Fighting the Forbidden by Autumn Jones Lake
My best friend’s little sister is the ultimate forbidden fruit.
I’m the bad boy. She’s the good girl.
I’ve fought for survival all my life. My best friend and I have built an empire with our fists, sweat, and blood.
There’s nothing I won’t do to protect her, no matter the sacrifice – even my own heart.
I should know better than to want her. She’s got big dreams that don’t involve me.
I need to set her free so she can escape our small town. Not just for her sake–if her brother finds out about us, it’s more than my heart that could be broken.
But one kiss from her soft lips, I know I’ll never let her go.
Bestselling author Autumn Jones Lake welcomes you to her captivating new series full of passion, longing, and the unbreakable bonds of chosen family.
- File Name:fighting-the-forbidden-by-autumn-jones-lake.epub
- Original Title:Fighting the Forbidden: Ruthless & Royal #1
- Creator:Autumn Jones Lake
- Language:en
- Identifier:uuid:urn:uuid:c0e5f55f-8232-4291-bdd8-25271d79b2e2
- Publisher:Ahead of the Pack, LLC
- Date:2024-01-25T18:30:00+00:00
- File Size:641.570 KB
Table of Content
- 1. Title Page
- 2. Contents
- 3. Copyright
- 4. Also by Autumn Jones Lake
- 5. Social Media
- 6. Newsletter Sign-Up!
- 7. About Fighting The Forbidden
- 8. Note to Readers
- 9. Tropes
- 10. Dedication
- 11. Chapter 1
- 12. Chapter 2
- 13. Chapter 3
- 14. Chapter 4
- 15. Chapter 5
- 16. Chapter 6
- 17. Chapter 7
- 18. Chapter 8
- 19. Chapter 9
- 20. Chapter 10
- 21. Chapter 11
- 22. Chapter 12
- 23. Chapter 13
- 24. Chapter 14
- 25. Chapter 15
- 26. Chapter 16
- 27. Chapter 17
- 28. Chapter 18
- 29. Chapter 19
- 30. Chapter 20
- 31. Chapter 21
- 32. Chapter 22
- 33. Chapter 23
- 34. Chapter 24
- 35. Chapter 25
- 36. Chapter 26
- 37. Chapter 27
- 38. Chapter 28
- 39. Chapter 29
- 40. Chapter 30
- 41. Chapter 31
- 42. Chapter 32
- 43. Chapter 33
- 44. Chapter 34
- 45. Chapter 35
- 46. Chapter 36
- 47. Chapter 37
- 48. Chapter 38
- 49. Chapter 39
- 50. Chapter 40
- 51. Chapter 41
- 52. Chapter 42
- 53. Chapter 43
- 54. Thank You!
- 55. The Lost Kings MC® World
- 56. Social Media
- 57. About the Author
- 58. The End
Fighting the Forbidden, Book 1 of the Ruthless & Royal Duet, was about 18-year-old Molly Holt, a senior in high school, and 22-year-old Griffin "Griff" (Stonewall) Royal, an underground cage fighter.
Griff and Molly had known each other since he moved to town when he was nine years old and she was only five. He was BFF to her brother Remy, and they co-owned a business called "The Castle", an underground cage fighting gym. Grif had always enjoyed spending time with Molly, but as she grew older and more beautiful, his feelings for her began to morph into more than just friendliness.
Shortly before her 18th birthday, Griff and Molly finally admitted to each other how they felt. Griff wasn't ready to either take things further than light petting nor was he ready to let her brother know how he felt about Molly. He wanted to wait until after her birthday. However, it came out sooner than that.
It was during the early stages of their romance that Griff was approached by a producer for a reality TV show about underground fighting. The woman offered him a place in the show, which he secretly accepted. While he did finally get around to telling Remy about it, he kept it a secret from Molly until the morning after her prom. Once she knew, and that he had known for quite some time, Molly didn't handle it well and sent him away.
Many of Griff's friends, as well as Molly and her brother, cautioned him about signing the contract and getting duped by the network. They warned him that those types of reality shows thrived on drama and sometimes had hidden motives and situations. But Griff didn't listen to anyone. He only focused on the end goal...the hope of winning and providing a better future for himself and Molly.
The morning after giving Griff her V-card, he got the surprise of his life...the TV crew showed up and whisked him away, far earlier than planned. But while he was trying to reassure her things would work out for them, Molly was sensing something different. She was sensing the end of their relationship.
Almost immediately upon arrival at the filming site, Griff realized things weren't as straightforward as he thought they would be. Then he was hit with another twist. The "Ring Bunnies" were brought in with thoughts of romantic connections forming between the contestants and the girls. One in particular singled Griff out, even to the point of putting Molly down in their first conversation. Then his first phone call to Molly got cut off before they could barely say hello. Things were not going well for them. Then came the episode that tore them apart. It appeared Giff had given in to temptation and slept with one of the ring bunnies. Molly sat watching it, surrounded by her friends and family, being utterly humiliated. After the show was over, she did the only thing she could think of. She sought revenge by destroying the one thing that Griff had given her for her birthday and then left town...ending the story in a cliffhanger.
So much angst and drama filled the pages of this book that it was almost overwhelming. The emotional rollercoaster had its usual twists and turns, with several surprises thrown in along the way. There were a few moments of push/pull between the two main characters, but the fallout at the end of the book was the most dramatic portion of the story.
Both main characters were fully developed and mature, even if the FMC was only 18. The secondary characters (some from the Lost Kings MC series) rounded the story out and were excellent support systems for both the Hero and the heroine.
I gave this story a full five-star rating, even though it had its fair share of grammatical errors and other issues. I did think it was good enough to be included in my Keeper for the Shelves collection, too. While it was longer than it had to be, it was still an enjoyable book to read, and now I'm off to read the conclusion.