Sick Hate

Sick World #2

by J.A. Huss, Eric Nolan (Narrator), Samantha Summers (Narrator)

Maart

I should’ve hugged her more. I should’ve loved her more. But the truth is, I couldn’t. Even after we were free, I couldn’t love them like that. Because I could never shake the feeling that each time they walked away from me, it would be the last time I saw them.

The only way I knew how to show them I cared was to train them. And once I forced Irina to stop training, I didn’t have another way to love her. I just didn’t know how. So I made her leave.

Irina

I was supposed to die nine times already, at least. The nine ghosts of my opponents follow me around like reminders. They have stuck with me all this time.

I’m not supposed to be here. I was supposed to go out fighting. So I am doing nothing now. I am just existing. I am just doing it thousands of miles away from where I started. And I am doing it alone.

Then I meet a man I could fall in love with in a blink. And I have to make a decision. Should I blink?

Eason

Every morning there is a choice. To get up or not. That’s my choice. To go on or give in. And on most days—recently, at least—I get up and go on. But it’s never gonna be enough. Ever. Just breathing is hard.

Then I meet a girl who is so incredibly sweet. So perfect and pretty and innocent that the pain in my chest fades when she’s around.

Until I find out who she killed on that fateful day seven years ago.

Written by New York Times best-selling author, JA Huss, Sick Hate is story of love, lost and found, starting over, and learning to let go and live on. It is the second book in the Sick World series.

Genres: Romance, Audiobook, Dark, Dark Romance, Suspense, Sports, Fiction

13 pages, Audible Audio

Published September 12, 2023

About the author

J.A. Huss never wanted to be a writer and she still dreams of that elusive career as an astronaut. She originally went to school to become an equine veterinarian but soon figured out they keep horrible hours and decided to go to grad school instead. That Ph.D wasn’t all it was cracked up to be (and she really sucked at the whole scientist thing), so she dropped out and got a M.S. in forensic toxicology just to get the whole thing over with as soon as possible.

After graduation she got a job with the state of Colorado as their one and only hog farm inspector and spent her days wandering the Eastern Plains shooting the shit with farmers. After a few years of that, she got bored. And since she was a homeschool mom and actually does love science, she decided to write science textbooks and make online classes for other homeschool moms. She wrote more than two hundred of those workbooks and was the number one publisher at the online homeschool store many times, but eventually she covered every science topic she could think of and ran out of shit to say.

So in 2012 she decided to write fiction instead. That year she released her first three books and started a career that would make her a New York Times bestseller and land her on the USA Today Bestseller’s List eighteen times in the next three years. Her books have sold millions of copies all over the world, the audio version of her semi-autobiographical book, Eighteen, was nominated for a Voice Arts Award and an Audie award in 2016 and 2017 respectively, her audiobook Mr. Perfect was nominated for a Voice Arts Award in 2017, and her book, Taking Turns, was nominated for an Audie Award in 2018. Johnathan McClain is her first (and only) writing partner and even though they are worlds apart in just about every way imaginable, it works.

She lives on a ranch in Central Colorado with her family.

Reviews

[Mimiorphee · Rating 4 out of 5]

At about 70% of this story, Eason, Irina, and Maart (and all the other characters we met in Sick Heart), I had mixed feelings. My BFF asked me about it and it was hard to explain how it was both a brilliant approach and sometimes repetitive and slow.
Now that I finished (and before reading the EoBS), I have a clearer view.
What's left to say and do when you've broken free of hell? When all you're ever known was violence, Slavery and death fights, but now you're free to do as you please?
J.A. Huss showed her talent and captured with brio the depression, and nothingness, and apathy of her characters.
Sick Hate is both sweet and disturbing. That's the kind of story that will make you think. Not many authors can pull up an interesting story of something that could have been a giant epilogue.
So yes, it dragged at times, but it was also a way to show Eason and Irina's state of mind. They needed that journey to find themselves and start healing together. I liked the slow burn romance and the fact that there weren't many sexy scenes. It was utterly refreshing.
Sick Hate, the revenge, surprised me, which is quite rare. The universe of this series is huge, I have the impression we've only been scratching it. I can't wait to see where Mrs. Huss will take us next!

