Brawler

North Star #2

by Tracey Ward

Timing is everything, especially a bitch.

Jenna Monroe never cared which side of the tracks I was from. She didn't care what my reputation was, what my face looked like, or what my body could do. She never asked for anything but me. The real me.
The boxer.
The orphan.
The animal.

I met her my senior year when she was just a thirteen year old kid with honest eyes and fire in her veins. She was the greatest friend I'd ever known and I loved her like blood. I fought for her, I protected her, and as she grew older, I wanted her. Now my biggest worry isn't how to keep her safe from the world.

It's how the hell am I going to keep her safe from me?

*Due to language and sexual content, this book is recommended for readers 18+.

Brawler is told from Kellen's point of view with new elements of the story not covered in Knockout. Both Knockout and Brawler can be read independently of each other and in no particular order.

Genres: New Adult, Romance, Friends To Lovers, Fighters, Sports, Contemporary Romance, Sports Romance

First published November 1, 2014

About the author

I was born in Oregon and studied English Literature at the University of Oregon (Go Ducks!) My husband and my son are my world.

The best way to keep up on my newest releases, giveaways, and sales is to follow me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tracey...

Reviews

[Fre06 Begum · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to read this even tho I was not a fan of the main characters in the first book. This book helped to understand Kellen a lot better and I felt a little warmer towards him but I still did not like or respect him as a person for the choices he made in life and feeling sorry for himself, Jenna too I still find annoying for how obsessed she was with him I know she was in love with him but she should have respected the fact that he was her sisters boyfriend I know Laney was not a nice person but still that was her sister and I may sound like a prude but there has to be some boundaries and I believe your sisters long term boyfriend (who keeps pushing you away) should be one of them! The writing was well done just could not connect to either main characters.

[Athena Que Será, Será · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated this book!
From the synopsis I read about this book, I thought the H would be a really possessive guy. But nope!
The H dated the h's sister for so many years and even got engaged to her while he had feelings for the h (it seems). Basically the H lacked a backbone and the h was equally pathetic who chased after the H even when he was dating her sister.
The h's dad's reaction was totally unrealistic. Lemme tell you dear author... no dad, I repeat NO DAD will be ok about this whole arrangement. He was giving his blessings to the H to date his younger daughter (h) as soon as he called off their engagement with his long time girlfriend aka his eldest daughter. Wtf!!!
The h kept panting after the H all through the years. I hate doormat heroines!

[Adrienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was alright. The story was engaging; but after it was over I realized that I had a major problem with the fact that the hero Kellen spent 8 years with the heroine's sister. I could have understood the relationship when he was young but for it to continue as he got older, and for Jenna to just accept it? I don't think so.

[✮ rach ✮ · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 76%

Kellan was too selfish and didn't have the balls to do anything other than string Laney and Jenna along. he goes on about how Jenna is the one he loves, but continues to fuck around with Laney. It's easier that way and he has no backbone. Not the type of guy I find attractive.

And Jenna had no problems going after her sister's boyfriend. Laney and Kellan's relationship wasn't ideal but Laney was her sister. But that obviously meant nothing to her.

I tried to finish this book but neither main character was likeable. I actually liked Laney more by the time I gave up

[J · Rating 1 out of 5]

Review combined with Knockout (h's pov) Both shows zhero having explicit sex/relationship, engaged to h's sister while supposedly loving h. No one forced him to be with the sister over and over again. They kept breaking up, going back together, they were together 6 yrs or so? since she was 16, him 17 (h was just 13 ) so I get why they werent together but once he realized he loved her why keep going and being with sister? just disgusting, no amount of bad childhood etc could erase that, sorry. Most of the book was with him and sister, small portion was about his relationship with h.

[Pau · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only write reviews when I really loved or hated a book I've read. Sadly with this one, I'm writing it because of the latter.

I suffered through this book thinking it was going to stop making me feel sad and angry at some point but it never did.

