Fighting Redemption by Kate McCarthy

Book description:

Ryan Kendall is broken. He understands pain. He knows the hand of violence and the ache of loss. He knows what it means to fail those who need you. Being broken doesn’t stop him wanting the one thing he can’t have; Finlay Tanner. Her smile is sweet and her future bright. She’s the girl he grew up with, the girl he loves, the girl he protects from the world, and from himself.

At nineteen, Ryan leaves to join the Australian Army. After years of training he becomes an elite SAS soldier and deploys to the Afghanistan war. His patrol undertakes the most dangerous missions a soldier can face. But no matter how far he runs, or how hard he fights, his need for Finlay won’t let go.

Returning home after six years, one look is all it takes to know he can’t live without her. But sometimes love isn’t enough to heal what hurts. Sometimes people like him can’t be fixed, and sometimes people like Finlay deserve more than what’s left.

This is a story about war and the cost of sacrifice. Where bonds are formed, and friendships found. Where those who are strong, fall hard. Where love is let go, heartache is born, and heroes are made. Where one man learns that the hardest fight of all, is the fight to save himself.

Giselle’s Review:

Utterly heart-wrenching. Beautifully sad. Fighting Redemption is the type of novel that will have you in tears and have your heart exploding, with sadness, but also joy. Fighting Redemption has left me speechless and has probably ruined me for all other military romances.

The book hangover I am currently feeling is unexplainable and I am so glad I finally picked up this book, but I am also disappointed because I may just never recover from the feelings this novel brought out in me. 

Fighting Redemption deals with loss, love, overcoming fears, and discovering where your strength lies. It is a story about the path life takes you, and learning to deal with the circumstances life throws your way. However, Fighting Redemption is also a romance, and one that will have your eyes-watering and your heart overflowing. 

“What about me?”  “You’re my heart,” he replied softly.

“Being here when you’re not is like another kind of war because you’re everywhere— your face, your smile, the sweet smell of you. Only it’s a war I can’t seem to fight.”

The amount of tears I tried to hold back while reading this novel is an endless number. Although this book has its heart-rending moments, it also has it’s fair share of uplifting, hopeful ones. This book is a HEA, which I am very grateful for because had it not been, I’d probably be a wreck at the moment and incapable of writing this review, because THAT is how invested I became with these characters. However, your heart, head, and soul will still be rendered speechless with this book right until the very last word. 

Fighting Redemption has created a huge spot in my heart for military romances. I feel that this novel is a great portrayal of what male and even female soldiers must face in terms of their relationships. I have never read a military romance where I had connected so well with the characters up until Fighting Redemption, and reading about the struggles Ryan and Fin went through was truly a one-of-a-kind experience. 

“Because we’re soldiers,” Ryan told him, feeling hollow. “It’s not just our job. It’s who we are.”

The writing style and plot in this novel will have you captivated and it truly has the power to make you FEEL. This soul-wrenching, heart-pounding novel is a must read, and I will definitely be answering “Fighting Redemption” the next time I am asked to recommend a military romance. <3 

My Fighting Redemption Playlist (not in any particular order)