[Christine Griggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

back to this fascinating world


This book is the second in this incredible series and picks up with Maart, Cort and the kids still training and settled in their new life.
It is so great to get back into this wonderful world.
Freedom is good but not everyone is happy.
Irina leaves and starts a new life in Miami after telling Maart she loves him and doesn’t get the response she expected.
Maart is worried about her, he has heard nothing in so long and starts looking. Mack is back following another story and helps him look for her. A few surprising facts are revealed that changes everything.
Irina has made a new life for herself, she has her own condo and a friend, but still lives like she did on the rock. Then she meets Eason a fighter known as Deadeyes and so begins a relationship between two broken people, can they fix each other.
This is such a fabulous story revisiting old friends and introduced to new ones. I loved it and knowing another book is coming is so exciting. The EOBS as always informative and hinting at a turbulent ride in the next book that makes me all the more impatient for it. Thank you Julie for this fascinating story and creating this world we love 🧡🖤

[MissPetiteBrunetteBookBlog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beginning sever years after the events in Sick Heart this follows Irina’s journey after escaping the world she was thrown into when she was just a child. Now an adult, she wants a new life but sometimes the past has a way of pulling us back. Eason is part of that past she wants to move on from but can’t. Will they find a bond over their unconditional upbringing? This is their story. A slower paced tale of trauma, struggles and finding your way through that does pull at your heart. Characters from the previous book also make an appearance. This does entail some very difficult topics so be prepared. Told in multiple POV

[Marie Meow Meow · Rating 5 out of 5]

JA Huss has this talent for writing books that make you sit in silence and think about them long after you finish them. She writes female characters who are strong yet tender, and male characters who are just about perfect, yet flawed. Her supporting characters are there for specific reasons, and not for fluff or filler. And every single person came together in Sick Hate to make the perfect book.

I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook. It was amazing. Told in duet style with several stellar narrators, I was completely enraptured by their performances. I highly recommend the audiobook.

This book is the amazing, incredible follow-up to one of my favorite books, the also amazing, incredible Sick Heart. If you haven't read it, JA Huss talks about it enough so you won't be lost, I think. But it's so good that I think you're missing out if you don't read it. (Or listen to it).

Every character in this book is flawed, hurt, but strong, and resilient. It is truly an incredible journey that I will revisit in the future.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

JA Huss has once again penned a captivating tale that will leave readers breathless. Sick Hate is a story of love, loss, and redemption.

Huss's writing is raw and emotional. She does not shy away from depicting the harsh realities of her worlds. But she also writes with a tenderness and compassion that makes the characters relatable. The reader feels their pain, their joy, and their hope.

The plot of Sick Hate is well-paced and suspenseful. Huss keeps the reader guessing until the very end. The twists and turns in the story are unexpected and keep the reader engaged.

The characters in Sick Hate are complex and well-developed. Maart is a strong and determined man who has been through a lot. Irina is a haunted soul who is trying to find her place in the world. Eason is a broken man who is trying to piece his life back together.

The relationship between Maart, Irina, and Eason is complex and passionate. They love each other deeply, but they also have their differences. They must learn to communicate with each other and trust each other.

[K.C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Considering how bleak and edgy the set-up was for Sick Heart, my expectations were completely subverted by this love story. This was such an unexpectedly earnest, simple, heartwarming story, at least given the background and circumstances of the protagonists. I found the lack of pretense and focus on healing very disarming. While parts of the premise remain far-fetched, the emotional honesty that Huss conveys within the premise is truly remarkable.

[Veronica LaRoche · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story omg. I’m obsessed with these characters and their stories. Irina is a character that you will absolutely love and never want her story too end. Eason, omg another phenomenal character that will have you wanted more of him. Irina and Eason are characters that will stick with you forever. I love seeing Cort and Maart. This story is hard to read at times Bacău’s r of what happened to them when they were small but they survived and you can’t help but root for them. Eason said it perfectly that Irina and him were fate bringing them together. Absolutely another unputdownable book with characters that are unforgettable. JA has done it again and I’m so stoked to read what will happen next.


I voluntarily reviewed this Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

By FAR one of JA’s best works ever!!! While the story and characters are amazing, the performance given by the narrators absolutely epic. Even for those not typically a fan of audiobooks, this one is a complete game changer.

