Battered Moves

Burning Bridges #2

by Blake Black

He has found me and threatens to get me back.

I haven’t been prepared to build relationships, to no longer be alone. And he doesn’t like the fact that my heart doesn’t belong to him anymore.

Hidden truths are looming, ready to strike and shatter me as everyone uncovers more about my past. I thought I was rebuilding trust and finding love again. But how can I do that now, when the threat is hanging over my head once more? Should we confront this challenge together, or would it be safer for me to start over again? Is the love we’ve discovered enough to protect us?

*** BATTERED MOVES is the final installment of the Burning Bridges Duet by Blake Black, a medium burn spicy ‘why choose’ contemporary romance. Contains violence, graphic killing, foul language, and sexual content. Some parts may be triggering. ***

Genres: Why Choose, Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, College, Sports, Abuse

290 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 8, 2023

Reviews

[Mel B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Enjoyed book one, book two isn’t satisfying

I really enjoyed the first book in Blake Black’s Burning Bridges Duet. I’m sad to say, “Battered Moves,” just wasn’t as good. And the ending was REALLY, REALLY unsatisfying.

**SPOILERS** you have to read book 1 to understand book 2.

Battered Moves picks up right after book one finishes. Liv is scared for her life (and her guys) and makes a run for it. You get several POV switches from the guy’s point of view, and then Liv returns (having nowhere else to go). The guys convince Liv to STAY and FIGHT for their poly relationship, explaining to her how much happier they are with her in their lives. Liv realizes that they’re right. She doesn’t want to run. She wants to find happiness and peace with her guys.

**MAJOR SPOILERS**

There were several reasons why I gave this book 2 stars. It wasn’t the writing, or the crafting of the characters…but the eventual “decline” of crafting in the plot (this includes several different strains going on in this book). Liv comes back to her guys, apologizes for running, and now suddenly ALL THE GUYS and Liv are on board with the Poly relationship, so much so, that Liv goes right back to her “normal routine/life.” This wasn’t believable to me. If you know you have a seriously DERANGED PSYCHOPATH who is obsessed with you, and letters from him keep popping up AND you know his family has the means to get him out of the prison/psychiatric ward…would you go on with your life as if nothing has happened? I understand that Liv wants to get back to some sort of normalcy and is trying to show a backbone by standing her ground, finally, and not running again. But then her secret identity is leaked, and the press is all over her i.e. they are swarm and stalk her everywhere! Even through this, you read pages of pages upon more pages of her daily ROUTINE, interspersed with steamy, sexy times between Liv and her guys.

There is little to no character growth in book two!! This is a big problem because book one (however good it was, still lacked in the “fleshing out” the characters department) book 2 really needed to take its time to let us know more about her guys, their histories etc. also just give Liv more page time with each of her guys. Yes they have threesomes, foursomes etc. but that doesn’t count as plot or character development. I think the letter writing was a good way to end book 1, but in book 2 it should’ve been “ramped up,” more. There should have been an “escalation” in incidents, etc. We literally ONLY see psycho Liam AT THE VERY END OF THE BOOK!! Yes we’ve heard he’s nuts, and a murderer, but we only get to see him in all his insane “ action” at the end of the book WITH GUNNER!

Here was another head scratcher, Gunner’s character was crafted so specifically toward creep, overbearing, neighbor stalker - even when he was being “nice” The reader could easily come to expect that 1) Gunner IS obsessed and in love with Liv or 2) he really is a bad, bad guy. Not a guy that , “oh I’m sorry I was manipulated by the psycho, so all is forgiven, and hey we can even dance together?” In the Epilogue it mentions Gunner dancing with Chase, and at the end of book 2, Gunner mentioned he danced. That was THE FIRST AND ONLY inkling the reader had in regards to Gunner being part of dance/performing arts. Gunner’s character needed to be (several ideas) 1) stricken from the book entirely as a unneeded character since he get VERY LITTLE page time, seriously 2) gotten MORE page time, and have been developed as a really great 3-dim character

