Fighting Jacob

Perception #2

by Shandi Boyes

Jacob Walters is everyone’s favorite wingman. He’s handsome, smart, has a to-die-for laugh, and supports his friends with an unimaginable amount of strength— strength he’ll need by the truckload to break through Lola’s protective shield. She’s been burned in the past, so the last thing she wants is the attention of a man who’s infamous for flash-in-the-pan relationships.

Lola McIntosh won’t win a popularity contest anytime soon. She’s beautiful, brash, and has no qualms telling people how it is—especially the clingy neurotic men who can’t take the hint that she isn’t a “dating” type of girl. Thank God no amount of attitude will stop her from discovering how much in common two clashing personalities can have when they fight against the odds.

Fighting Jacob is a heartfelt new adult read that proves the strongest relationships are forged from their differences not their similarities. It has steamy moments and a hidden message about the fighter in all of us. Scroll up to one-click this witty, strangers-to-lovers romance!

This book has no cliffhangers and can be read as a standalone, but spoilers will occur for Saving Noah.

Genres: Romance, Sports, Sports Romance, Contemporary, Abuse

426 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 14, 2019

About the author

Shandi Boyes is a USA Today Bestselling Author who was an avid reader for many years before she discovered the love of writing in February 2016. Her first penned novel 'Perception of Life’ is a new adult rockstar romance that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat until the very last word.

In September 2016, her focus shifted to hot alpha men in steamy contemporary reads that sizzle off the pages. Shandi’s novel ‘Enigma of Life’ is an award-winning story on an FBI agent and the subject she was assigned to investigate. Her men are swoon-worthy, devoted, and alpha; and her heroines are strong-willed, determined, and loveable. You should start her stories first thing in the morning, or you may not sleep.

You will laugh and you will cry, but Shandi's characters will stay with you for a lifetime!

Join my newsletter: subscribepage.com/authorshandi

SERIES ORDER:
Perception of Life (Noah and Emily #1)
Reality of Life (conclusion of Noah's story #2)
Fight of Life (Jacob's story - standalone #3)
Player of Life (Nick & Jenny - standalone #4)
Beats of Life (Slater's story - standalone #5)

Enigma:

Enigma of Life (Isaac #1) - ** FREE **
Unraveling an Enigma (Isaac #2)
Enigma: The Mystery Unmasked (Isaac #3)
Enigma: The Final Chapter (conclusion of Isaac's story #4)
Beneath the Secrets (Hugo #1)
Beneath the Sheets (Hugo #2)
Spy Thy Neighbor (Hunter's Story)
The Opposite Effect
I Married a Mob Boss
Second Shot

Bound:

Chains
Links
Bound
Restrained

Russian Mob Chronicles:

Nikolai: A Mafia Prince Romance
Nikolai: Taking Back What's Mine
Nikolai: What's Left of Me

You will laugh and you will cry, but my characters will stay with you forever!

I love writing and reading. They are both my passion. My genre is generally set to new adult and contemporary, with a few twists thrown in.

Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/Author-Shand...

Amazon Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B01D8C13WU

Enjoy reading!

Reviews

[Allison F · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am so frustrated to say the least. I found this book thru book tok and was excited when I read the blurb and saw all the great reviews. It said it could be read a standalone but had spoilers from the previous book. This all is my opinion so others can feel free to feel different. I just want to put my thoughts out there before someone else reads thjs and wastes their time

The first 15% of the book was good. However that ended quickly.

Cons:
1. The author would create a build up for an entire scene and then not show us the outcome and switch to the other person perspective in a later time frame. It was all telling, no showing. This is one of my biggest issues when reading.
2. The side characters had way more detail about them then the actually main MC’s of this book. The two book timelines run tandem with each other but I really didn’t care about what was happening with them. I wanted a more character development on Jake and Lola. I wanted to see THEIR story play out. Not a recap of the first book.
3. Lolas entire character pissed me off at 30%. I love the push and pull in books. It’s my favorite aspect. But Lola had no reason after 5th time of pushing Jake away. He proved to her so many times his feelings for her. Her reasoning ultimately didn’t make sense to me. If the issue with her ex wasn’t resolved so quickly MAYBE I would understand her still pushing him away but after it was resolved it didn’t add up.
4. A lot of weird side conversations that had no reason to be apart of the story.
5. There was so much I felt like was missing. None of their intimate scenes were show except for the very first. Then they go on to mention things happened between the h and H, and you have yo think to yourself m I reading the same book?????

