Love Hurts

Caged Love, Book 1

By: Mandi Beck

Narrated by: Wen Ross, Kai Kennicott

Even when she won't fight for us, I'll go to war for her....

Inside the Octagon, I have no fear. I'm at home, in my element, inflicting pain onto men trained to hurt me just as badly. Making them submit, knocking them out, maiming them, because it's them or me. And I choose them.

Outside the Octagon, my only weakness is a five-foot-two, classy as f--k woman that I've loved for most of my life. She's the one that brings me to my knees, fills my arms, my heart, and one day soon, my bed. She makes me reckless. Volatile. I drink too much and try too hard to f--k my way out of feeling - all because of her.

Frankie De Rosa is my girl, my best friend. I haven't earned her yet, but I won't stand by and let anyone take her from me. She will be the greatest fight of my life, but she's worth the battle.

Love hurts, but anything worth having does, right?

I'm Deacon "The Hitman" Love - Welcome to the Cage.

©2015 Mandi Beck (P)2016 Mandi Beck

Absolutely Amazing!!

I absolutely loved this story! The characters were amazing and the narrators did an incredible job bringing them to life!! I simply lost myself in these characters. There was never a dull moment and I hated when I reached work and had to stop listening to Frankie and Deacon! Wow!!

The Princess is a brat

Frankie was beyond naive, childish and irritating and it drove me crazy! I tried to feel her side of things but it just got to a point where I just want to shake the sh!t out of her for him!

drags out too much

story line is good but drags out for too long and then when you are finally going to find out things it is a cliffhanger.
Kim

OMG AMAZING!!!!

OMG AMAZING!!! THANK GOD FOR THE PREVIEW OF BOOK 2 "LOVE BURNS" AT THE END OR I WOULD'VE BEEN SCREAMING, YELLING & COMPLETELY UPSET!! SO THANK YOU FOR THAT MANDI BECK!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE BOOKS BY MANDI BECK & I CAN'T RAVE ENOUGH ABOUT HOW MUCH I LOVE WEN ROSS AND KAI KENNICOTT!! I have my favorite Narrators that are ONLY Women OR ONLY Men....BUT AS A DUEL NARRATION WEN & KAI TAKE THE CAKE!! THEY ARE AMAZING ABSOLUTELY EPIC!! I found them by accident & I'M SO GRATEFUL I DID!! They go ABOVE & BEYOND when narrating!! YOU CAN TELL THEY LOVE WHAT THEY DO!! They DON'T each do a Chapter, they Mingle it TOGETHER!! They DON'T just say "HE SIGHED" They actually SIGH!! IT IS SOMETHING LIKE I'VE NEVER HEARD BEFORE!! I WILL LISTEN TO EVERY SINGLE BOOK THEY DO!! OK THIS REVIEW IS LONG ENOUGH....I MUST GO BUY "LOVE BURNS" RIGHT THIS SECOND!!!

it was ok...

i was a little annoyed by the main female leads resistance and confusion - to be confused for hours of narration is annoying. but its not a bad story, i dont think its worthy of all the praise though.

Love the Narrators....

Would you listen to Love Hurts again? Why?

Maybe, maybe not. This is the first one I read with an MMA fighter, he seems to have a lot of anger issues. Deacon is so arrogant which is kind of cute but he doesn't treat the "princess" so sweet. He sounds more angry than loving. Even though you can tell he loves her but he just doesn't go around it the best way possible.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I wasn't expecting the story to go that way at all.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene was at the beginning when he gives the "princess" her gift for her birthday which she loves better than her boyfriends gift.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me cry.

Any additional comments?

I did enjoy the story, and I love the narrators.

WOW, WHAT AN INTENSE & RIVETING JOURNEY

He's all Alpha, he's gorgeous, he's volatile, he's a dirty talking hot MMA Fighter, his name is Deacon Love and his kryptonite is the woman he's loved forever - Frankie - his Princess. And, even though there's an invisible force field between them, the timing never seems quite right to tell Frankie just how he really feels about her..... but suddenly that all changes the moment when Frankie gets an Engagement ring on her finger.

Frankie's a Dancer, she's been a close part of the Love family since way back, her Dad and Deacon's Dad are good friends, there's three sons however she's closest and best friends with Deacon but she knows what a man-whore he is. So when he corners her at her Party and passionately professes his undying love she's shocked, angry, confused..... and very very turned on. His swift but heartfelt declaration starts off an intense chain of events that range from bloody dramatic and pulse-pounding shocks, passionate steamy and love filled highs and then anger and hurt filled lows as their push/pull relationship finally hits rock bottom.