The issue with Ryder’s band irked me too. The band is mentioned here and there. And then in the epilogue we come to find that Ryder (the guy who LOVES and is devoted to Liv) spends half the year away from her on tour? Oh, but they FaceTime, so it’s all cool (lol). I mean, her harem is completely missing a member! It’s ridiculous. This isn’t Ryder’s book based on his struggle toward becoming a famous rockstar, why oh, why was this added into the plot to begin with? The only way I think it would’ve been justifiable to include Ryders musical aspirations, and eventual fame, was if it INCLUDED (as in all the shows, tours etc.) - REAL inclusion of Liv into that thread i.e. she danced beautifully in seamless harmony to the music that Ryder and his band made. Otherwise, again, this felt like it was totally thrown in, and actually made me like Ryder less…hearing him declare during the books that Liv and Family come first, but checking out on them when he becomes famous - WITH Liv’s help, no less!

Last but not least, I believe this series would’ve been (with a lot of modification) better as a trilogy than a duet. There was more development needed in the guys personalities, and we didn’t need to see their romance at light-speed. It just felt unfinished that way.

So, book 1, is good. Book 2, isn’t all that great. Sadly, unless you make up your own ending in your head after the cliffy in book 1, you’re kind of “forced” to pick up book 2, to see how it all plays out. Trust me you might be better off making up your own conclusions after book 1. But, I know, most of us insatiable readers can’t leave a series or duology/duet once they’ve begun it.

[Paranormal Kiss · Rating 2 out of 5]

Major spoilers....



Didn't like the whole Gunner character arc and how that ended up. He lied to Liv from the very beginning and spied on her for Liam. He tricked her and took her to Liam. Jaxon almost died because of his actions. Yet Liv doesn't seem to think he did anything wrong. Gunner was a bad guy, not a friend. And how is it that Liv or the guys never questioned how he knew certain things that he shouldn't, such as the date of the anniversary of Liv's family's deaths.

I also found several things completely unrealistic such as how easily these characters find success. Ryder is on YouTube and has a social media presence for one day and his video goes viral and he gets a recording contract. Ummm, no. It seems like no matter what business they take on, they are a success.

This book was also lacking relationship development. I felt like Jaxon and Chase went from being against a poly relationship to being on board too quickly.

In both of these books it also bugged me that Liv and Liam's fans were against Liv after Liam killed her family. I found that unrealistic. I think the bulk of the fans would be supportive of Liv and it didn't show that she had any support from the fans. I don't care how charismatic Liam was, he killed three people, one of which was a child. He was also mentally and physically abusive to Liv.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was completely hooked on this duet! I devoured both books in just one weekend, which is unusual for me because I typically take a few days or even a week to finish a book. The story was captivating, and I just couldn't tear myself away from it! If you're a fan of reverse harem stories, this is a must-read! Definitely add to your tbr. The characters were so compelling that I'd willingly have them in my harem any day. The first book had a slow burn, but the second book was incredibly spicy 🥵 My only disappointment is that I wished there were more books in this series. I'm eagerly looking forward to exploring more of this author's works! Needless to say, I'm now a devoted fan.



✨Rating✨

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟



🌶Spice🌶

❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

[Cat H · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8 stars.
Meh. That was an ok ending, I guess. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Felicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series did get a bit better and it deviated enough from the WITSEC series that I thought it was interesting. I liked her best friend Chris. I thought Gunnar was annoying in this one. These types of stories have a bit of predictability in them so I am not surprised by the end. I was surprised to figure out that Gunnar was "Foxy" . I like the quiet moments the group has. Spending time on the beach, going for a ride on the motorcycle. I just didn't think there were enough normal moments in this series as a whole.