Pros:
Jake, only him. He was the only good part of this story.


I am really sad bc I feel like I was invested in these characters and kept thinking it would get better. But it didn’t. I had to finish it tho. Hopefully this helps someone else decide on weather to read it or not.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hated female character

I hated lola .Jacob deserved so much better than her. All she did was play games with him. Insisting they could only be friends then get get jealous when he was with other girls. Trying to act all tough when she was anything but. Then her little self pity parties of people not liking her but supposedly being ok with it was ridiculous. I really wish the author would have found someone better for him than her. Someone definitely more devoted to him than someone that comes off as being a sluty bitch!

[Anne Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

OUTSTANDING OH THE TWISTS AND TURNS!!!!!! A MAZZ ZZZIINNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGG
WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW
OMG The book has taken me on a massive journey. The emotion and the pulling on my heart strings. It broke my heart in places and then did a total 180 and made my heart singgggggggggggggggggggggg
Jacob Walters and Lola McIntosh have a strange friendship/relationship. Lola has had a lot go on in her past that makes her want to protect her heart even if she cant deny the chemistry between them. Between the banter and the sass. The passion, the understanding and patience between them is off the charts. Lola wasn't my favourite character to begin with I thought he was harsh but as the book went on I saw all her best qualities.
This is an outstanding read honestly this series is just mind blowing. I can not wait for the next book super super excited!!!!

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

[Yvette89 · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is book 2 put can be read as a standalone. It runs concurrently with Saving Noah. It gives a enough snapshots into that story so you will not be lost. However, it was a good read so I would recommend that you read it. Lola and Jacob meet and it's instant attraction. Jake is the type who is open to love and. He likes having a good time while he is looking. He is sweet and loyal to a fault. He is protective and will go to the end for those he cares about. Everyone loves Jake. Lola is coming off a bad relationship. It changes her outlook on everything. Her trust is at an all time low. People make quick assumptions about her and judge her harshly. She was hard to like in the beginning because her treatment of Jacob. After getting to know her and her issues she is more likable., They have a friends with benefits arrangement that is "complicated". The story is full of feelings, bad decisions, misunderstandings and a lot of love. All Jacob wants is Lola. She stubborn and insists she is bad for him. her back and forth emotional fight will give you a headache. Jake patience and steadfastness finally overcomes Lola's stubbornness.

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

[Wendy Livingstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing story!!

Lola certainly meets her match with Jacob. This is a beautifully written flawless story which had me totally enthralled throughout this additive page turner and I cannot recommend this talented authors work highly enough. I cannot wait to read Nick's story next.

[Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was not what I was hoping for. I share others' frustrations with this book, and I definitely was hoping for more from it. 


Grammatically, there were two issues I found. At 15%, there was an incorrect use of They're that caught my attention. Also, a misspelled word @ 28%. How does spell check not catch doosn't?


I read and loved Saving Noah prior to reading this book. I had a hint of Jacob and Lola through that one, so I knew there would be a rocky relationship to be expected. I didn't quite expect that, though. Their relationship just didn't feel right to me. 


The time jumps are also a big factor. I noticed this author's "style" in Saving Noah, and it seemed to be worse here, where there would be a big buildup to the end of a chapter, and half the time, there would be a time jump where you don't even get to see what happened, it is just referred to. This bothers me a lot! I don't mind the build up, but don't leave us hanging. 

Plus, having such huge time gaps was off-putting as well. There were multiple 6- or 5-month gaps.