[Sarah~Book Obsession Confessions · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 STARS
This is the second book in this interconnected series, 𝚂𝙸𝙲𝙺 𝙷𝙴𝙰𝚁𝚃 should be read before this book, it was one of my absolute favorite books of 2021.
This story picks up seven years after the first book. It’s a very different atmosphere than the previous book. So much has changed for Irina and the other characters.
Irina is so resilient, smart, tough and she also has maintained a certain innocence despite her truly horrific past. It makes her thoughts and actions interesting and makes her very likable. She has a kindness about her that is beautiful.
She meets Eason who she discovers came from a very similar background as her, it’s a one in billion type of meeting.
The two slowly get to know each other and compare their pasts. It’s a slower paced book that took me through a lot of emotions with the characters. There is a lot of truly horrendous things they’ve experienced, it bonds them and it brings up a lot of mixed feelings for them both.
Both characters have outwardly overcome their pasts and have a version of success yet they are stuck in a state of numbness, feeling no purpose and feeling like an outsider.
I love the moments when Eason appreciates Irina’s naïveté and I love when she is able to make him smile and laugh. Those are emotionally huge moments for these battle scarred souls.
I feel like their odd relationship forces them to face certain feelings and ideas they’ve clung to. They are some of the few who can understand each other’s heinous past circumstances, they are very honest with each other and it made for a thought provoking and interesting story. I love both characters so much. Their meeting, their conversations and their growth was so satisfying and poignant.
The choice to engage in their past or move forward hangs over them and decisions have to be made.
Characters from the previous book do make appearances and are a part of the story, but this is Irina’s story and she makes it Eason’s story as well.
Towards the very end my heart was in my throat and I wasn’t sure where the story was going. I was very satisfied with where it went.
It’s an emotional, unique and beautiful story. I love the little nods to the possibility of fate playing a part.
I’d advise you not to expect it to be similar to the first book. The situations are extremely different.
The romance is slow and the steam/spice factor is very mild. It’s a character and emotionally driven story.
There will be another book in this world, this book did not leave on a cliffhanger. I eagerly look forward to the next book.

[Gabrielle Branch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so different than the first! VERY slow burn with VERY little spice! When I started it, I wasn’t sure I liked it but I really did. It was nice to see how everything was AFTER all the trauma. I love that Court was in it too… jumping rope 🤣

[Lorrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adored Eason and Irina together. They were absolutely perfect for each other. It was heartwarming when Maart and a couple of the boys came and were reunited with Irina. I was also happy that Maart had Beth.

[MJLovestoRead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sick Hate is a story that will keep you guessing. But in the very best way. J.A. Huss continues her Sick World series with a book that features two very different kind of affectionate pairings, both taking those involved by complete surprise. Very different from Sick Heart, we get to really dive deep into the lives of 4 people, all interconnected by the brutal world of lethal fighting, and how they have adjusted long after they were a part of that existence. Irina and Eason are the main characters of this muddied journey to some semblance of happiness as they find in each other a confidante and a somewhat beacon of hope as to what could be. Irina is still hurt deep down that she was ultimately excluded from taking her fighting further, mad at Maart that he didn't try to stop her from leaving all those years ago. She's a survivor, though, of the highest order and I was fascinated by her simple life since leaving the jungle and settling in Miami Beach. Her run-in with Eason was truly fated, as he likes to point out to Irina, and their somewhat uncomfortable kinship is full of unanswered questions and uneasy memories. But Huss takes her time in allowing deeper feelings to emerge and their both coming to terms with what they endured and what they must still do to help kids like they once were from becoming a part of harsh life, is what inevitably bonds them for the foreseeable future.

In the meantime, sparse chapters involving Maart's search for Irina outline the help he receives from an unlikely source: the enthusiastic and somewhat mysterious Macks, who used to write pieces for the elite fighting magazine and who interviewed all the key characters that we've come to know through both books in this ongoing series. They call each other Lance and Beth and there is a lightness both needed when they are together and Maart has to decipher just who this version of Macks is and why she has the resources available to help him, making his comfortable life pale in comparison. But they made really did provide a levity to not only what everyone has had to contend with but with how everyone needs to simply move forward and not always stay stuck in the past. They have an interesting kind of chemistry that fits them well.

This book to me felt like a bridge for what is to come in future books since I honestly hope Huss continues this fascinating look into the world of child trafficking and the after-effects. Sick Hate felt like the calm before another storm, which could match or even outpace what occured towards the end of Sick Heart.

In the end, Maart, Macks, Irina and Eason are the leftovers to a life that seems so foreign yet still has a draw that none of them can fully escape. And maybe they aren't meant to. Perhaps Huss has a new normal for these remarkable people that we have yet to explore. I'm anxious to see more of this crew, hopeful that Anya and Cort will be a part of whatever is destined to happen next.

My last thoughts are that I am forever in awe of J.A. Huss and the intricate storylines she creates that have me fully engaged from the get-go and keep me thinking long after I've read the last words.

Sick Heart is a standalone and Huss always does a great job in recapping what occurs in previous book(s). But you'd get the whole story thus far with reading Sick Heart first. It's an adventure that you won't want to look away from, even when it's hard and you'll walk away with a soul that is full albeit a little bit troubled all the while you're smiling ear to ear.

5 huge stars!

