Fighting for You

Lifesworn #2

by Megan Derr

All Penli wants to be is left alone. After nearly a decade of blood, violent soldiering, and a lifetime of enduring his cold, ambitious family, it's almost a relief to be practically alone in the middle of a desert kingdom with no way to return home because of the warrant out for his arrest.

The very last thing he needs is to be consumed by a fit of honor and nobility—but he would much rather die than ever see the two sweet, intriguing men who cross his path forced apart, one to be thrown to the streets, the other to marry a malicious bully Penli has despised for years.

Though he means only to free them, having no desire to marry after barely escaping one unwanted marriage, with each passing day Penli fears the only thing more difficult than throwing his life away will be resisting the urge to build a new one with two men he barely knows.

Genres: Fantasy, M M M, M M Romance, Romance, Menage, Polyamory, Historical

104 pages, ebook

First published April 16, 2018

About the author

Megan is a long time resident of queer romance and keeps herself busy reading and writing it. She is often accused of fluff and nonsense. When she’s not involved in writing, she likes to cook, harass her wife and cats, or watch movies. She loves to hear from readers and can be found all over the internet.

meganderr.com
patreon.com/meganderr
meganderr.blogspot.com
facebook.com/meganaprilderr
meganaderr@gmail.com
@meganaderr

Reviews

[Sofia · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I read this I was not aware that it was a second book in a series. In fact the story could well enough stand on its own though there were some details which felt skipped over probably due to the length of the book and the writing style.

If your tipple is 'sweet' than this is the story just for you, it is a sweet story about sweet people, wearing sweet clothes, having sweet sex and sweet friends. What more can one ask for unless that is you prefer to drink something different.

an arc gently provided by author/publisher via Netgalley

[ReviewerLarissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review for Bookwinked.com

Fighting for you is the second book in the Lifesworn series by Megan Derr and published by Nine Star Press. I’ll admit to not reading the first book in the series, but I got curious when I read the blurb for this one. I’m very happy I did so too, because I liked this short story. If I wasn’t reviewing this book, it would have gotten a five star rating.

On to the review!

The story
The story is set around Penli – Lord William Kerry Penlington – who has followed his friend Shanna to the kingdom of Remnien. Her story is told in the first book in the series: Lifesworn. There is a lifelong rivalry between Penli and another lord from that kingdom, the bully Tishashanti. When Penli meets Tishanshanti’s fiance he can’t stand idly by and has to help Teia and his lifesword Sendaar. What ensues is a romance and a series of challenges that might cost Penli everything.

The characters
The story is told from Penli’s point of view and as a reader you get a full view of him, his character, his thoughts and motivation. He tries to come off as rough and tough, but he is a softy at heart. I loved how he tried to help Teia and Sendaar. His interactions with them are cute and sweet and oh yeah, very hot too!

The story relies heavily on the introduction of some of the characters in the previous story. There are some inside jokes you get when you read the first book – which I really have to do soon!

What I found harder was that Teia and Sendaar are mere bystanders in the story. We get a good view of them through Penli and the main focus of the story is on him, but they played an important role, yet even though they are sweet and you see the devotion the two have for each other and for Penli, it was hard to see the full picture. The story is also short, so I get why the focus is on Penli, but I would have loved to get more info on Teia and Sendaar. It also would have given the story a rounder feel. There was no interaction with Teia’s family either even if they played a big role in the conflict.

The writing
The writing is classic Megan Derr. It’s strong, flowing and draws you straight into the story and makes it so you just can’t help but love the characters and the story itself. I always love the details you get in stories by this author. Details on the surroundings, clothes and the world without it being an info dump. The world of the Lifesworn is an interesting fantasy world.

My opinion
I loved this story! My only issue was not getting enough of it and the lack of page-time for the secondary characters. From the first page I was drawn into the story and wanted to see Penli get his happily ever after. The story is also a set-up for the next story in the world and I’m already curious as we got a glimpse of Omar in this story.

You can read Fighting for you without reading the first book in the series, but you do miss some of the story and the insight into Shanna and her partner’s characte

[Relly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good second book

4 ⭐️

Great addition to this series.
I really enjoyed Penli and his need to help Teia and Sendaar stay together and to give them a choice with how to live their lives.
I enjoyed the tournament and the challenges given. The three of them together are well done.
Looking forward to completing the series.

[Lila Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to follow at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.

ARC provided by NineStar Press in exchange for an honest review.

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet little relationship developing between Penli and his boys. It came as a surprise, out of a random meeting, but Penli just can't let the sweetness he sees between Teia and Sendaar be destroyed in a horrid marriage to his arch-nemesis. He knows how horrible Teia's fiance is and the first thing he would do would be to split up the two lifesworn.

This was all sweetness. Penli doesn't know why he's so driven to challenge for the right to marry Teia, but he knows letting the poor man be forced into a marriage with Tishashanti isn't right. But the further he gets in the challenge the more he cares about making the two men his own. Penli may not be in his own country, but his heart is true and noble. And of course his friendship with Shanna is a strong support for him between her and her husbands.

I'm looking forward to seeing how everything concludes and sets Shanna back on to her thrown.

[Carly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't read book, which isn't 100% necessary but would have helped immensely with the backstory so I highly recommend doing so. I really enjoyed this. The characters are fun and engaging. Their emotional connection is well developed as it progresses throughout the story, which I love. Definitely recommend if you're looking for a fun fairytale type romance. With a dashing hero who comes to the rescue!

[Emilye · Rating 5 out of 5]

If It’s A Challenge You Want…

Lifesworn2

This is a delightful trilogy! It moves so swiftly in its channel, tripping over obstacles and diversions, while moving inexerably onward.