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[Nicki Heiman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have you ever said a word so many times that it starts to lose all meaning? I think I used the word stupid more times in the last 25% of this book then the rest of my life combined.
The book starts where the last book left off, she takes off and then decides that was dumb and comes right back but still doesn’t contact anyone so they are still worrying about her until she shows up in person. After showing up in person everyone is on board with this relationship, no more qualms. And the two that were the loudest protesters are the two she gets with first, not the two that have been devoted to her the entire time.
The book turns into a weird circle, she lives her daily life like nothing is happening, sexy time with her dudes, something upsets her, meltdown, totally over it the next day, and repeat. All the way to the end.
Ok so I’m just going to jump right in to the Gunner shenanigans, the “foreshadowing” that he was in cahoots with Liam was not good. It should have been subtle hints every now and then but it was just blatant nonsense. He constantly knew things he shouldn’t and this is never questioned, like when he sees lives suitcase and he’s like are you going back? He’s way overbearing, textbook definition of creepy stalker neighbor. He has constant moments that are like, ew what was that? That wasn’t ok but we are just supposed to ignore it? He betrays live in the creepiest way possible and she’s not nervous or suspicious at all? And for some reason when Liam is out to get her she thinks leaving her phone behind is a good idea? He’s been in love with Liam for years, spied on Liv for him, fed him information on her and ultimately helped him kidnap her and in the epilogue we’re just supposed to be like, oh, ya, of course they like Gunner, of course he’s still around, he’s a great friend. Are you kidding me?
Jax was a professional mma fighter but one swing and he loses balance to the point of losing? Ya…. Mmmmk.
Taking down the successful gym (because now it’s a gym again) with lots of members to make a dance studio. Lol. Mmmk. Makes perfect sense.
Liv was super clear she didn’t want to be a professional dancer again and she didn’t want to be in the spotlight or be famous again but the book ends with her performing? Riiiiggghhhtttt. Makes sense.
One of the twins is famous now so he’s not actually apart of the harem anymore but it’s cool, they FaceTime.
Jax’s restaurant makes no sense.
The whole epilogue should be cut entirely.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.4

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

must read

I’m still mad at the character that sold her out the that psycho . I understand they were used and manipulated but still . I with the ending was longer but it still was awesome.

[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Get it here:
Amazon US * Amazon UK

[coffeeinlibraries · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️ 2🌶️

MASSIVE SPOILERS, STOP READING IF YOU DONT WANT TO KNOW ANYTHING.

Things I loved:
-witnessing their relationship build within small moments.
-Liv letting the guys be there for her instead of trying to ‘handle’ it on their own.
-Liv helping Ryder with his dreams.
-Chris, again haha.
-seeing their life in the epilogue.

Only thing I didn’t like/agree with:
-Gunner. From the first book, he was set up as incredibly creepy/oddly protective/judgmental. I had him pinned from the get go. Was it satisfying to see how no one suspected him and kept him around? Absolutely. However, I found it extremely odd and was genuinely confused on how his role ended up playing out. Instead of the villain that he was being outlined to be… he became an ‘innocent’ person because of his own obsession with Liam and Liam gaslighting him?

Gunner literally kept tabs on her for her family’s murder/her abuser. I can’t see anyone, even someone as kind and understanding as Liv, going on about their everyday life and still considering Gunner a friend. Let alone a best friend or safe space. He betrayed her almost as much as Liam did, in my eyes. He was her comfort and he led her straight to her own personal devil. On top of that, he was so against her relationships, constantly trying to poke holes in it and always insinuating that she was a whore the second she didn’t agree with his point of view, even right up until the end?! No thank youuu. That is not a friend, that’s a full blown enemy.

[Danielle Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I’m going to give this 3 stars, even though it was more like a 2 for me, but I respect that this is the authors first book and honestly wish that I could give it a higher rating. The first book was good and had potential. This book just seemed extremely rushed. I loved the personalities on all of the guys, but then again I loved WITSEC by Ashley Rostek, so ya know. Yes, this book was extremely similar to WITSEC, but I enjoyed the differences between the two and thought that it was enough to give it *some* originality. I think it would’ve done the author a favor to really take it further away from WITSEC personally. While there were some things that didn’t make sense in the first book, the second one made it really hard for me to get into it.

Spoilers***

Honestly, Gunner’s character made no sense to me. I was so upset that it went in that direction because if he wasn’t going to be the villain then I wanted him to be an actual friend to Liv, not someone who was in love with Liam? He knew way too much and was way too much a part of this book for us to have such little info on him and then LIV FORGIVES HIM!? He almost cost Jaxon his life and brought Liam to her even knowing how bad her nightmares were and seeing her scars. He clearly needed mental help, not to end up with a man named Gustavo…….