[Wendy LeGrand · Rating 5 out of 5]

As much as I have professed how much I love the stories that JA Huss writes, I think this Sick World that she is creating is some of her best writing yet. I mean, if you’ve been along for the ride for any length of time, you know she writes some complex, intricate stories that encompass a multitude of genres, tropes, styles, etc. and there’s a little bit of everything in her repertoire to satisfy most everyone. But this sick world, man, it’s a whole other level of storytelling.

Julie is obviously very skilled at creating “worlds”. She created The Company world, and all the offshoots that came along with it. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were factions of the Company behind some of these very sick people who deal in the buying/selling/trading of these children into the fighting camps. Just based on her description, I even wondered for a minute if Irina herself might have been one of the little blonde girls the Company was breeding, and somehow Udulf Von Breda managed to snatch her from somewhere she wasn’t supposed to be snatched from.

What fascinated me with this story was the distinct differences between Eason and Irina, despite the fact they both grew up in fight camps. Eason knew exactly where he came from and how he ended up in a camp, whereas Irina had no memory before looking up and taking Udulf’s hand. Eason's owner lavished him with possessions and took him to exotic places. Irina grew up in the jungles of Brazil with almost nothing, sleeping on a rice mat in a hut. Their stories couldn’t be any more different, but somehow, they really were exactly the same. Two people who had to do whatever it took to survive. And even though It’s now seven years after the events that granted them both their freedom, neither one has moved on. But again, for totally different reasons. To me, that is the gist of the story. How do you find a purpose in life after you’ve been through the horrors these two have been through? How do you find something to keep you moving forward, a motivator that has you wanting more than to just get out of bed and survive another day?

And in amongst everything going on between Eason and Irina, is Maart, the one who trained Irina from the time she was six years old. Something has happened between him and Irina, and Julie takes the reader on a journey through this book to find out what it was. I loved the dynamic between Maart and Macks, the ring reporter readers first meet in Sick Heart. Her storyline was one I would have never guessed!

I very much enjoyed seeing so many of the previous characters pop up, and judging by what we learn in the story and the way it ends, I am excited at the prospect of more books in this series and where they could possibly go. My mind is already racing!

[JenMcJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars. I listened to this on audible. It was so well narrated, I can't even gush enough. Frankly, death camps and underground fighting seems too bleak to me so I normally would have skipped this, but I would listen to anything Eric Nolan narrated, and since he hasn't narrated much, yet, I went ahead an dove into this. And I was enthralled. What a great story. The author really wove a tragic tale without overwhelming the connection and romance between Irina and Eason. She says in the afterward that she felt like this was more about Maart and his girl, but I think that is a stretch. His part of the story is more like an interspersed epilogue to update on his life from the first book. (I didn't read the first book, but I might now)

For Eason and Irina, this is really a story of trust with so many small intimate moments that it's all very deeply romantic. This book had a lot of hard memories and both Eason and Irina are swamped with survivor guilt even if it manifests in different ways and they have no real name for it in their heads. But they help each other gently but with brutal truths that strongly connect them.

What I liked best about this book was that as brutal as their lives were, this book was not a brutal book now. This was actually a gentle love story without a lot of outside drama or any real violence. I was so pleasantly surprised by this.

I would have given it 5 stars but I felt like there were some plot holes and motivations that were a quite wobbly. I didn't read the first book so I didn't have all the backstory for Maart but the catalyst for Irina leaving was cruel, but also how Maart perceived it all kept changing and I felt like that was unsupportable and revisionist history.

Anyway. Eric Nolan has the sexiest voice I think I've ever heard. I fell for it in BB Easton's Devil of Dublin (which was another really great story, I think) and I have an alert for his projects now. I don't have an ear for language or accent so I have no idea if he is really Irish but regardless, I fall for that accent and voice every time he starts talking.

[Laura Reads Too Much · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, just a big freaking wow! Saying that Julie has completely and utterly smashed this book is just such an understatement and I don't know what words to use to describe how much I loved this book 🤷🏻‍♀️ 💞

I had a reread of Sick Heart before starting this one and I'll be honest, I thought how the heck is she going to top this - well she did - big style!

This happens 7years after Sick Heart - and if you haven't read it, I highly recommend you go back!
The clan is split, not in a bad way, just each person has gone in their own direction, some together, some not but they're still there and connected.
But Irina has taken herself off, on her own and has cut them all of. It's a sad time if I'm honest, she's so strong, so lethal and so d3adly but she's also so sweet and innocent that my heart hurts for her, seriously this girl made me feel so deeply that I can fully admit, I'm attached.

Then we have Maart, the trainer/medic/leader of the camp kids. Him and Irina are estranged and they're both gutted over it. It's a complicated relationship and situation and again, I feel so deeply for him, he just doesn't know how love without fighting.