Penli is adrift. He made sure that Shanna was reunited with her lifesworn protectors and had a place of safety to regroup and plan to retake her kingdom. But, he is lonely. Having left much of his wealth and wardrobe behind, he is adjusting to the exigencies of his new life, if not with aplomb, at least with grace.

That is, until he meets a pair of gentle souls that he cannot walk away from. He thought he had stamped out that romantic streak long ago; but, alas, he was only self-deluded. Lord Teia and Master Sendaar engage him, when Penli thought ennui was to be his life partner. And, he cannot let his greatest enemy break them with a patented cruelty.

So, Penli does what was never done for him - step in between a fate worse than death and its wielder - to give Teia and Sendaar a choice. ::Sniff:: So beautiful!

[Book Gannet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is adorable – Penli is adorable. There really is no other way I can describe it, even though it also has three-way menage sex scenes and Penli would quite like to kill his horrible rival. But still, the whole thing is ridiculously cute and sweet and adorable.

Admittedly, it’s all about Penli and the two men he’s fighting for and hopes to marry don’t really get much personality to share between them. They are younger than him, but I have no idea by how much, and despite them being widely travelled, they’re sweetly naive and willing to let Penli handle everything. It might have been nice if there had been more life to either/both of them.

However, this is all about Penli and I liked him enough that I didn’t mind the lack in the others. Or, really, the lack of background for him. There are details there, but I definitely felt like I was missing a fair few things because I haven’t read book one. Again, I didn’t mind, because I liked Penli. Did I mention that yet?

Ah, Penli. An incredible soldier and nobleman who is tired of killing and who really, really, really likes his clothes. Those who don’t know him well dismiss him as a flimsy fop, but he is so much more than this – while also being exactly as he portrays himself. I love that looking good isn’t an artifice for him; he’s not playing a part, he really is that vain, but he’s also strong and ruthless when he has to be. There are so many facets to him, and although some of his moping got close to annoying, he’s adorable and I forgave him most of his foolishness.

So, as I said, this is very sweet (with sex, so not that kind of sweet romance). Penli is adorable and this book is all Penli, romantic yet cynical, vain but honourable Penli. It’s a classic Megan Derr tale and, despite its drawbacks, I found it a thoroughly enjoyable read. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for more.

(ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.)

[Magnolia · Rating 3 out of 5]

From Magnolia Reviews: Three Petals

The characterizations in this story were extremely well written. I loved how the depth of the characters allowed for the romance to really blossom. However, the author neglected to remind the reader of what happened to Penli in book one of this series. While I do recommend this book, I suggest you reread book one first so you won't be confused.

Read the full review on Maggie's website: http://magnoliareviews.weebly.com/rev...

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story combines the fairy tale sweetness of a white knight rescuing a person in distress with more than a touch of naughty kink due to it being about a menage relationship with mild d/s elements.

I think there were a few plot and character development elements that could have been adjusted to punch up the intensity of the relationship and the suspense around the central conflict. But, overall this is a very enjoyable story that I'm glad to have read.

[Johannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful and charming

Derr does an amazing job of creating a sweeping, complex world and beautifully drawn, equally complex characters to populate it. The story of how three different men come together to each be exactly what the others need is a careful balance of epic adventure and epic romance. It is a fitting sequel to the first book in the trilogy and sets the stage for the culmination of the story in book three.

[Lain · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the first book in this series, Waiting for You, which is one of the few MMF books I've read in my lifetime. This addition is shorter than Waiting for You and that's where the (very, very minor) issues cropped up. I didn't have enough time to really connect with the characters. But the writing was on point and the atmosphere Megan Derr created made it ease to get lost in the story. I finished this in under a day.

I liked this story and look forward to reading the next.

[RavenT · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novella and like the protagonist, Penli, very much. He's a warrior who's tired of battle, wounded in spirit and in need of the finer pleasures of life: friends, love, and the promise of a peaceful home. This is a MMM story, and it's one threesome I can believe in. The main character was interesting and his POV drove the emotional arc while his action scenes were exciting. But the secondary couple were sympathetic as the ones that needed to be rescued.

[Jess Gabriel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just okay for me. I could never really connect with the characters and I didn't feel the tension that I love. This appears to be the second in a series, so I may have been better off reading book 1 first.

I don't believe I've read anything by this author before, so this may be a fantastic read for her fans.

*Provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Whitney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this story however Teia and Sendaar should have been developed more.

[Dragana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

[Viki · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice treat after hours of cleaning the house.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book. Penli is delightful with his crumb cakes, clothing, and his murderous competency, and I love the questing (or series of tasks, whatever) he does to simply do the right thing.

[A.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

PENLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-

[Susan Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of Fighting for You by Megan Derr via IndiGo Marketing & Design in exchange for an honest review. I fell in love with Penli when he was in Waiting for You, the first book in the Lifesworn series. He embraces all parts of his personality, including everything from being the Queen’s assassin to his love of fine clothes and jewelry. He also enjoys liaisons regardless of gender, which is not uncommon in the world Derr has created for these books. Given his past and his current situation of having a price on his head in his home country, Penli does not want to marry. When he becomes involved with not one, but two, attractive young men, he does so to give them their freedom. I thoroughly enjoyed the literal trials he undergoes in this quest. He manages to prove himself to the pair and his own conscience as well. It also was fun to see what other characters from the first book were doing, which led to the hook for the final book. I can’t wait!

[K.B. Rainwater · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the MC

This book was an absolute delight. Penli is utterly wonderful. He loves clothes, is absolutely lethal when he needs to be, and is a dom in the bedroom. It's like he's raising a giant middle finger to all expectations and stereotypes and just going about doing what he wants.