There needed to be way more development between her and the guys. You have Chase who was a playboy but then is all of a sudden all in and then Ryder who’s a rockstar all of a sudden leaving her for 4 months and River who was such an important part of book 1 yet I feel like we hardly saw him in book 2. The only consistent characters we got were Jaxon and Gunner. It felt rushed but yet some scenes dragged on. The ending with Liam was so quick and weird. Like the Frank thing didn’t make sense either? He couldn’t have called the police on Liam? Or given Liv a warning? He let a 21 year old kid threaten him?…and he made it to Florida from Canada without anyone knowing?

There were some good parts too though, the spicy scenes were really well written and I enjoyed that we got them from the guys POV too. I always love when we get multi POV so this really helped with where the book fell short. I liked the guys coming together for Liv and how there was no breakup, I also love her commitment to dance. Obviously her status and talent made this book special, I enjoyed how descriptive it all was. As another review said, the writing here was absolutely not the issue for me. It was written well and easy to follow, it just seemed like book two needed to be way more fleshed out and honestly we could’ve done with a third.

I’m going to pretend I didn’t read the epilogue and that they all just live happily ever after hanging with each other every day.

[Laura (lady_h_reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel safe and loved in their arms, like nothing in the world can touch me. This is where I belong, I realize, with these men who have been my friends, my protectors. Now, they’re also my lovers, and I know that nothing will ever be the same, but that’s okay. In fact, it’s more than okay. It’s perfect.

I absolutely loved this second part of Liv’s story! There were unexpected twists, the sparks were flying between Liv and her men, and the HEA brought on a huge smile. Part One was already tense as Liv was floundering as she learned how to live again after severe loss and trauma, but this book increased the drama with her abusive ex discovering her location and making threats to her and her men.

Part two builds relationships between Liv and the men. There is growth on all sides, with Liv learning to trust them completely and the MMCs finally giving in to their feelings.

The twins were my favorites from Part One, but by the end of this book, the men have redeemed themselves from their mistakes, and I love them equally. Liv is loved and worshiped as she deserves. (I lie, River might be my favorite…)

This one is fast-burn and incredibly spicy now that Liv and her men have fallen deep into their affections towards one another. There are MF and group scenes. The dirty talk is abundant, and the group scenes are dynamite (twin sandwiches, DP, and more).

I loved this duet and highly recommend it.

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Tropes/Features: College setting, musician MMC, quiet nerd-type MMC, flirty dancer MMC, protective retired MMA MMC, FMC with traumatic past, learning to live again, abusive ex, twins, brothers, chosen family, sweet romance, dark elements, pierced peen, dp
Narrator: Multiple 1st Person POV Relationship Type:
Why Choose – MFMMM, fast burn, very spicy (DP, twin sandwich, and group scenes)
Book Type/Ending: Book Two in Burning Bridges duet
TW/CW: Extensive listing in forward

[Kacie Mummawh0reads.x · Rating 5 out of 5]

Battered moves
By Blake Black
⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️
💧 💧

*potential spoilers*
Much like book one of the Burning Bridges Duet, this book also has multiple POV's by the main characters and contains substantial triggers. I highly suggest you check them out BEFORE you read it because the trauma the FMC endured in book one is horrendous and does get discussed in detail again in book 2

I loved this book! It was great to connect with the characters again. By around 50% through I had some theories over where it was heading but I still didn’t predict the moment that caused me to gasp, cover my mouth in shock and cause tears to start falling!

This is a why choose romance, but I definitely had a favourite! I was slightly disappointed that she didn’t actually choose anyone at the end 🤣🤣

This author really has the ability to grab your attention and hold it! Definitely a go to author for me!

#batteredmoves #blakeblack #darkromance #bookish #bookaddict #readersofinstagram #bookaholic #readingtime #bookshelf #instabooks #bookblogger #bookreview #booktok #reading #booklover #bookworm #booknerd #goodreads #aussiebookstagrammers #aussies #australianreaders #smut #darkromance #reading #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #readersofinstagram #instabook #booksofinstagram #review #arcreader #whychooseromance #whychoose

[Taylor Jefferson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second Blake Black duet I have read and so far both have started strong with a disappointing second half.

I believe this was her debut series and you can tell. I like the characters, particularly Liv, but she was by far the most well developed. With 5 main characters I was disappointed that she was the only one who felt fully fleshed out. I would have liked to see more interaction with the guys between themselves. They had such a great found family growing up together in the foster system but we are told about their connection rather than shown.