Then we have Eason, he meets Irina and what he thought he was fighting for has now become blurred because it turns out their history is intertwined in a way they never thought possible..

This is one of these stories that will stick with you, 5years time and even if you've not reread, you'll still recall it all, it is 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 good.
It's deep, it deals with horrific situations that will just break your heart but it's not about that. It's about the characters, and life, and survival, and how to overcome atrocities. It's complicated and it's sad yet gives such hope and it made me smile. I've already said - this book will stay with me for years to come.

Julie A Huss, I already loved your work, you're one of those authors that are a one-click, but this book? This book fucking rocks and you have outdone yourself.






*I voluntarily received an arc and this is my honest review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Bookish Lady Night · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Review! I just finished Sick Hate By @jahuss WOW this book was an intense read. Very deep with heavy topics to start off but it’s done in a very well written way. She paints a heartbreaking story of depression, anger, hate, determination, and overcoming even when you can’t find a way forward. This story of Irina and how she started in the world had me crying all she went through and did to survive. She’s such a strong BA and doesn’t really see herself and he place in the world. Then Eason damn his start in life is heartbreaking and he is damaged but is thriving in his damage if that makes sense.. anyway they are both broken pieces trying to desperately survive their struggles and only when they are thrown together by fate do they unravel and become a whole new! This book is heavy but so worth the read it had me thinking about my own traumas and past. As someone who deals with PTSD, depression, and anxiety/panic attacks I could see myself in both Irina and Eason and the progression and pain they felt. I loved the slow burn of the story friends to lovers in a totally different way and it was transformation on all paths and it was beautiful and raw and honest. I could totally relate with all the emotions and uncertainty. The raw emotion of anger, sadness but also happiness and joy in the midst of all the bad. The ending well I’m not spoiling anything but it’s just a beautiful ending of closures and full circles. She is expected to release a third book and I’m so excited to see all these characters progress in the next book. But how she left it gave me lots to ponder and reflect on in my own life. 10000% recommend this book but if you have any tiggers be sure to read the tiggers before reading but 1000% still recommend!!! #bookish_lady_night #OneClickNow on Amazon!
#bookish #romancebooktok #jahuss #newbookrelease #theauthoragency @theauthor.agency

[Judy Neurauter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, Heartbreaking, Brilliant! Irina Van Breda has survived a life of slavery and a fights to the death club as a young child. She has escaped and started a new life for herself. Irina is beautiful, small, and she's a killer, and those ghost haunt her. She breaks your heart. Dead Eyes Eason Malone is also from the fighting death clubs. He's looking for her. He hopes to use her, to get over his dark past. Until he finds out something she did in the past and he might not be a guy she can trust after all. This keeps you guessing what he's going to do. There's someone else looking for her too. Maart who used to train the kids in the fight club and Irina loved and he sent her away. He asks for help finding her and in walks someone who will take him by surprise in more ways than one. This is a love story, full of emotions, and hate that can torment the soul and blind you to reality. But Irinas heart is still good, after all she's been through. She thinks her life is good, but she's only existing and Eason sees this and tries to show her the difference. Things start to get a bit crazy and their truths might just shatter them both. I found this story to be so heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. The horrors of the life they lived and knowing this really happens in the world right now, makes your heart hurt physically for them, and also makes you want them to be so very happy. Irina is someone you will think about far after the story ends. She's a true heroine and Eason will surprise you. I loved this story. It is a stand alone book, but if you read Sick Heart you'll have some back story for the characters that might help you enjoy the story even more, but not necessary to enjoy this book. I love this book and know I will always remember it when others have faded in my memory. ❤

[Pam Schaeffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sick Hate picks up seven years after Sick Heart. I am crazy about what happens next. With everything. This book is what happens next in every sense of the phrase. There are so many emotions in this book. Some I didn't expect so I was super happy. To truly understand this book you need to read Sick Heart first. You won't get the depth of the emotions or understand the storyline in this book if you don't read Sick Heart first.

Irina was a child deathfighter in Cort's camp. When they all escaped, she found her way to Miami and South Beach. She has her routines and fights when she needs the money. She thinks she is living the American dream. Until she meets Eason.

Eason was supposed to fight Cort next. That didn't happen and he ended up in Miami. Not really caring if he wakes up the next day or not. Then Irina comes into his life. Things are never the same again. He goes from Dead Eyes to a happy man. Irina mystifies him with her grit and unwillingness to quit. She also has this child-like innocence that he loves. He shows her that she is not living the American dream, but plans on showing her how.

Maart. He is the trainer. He is still training the boy fighters, but Irina ran away seven years ago. Maart is looking for Irina and is determined to find her. He still has her best interest at heart.