You could really feel Deacon's anguish, confusion, hurt, rage, anger, jealousy, love and heartache as they both completely wrecked their all too delicate relationship.... and how can it ever be mended again? I loved Deacon's character - he was obsessed with claiming his Princess and remained devoted and focussed on winning her back however he also had qualifying Fights to prepare for that would, hopefully, get him to the Championship but the more they grew apart, the more his anger levels grew until he was a powder keg just waiting for the spark. I didn't think Frankie was fair to him and only fuelled his temper more and I thought the angst between them was nearly all her fault.... but I'm in Deacon's corner all the way.

Worth a credit? YES, I was hooked right from the start as they struggled to be together then there was scorching heat and dirty talking passion followed by a lot of emotional intensity and insanity. There's also the threat of imminent danger because her vicious and mysterious ex, who has already proved he's capable of murder, is somewhere in the wings waiting to strike again. It's a stinger of a cliffhanger but Hallelujah coz book 2 is already here. Mainly told from Deacon's POV but there are infrequent ones from Frankie's POV too and I love Wen and Kai's style of narration because they each stick to their own gender's voice so conversations, and the Chapters, flow smoothly so you're left to concentrate on all the unfolding delicious lip smacking drama.

✫✫ 4 Stars ✫✫

First, I am so glad I started this after book 2 was out cause that cliffhanger would have pissed me off! But since I get to jump right into the next book.... I'm totally loving this story! I have a thing for friends to lovers stories. I love that you get to feel the attraction between them over the years rather than an insta-love situation. He was a little bossy for me which is strange because I normally love the bossy guy but something about him doesn't come across as protective bossy in the very beginning of this story but he does redeem himself quickly. This book is high in drama and angst but not the eye roll kind, more the heart racing kind.

Love the narration, that is what drew me to decide too try out this book. They are an amazing duet narration team.

How Not To Get Your Girl

What made the experience of listening to Love Hurts the most enjoyable?

Definitely the voice acting by Wen Ross and Kai Kennicott made this experience the most enjoyable :) Even when the characters were being idiots and I wanted to throttle them the actors kept me at rapt attention! The story was really good... But sometimes it was really hard to empathize with the two main characters. With this being an at least two part story I completely understand though. Reading this might have been difficult while listening to it was an experience not to be missed :)

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character to hate was Christiano. He made it so darn easy! Weak and simpering, though self-centered and arrogant, he has to always get a dig in. He thinks Frankie is weak because she has been attacked and swoops in to try and weedle his way back into her life. Thinking she will glom onto him for safety and attention, forgetting why they didn't work in the first place. It was too funny :)

Any additional comments?

This series must be listened to (or read) in order. This is the first book. I can't wait to listen to Love Burns!


Frankie has grown up with the Loves and has always been the only girl. Well except for Indy. Noone gets more attention or love from the guys (and Indy)! She is THE Princess. The center of all of their worlds. And her life is perfect. She has her dance studio and her family. She even has a steady boyfriend, Andrew, who she lives with. When he proposes (and she says yes) it puts into motion an increasingly destructive sequence of events that spiral out of control until noone knows what will happen next. Why did she say yes? How will it affect the rest of her relationships? Will her life ever be the same?


Deacon has ALWAYS loved Frankie. And been in love with her since he doesn't know when. He has been hiding his time... For him to be ready to settle down. For her to be willing to look at him in another way. For both of their careers to be established. Now that Andrew has proposed he is panicking. He can't let her marry him! Will he be able to convince her to give them a chance? Can he even talk her out of marrying the nowhere near good enough for her douche she's already said yes to? How will he get her to see him? Can he convince her she is not like any other girl he has spent time with?


***This series is suitable for adult listeners (or readers) who enjoy MMA romantic thriller suspense with plenty of angst and violence as well as some intrigue and two characters who can't seem to get out of their own way that leads to more questions than answers with a cliffhanger ending lacking a HEA :)

alpha love

Would you listen to Love Hurts again? Why?

Yes I would because I love Deacon Love and Wens voice just gives Deacon more life ((sigh)) and Kai nailed Frankie's attitude to a T.
The story was so well written and pulls you in and has you crying, laughing and cheering them on. You will also find yourself cursing Deacon out.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was Indy as strange as that may be. Mandi she needs her own booK ASAP. her supportiveness and protectiveness and smartassness. She brings an ALPHA FEMALE (is that a thing) to the story.

Which character – as performed by Wen Ross and Kai Kennicott – was your favorite?

I loves Deacon. Wen made Deacon even more Alpha and sexy. His voice made an already sex on a page character 3D.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The stand off in the gym when Deacon tells Flash Dance that Frankie will always be his because even when she won't fight for them he will go to war for her. SWOONNNNN
Who needs flowers or chocolates..I amb willing to go to war to me is the ultimate romantic gesture.

Any additional comments?

This is such a must read/listen you will fall in love/hate with the characters but in the end you will cheer them on