Sacrifice

I want to start this by saying that Maxine Mitchell & Joe Arden did a phenomenal performance with this duet audiobook. These two are so incredibly talented and really made this story more enjoyable. Maxine blew me away with her little girl voice and of course Joe did a great job with the accents of the supporting characters.This is definitely a slow burn, second chance romance that will take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. I read this book many years ago and if felt like getting the story all over again listening to it this time. I know some people cried but I didn't. Yes, there were some sad moments but for me there wasn't anything that brought tears.Crew and Julia had dated many years ago but due to Crew going away to college, this caused a drift between the couple and they split up. One thing I didn't really understand about Crew is when he found out that Julia had hooked up with his brother (yes, I know that is bad) but he had apparently been cheating on her the entire time he was away at college. Hello pot meet kettle. He really had no right to be mad that she cheated on him too. (Cheating is one thing that I hate to read about in stories. At least this one wasn't directly on page just talked about).Julia stays with Gage, Crew's brother, and they get married and have a daughter. Then one night Gage has to go out to pick up Crew who is drunk and gets into an accident and is killed. Julia has harbored so much anger toward Crew after that, but she does let him see his niece who absolutely adores Crew. Crew straightened out his life a bit after his brother died and he is doing all he can to help Julia, most of the time without her really knowing. When Julia is faced with something no parent ever wants to go through, she has no choice but to turn to Crew. Crew knows he would do absolutely anything for his niece and he proves that by risking his life in order to save hers.There are a few things that bothered me with this book when I read it years ago and they still bother me now. First, I hate having to read/listen to the H/h being intimate with other people (even when they aren't with the main love interest of the book). For me, it truly adds absolutely nothing to the story but in turn takes away from it. I also didn't really get the sudden change with Julia and Crew (especially with how easy he was with women). It seemed very quick that they became a couple again and jumped right back in bed with each other. She went from pretty much hating him, to tolerating him, to leaning on him for support, to couple. It just didn't flow right for me. Maybe if she had let go of the anger a lot sooner it might have been a smoother transition. I also didn't like that Ever started calling Crew daddy. He had always been Uncle Crew and that should have stayed the same.For me the performance was 10 star worthy, the story was just 3 stars for me.

SaceificeHe is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. He is the reason they lost everything and he is going to do the only thing he is worth it for them, Julia the only woman he has ever loved and her daugther and his niece Everly. They are worth the sacrifice and he will risk everything, even himself if it means he can save them. A great story, even better as audiobook. Joe Arden and Maxine Mitchell do an incredible job with all the tough feelings and deep emotions the characters go through all the story. Just wow, you have to listen it, a heartbreaking love story masterfully narrated.

This book was excellent! It was a rollercoaster of emotions from the first page till the last. I related so much with the main characters that i felt their pain deep in my soul. Good God! 😭I have to praise Adriana for giving us this book, this amazing story that is feeling, raw and intense. Through her wonderful talent she brought to life this beautiful love story, this tale of family ties and love 💕💕💕

Wow! What a heart-wrenching story and an emotional rollercoaster! I was on pins and needles waiting to see what would happen next. I loved Crew, Julia, and Everleigh, and felt as if I was a bystander in this book, worrying about them. I admired the sacrifices Crew and Julia had to make and also their strength. No one should have to go through what they had to endure. This was different than other books I've read by Adriana Locke, but is now definitely a favorite.

I absolutely loved this book! It had me by the hear strings, tears, anger, and hope all in a few minutes.

“We are in this together. For as long as I live, every battle you face is mine, too. And I promise you,” I say, leaning in like I’m telling her a secret, “I’m one helluva fighter.” -- Crew GentryI won't sugarcoat it: I wept through much of this book. SACRIFICE is shockingly sad and gut wrenching in parts, but exquisitely uplifting and beautiful too. A relative newcomer to the romance scene, Adriana Locke’s natural born talent takes my breath away. Her writing is so raw and palpable, striking such a chord deep inside, that I felt like I was living vicariously through these characters each frantic heartbeat at a time. I started reading this at 8 p.m. at night, stayed up till the wee hours of the morning, grabbed a few hours of shut eye and then finished it the very next day. This was a book I simply Could Not Put Down. Couldn’t stop thinking about. It consumed me in ways that were unfathomable.Crew, Julia and precious little Everleigh are the kind of characters that invade your heart and soul and simply rip you to shreds. You can’t help but love them, as you share in their joys and sorrows, their triumphs and tribulations. But despite all the tears they draw forth, they also make you believe in second chances, in sweet miracles, in forgiveness, and the transformative power of love.This is a story about the sacrifices one man makes, sacrifices that tests his sheer endurance and pushes him to the breaking point, but NOTHING will stop him from risking it all to atone for his sins. To protect the ones he loves. To do what must be done. I can’t even begin to describe how deeply I fell for this hero. A true warrior at heart, Crew Gentry is wracked with guilt and self recriminations over past mistakes, but is determined to make amends. He loves his former sister-in-law Julia and his niece Everleigh with every fiber of his impossibly stubborn, heavily muscled being. But as he so aptly states in a press conference to promote the fight that will either give him the ultimate payout, or bring him to his knees, “Once a fighter, always and a fighter.” And this is also the story of a mother’s fierce devotion to do everything--and anything--in her power to get her fragile daughter through the most harrowing ordeal of her young life. And if that means seeking help from the last man on earth she wants it from--the reviled former lover who stole everything from her, crushed her hopes and dreams--then by God she'll do it. Because nothing matters more than saving little Evelyn. Nothing.Through the course of this story, these two deeply tormented protagonists are brought to the depths of despair, but find a beacon of bright shimmering light in the darkness and ultimately discover they are stronger together than apart. That they complete each other. Always have. Always will. I love the sweet, searing chemistry that flares between Crew and Julia as they finally surrender to a love that can no longer be denied, and the paradox of how Crew, a bonafide street fighter, can be so fierce and foreboding in the ring, but so exquisitely gentle with his beloved "girls”. Some of the sweetest, most heartbreaking scenes in this book take place between Crew and little Ever (aka “monkey”)-- more than one that had me grabbing for the tissues. But despite the gamut of intense emotions I experienced in those scenes, they added such rich resonance to the story, and in many ways proved to be the driving force leading up to the big defining moment at the end. For as Crew steps into the ring in the book’s final, shattering climactic showdown, ready to embark on the most pivotal fight of his life, we discover the truly remarkable power of true survival and unconditional love.In essence, SACRIFICE is a poignant, life-affirming, beautiful story that will ultimately make you Believe. A truly remarkable novel from an up-and-coming author that’s not to missed!