I started off liking Jenna and Keller but by the end I couldn't stand either of them or their interactions.

I wouldn't recommend it.

[SoBeA · Rating 3 out of 5]

 Love, love love that this is from the H's pov, and totally got sucked in by the writing ..what I didn't like, and kept me from going any higher than 3.5 stars was that the H spent far, far too much of the story with someone other than the h... Can you say grrrr? 

[Vallsykes]

The first love triangle was daunting enough. Why read about it from the hero's perspective?

I am not really a fan of the same story, different POV sequels.

[Jinx · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Good: A lot of Kellan's relationship with Laney was bypassed only stopping long enough to address certain key points from Knockout which I'm terribly grateful for.

The Bad: Having to relive Jenna's heartache from Kellan's POV made me sadder than having to live it through her eyes because being apart of Kellan's irrational thoughts made me feel all the more helpless towards Jenna's situation. His insecurities regarding his sense of self-worth were understandable but... Jenna deserved so much more for her loyalty than the hurt feelings she continuously suffered at the hands of her sisters sloppy seconds.

The Ugly: Kellan in no way shape or form redeemed himself. In fact he just looked even more selfish, uncaring and self-absorbed. He knew how Jenna felt about him and didn't hesitate to string her along. He was so confident that no matter how hard he pushed Jenna would always be there. That's exactly what he did for eight years he pushed and pushed and pushed and there was sweet little Jenna with open arms and an open heart.

I hope that in the next book Kellan at least resolves some of his problems. I would hate for Jenna to have wasted all of this time pinning her hopes and dreams on a boy so hell bent on making both their lives miserable.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love with girl. She loves him back. Everything is perfect. The end. That would be a boring story. That is not a Tracey Ward story. Oh, Kellen met Jenna, loved her, she loved him…but their love story could never be described as easy or perfect. Brawler is told from Kellen’s point of view. It is a raw and intense story about an emotionally damaged man, his friendship and love for a woman, and his journey to find happiness and peace.

Kellen and Jenna started out as friends. Above all else, they had a mutual fondness and acceptance for one another. Being together just felt natural and right. Their friendship grew over the years and they began to develop deeper feelings for one another. Sounds simple enough, but there was absolutely nothing simple about it.

Brawler is a messy love story that is filled with tension and angst. It has a love triangle that will make you cringe while it breaks your heart. Tracey Ward has created characters that are likeable and real. You might not always agree with the decisions that they make, you might want to scream at them, and it might hurt, but that’s what makes it so good. There is also a lot of great dialogue and witty banter. I just had to mention Callum – I loved him! He was the perfect balance to Kellen’s serious nature.

*4.5 Stars*

[Annmarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I understood him better in this book but still hated his choices to hurt Jenna by dating Laney and having sex with her. Laney throws it in her face even after its out that she cheated on Kellen and shes getting married to Max and preggers. She makes comments about their sex. I hated LAney, never ever liked her. But i also didnt like Kellen for hurting Jenna and pushing her away but feeding her just enough crumbs to keep her heart with him. Can't get past the asshole moves. I do get his behavior about sex but not his choices. and proposing to Laney and getting married! ugh, that was just beyond the beyond. But it all turns around after the accident and he comes to his senses. Things are not perfect but its a good direction if you like Jenna and Kellen together. Why is it such a big deal if LAney and Kellen never loved each other and Laney cheated? frig, so stupid. Jenna should have stayed with Alexander. He really liked her, maybe loved. But its all good for Laney and Kellen at the end with a proposal, a heartfelt one. I dont know if I would have waited for him though. No, def not. But that's me.

[Alex(Books-In-A-Storm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://books-in-a-storm.tumblr.com/p...

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on iBooks today (4/13/2019)! 🎁

[Haya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad

I got to understand Kellen more. Why he started dating Laney in the first place and so on.

