The Aftermath by R.J. Prescott

***1/2

Cormac "The Hurricane" O'Connell's star is on the rise. Billed as the most promising young boxer of his generation, his new career is taking him to places he never dreamed. But O'Connell only needs one thing in life: his wife.

In her final year of college, Em cannot follow him around the world but together they make it work. Just when everything they ever wanted is on the horizon, the past resurfaces to haunt them, and O'Connell realizes that justice might not be a part of his happy ever after. He couldn't protect Em once before, but in the aftermath of the hurricane, he will make sure that never happens again.

Source:  Advance Copy from Publisher in exchange for an honest review.  

We met O'Connell, Emily and the gang in The Hurricane.  The Aftermath really is just that.  It's told from O'Connell's point of view as he deals with the fallout and emotional aftermath of everything that happened in The Hurricane.  I'm staunchly anti-spoiler, so feel free to read my review of The Hurricane here without fear.  

O'Connell is trying to deal, but he's got so much anger and fear and guilt.  God, the guilt.  If you've been around the blog for a while, you know I'm all about the bromances in books and this series delivers.  This ragtag group of fighters are family and they are awesome.  They rally around O'Connell as he continues to make it as a championship contender.  They rally around Emily to be there when O'Connell can't.  

And just like in The Hurricane, O'Connell is swoon-worthy.  Check this out:

Wrapping my arms around her tiny waist, I haul her in for a kiss.  The way that some guys kiss their long-term girlfriends or wives is an absolute travesty.  A kiss should never be routine, like saying hello or good-bye.  Kissing the person you love should be sign language for the soul.  It should say I love you, I need you, and I'm happy to see you or sorry to see you go.  If you can't kiss like that, you should really keep your fucking lips to yourself.

Seriously, why aren't guys like these real?!  No one can ask why we love our fictional boys after reading that.  Or how about this:

God, sometimes it's like she reached into my chest and held my heart in her hand, just to remind me why it belonged to her.

R.J. Prescott is killing me!  She had better write Liam's story and Kieran's and Tommy's and Earnshaw's!  And Danny could find himself a good woman through all these stories too.  Just sayin'.  Truth be told, I want Liam's story first.  The hints we got in The Aftermath about Liam's story were my favorites and I can't wait to read all about it!  

Anyway, if the smoking hot cover wasn't enough motivation for you to buy this book, well, you're crazy, but also, I'm telling you the story is also great.  

~Shel

The Hurricane by R.J. Prescott

***1/2

Emily McCarthy is living in fear of a dark and dangerous past.  A gifted mathematician, she is little more than a hollow, broken shell, trying desperately to make ends meet long enough to finish her degree.

Through an unlikely friendship with the aging, cantankerous owner of a boxing gym, Em is thrown into the path of the most dangerous man that she has ever met.  

Source:  Advance Copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

It recently came to my attention that I somehow forgot to review The Hurricane.  Apparently, I need adult supervision, because I really liked this book and want everyone to know it!  The Hurricane is Emily's story.  It's the story of how she survived a horrific childhood and escaped to a place where she hides - not just from her past, but from her present.  She meets Danny at the diner where she waits tables.  The old guy befriends the skittish young girl and eventually offers her a job at his boxing gym.

Enter Cormac O'Connell.  O'Connell is a rough boxer who fights to burn off his anger and frustration with his mother.  He's listless and lacks focus, but when he sees Em in the diner, he knows he has to shape up to create a life for her.  With that O'Connell dedicates himself to going pro as a boxer and winning Em's heart.  But with Em's background and secrets, the path to true love is like an obstacle course.  

The Hurricane is a beautiful love story.  Not just between Em and Cormack, but a story of the coming together of a family.  The guys at the gym have always been a family, but protecting and loving Emily while helping O'Connell become a champion gives them purpose.  

But O'Connell, man, he just lays it all out there.  This is guy that is not afraid of his emotions when it comes to Em - he embraces them and goes after her, no holds barred.  

                      "I wish I knew the words to tell you how much I love you and how                      much you've changed my life.  Meeting you was like seeing the sun                      for the first time, after a lifetime of living in the dark.  I know you                        can do so much better than me, but if you'll have me, I promise to                       spend the rest of our lives fighting to deserve you."

Aww, right?!  This book is filled with touching quotes from O'Connell and the rest of the guys.  I recommend The Hurricane to all of you.  And then you have to read The Aftermath, which is told from O'Connell's point of view.  *sigh*

~Shel

That's What HE Said Thursday #39

Image courtesy of Kei at The Lovely Pages Review

That's What HE Said is a weekly meme hosted by the wonderful ladies at Chapter Break. It's a chance for us to spotlight and gush over a quote from our current book crush to the object of his desire. We like to pretend it's us ;)

What better way to celebrate our book boyfriends?

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Since the new Jake Gyllenhal movie, Southpaw is in theatres, we thought we'd throw in a book boyfriend from the boxing world. This is Shel's pick from The Hurricane by R. J. Prescott. Enjoy!

“When you’re with me, you never have to be afraid of anything.  I would decimate any fucker who so much as looked at you wrong if you asked me to.  Tonight, you believed that, and you dropped your guard.  You trusted me.  Every time you let down another one of those barriers, I know that you are a bit closer to being mine.  One day, when the last one falls, you’ll be as much mine as I am yours.”

~ O'Connell to Emily

The Hurricane (The Hurricane #1) by

R.J. Prescott