When Julia's husband Gage died, everything changed. Left to look after their daughter Everleigh, she is desperately trying to make ends meet but can't quite seem to get ahead. Then when it feels like life can't get any worse, it inevitably does. Julia is forced to rely on Gage's younger brother Crew, a man who has let her down so many times in the past. But Crew is a fighter, and this is one fight he cannot afford to loose...Adriana Locke is fast becoming one of my favourite romance authors. I'm pretty late to the game with her books judging by her following, but I'm happy to consider myself one of them now! Sign me up to the fandom! I first discovered her books during a release blitz for Wherever It Leads. I enjoyed the read but didn't get overly excited until I was involved in the blitz for Sway (visit pageonebooks.wordpress.com if you wanna check them out). I was officially hooked, and am now working my way through her entire back catalogue. Enter Sacrifice.When I say this is action packed, I don't mean in the traditional sense. There's this amazing build to the end, and by the final pages I was on the edge of my seat. It was like I was actually there, at the main event! There's just something about a fighter making a comeback! It actually reminded me of Southpaw, just with a touch more tragedy. If you haven't seen it, you definitely should, Kurt Sutter is king.The Exception here I come! I can't wait!If you liked this review visit pageonebooks.wordpress.com.

Crew, a man who is troubled with guilt over the death of his brother, with the way he dealt with things when his mother passed and with Julia, his first and only love who he let go.Julia, didn't grow up with an easy life. Terrible parents. Finally gets some happiness with Gage, married with a daughter. However Gage is cruelly taken from her. She's coping with daily struggles, making payments on her bills, being a single parent, having no one to be there for her. If it couldn't get any worse for Julia, your wrong. I felt a strong liking for Julia's character, her strength and determination was mesmerising.This story was heartbreaking, very emotional but also beautiful.I was scared to go on, preparing for Crew, Julia and Ever's fate was torture!!! Every turn of the page, nail biting.This book puts so much into perspective. Makes you really think about things... Life. Don't live with regrets, take each day as it comes. Stay strong.Absolutely loved this book, would recommend it to everyone who loves a good romance, also plenty of tension and torture on the heart!!!!If you like anything from Kirsty Moseley then you will love this.Thank you Adriana for an incredible book :)

On the surface this book should have been better, it’s got a good story line, alpha male wrestler, damsel in distress and romance, however the execution was….boring to read. I’ve read plenty of sports/romance/tragedy novels to know a slow story when I read one. Even the sample was slow but I downloaded it thinking it would pick up, due to the 5 star reviews, unfortunately not. The author tries to explain the history between our two main characters through flashbacks, and tries to build up the tension/story, but for me it just falls flat and is….boring to read. What the author could have explained in two pages is drawn out in a chapter. I ended skimming page after page realising I wasn’t missing anything major. Would I recommend this book, the answer is no, there are so much more better sports romance novels out there.

This is the first book I have read from Adriana and she has won me over in such an epic way. (Read it twice already)We have Crew Gentry former MMA fighter, former love and brother in law to Julia Gentry, uncle to Everleigh Gentry.Julia Gentry former love of Crew Gentry, Widow to Gage Gentry, mother to Ever.This book is about life kicking you in the a$$, never knowing which way is up half the time in life and you being determined to give it the middle finger cause you will do ANYTHING to make it right.Loved Adriana writing style she got me feeling what the characters felt especially with the main situation regarding one of the main characters.Those epilogues Adriana not cool -_- not cool at allCan't wait to start The Exception Series

I'm sorry but this one really wasn't for me. Far too cheesy and unbelievable, so much so that it was cringe worthy in some places. The dialogue was ridiculously corny throughout, with the male protagonist thinking and talking like a woman, and a sappy woman at that, which is one of my pet hates in this genre as it doesn't make me believe in or like the characters. I didn't feel the connection between the male and female leads at all and the subject matter tried far too hard and therefore failed with me, to tug at the heart strings...again too corny.I kept reading to the end thinking that it might redeem itself but was left feeling very "meh", wishing I hadn't bothered.2 stars instead of one because I've read worse but ultimately I really didn't like it.