The parts that take place while Noah was in the hospital seemed to be just another take on the same story, whch we now have from the 3rd POV (if you read Saving Emily right after Saving Noah like I did). It was so much recap that got boring after a while. 

I did read in another review about the odd relationship between Lola and her sister, since it also shocked me that Lola wasn't even part of her sister's wedding? That seems so odd for a sister when they seemed much closer earlier on. 


I will continue with this series, since I absolutely loved Saving Noah, and hopefully the later books don't have any more overlap and keep the reader engaged more.

[C · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started off so strong! I was immediately hooked by the characters and had high hopes for the story. Sadly, around the 30% mark, I was over it.


I will say that I enjoyed Lola’s character and Jacob was freaking adorable. I loved them together!! But there were too many things that really weighed this book down.

The constant time skips were a bit jarring. It felt like almost every other chapter was a 3 weeks later then multiple 6 months laters , 5 months later, - and a lot of them seemed unnecessary. I guess it makes sense since it runs concurrently with the first book I believe, but I think it made the book suffer. I would think the scene was really going somewhere then bam- it’s been half a year and we’re moving on now.

And I honestly couldn’t even remember if the two were still sleeping together or not because scenes jumped all over the place. The book didn’t need to be super smutty or anything, but I was confused about their relationship dynamic as the story went on. This story lingered a bit too much on other characters and it took away from the main couple.

A few of the other relationships confused me as well. Lola and her sister Emily started off so tight, and I get this is Lola and Jacobs story, but I was just baffled by their disconnect around the halfway mark and especially the wedding. We barely got any meaningful scenes with them considering their significant others are practically family and there was also a traumatic event that took place. I don’t know, it was just weird. Lola’s parents were also faceless considering how long this book was. I think her mom had three short scenes and her dad was mentioned in passing.

Overall, this book has a strong start but trips up multiple times and I’m too exhausted to be interested in the other book.

[Hopelessromanticbookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

After finishing Saving Noah I just had to start the next book in the series.
When it comes to favourite characters Jacob is mine. I just love his humour, loving, supportive and protective nature.

Finishing this book, I have a feeling that the rest of the series will be the same. You are basically rereading Saving Noah but in two different POV’s. You go through the events as Jacob and Lola as well as following their story and the up and downs of their relationship.
I did love how stubborn they both are to each other (more on Lola’s side) but it does give you and insight on real life events to women.

Even though I enjoyed the banter between them both and getting to understand their story, I felt their story was abit repetitive by having the same events as Saving Noah but in their POV.
I think the other stories will be the same with Nick & Slaters story but I think I would just like to finish the series and know their own personal stories too x

[Oma Iep · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fighting Jacob is the second in a series but can be read as a stand-alone.
Jacob is the guy we all want in our lives. Whether to date and have a relationship with or as a friend knowing he has your back. I love big men and Jacob has everything I want in a book boyfriend.

Although I liked the meeting between Jacob and Lola initially, and I liked her sassiness, I struggled with her character at first. I wanted better for Jacob, or so I thought initially.
As the story progresses I have to admit that Lola's strength of character slowly but surely, and at first begrudgingly, made me change my mind about this lady.
At the end I was firmly on her side and rooting for her and Jacob.

This is a strong story of opposites attract, with plenty of action, twists and turns, and steamy scenes to keep us captivated to the very last word.
A definite must read.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Perception series. I thoroughly enjoyed , Book 1, Saving Noah, and looked forward to this book. Now, I was a bit afraid Shandi was going to break my heart again, but she promised she wouldn’t and she kept her word. I loved this read. Poor Lola came from a very difficult past. So we understand why it took her so long to trust. There were times I felt frustrated with her and wanted to give her a shake - but she finally got it together. Jacob was so lovely, you couldn’t help but want his happiness and sometimes Lola crossed a line. It took some time, but I found myself rooting for this couple. I was relieved this story wasn’t as sad and enjoyed it. I look forward to the next. Great job!

