Clinched

Fighting Love, Book 2

By: Nikki Ash

Narrated by: Gideon Frost, Marina Barrett

Tristan

Charlie is everything I want and didn’t realize I need.
It’s clear to me now, the woman I met at the club is only one layer of the woman I’m falling for.
I’m a fixer by nature, but for the first time, I wouldn't fix a thing.
I want her just the way she is.
Broken pieces and all.
Who needs the fairy tale, when we can have the reality.

Charlie

Tristan is everything I want, yet don't deserve.
He’s loving, protective, smart, an amazing father, and he’s onto me.
That's why I need to speed this story up and tell him everything.
So we can flip to the end of the book, and he and his daughter can move on to the next story.
One where they get a happily-ever-after.
Because there’s no story I’m a part of that ends in any way but tragedy.

©2018 Nikki Ash (P)2024 Pink Flamingo Productions

Family!

I just finished this audiobook and wow. Get ready for the unexpected! Tristen has had his heart broken a couple times but it started healing the day his daughter was placed into his arms. Tristen is so focused on loving and protecting his daughter (Lexi) that when he meets Charlie he isn’t sure if she’s someone who should be around his daughter. Charlie isn’t sure what to do with Lexi and Tristen when they come into her life. But Lexi and Tristen are just what Charlie needs while Charlie is the puzzle piece they are missing. I was so excited and happy for the ending while the set-up for the next book has me excited for what comes next in this series!

Lexi was my fav!

I went right into listening to book 2 because of the way book 1 ended mentioning Tristan and a kid and her 5th birthday, like whaaaat. I did wish we got the scene where Tristan finally calls Bella and lets her back in. We had such a lead up and the blow-up and then all of a sudden they were fine. Didn't make me detract a star because the rest was awesome, but one of my pieces of feedback.

Like I mentioned in the previous OG series, the kids steal the show! Lexi was adorable and if I have kids one day I want them to be life her or have friends like her haha. The art aspect of this book was so fun, I loved how she kept drawing wherever haha and how she wanted to do what Charlie did and she makes it look easy. The contest was adorable and I was happy to see Charlie gets out of her darkness and be there like Lexi wanted. I understood Tristan protecting her, it was heartwarming to see. Now as we get to know more about Charlie and her trauma, things start making sense but it takes Tristan awhile to get the whole picture since Charlie is traumatized and hard to talk about it all. I am glad he broke down her ironclad walls and she let him in to help carry the burden. Her backstory was so sad but it always felt like something was off/was missing. I did call part of the twist BUT NOT THE REALLY BIG ONE. That made my jaw drop and I had to re-listen to that part of the chapter. So good, the author blew my mind.

The relationship between Tristan and Mason was amazing, I was itching to know more about him and we got glimpses of him (and the fish comments!!) and made him so endearing I was so eager for his book. The relationship he has with Lexi made my stomach butterflies do zoomies haha. Tristan is an incredible father, always thinking about what is best for Lexi and having to learn quickly after Gina dumped her for drugs, he was still a baby in that respect but he did a fabulous job and glad his parents were so helpful too. The way Lexi, love how unfiltered kids are and how precious their feelings are, anchored herself to Charlie and helped bring her out of her depression, along with Tristan, was amazing. I thought Tristan did a lot of growing up in this book too with his quick judgement (loved how Ashley put him in his place with his feelings about "dancers") and he stepped up and was there for everyone. I was so happy to see him get his HEA and seeing the new gen of families grow together and have those fabulous moments like the author did with the OG couples and families Loved seeing the other kids get some airtime (Tristan's sisters for example). Overall 4.5 stars for me for the story and the audio was even better than book 1.

Audio was great, the emotion in this one was harder to handle because of the abuse Charlie had to endure and the flashback we kept having. You felt so much anguish and guilt but so glad it all worked out in the end. I thought the male narrator really got into Tristan and Mason's heads (and even Charlie's horrible ex) and made it easy to imagine these characters in my head as the audio played. The only critique I would have is again, why make the OG crew sound so old! They still are young, not in their 70s or something haha. Also, some sounded like they were rich billionaires with their noses in the air which all the guys are super down to earth despite their money so that didn't line up. Besides that, great audio!

Mason's book was next and it was my fav of the whole series, review coming soon! 100% recommend but you NEED to read/listen to the other 6 books in this series before (OG and new series).

🎧 Audiobook Obsession Reviewer - Flock Team 🎧

Beautiful Story & Listen🎧SwoonWorthy & Heartfelt!