My real reason for rating this a 3 and not a 4 is because of Gunnar. What the fuck?!? I never liked him. The foreshadowing of something being off with him had all of the subtlety of a sledgehammer. There was literally no one else who could have been feeding Liam information. He was judgy and their entire friendship felt tainted because he was only protecting her for Liam. Then to instantly forgive him?!? Absolutely not. I think it could have been done in a way where I would have forgiven him but it was rushed.

I do want to read more of Blake’s books but I’m hoping the trend of a strong start and weak finish doesn’t continue.

[Ines · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Battered Moves” is the final book in the Burning Bridges duet, and the author definitely turned on the heat in this second book… I really love how she pays attention to every separate relationship between Liv and her men, both inside and outside of the bedroom. None of these men feel interchangeable, and it’s cute, lovely (and hot!) to see these relationships evolve. It all leads to a very spicy story, with scenes including all numbers between two and five people.

The plot development in this final book wasn’t especially surprising, but I was still curious to watch it all unfold. The surprise is more in the details, and that can be just as fun.

This is definitely a duet for those who love men who are all in from the start, and where the drama mainly comes from outside the relationship. These characters are lovely and cute, and the spice when they come together is off the charts hot. I loved watching these relationships grow, and see these characters heal together. Absolutely a duet I want to recommend!

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

“𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐚𝐦 𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞, 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐈 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠.”

Battered Moves is the 2nd and final book in the Burning Bridges Duet and picks up right where Shattered Rhythm left off. I could not wait to read this after that cliffhanger ending from the previous book and devoured this book. The character growth was fantastic and the way Liv’s relationship with the guys, separately and all together, deepened and developed was just everything! The spice in this one was so incredibly hot 🥵🔥 and I ate every single scene up(and there’s A LOT of them!) I loved each of the guys, but Ryder stole my heart 🖤 This was such an amazing debut duet and I can’t wait to see what this author brings us next! 4.5⭐️

𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕋𝕠 𝔼𝕩𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕥:
💋Why choose romance
💋Hurt/comfort
💋Found family
💋DP/group scenes/twin sandwich
💋HEA

“𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧, 𝐰𝐞’𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐭.“

“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭, 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫?” 𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐬 𝐦𝐞. “𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐲 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥.”

“𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞, 𝐎𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐚. 𝐈𝐟 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐧𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧.”

“𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥, 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐬. 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥. 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐮𝐩 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐮𝐦.”

“𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐯’𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐤𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐨𝐛𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐮𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫.“

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Judas, I knew this second book wasn’t going to be good, but I didn’t think it would be a freaking train 🚂 wreck?! Yes, I knew the first book wasn’t dumb but oddly enjoyed reading 📖 it. I can honestly say I never expected this to be so bad. NOTHING makes sense or goes together! And Gunner? LMAO!! The dumbest outcome. Ever.
I am literally at a loss for what else to say, for the crap I’ve just read. It’s too bad the book wasn’t as intriguing as the blurb.🙄

[|Stephanie| · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Give us all your pain, we'll help you carry it. Rage, cry, mourn-we're here for everything, but never leave us again. I can handle your trauma, but I can't handle you leaving me."

Highlights

-Fighting back
-Courting
-Slow dances on the beach
-Protective but not overbearing heroes
-Mystery/thriller-ish vibes
-Platonic love
-HEA with epilogue

[Lakshmi Praveen · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I was waiting on pins and needles for this book!! And to say that it was perfect is an understatement.
Liv and her men are here to make sure you listen to them be and protect one another. After the cliffhanger in the previous book, it picks off immediately from there and the roller coaster that this book takes you is like no other. The best part of this story is ,it gets you immediately and there are no unnecessary quips and quotes and la de daa attitude.
Straight shot with extreme precision. This has sweet, spicy and everything nice and then some.
The smexy times in here was just amazing!! Also ,twin sandwich!!!! Let's go let's go let's go

Don't miss out on this duet it is bloody freaking amazing!!!

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! I loved Battered Moves and that ending was perfect for them.

I had this feeling about Gunner, but am glad that Liv cared enough about him to understand how Liam manipulated him so easily.

Love Blake Black and her books.