Irina was trained to fight to the death, but she still finds kindness in the world. She hates what evil people have made her do, but wants to help others that have had the same life as her.

My favorite quote from the book is "Cure evil with kindness." I think we all should do that and maybe the world would be a better place.

[Maria Costantino · Rating 5 out of 5]

MAART
I should’ve hugged her more. I should’ve loved her more. But the truth is, I couldn’t. Even after we were free, I couldn’t love them like that. Because I could never shake the feeling that each time they walked away from me, it would be the last time I saw them.
The only way I knew how to show them I cared was to train them. And once I forced Irina to stop training, I didn’t have another way to love her.
I just didn’t know how. So I made her leave.

IRINA
I was supposed to die nine times already, at least.
The nine ghosts of my opponents follow me around like reminders. Their gaunt faces, their expressions of pain, the fear in their eyes when they realize death has come for them. They have stuck with me all this time.
I’m not supposed to be here. I was supposed to go out fighting.
So I am doing nothing now. I am just existing. I am just doing it thousands of miles away from where I started. And I am doing it alone.
Then I meet a man I could fall in love with in a blink.
And I have to make a decision.
Should I blink?

EASON
Every morning there is a choice. To get up, or not.
That’s my choice. To go on, or give in.
And on most days—recently, at least—I get up and go on.
But it’s never gonna be enough. Ever .
Just breathing is hard.
Then I meet a girl who is so incredibly sweet. So perfect, and pretty, and innocent that the pain in my chest fades when she’s around.
Until I find out who she killed on that fateful day seven years ago.

Written by New York Times bestselling author, JA Huss, Sick Hate is story of love, lost and found, starting over, and learning to let go and live on. It is the second book in the Sick World Series.

[Kay Daniels (Kay Daniels Romance) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book did not go the way I thought it would. It was on a totally different level than book one and Eason and Irina's journey was sweet, but also quite heartbreaking.

It is seven years after the first book and the survivors may have left the sick world they were living in, but are they actually thriving or just surviving?

Maart has started an actual legit MMA fight club and several of his kids, now young adults, are prize fighters earning and winning their own money and titles. Most, but Irina, are moving on, most this is, except the girl who ran away when she didn't take well to being set aside.

For most of this book I wasn’t sure what was going to happen between Maart and Irina, but I will say I was on the edge of my seat until I found out.

And then I was introduced to Eason and once again I was blown away by this world and the sad injustices that have befallen upon everyone.

From a new perspective Eason gives us the flip side of how things could have been and how things are after the escape. Eason and Irina are opposite in just about every way, but they are also very similar. Their brokenness and bonding over the sickness they both lived, well, I couldn't look away.

Perspective is such a unique thing and when seen through someone else's eyes, it can open up a whole new world, and Eason and Irina share worlds within worlds that make them unbreakable.

So far, this series is unlike anything I've ever read, but it's definitely a series that can make you stop and appreciate the world around you.

[Bookobsession83 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This right here is what I love about reading!
Sick Hate is book 2 in the Sick World Series.
If you haven’t read Sick Heart - do it!
This story takes place several years after book 1 ends.

Everyone from Cort van Breda’s camp is “free” and is living life as best as they can. Trying to find a new “normal”. Some still train, some have moved away to go to school and some have embraced their past and fight professionally.

Irina went to Miami to start over and is trying to live her life but can’t forget and let go of her past. It haunts her daily and she can’t move past the girl she was on the rock and the things she was forced to endure.
Sure, she has found a job and a friend who by extension becomes “found family” but she is still angry and haunted and she has to hide who she was as best as she can.

Enter Eason.
He comes from the same messed up world that Irina was from but his story is so very different and heartbreaking.
They share the same pain and can be open and honest with one another about all the dark thoughts and memories they have and hold on to.
He opens Irinas eyes a little more about that world and it was just what she needed.

These two help each other learn how to adjust to life after years of the unthinkable.
Just because you escaped it doesn’t mean it all just goes away.
One camp might have ended and some of the main players were taken out but it doesn’t ever stop.
This world is dark, raw, heart wrenching and terrifying.

This book had such a hold on me and I would absolutely recommend this series.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy Wow!

This book was ridiculously good! I think Eason and Irina may be my favorite characters in this series. This book takes place several years after Sick Heart, and Irina has left Brazil to go to Miami. She was mad at Maart for not allowing her to continue to train and left.  This book actually has two different story lines… the one with Eason and Irina, and a second with Maart and Macks aka Beth. Macks is the reporter who covered all the Ring of Fire fights.