Nikki Ash pens another winning romance novel set in her “Fighting Love” series and wow, not only did it captivate my attention for the entire book, but it tugged at my heartstrings, too. The characters in this book, and series, are realistic, easy to relate to and connect with and after meeting Tristan, who quickly became one of my favorite characters in the series, I was looking forward to his story and happily ever after. I am equally excited about Mason’s story, Tristan’s best friend and sidekick. Tristan had not had the best of luck in the love department, first he fell in love with Bella, who did not have the same affection and only saw him as a good friend. Then he gets involved with Gina, who loved her drugs more than him, but she gave him the love of her life, his daughter, Lexi. Charlie’s husband was abusive towards her and a cheat and she knew she had to get out of the marriage, especially when he aimed his anger at their daughter. She knew it would not be easy to leave him, so she needed to plan her escape carefully. Before she can get away, the unthinkable happens, and she loses everything, including her daughter. Heartbroken, she finally makes her escape, but she needed to stay off the radar so he could not track her down. She gets a job working in a strip club and that is where she first meets Tristan, who makes assumptions about her, ones she does not correct. Tristan knows he screwed up, and he gets to apologize when they run into each other again when he was with Lexi, who is absolutely adorable, and helps get Charlie out of her funk for a few minutes, Though she being reminded of what she lost, her and Lexi instantly click and bond over their love of art. It was great to watch Tristan and Charlie get to know each other, and I thought they were great together and for each other, Lexi included. Their story is a beautiful love story, a multi-layered story that has the perfect balance of drama, angst, charming moments, heartfelt emotions, and steamy romance. As always, the writing, plot and world building are fantastic, as are the character growth and development. I loved the twists and how it all played out, well done, very well done. Nikki Ash, thank you for another amazing story and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧 Gideon Frost and Marina Barrett did a superb job bringing these characters to life, understanding who they were portraying, giving each a voice that was fitting and was believable in every role they played. Frost’s Tristan was spot on, smooth worthy and all, Barrett was just as amazing in her role as Charlie, both grasping all aspects of their characters’ personalty and their every emotion. They were great performing the roles of the secondary characters too, including Lexi, with an adorable and youthful voice. You could hear how much heart they put into their performance as they captured all the characters’ emotions and had you feeling them all. These two are entertaining storytellers and their performance elevates this already amazing story to another level. Thank you for another fabulous listen.   

emotional

Tristan and Charlie(charlotte) have suffer in there live but their greatest joy is there kids but when Charlie husband is abusive and she losses her child she runs away to California and try tonlive her live after her loss Tristan have love different woman and they have betrayed him but when she hold his child in his arm he really know what love is bit also is guarded but he meet charlie and is attracted to her but she keeping secret from her past when Tristan propose she realize she has to face her past so she goes back to texas to confront her husband not knowing she going to find out a secret her husband has been hiding and the lies he told.

Sooo good!

Clinched is book 2 in the Fighting Love series. It’s a single parent, MMA romance.

I adored Tristan and his daughter. I think Charlie fit their family perfectly. The chemistry between the two was so good and believable. I could feel the push and pull and they had me hanging on every interaction. The drama, twists and intimate moments were amazing and I couldn’t get enough.

Gideon Frost and Marina Barrett did a really great job narrating and bringing this story to life.

Favorite in series, one of my all time favorites as well.

I have absolutely loved this series written by Nikki Ash. So when I say this is my favorite of this series, it actually goes to the top as one of my all time favorites as well. This was heartbreaking and heartwarming rolled together. I loved the characters and was invested in their lives immediately, especially Tristan. I cried ugly tears and happy tears. The twist I didn't see coming was epic. The wedding was so beautifully precious. I only wish it could have been longer because I'm not ready to let these characters go yet.

#TheFlockonTour
#PinkFlamingoProductions

Tristan & Charlie!

Wow! This was only my second book that I have read/listened to by Nikki Ash but she is quickly becoming a go to for me! I could not stop listening to this! Every chance I got I found an excuse to clean so I could listen. From the very beginning you can’t help but fall in love with Tristian he was so protective over Lexi and the ones he loves. He loves with his whole heart and goes all in with Charlie. Charlie was wonderful you could really feel her strength and her sadness. This one definitely made me feel all of the emotions and kept me on my toes through the whole book. I cried so hard at the end. That was a twist I did not see coming.
The narrators were amazing! They really brought these characters to life and did a wonderful job giving each character a voice that was fitting. They are definitely amazing storytellers. Thank you for the opportunity to listen to this I loved every minute of it.

Emotional read...

Clinched is book two in the Fighting Love series. It's a single dad, second chance romance with some trigger warnings.

I absolutely loved Tristian and Charlie's story. These two were truly meant to be. You could feel their connection flying off the pages. It's heartfelt and full of emotion. You have haunting moments, loss, pain and trauma. But you also get a bit of humor, so much love, adorable daddy/daughter moments and healing for both characters. I loved this story and cannot wait for Mason's book next.

Gideon Frost and Marina Barrett really brought these characters and this story to life.

Original Nikki Ash

This is one of this authors first series that I fell in love with. I found this author during covid quarantine and devoured all I could find from her. So I read this book a couple years ago, but now there's audio and I love audio. Both narrators did a fabulous job and the plot twist was chefs kiss. I highly recommend this one and it's totally worthy of a credit. Tropes include - single parent, death of a child, spouse abuse. #Audiobookobsession #pinkflamingoproductions

Clinched

Clinched is the second book in the Fighting Love series. This is Tristan’s book. This is a beautiful book. Charlie has had a very traumatic life. Her experiences before she met Tristan may have triggers for some. Charlie never experienced true love until Tristan. Love this book. Can’t wait for Mason’s book.

Marina Barrett and Gideon Frost did a fantastic job narrating these two characters and this book.