Angela`s 5 Star Review of Undefeated by Scott Hildreth

Summary

*If something or someone is presented to us once, we often dismiss it as being nothing more than happenstance. If that person or situation is presented twice, it is God slapping us in the face and telling us to pay attention. It is fate.*

Since she was sixteen years old, Kace Meadows has known love hurts, literally. Now after ten years in an abusive relationship, Kace is realizing what she has isn`t love or a healthy relationship. No matter what, she can`t win. One day, while in a horrible argument with her boyfriend, she meets an unlikely hero.

Shane Dekkar is a cocky but rather modest unknown boxer. Growing up in Compton, California, he knows what it takes to be tough, street smart and how to fight. He battles his inner demons in the boxing ring and has never lost a match. After losing his grandfather he moves to Austin, Texas.

Almost immediately upon arrival into the new city, Shane witnesses an argument between Kace and her boyfriend. When he tries to intervene, he is assured by Kace it is simply a disagreement. Shane`s instinct tells him different; he sees pain and fear in  her eyes as he watches them drive away.

When they meet by chance again two years later, Shane sees their meeting as fate.

Will Kace end her decade long relationship with her abusive boyfriend and fall into the arms of an alpha male boxer?

Can Shane conquer his inner demons and settle down into a relationship?

Thoughts...

"My emotions were riding a roller coaster and I felt like I couldn't see the track ahead."

Shane Dekkar...

You have managed to express in one sentence what my jumbled up mess of a head, doodles, 2 worn-out pens and pages upon pages of notes have been unable to portray.

Now, I have read a lot of books and yes, there have been books that have made me cry, scream, shout, laugh, sigh....... But this book, this book! Dammit where's a sticky note when I need one... This book has crept inside of me... and I'm crying again gah! This is a book that I NEEDED to read and I am so grateful to all my friends who encouraged me to keep going, when frankly I felt like I couldn't...

Shane Dekkar hit it spot on again, when he said...

"And you probably read as much as you can - to dream. To dream of what
could be. You live through the characters in the books that you read, and 
it allows you to have some form of solace, some form of peace..."

Except, I didn't find solace and peace at the start. Scott Hildreth is exceptionally talented at writing things in a raw, real and human way...

IT. IS. LIFE.

IT. ISN'T. ALWAYS. PRETTY.

IT. GOES. ON.

Abuse happens, be it physical or emotional, and Undefeated deals with it in a very real but sensitive way through Kace's story. And I felt the pain, and anguish, and hopelessness as I read... I could feel how she felt... I could understand why she acted in the way she did...

I. FELT. EVERYTHING.

EVERY. SINGLE. THING.

And it tore me apart, ripped me to shreds... that is how good Scott Hildreth's writing is! He got the feelings spot on!

"I don't want to fail...I don't know how to be alone...I doubt, from what he says, that anyone else would want me...Change scares me. It scares me to death."

I was an emotional mess for days...

BUT

I pushed through, because a wise person said to me that..."The bad in the book is necessary. It makes it real. Kace is strong. Let her be."

It reminded me of a quote by Madeleine L'Engle ~ "Maybe you have to know the darkness before you can appreciate the light"

STRENGTH.

HOPE.

LOVE.

FATE.

FRIENDSHIP.

"Holy. Shit. Yes!"

^^^ Yes! Kace! You said it! And those were my exact words as I watched their story unfold... or maybe it was ~~~>

"Ohgoodfuckinggod"

Oh, sorry, I'm getting mixed up... that would've been my thought as I was reading the Basil scene... READ IT TO FIND OUT... my lips are sealed!... All I will say is...

"I trembled. I was done. This was it. I wanted to die, right here in the kitchen, beside my precious basil. Ahh, the smell of the sweet basil."

Trust me, you will never look at that common culinary herb in the same light again...ahem!

That brings me on to Ripp *sighs*... Ok, I read Unstoppable first... so there's a bit of a crush thing going on there!

PROTECTOR.

BROTHER.

CRAZY ASS GUY.... Finger chicken *snort*

BUT Ripp's going to have to Squish *sniggers* over a bit to make a bit of room for Shane, because I've got a bit of a crush on him now as well... Oh come on, I can't help it! One minute he's acting cute and saying...

"Kith me,"

and the next...BOOM!

"I'm going to fuck you until you are incapable of simple basic tasks."

DAMN!!!

SPEECHLESS!!!

PUDDLE!!!

Damn you Scott Hildreth! I feel like I've gone 10 rounds in the ring! But in a good way!
I'm going to steal Kace's words here... because it's my review!

"What happened?" he asked
"You happened, (Scott). You happened,"
I responded, still in a daze.
Slowly, he smiled

That is how I felt after finishing Undefeated!..... I have solace and peace now... Thank-you.

I don't even feel like I should be giving it stars as a rating... this story means so much more to me than a rating of 5 stars... I feel hopeful and empowered...

"When walking away from something we were once committed to, we often hesitate. Deciding to make a major change in life is difficult. But we all reach a point when we're done - done giving to a world that only takes. Until then, you'll want, you'll wait, and you'll contemplate change. When you're truly done, you'll know. You'll know when the time comes.
You'll know when the time comes.
The time has come."

UNDEFEATED.