Years later, she has built a life for herself. She owns a small condo and works as needed at a restaurant that her friend Nandy’s family owns. When she thinks she is ready to start fighting again, this is when she meets Eason and he agrees to train her. Although, what she doesn’t know is that he has his own agenda. He is mad at Cort for taking away his ability to fight him and for killing his owner.  There is more to this story but I don’t want to ruin it for you.

Each of Eason and Irina’s truths start coming out slowly, and they realize who they really want to take out are the other owners that are still buying children for the fights.  Maart is trying to find Irina since he feels bad at how they left things, but he and Beth (Macks) start getting closer and closer too once her truths are revealed as well.

Man there is so much that happens in this book, but if I say anymore, it would give away too much! So I am just going to say that you NEED TO READ THIS!!! Its so good!

I received a free copy of this book via the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Chantelle Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sick Hate

3.5 rounded up to 4

Irina’s story is one I didn’t think I needed, but am so glad it was told.
When I started this series, I only knew the tropes, not really any other info on what the story was about. Be sure to check trigger warnings.
This is a story told from within the human/child trafficking world. This is book 2 in the Sick World Series. It’s a love story told in a dark, twisted world.

As a child fighter, Irina, knew nothing other than survival. She fought for her life daily, literally. When she is no longer being forced to fight for her life, she is left in a world she’s knows nothing about. She’s never dated or kissed a man. She doesn’t know how to live any other way than the way she’s lived for years-sleeping on a rice mat, eating dehydrated chicken, I’m the Miami apartment she owns. No bells and whistles, no decor, nothing other than the necessities needed to survive.

Eason “Dead Eyes” Malone comes from a different child training camp. One where he was lavished with gifts and vacations the more he won. When he is a step away from being on top and has it all ripped away from him, all he wants is revenge for the people that took that from him. Cort Van Breda and Maart Cavahlo.

This is a story about love in unexpected situations, finding someone that just gets you when no one else does. I truly enjoyed how Irina evolved throughout this story and I love her character so much.

This is a series I probably wouldn’t have picked up based on the blurb (just not my typical read), but I am so glad I did. The world building makes you feel immersed in the lives of these characters and their stories of survival and love.

[Sharon in SF · Rating 5 out of 5]

Irina literally fought every day to survive a horrific past in Brazil. Now, several years later, the 20's-ish young lady lives in a small condo she bought in Miami. She's banked the money earned from winning the MMA-style fights so the only "job" she has is occasionally waitressing at her favorite restaurant where the owners have become her pseudo-family. She maintains a low-key lifestyle unaware people from her past are looking for her.
Eason, our MMC, grew up in a parallel world to Irina's so when they finally meet, they share an unspoken connection because of their paths.
JA Huss created this world with characters with complex emotions due to their respective pasts. To truly appreciate Irina and Eason's story, one should read Sick Heart (ideally before). Sick Hate takes us on a journey of the aftermath following the life they escaped and how they're adjusting in a world they've never known. Each carries secrets, scars and beliefs they slowly share with the other. The insights they come to realize rocks their world to a point where it could shatter them, or will they have the resiliency to reset enough to move forward?
I absolutely love JA Huss because of the intricate, thought-provoking stories she writes with characters you don't find in other stories! This book does not end on a cliffhanger, but the author has told us another book is coming in this world, and I can't wait!!!

[Kristin Reh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sick Hate by J.A. Huss is the second story in the Sick World series and continues the tale of several characters from Sick Heart approximately seven years later. Sick Hate is told from varying POV’s of Irina, Maart, and Eason. We find each character living and trying to adjust to their freedom from the fight camps and the Ring of Fire where they were forced to fight to the death to survive. This story shows the struggle to adapt and accept that won the prize of their freedom yet that did not necessarily create the happy life they dreamed of.

For me I found this a story of growing up. Maart was seeing Irina as an adult after they won their freedom in Sick Heart, but Irina’s perception of herself and their relationship was not the same. Sometimes you have to step away to see the bigger picture. When Irina meets Eason in Miami it shifts the storyline a bit to include fate or people coming into your life when you are meant to see them and see some of their traits in yourself. Hence, fate is also a part of growing up for Irina. If she had met Eason at a different time, she may not have recognized their pull towards each other.

For me J.A. Huss writes a book like no other author. I never know where the story line will take me, so I let go and enjoy the ride when Julie takes the wheel.

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was provided an ARC of Sick Hate in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 ⭐️
0.5 🌶

• Dual POV
• Slow Burn
• He falls first
• Dark Past
• Found Family

Sick Hate is set seven years after Sick Heart.
This is Irina's story, her escape and new beginnings.

Irina is holding onto hate against those responsible for her past life and the wrongs they caused. She also wants to start fresh. Moving to South Beach, she has a job, a condo, and a best friend. Irina is going through the motions of life but not really living it.

