Meet Till & Eliza in Aly Martinez’s newest fighter series!
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Sound is an abstract concept for most people. We spend our lives blocking out the static in order to focus on what we believe is important. But what if, when the clarity fades into silence, it’s the obscure background noise that you would give anything to hold on to?
I’ve always been a fighter. With parents who barely managed to stay out of jail and two little brothers who narrowly avoided foster care, I became skilled at dodging the punches life threw at me. Growing up, I didn’t have anything I could call my own, but from the moment I met Eliza Reynolds, she was always mine. I became utterly addicted to her and the escape from reality we provided each other. Throughout the years, she had boyfriends and I had girlfriends, but there wasn’t a single night that I didn’t hear her voice.
You see, meeting the love of my life at age thirteen was never part of my plan. However, neither was gradually going deaf at the age of twenty-one.
They both happened anyway.
Now, I’m on the ropes during the toughest battles of my life.
Fighting for my career.
Fighting the impending silence.
Fighting for her.
Every night, just before falling asleep, she sighs as a final conscious breath leaves her.
I think that’s the sound I’ll miss the most.
“That wasn’t yours to take away,” he exploded into the otherwise silent night. His words echoed off the surrounding buildings, each wave slicing me to the quick all over again. “That was our place. Not yours.” His voice cracked right alongside my heart.
“Yeah, well, there was a lot of stuff that wasn’t yours to take either.” I held his gaze, desperately trying to be strong, but as his eyes grew wide, I whimpered.
His long legs strode forward, stopping only inches away from me. He was crowding me, but he still leaned in closer to my face. “There is nothing in this world that was ever more mine than you,” he stated. Though it was the absolute truth, I wished with all my heart that it were a lie.
“Till,” I cried, swiping the tears from my eyes.
“Why!” he shouted, causing his muscles to tense under the force. “Goddamn it! I needed that place.”
Porch lights flashed on from the surrounding apartments, illuminating not only the dark but also my rage.
I shoved my hands into his chest. “What about what I needed? You left! I waited in that fucking apartment for weeks.”
He didn’t budge, but my bare feet slipped, sending me toward the ground. Impossibly fast, Till’s hand snaked out and caught my arm. I didn’t let his chivalrous gesture douse my fire. I had six months’ worth of words to say to the man I was irrevocably in love with.
“You took what you wanted. Then you left me.”
“Doodle,” he whispered.
I had been perilously close to the edge of insanity, and with one single word, he’d pushed me over.
I lost it completely.
Pounding my fists against his chest, I screamed at the top of my lungs, “It’s Eliza! My name is fucking Eliza! Not Doodle!” I spun to march away, but Till’s arms folded around me, lifting me off my feet to restrain me.
I was miniscule compared to him. There was no use in fighting, but I still kicked my legs, irrationally desperate to get away from him—but only because I knew I couldn’t keep him for forever.
“Stop it!” he growled into my ear. “I know your Goddamn name—probably better than I know my own.”
*****5 Huge Stars*****
You know that moment when you’re reading a book and you just kind of realize that what you’re experiencing is just going to blow you away? That moment when you know you’re going to love it? That moment you’re sold?
That moment is why I read books. It’s one of the best feelings in the world.
I had that moment on about page 2 of Fighting Silence. I kid you not. The instant I started this book, I was enamored by Till Page. Heck, even after finishing, I am still fully under his spell. There is just something about Till, and don’t even get me started on Eliza because I heart that girl like there’s no tomorrow.
Fighting Silence was another spectacular book by Aly Martinez, though I’m not surprised one little bit, because all of the books by her have continued to just hit it out of the park.
The distinctive characters, the extremely engaging stories, and all the outstandingly well-crafted emotions she brings to the page just leave me with some serious book hangovers and just in awe of what I’ve read.
Fighting Silence was no different and I honestly don’t know if I have the right words to really capture how much I loved this book, but I am sure as heck going to try.
What was out of this world about Fighting Silence:
- Till’s unending fight and heart. Be still, my beating heart because Till Page has taken over it, and I don’t think I want it back. Till is one fine specimen of a male character with an extraordinary level of fight and heart. The balance of that is kind of the best. He puts his fight and heart on the line again and again. He fights for what he needs to, and gives it his all no matter what. His character practically melted my heart…and other things on just about every page. He is so gosh darn endearing, and he will just show you over and over how truly exceptional he is with all that he does and feels. The lengths he goes to for everyone and everything will just leave you in awe of how much fight and outstanding heart he has.
- Tenacious Eliza. Oh Eliza, how I adore that feisty woman. Seriously. I love that girl. A lot. She is spunky and tenacious as all get out. The way she pushes for what she wants, and what she knows will make her happy, will just make you happy. And you’ll have mad respect for that girl because it takes a lot to take on Till Page, and to show him who’s boss. Eliza is just such a strong female character with such an authentic personality that will have you connecting to her and loving every ounce of push she’s got. Her character just felt so real, and her kickass determined self will have wanting to give her the biggest high five.
