★★★★ A Fighting Man by Sandrine Gasq-Dion★★★★
We are joined by the lovely Mishyjo with a review of A Fighting Man, the third book in The Men of Manhattan series by Sandrine Gasq-Dion. 4 stars!
- A Betting Man (book #1) – click here for review
- A Marrying Man (book #2)
- A Fighting Man (book #3) – in this review
The blurb…
Army Ranger Slater Cassidy has a very special – very sexy – target in his sights. Meeting gorgeous, smart, uber-snarky Casper Kennedy was the highlight of Slater’s last trip home to New York. The soldier in him carefully plans his conquest. Unfortunately, Casper’s wearing some seriously strong armor and Slater’s charm offensives bounce right off. Casper’s refusal to fall for him is puzzling – not to mention incredibly annoying. When Slater gets leave again after grueling back-to-back tours in Afghanistan, all he wants is another shot at wooing Casper. He jumps right into the battle for the other man’s heart, but Casper does not intend to entertain the troops. A heartbreaking revelation changes the rules of romantic warfare, and Slater suddenly realizes he doesn’t just want Casper. He wants to capture his heart, too.
Casper Kennedy is fighting a losing battle. A certain outrageously demonstrative Army Ranger has been a thorn in his side since his last trip home – and the main character in his steamiest dreams. Now he’s back. He launches an all-out sensual assault and no matter how hard Casper pushes Slater away, the man somehow manages to inch closer. So close, in fact, that Casper’s once-impenetrable defenses are in danger of collapsing. Should he throw up the white flag and take a chance at love? Or start firing back and keep his heart protected? When the handsome Ranger shows his true colors, Casper just might have to surrender the fight.
So what did I think?
I loved the first book in this series, A Betting Man. Loved it. The second book, A Marrying Man, was a bit of a let down after the high of A Betting Man but still quite good. A Fighting Man, however, is right back up there in the “loved it” classification. Not quite the 5 starts I gave A Betting Man but a very solid 4 stars, maybe even a fraction more.
From book 2 I was already crazy about Casper and the way he rebuffed the sexy but overconfident Slater. In A Fighting Man, however, Casper and Slater become real people and Casper’s standoffish behavior towards Slater transforms from a funny side story to something more serious. Casper is heartbroken and has drawn certain lines in the sand to protect his heart from being broken in the same way again.
A Fighting Man was, to me, the most realistic book of the three stories so far. The issues of survivor’s guilt and dealing with trauma played out in a way that really connected with me. These issues were not too heavy yet they were not glossed over or resolved in a manner that seemed too tidy.
Family matters were also a fairly serious theme addressed in this story. Although we already know that Slater’s family is incredible, Casper isn’t so lucky in that regard. Not only is he missing the support of his own family when he needs it, homophobia robbed him of his right to properly mourn a previously lost loved one. He carries that pain with him and it interferes with his ability to let Slater in.
I am assuming (and hoping) there will be a book 4 to this series. Perhaps Drakon??? Perhaps Mr. Hawke? Perhaps Drakon with Mr. Hawke. I guess we will have to wait and see. One thing is certain though, I hope to be one of the first to read it.
Mishyjo x
Reviewed by Mishyjo
Buy A Fighting Man from Wilde City Press
Buy A Fighting Man from Amazon