She crosses paths with Eason  who reminds her of her past. They are both stuck in a dark hole of sorts. Eason learns things that tip his world and everything he knows when in the camps upside down, causing him to re-evaluate his life. Irina is in the same position as what she has learnt from Eason.

Both Irina and Eason are incredible characters. Strong, resilient, sweet, and deserving. They grow as individuals and together. Moving forward with their lives after their tumultuous upbringings. Finding trust, respect, and love with one another is the life they both deserve.
It's a super sweet, slow burn with a dark past. Has some chapters from side characters, which give an additional POV.

The book ends with HEA all around. Well written with great characters. The 3.5 stars is that it was a bit slow pacing for my usual tastes.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s been 2.5 years since I read the first book in this series, so I was pretty excited to get into this one. Some of my memories of the first book were a little blurry, but I was soon caught up in the opening chapters. I liked seeing the perspectives of Maart, Irina and Eason. I could see that the relationship between Maart and Irina were strained over time and they were functioning in the world apart.

Determined to track down Irina, Eason had a purpose, and having the challenge was good for him. I liked that they had a lot in common and they bonded due to their pasts. It wasn’t easy for either of them and they had both struggled to find their place in the world, but seemed to function better together. Their connection grew slowly which turned into great chemistry, despite Irina trying to deny it. Eason showed Irina what she was missing out on, he gave her a lot of first experiences.

This read didn’t have the same impact as the first book. It felt like it was a fill in read before the third book comes. It was set seven years after the first book, and it was more like us getting to know the characters when they are older and meeting Eason. It has set us up for the third book, so it will be interesting when all the characters reunite (which was hinted at in the EOBS). I wasn’t blown away by this read, but it was still good.

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites written by JA Huss!

First, I have to say that I LOVE JA Huss's books. I have devoured every one of them. She is such a great author. I was not disappointed with this book, but it took me by surprise. I kept waiting for the shoe to drop. I have never been on such pins and needles while reading. I have no doubt the next book will be where the shoe drops! I cannot wait for it!! I must say that I'm so glad Maart called Cort, for Cort's response gave me such peace that all would be right in the end. Such an unexpected story. I loved Irina. She is strong, humble, intelligent, and has an innocence that makes you want to protect her emotionally. I loved her good friend, Nandy, for that as well. Eason had to grow on me. He certainly earned my loyalty. Their differences, as well as their similarities, between the two made made my heart ache. They are perfect for each other. This romance is a slow burn, so beautifully penned. This is a "thinking" book. One I'll think on for a time. Can't wait to listen to it as well! This is one of my favorite books by Julie.

[Ashs_Bookstash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sick Hate ARC by @jahuss
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 🌶️🌶️

This is the second book in the Sick World Series. This is a stand-alone BUT I completely recommend to read Sick Heart first for the whole story. Here we get to see the stories of Irina & Maart post-escape from the sick world. But did they really stop it? Did they really escape?

Irina thought so, before she met Eason. He knows who she is, where she came from, and knows what they did in the jungle…and he wants revenge. But then he hears Irina’s whole story…she is strong and independent and so innocent he can’t help but fall for her. They are both battling so many demons but their connection was so sweet, how they understood each other and what they both experiences and needed to heal❤️

“ “Every time? It feels like that every time?” “No. But with us it would.” 🥹

This book was way more of a romance than book 1. There’s actually two relationships that develop, Irina & Eason, and Maart and “Beth”, which is the cutest little side relationship.

Read if you like:
✖️Dark past
✖️Friends to lovers
✖️He falls first
✖️Bad as* hero/heroine
✖️Touch her and die vibes
✖️Sick world/evil bad guys
✖️Found family
✖️Multiple POV

😵Book 3 in the works and getting back to the action…cannot wait!!

[Mary Forster · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m so glad this book is out

First off J.A., you did an amazing job with this book and the story. Such an emotional connection to the characters and just being able to understand and feel as if you are part of them, it’s amazing. So awesome job.

I’m glad Irina got her story. You are able to understand why she is the way she is and how her mind works. She is also fighting battles with herself and just trying to go through life. When Dead Eyes meets her and comes into her life, it changes things but not for the worse, for the better. Eason aka Dead Eyes also has his own story but also he is living almost like Irina in certain ways. Being able to see how their story goes and what the face with each other, really touches you deeply.

For Maart and how you get a peak into his story and understand him just a little bit better. I really do like Maart just as much as Curt. He’s a good man.

I did not expect a part to happen in the book (towards the end) but I’m so glad that it did. That showed you what type of people they will become. It’s nice to see how several of them were doing with their life.

Such an amazing book and can’t wait for the next one.