Review: Fighting Instincts by Lana Kole
SYNOPSIS:
As an omega, Stellan is supposed to want a pack. Instead, he wanted Elise, another omega.
She followed her instincts. Stellan fought his.
Left behind, Stellan tries to move on with a heart as broken and bruised as his opponents after a fight in the ring. Fighting is all he has, and as an omega, he breaks all the odds. When a bid goes bitter, he’s forced to pay it back with his own blood. At least until he’s rescued by a handsome alpha and taken home to his pack.
A pack that already has an omega.
Face to face with the omega who left him, Stellan will have to fight his own instincts to find happiness.
Fate brought them back together, and this time, Stellan isn’t letting Elise go, no matter what opponents they have to face.
REVIEW:
This story was an absolutely surprising delight! The gritty setting, the constant challenges Stellan and Elise both faced, as well as the perfect alphas had me captivated. The story was an enticing balance of budding romance, vulnerable moments, and sizzling chemistry; with an underlying narrative that ‘normal’ doesn’t have to be your ‘normal’.
After over a decade together, Stellan and Elise part ways when Elise finds her pack. Both characters are gutted by their new normal, Stellan works his out in the gym and fighting ring, while Elise carries her guilt around like a cloud. Yet fate brings these two back together and Stellan is forced to see Elise in her new life and meet her alphas. The character arcs for Stellan and Elise are healing, both of them find forgiveness and find a way back to each other. Even through their stubbornness and heartache, they learn to love each other again. Stellan helps Elise bond and form a deeper connection with her alphas, and in return Elise shares her alphas and their love with Stellan.
The relationships and dynamics in this story were truly a beautiful thing. Aside from that, there is the underlying current of danger as someone is threatening Stellan, and by extension, Elise’s pack. This tension added a layer of drama and suspense and I liked how it played out. It wasn’t all sunshine and roses for these characters, they certainly had to fight (literally and figuratively) for their love. I think my only grievance is that the ending of the story seemed rushed. I wish there would have been just a little more time to see the characters settling into their happily-ever-after, completely content.
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