When he got back with Laney after calling him "white trash" ,because she was "familiar" to him and he wanted to stop himself from getting with Jenna. I thought he deserved everything that's happened to him. After all he brought it all on himself. Right?

Good thing at the end of the book he admitted how stupid he was, and I started liking him again a little.

But I still don't think he deserves Jenna. I don't want them together. I want them happy with other people.

It's just that... God! He's been with Jenna's sister for far too long. She should have found someone else by now and moved on.

[Karen Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in this series, but both can stand alone. I read the first book and loved it and I might have loved this book more.

This was the same story as the first, but told from the male POV. You might think that knowing where the story was going would decrease the excitement, but it didn't. Tracey Ward's stories are character driven, so looking at the story from a new perspective does make this an entirely different book.

I LOVED seeing Kellen's POV and getting to know more of his complicated back story. Some of his choices and actions in "Knockout" (book 1)didn't make sense until I read this book. He is a very complex character. He tries to live his life on the surface. He is good looking and smart and on the surface his life looks great. To please everyone else he keeps everything about him that is less than pleasant hid. And there is a lot of turmoil inside this character due to his past.

His relationship with Jenna makes sense, is complex, deep, real and beautiful. There is no instalove based on only physical attraction, because that is what Kellen gets from everyone else. Instead there is respect and acceptance and trust. And it's formed over years of ups and downs.
They are fantastic together. Their dialog is clever and evolves as they age and their relationship grows.

There will be a third book in this series and I will definitely be one of the first to buy one. (Because I'm all fangirl on Tracey Ward now.) I have to read more of her work because I become a better writer when I do. Everyone else should read her work because it is so exciting to find an author like this early in their career and read all their stuff and then brag later that you were in from the beginning.

[Cyndi Hackett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was shock when I round out their was a book explaining Kellen's POV. As I started to the read the story I was surprised at how quickly I was drawn into the story. It helped so many things for me. It explained how Keller met Dan, how he become a fixture at the Monroe family, what his first thoughts were of Jeanne and Lan, and his constant struggle with overcoming his demons. I loved the story. It answer somany questions I had with reading Knock Out. Like he really thought Jeanne was just a cute innocence 13 year old girl that was smart and sassy. How he thought Alan was sexy and fast. We witness the first time he realized she Jeanne was no longer a little girl but a young woman. We got to watch as he continued to fall into the trap of Lan. In Knock Out I was so mad at Kellen when they were in NY and that night n the hotel room with Lam. I was thinking, how could he do that with Jeanne in the other room. But to hear his side of the story, it was the beginning of the end with him and Lan. Well that's my opinion. Yes a lot of this story was not spent with Jeanne, but it still explained so much that was happening with Kellen. Like the conversation in the taxi cab before the accident. And my biggest surprise was Cullium. Who knew Kellen had someone in this corner telling him he needed to get his life together. I can't wait for the last book. I hope it will bring their happiness to a close. I so want to see Alan expression when she realize Kellen and Jeanne are hopefully happy together.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨5 Stars✨-Amazing (couldn't put the book down-dangerous addiction),

EMOTIONALLY RAW READ

Book written in Kellen's POV; This is a 3 part series but book 1 is one POV and this, book 2, is another POV. They don't necessarily repeat themselves, just a few snippets here and there but mostly they fill in the gaps for each other. The third book, is a continuation afterwards to just kind of tie it together. No cliffhanger, it just kind of ends. If you continue with the 3rd and final book you can see what happens after. Prepare your self for a long ride. You won't be disappointed.

Honestly, after reading the first book in Jenna's POV, I could understand her feelings, and maybe at times I wanted to choke Kellen. But after reading his POV, I understand him so much more and I felt for him. If possible I fell in love even more with Kellen after reading this book. I didn't want to put this book down. Nicely written. The story wrapped me up and took me along for a real and raw ride. What a roller coaster. Can't wait to read installment 3 and see how things turn out and maybe find out a little more and fall in love with the character deeper. I'm ready to get back on the ride and finish it.

