in and either fight for what he believes in, or remain where he currently finds comfort - in the bowels of society.

Can people truly change or do we always naturally migrate to a place of comfort in hard times?

Will Shane go back to his love, friends, and life, or will he revert to his roots and be a loner?

Best described in A-Train's discussion with Ripp, Shane just might be "Unbroken"...

"I've seen what exposing a man to violence and bloodshed can do, Ripp. I've witnessed it first hand. Some men take exception to it from the start, and those men can recover. The savages? The men who came from a life of violence? Well, they actually find comfort in it. There isn't a way to fix 'em, because they aren't really broken. Lemme ask you a question. If you take a wolf out of the wild, does it take the wild out of the wolf?"

Unbroken, the final chapter in the Undefeated series.

*WARNING* This book contains scenes of graphic violence and sex that some readers may find offensive. 

Review

I absolutely loved Shane and Kace from the first book in this series, UNDEFEATED.  RIpp had his story played out in the next two books and now finally we get the rest of Shane and Kace's story. Shane has come a long way since he met Kace, but there is still much of that scared little boy inside of him.  The story is heart wrenching at times and the reader can't be sure there will be a HEA. Without too much spoilerage, let me just say that my day job is working with people who have disabilities and I was so pleasantly surprised at how this topic was handled for these characters.

 The story continues with the pregnancies of Vee and Kace.  Shane reflects on his relationship with Ripp:
   
"There are children all over the earth who have an uncle.  Some have many.  But as sure as I stood before him, I knew no child on or of this earth would have an uncle who would love him more or protect him better than Michael Allen Ripton."

In typical Scott Hildreth fashion, his characters morph through self reflection and external supports. Shane has had obstacles throughout his life and the journey in this book brings him to some resolution. 

"Life has the ability to change, and sometimes we're the beneficiary of these changes....... Some Changes in our lives are self-imposed, while others simply happen.  We're forced to accept the changes which occur in our life naturally.  When we choose to make changes we're always left to wonder if our decision to do so is in our best interest.  There's only one way to know for sure. Make changes."

A very good read.  Not a ton of MMA action but more the world building of the MMA community.  The only part of the story that didn't sit well with me, and maybe I just need to digest it more, is the change in Kace's behavior in their sexy times.  I'm not sure it was necessary or that it was believable.  No more hints.  Read for yourself and decide how you feel about it. If the series ends here, I would be very satisfied.  If not, A-Train intrigues me and I feel he has a story to tell as well.  If you haven't read this author yet, go check him out!

Amazon US link

About the Author

Scott Hildreth was born in San Diego, California and now resides in Wichita, Kansas.

He lives a simple life of reading, writing and riding his motorcycle. When he isn't writing, you may find him in a local coffee shop, tattoo parlor or riding his Harley.

Scott is a proud father and lives devoted to the love of his life, Jessica.

His exposures in life and his experience in writing allow him to cross many genres and do so with a high degree of accuracy.

Scott's novels include Broken People, Undefeated, Unstoppable, Unleashed, Unbroken, Baby Girl - Ruined, Baby Girl - Owned, Baby Girl - Loved, To the Depths of Hell, The Alpha-Bet, Finding Parker, and Karter (November 2015).

Twitter:  @ScottDHildreth

Web:  http://www.amazon.com/Scott-Hildreth/e/B00EJNZICE/