- All the feels & heat. Fighting Silence had more feelings, emotions, and fantastic heat than you can shake a stick at. This book will have you feeling and experiencing every emotion under the sun, and you’re going to bask in all of that. All the excitement and adrenaline, all the love and hurt, and all those moments of doubt and pushing back. It all just works seamlessly, and it brings Till and Eliza’s story to life. It connects you instantly to them, and has you feeling all that they go through individually and together. I especially loved how much I felt from Till, because boy does that man feel. And what those two share is nothing short of a firework level connection. It’s beautiful and breathtaking and you’ll just be amazed by it. You might also find yourself fanning yourself more than once. Just saying.
- Fantasy vs. Reality. There is a lot with fantasy and reality in this book, and no I don’t mean magical powers and spells, although I’m quite positive I’m still fully under the spell that these characters created. Eliza and Till’s story is a lot about finding that common ground between finding how to take what you’ve always dreamed of and trying to find how you might be able to fit it into what you really have. It’s a tricky thing, but boy is it glorious. I won’t tell you more because you’ve just got to experience this aspect for yourself, but let’s just say you’ll have a newfound appreciation for windows and doors after reading this book. And maybe purgatory too.
- The best supporting characters around. Aly Martinez knows characters. She knows how to develop them, bring them to life, and how to make them memorable. I could not get enough of the supporting characters in Fighting Silence, and they all come together in some truly memorable ways. Flint. Sweet baby Jesus in a wicker basket do I need his book like yesterday. And Quarry? That quick witted little boy is my new best friend. (Yes I’m making his 12 year old self my best friend. You’ll get it when you meet him.) All of the supporting characters will pull you in the instant you meet them because of how wonderfully distinctive they are.
- Adrenaline pumping moments. There are many adrenaline pumping moments in this book. Moments that will literally stop your heart from beating and cause your breath to catch. Some are when Till is fighting in that ring, some are when Eliza is doing all her utterly fantastic pushing, and some will take you by complete surprise, but that’s what makes this book the remarkable thing it is. All those moments will just keep you beyond enthralled, and you won’t be able to put this book down until you reach the end.
- The feeling and importance of family. Fighting Silence had such a feeling of family to it. I felt part of that family that was created. You repeatedly feel how important all of these characters are to one another. Aly Martinez develops all of their different relationships fantastically, and you feel it in your bones how deeply they’re all connected. That sense of family will pull you in with welcoming arms, and you’ll never want to stop feeling that because it shows exactly what these characters are fighting for. Even if it scares the daylights out of them.
- The balance between the heavy and light. This book has some heavy moments to it. Moments that will just have your heart breaking for what these characters go through. But then, there are moments that will bring the biggest freaking smile to your face, and others that will have you laughing your butt off. (Thank you Quarry!) The balance of those moments provides you with one helluva read. It pushes you as the reader, and just when you think you’ve reached the limit of heaviness your heart can take, you get a moment of pure unadulterated lightness that just shines through.
- All the fight in more ways than one. Fighting is in the title of this book for a reason. There is a helluva lot of fight in so many dynamically layered ways. Till is fighting, in and out of the ring. Eliza is fighting just as much. They’re fighting individual hurdles and ones they face together. Sometimes they’re fighting each other, while at others they’re fighting outsiders. All of that fight just shows you how much perseverance and sheer determination these characters have to fight for what they want, and it just shows you their truly amazing colors.
- Buckets and buckets of charm. Eliza & Till, their story, and just everyone and everything around them are bursting with charm. Buckets of charm. That charm will just warm your heart and will have you loving every little thing this fabulous book has to offer. It’s going to pull you into the world of this book, it’s going to make you smile and laugh, and it’s going to make your heart oh so happy. Even in those moments of needed heaviness when your heart just breaks for these characters, that charm will see you through.
Fighting Silence is another phenomenal book by Aly Martinez. I could honestly go on and on about how much I loved it. Till and Eliza’s story is full of heart and unending fight and so much amazingness that will just leave you in awe of what you’re reading, and what it’s giving you the chance to experience in all of its thoughtfully crafted pages.
Like I said, I knew by page 2 that this book was going to be outstanding, and by the end of it, I was head over heels in love with all that it gave me. I got to experience a crap ton of moments that had my pulse racing, my breath catching, and my heart melting. Sometimes within mere minutes of one another.
Fighting Silence gave it all, and I gladly took it. Every single last little wonderful effing bit. You’re going to want to take it all in too. Trust me. Till won’t let you down, and neither will Eliza, and in the end you’ll just be begging for the moment you can get back into their spectacular world.
Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, Aly Martinez is a stay-at-home mom to four crazy kids under the age of five, including a set of twins. Currently living in South Carolina, she passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a glass of wine at her side.
After some encouragement from her friends, Aly decided to add “Author” to her ever-growing list of job titles. Five books later, she shows no signs of slowing. So grab a glass of Chardonnay, or a bottle if you’re hanging out with Aly, and join her aboard the crazy train she calls life.
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