[Chelsea]

Okay when this book was recommended to me and I started reading it I didn't realize it was the second book in a series. So before I say this I might go back and read Jenna's book because she was the ONLY reason I read so far in to this one that I did. Also this book is REALLY LONG. Kellan literally made me want to stab myself in the eye. Or maybe stab him in the eye. It doesn't matter. All of his decision making skills and justifications were shit, and just made me want to punch him more. I couldn't take it. I had to to give up. Not matter how bad I wanted to see where it went with Jenna there was no way I my mind it could go any where with her after he had foolishly been with her sister for so long.

So zero stars because I didn't finish it so I can't properly rate it. Tapped out at 36%.

Also authors can we quit naming bitches and weirdos Chelsea. I've yet to find one good Chelsea :(.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is funny, smart, and devastating all at the same time. This is not your regular type NA romance, it is so much more than that. The second in the North Star series, this brings us Kellen's POV, and the timeline spans roughly about a decade. For those who have already read Knockout, this book makes it really very clear why the main character Kellen is the way he is and who he really is on the inside, and it broke my heart.

Brawler is also peppered with some pretty amazing characters, be they central to the story or not. Tracey Ward's sense of humour is seen throughout Brawler and she is damn funny. You want a good laugh and a good cry all at once? This. This here book is for you.

[☆Joycedale☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this more than Knockout and I gave it 5 stars.
Tracey does an amazing job of telling the story from Kellen's side. It also explained so much more of how it all happened. Although I still don't like that he was with Laney so long at least I understand it now.
I also really liked Callum too. Wish he'd been in the story more.

I was given an ecopy by the author.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was enjoyable however I couldn't give it more stars because it frustrated me. Most of the book was focused on Kellen's relationship with someone else. I understand why but after so long I was ready to put the book down. Thankfully when I got to that point things got better. I love Kellen's and Jenna's connection.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am admittedly biased. :)

[Lenna Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly repeated from Knockout but this is from Kellen’s p.o.v. But is also with the toxic cheating Laney and him with the occasional time with Jenna. All his dark secrets, pasts and the ugliness of what he went through and still fights daily with.
I don’t and didn’t like Laney from neither book and this one makes her downright disdain in her actions and rubbing her and Kellen into Jenna’s shaky feelings. I’m glade she confessed her cheating on Kellen even still is, heck her parent knew she was and they didn’t say anything to Kellen, really? Dan should have told him anyways, his oldest daughter is trouble and he supposed to help Kel with the truth, why didn’t he?
I skimmed a lot I couldn’t read him with the wh0re Laney and also the repeated parts but the rest I did read and to read what happened in his childhood was dark and to see why he shuts down with the ladies and try his hardest to be fully there with Jenna is understandable. That’s why I gave it 4.

[Sharon Ryder Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually liked this novel as well as the first but this novel covers nearly everything said and done in the first novel... it seems to be from a different point of view, his rather than hers. Would of been better putting both views with in the first novel as reading it all again made no sense at all.

[Nerissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars very well written. I liked Keller but he wasn’t my kind of hero. Although he started to face his problems, I found him quite weak. That he stayed with Laney so long to me was either not believable or unbelievably weak.

[Kerry Harteker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written

This book tearsvat your heart. First you want to really kick someones ass then you want to gtab on and never let go. The ups and downs are heart wrenching to see. There is so much feeling and emotion.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow Kellan had so much stuff bottled up and it shows that we all do and keep the one's that we love at arm's length because we don't think we deserve them this book was real and it was heartbreaking and beautiful I loved Jenna and I loved how she always loved Kellan even when things were bad

[Michelle Padilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was basically a recap of the first book, except told in Jenna perspective.

[Beachbaby]

In boxed set - "North Star - The Complete Series Box Set"

[Pria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review in the final book. Can't go without saying "Wow".