Reviewed by Sharon Thérèse at KFF
I don’t know if this has ever happened to you after reading an epic love story, but it was a first for me. When I turned the last page of Fighting Absolution, I rushed to my PC, opened a doc and then stared at the screen gormessly. No words came, just tears. I needed to collect my thoughts before even attempting to put pen to paper, but I simply couldn’t. It took me exactly a day to read but ages to write this review. Now, this isn’t normal, Fighting Absolution isn’t your normal military romance, either. McCarthy took me on a roller-coaster ride which squeezed my heart, touched my soul and gave me a profound feeling of hope.
The character development is nothing less than spectacular. In their own way, they all have imperfections, making them so much more relatable. The storyline is dramatic without being overdone, the pace is fast, keeping me on the edge from the beginning to the end. It’s a real-life warzone. It’s battling with emotions so deep, those affected can’t see what’s in front of their very own eyes. The details of the surroundings at home and away, the camaraderie shared hardships to heartfelt friendship, trust and love are carefully thought-out. Nothing is left out, nothing is exaggerated.
“Isn’t that why any of us join the damn army in the first place? We’re hoping it’s going to perform some kind of miracle and piece us back together.”
Young Jamie Murphy is in need of a friend and she finds one on the other side of a fence, but they never cross the panels. Not one to tell all, she gradually opens up to Bear. But who is he? Why does he hold back on her? You’ll see although one thing’s for sure, she’s his Little Warrior.
“There’s the little warrior I know. I would laugh if we both weren’t hurting so much.”
What he sees in her is strength; a strength he encourages and oh boy, she’s going to need every ounce of it. I really and truly liked Jamie. So unpretentious, her beauty doesn’t even register with her. When she’s on form, you’ll love her dry wit and through it all, she still managed to make me smile.
‘Careful. You cracked a joke. Isn’t that your quota for the year?’
The worse happens, he’s gone, she can’t find him. Wow, to say she was peeved would be putting it mildly. Hmm…so it’s his bad luck, life goes on and she has a plan. A plan which not only turns out better than she could ever have imagined, but in its way, also reflects on future happenings which for this reader, caused utter despair.
‘Maybe that’s what life is all about. Snatching moments like this. Ones that get you through when you have nothing else.’
As fate would have it, the same war-torn road they’d chosen to go down brings Bear and Jamie together. Their friendship rekindles, he becomes her rock and to be perfectly honest, I still don’t know if I cried more for him or Jamie whilst learning how they coped with loss. But there are happy times which melted my heart. Their leg-pulling and comebacks; a welcome reprieve, had me grinning from ear to ear. How Jamie and Bear’s story evolves brought out more crushing feels if that were ever possible. And in all fairness and as much as I would like to tell you the outcome of their journey, I can’t. What I can say is this book will captivate you and be warned, having a man-sized hanky at hand is a must.
“There’s no such thing as stupid when it comes to grief. We all deal with it in our own way.”
I would love to have two besties with such wisdom in my life as does Jamie. Wood with his clumsiness, affection and encouragement. Erin who with no holds barred, makes her stubborn friend see things for what they are. And Bear’s mate Ryan, still hurting inside, is there when most needed. Meeting Fin through Jamie’s eyes left a lump in my throat but hey, this tight-knit group became my people.
“You can’t lose the memories inside your heart.”
The dual narrative written in the present is particularly important as it gave me the two sides to the story and although the protagonists’ inner thoughts were at times contrasting, both of them express how they feel perfectly. Fighting Absolution is without a doubt, one of the best love stories I have read this year. Bravo, McCarthy!
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About the author
A mix of romance, drama, action, passion and humor ❤
This book was a mix of romance, drama, action, passion and humor - which blended perfectly into the theme of the WAR - a story about friendship, loyalty and lots of love. ❤ 📚 “𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙇𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙒𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙧, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙙𝙤. 𝙄 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪.” 📚 15-year-old Jamie Murphy has built walls around her heart after her father died in a car accident and she had to move into a foster home. 💔 One day, while she was sitting outside, a boy from the other side of the wall sat down with her. She doesn't know what he looks like or what's his name besides the nicknames they gave each other (he calls her a 'Little Warrior', and she calls him 'Bear') but very quickly he becomes her only solace... In her 16th birthday, she finally gets the courage to go to the other side of the wall and meet him face to face - but she discovers he just... left. To join the army. 😱💥 📚 "𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙄 𝙙𝙤 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄 𝙥𝙪𝙨𝙝 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮, 𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚." 📚 At 18, Jamie is independent and strong but can't figure out who she is - so she decides to enlist. The day before, she meets Jake Tanner, a soldier in the Australian SAS unit and the night they spent together was filled with sweetness and passion! 🔥❤ Jamie finds her destiny as a medic in the fire lines of Afghanistan - but Bear's memory and the way he abandoned her still hurts... But sometimes the road to happiness is unexpected, because there, in the line of fire, she meets Jake and his friends again. 💛 Everyone around Jamie is advancing, leaving the service and building a life for themselves - and she has nothing but the army. Will you find out what the world has to offer, apart from war? 💥 And will she ever find out why Bear left her...? 😭 📚 "𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙢 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙘𝙠. 𝙏𝙤𝙤 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩. 𝙏𝙤𝙤 𝙛𝙖𝙨𝙩. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙖𝙧, 𝙛𝙖𝙧 𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙." 📚 OK, so... WOW! 💥 The author definitely did some serious research, because this story was surprising but realistic. I enjoyed the journey - it was painful, sexy, touching... and although I really wanted to know how the story ended, I didn't really want it to end! 🙏 However, this book was long (460 pages) So, there were parts that felt to long and despite the amazing writing, there were some unclear jumps in the plot - for example, Jamie knocks on her commander's door - and right after that, it's the end of their conversation... Plus, There were some twist I guessed too quickly. 😬 Yet... I finished reading this book with tears in my eyes, a smile on my face and a huge feeling of satisfaction... for me, THIS IS EVERYTHING! 😭💛💥 So just... READ IT!!!
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It would have been 5 if it was not so long!
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