[Bent Letters · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

[Claire Letnic · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, I’m not finished yet but I already know how I’ll rate this book. I am listening via audiobook and I have found myself skipping 1/2 of the chapters (honestly more than that but I’m being nice). There is no development in plot or characters outside of the mundane version of sexual encounters between the MC’s… and the fact I’m skipping those chapters says a lot since my horny brain thrives on that sh*t!! I’m sad. I wanted this to be more.

—finished review: I was in a mood with the pre-review, but I can’t lie: I agree.

[Kaitlyn Brucci · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars***

[Gabs · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s okay. I hate that you’re hurting so much, but I’m glad I could be there for you. I know you’re strong and capable, but I’m here to give you a break if you need someone else to be your strength for a while.”

This is my favorite duet I’ve ever read. The characters are perfect, and you fall in love with each and every one of them. Livs men are top tear and perfect in every sense of the word. The spice hits and its *chefs kiss* and the hurt /comfort you get is beautifully done.

[Snow · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 - 2 stars.

daaamn, the second book was not great, unfortunately...

1) basically no character development

2) still looots of telling, not showing

3) one of the male non-H characters was teasingly shown as having H potential throughout book 1 and then at the end of book 2 it's revealed that he's actually in cahoots with the abusive ex. and they all just forgive him for it?? they're like "aww he was manipulated by the ex, so it's okay".
uhhh, he had been obsessed with the murdering, abusive ex for at least 4 years, started up a friendship with the heroine to get close to her and give the ex info about her, put her life in danger, called her a wh*re, and they all just think it's fine and are all friends with him? nah. if a guy learns that a woman was in an abusive relationship with someone who ended up killing her whole family and trying to kill her, and still sides with the abuser? that's not someone you want in your life. and if he had really been manipulated to such a degree then he'd have needed serious cult deprogramming, and they still should've cut all contact with him.

4) one of the Hs got famous because of the heroine's help, and in the epilogue he's apparently been on tour for 4 months and they have only seen him on facetime 🙈 and now he's back but only to work on the newest album (im guessing he'll go back to touring afterwards?). idk, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth that he's just pretty much absent in their lives now.

[Kaija · Rating 5 out of 5]

OBSESSED!

I’m not crying!! Okay I am, wow this was amazing and so needed! I loved everything about this duet!
Blake Black gives us every range of emotion you could ask for while reading!
This duet is amazing and more people need to read it!

[Meaghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

First read: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Second read: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Third read: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Fourth read: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Tes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Characters:
Liv, Jax, Ryder, River, Chase

Subpar Summary:
Liv has taken off suddenly and the guys are lost. They end up using all their resources and discover her tragic past. Having believed she initially left due to the incident with Chase, they find out she's really been on the run from her tragedy. Before they have a chance to find her, she returns telling them her story. She explains that she ran due to the letter and her fear for them being hurt by Liam. They promise to all stay together and protect each other whether the threat escalates or not. Unfortunately, it does and Liam (with the help of his unknown source "Foxy") reveal Liv's true identity causing her to be swarmed by press and angry fans. Trying to navigate these struggles and not give up on the new life she has fought so hard for, she hires Gunner as her bodyguard. His past and infatuation with Liam unknown, Liv trusts him and end up being taken to a warehouse where Gunner tries to convince her to give Liam another chance. She finds out Gunner's love for Liam and that he has been the informant all along. His loneliness and past left him open to Liam's obvious manipulation but, when Liam shows up and reveals he intends to hurt them both, Gunner is forced to see how wrong he was and tries to defend her, getting knocked out by Liam. Jaxon shows up and tries to protect Liv but Liam shoots him. Gunner awakens and stops Liam before he can kill Liv allowing her a chance to get the gun and shoot him, ending the madness. After the events, Jasper is brought to the hospital and recovers. Liv and Gunner rekindle their friendship despite his grave mistakes. She talks him out of turning himself into the authorities. Cue the HEA.

Thoughts:
Whew... well, we clearly saved most of the story for the ending. Liv's relationship with the guys was wholesome and the red flags for Gunner were peppered throughout both books but the ending... Geez I dunno. My heart breaks for Gunner but I also feel like he needed some serious help and intervention. Perhaps the story glazes over that due to time constraints.

Was still a great little duet and dark but also not. The foreword by the author pretty much summed that up. She also implied that she was a newer author which kind of blew my mind. The books were generally written well. I thought the pacing was great and each character seemed to get their own personality and complexities (though I wish we got more River). I'd definitely give her another shot after this one.

Unrelated note: I did chuckle a few times when she mentioned the basement. As an annoying native, South Florida isn't really known for those...

Overall: 3.8/5

[Kelly Eudy · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬:
4/5⭐️
3/5🔥

𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬, 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐖/𝐓𝐖(𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳):
MFMMM/RH/multi POV/HEA/dark elements/found family/college aged/praise/murder/murder of a child/abuse(physical and mental)/attempted suicide/mentions of child abuse/grief and loss

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰:
This is Book 2 of the Burning Bridges Duet. This CANNOT be read as a standalone. You must start with Book 1 : Shattered Rhythm

𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰:
Battered Moves picks up right where we left off at the end of Shattered Rhythm. While Liv originally felt it may be best to leave for her guys safety, she quickly decides she’s not ready to give up the new life and relationships shes built. Even with the threats knocking on her door, she’s determined to take it all on with her guys by her side.

I love the amount of character growth throughout this book. Not only did Blake really bring the heat in this book, we also find all our characters opening up quite a bit. We learn a lot more about everyone in this book. They each had their own stories and sharing their past traumas was a big relationship building block in this book. I loved the amount of trust they all held for each other. The guys kind of struggled a bit with the sharing aspect in book one(aside from the twins 😉) but this time around they’re all on the same page and they’re all in. I loved how protective they were of Liv and how determined they were to make she knew she was it for them. While I felt like we ultimately knew what was coming, it didn’t diminish the suspense of when, where, how, etc…. and even with that Blake STILL threw in another plot twist I didn’t see coming. I throughly enjoyed this duet. Congrats to Blake on her debut, it was amazing! I can’t wait to read what comes next!



** 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘫𝘰𝘣 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦, 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 … 𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝙄 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙖𝙡𝙡. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝙖𝙗𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙚 𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙮 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘦, 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴. 𝘒𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 =𝘋 **


𝐐𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬:

“Fuck, I dreamed of these tits every fucking night, but the reality is even better than what I imagined,”

“I was innocent, but I think I enjoy being sinful with you, Ryder,”

“You’re going to bend over and offer us that pretty pink pussy, and we’re going to fuck you, one after another. If you get all of us right, we’ll make you come in the end. If not, we won’t allow you to.”

“Fuck,” he murmurs. “Are you going to take all of me like a good girl?”

[Catherine S · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved these books! I zipped right through them in one day, and I have lots of thoughts about them.

I'll include parts of my first review below, but to add to it: The second book really made me love Liv even more. I love that the author spent some time making her unique and less time focusing on the victim aspect. The HEA was awesome. Usually the "flash forward several years type ending/epilogue feels trite, but because the author took time to give each character their own passions and goals it really felt like a satisfying wrap-up. I also enjoyed the lack of a lackadaisical "oh but I have to throw in 2.5 kids, a picket fence, and a ride into the sunset" type ending. (Neither of the two spoilers in this paragraph are huge, mostly just complaints about tropes I hate, but you decide for yourself if you want to know)

There were a few things from the ending that I feel like didn't get talked about enough, and one character who honestly deserved to get kicked to the curb but wasn't, which I feel like wasn't true to the MMC's characters, but overall it was such a satisfying conclusion.

From my first review: "The elephant in the room is that this book is so close to the WITSEC books it is practically copy and paste. BUT there are some key differences.

I loved the WITSEC books, and I think there were a few things this book did even better. I like that the FMC had her own interests- I think the college setting helped with that. The growth of the relationship also felt more organic and realistic, and I love that she has friends that actually show up more than three times per book.

On character strength: In the WITSEC books, Shiloh is hyped up to be so strong, a fighter with training, etc, but when trouble actually comes it feels like she really just needs her guys to protect her. Liv, on the other hand, is not made out to be a fighter or specifically described as "strong", but we see her strength of character and maturity throughout the book which I think is great."

I do want to note that part of me still feels uncomfortable about how similar to the WITSEC books these were.