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

[Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

ONE THRILLING ADVENTURE!!!
Holy frick! Shandi grabs the bull by the horns with one incredible body slam, shaking things up, sending out tremors and blazing this baby together piece by piece. A tumultuous eddy of spinning emotions along with daunting circumstances that feed from the unnerving tension blasting this baby to life smoothly. Show stopping drama, distress, intrigue and suspense ensues ramping up the stakes, keeping you riveted on a razors edge. Jumping hoops, coping with the trials and tribulations keeping pace with sharp twists, clean turns and thin lines launching this baby forward sleek, shiny and tight. The chemistry sizzles from the pages and suck you in so deeply until you feel the heat and electricity thrumming through your veins. The characters are authentic and realistic with personalities and depth that blew this baby wide open and exposed in all it's glory. The scenes are strikingly sharp with abundant details and descriptions you have no problem picturing each scenario creating a colorful backdrop that makes the storyline pop. Fantastic job Shandi, thanks for sharing this bad boy with us.

[Jean Dewsbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lola and Jacob's journey is filled with plenty of heartache, lust anger frustration disappointment, and love of family developed through friendship and loyalty.
I love how their journey was a slow journey filled with passion and excitement and at times heartbreak often through misunderstanding and stubbornness.
Lola has secrets she doesn't want revealed, she is one strong stubborn sassy woman who often runs people up the wrong way with her straightforward approach.
Jacob who first spots lola outside a bus stop on a rainy night finds himself captivated with her sassy take no nonsense mouth. It's just the beginning of Jacob who will stop at nothing to win her over.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book dives into what Jacob is up to during Saving Noah and shows us what’s really going on between him and Lola. Jacob is always taking care of everyone else and it’s refreshing to see that he finally does something for himself when he starts fighting. Then he meets Lola and even though she has permanently put him in friends with benefits zone, he can’t help falling in love with her. Jacob repeatedly gets the short end of the stick through this book but never stops fighting. He is so sweet and it would have just been nice for someone to take care of him for once. Loved seeing more of his friendship with Noah and how he took care of Emily while Noah was in the coma.

[CS · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved that this romance between strong sexy Lola happened concurrently with Emily and Noah’s story from the previous book.
The author wove the combined romances in a way that deepened the the storyline as bits and pieces were filled in from another perspective during Noah’s coma.
I appreciated the lack of cheating although there were some questionable events the were suspicious for both Lola and Jacob.
Great addition to this series!

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

[Maja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah, so Jacob and Lola meet one night, when he sees her standing on the street and invites her to give her a ride. She takes him up on his offer so they start to chat. The only problem that I had with the story was that Lola just sat in his car and drove off with him. He was escaping a date and was not a cab driver, let's be clear on that. Other than this, the story was great, it flew and Jacob and Lola were great characters with amazing chemistry. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[lf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opposites that fit together

Even though Fighting Jacob is the second book in the Perception series I have not read the first and did not have any issues with reading and enjoying this book. This is the story of Jacob and Lola who on first impression you wouldn't think would work together but somehow they are like a lock and key and they just click.
I liked this book and found it an easy read with good characters, both main and supporting, and a number of action and hot and steamy scenes.

I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are all my own.

[Buffy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jacob *swooning*

After reading book one how can you not want to hear Jacob's story!?!! He is this big loveable loyal giant that I could not get enough of!! Oh let's not forget super stubborn Lola. Oh how I wish I could smack her a few times! I couldn't wait to see how this all turned out. I have to say, it took long enough!!! But the story was very interesting and the ending had me on the end of my seat!
I have loved this series so far and can't wait for the next one to come out! So yes, I totally recommend this book!

[R M · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Jacob’s story follows the same timeline as Noah’s and Emily’s.
It’s somewhat the same story, from Jacob’s POV. But so much more.
We get all of Jacob’s long and torturous story with Lola. And we get depth to Lola. More insight into Maggie, owner of Mav’s bar.
The way this story weaves in time with Noah’s but provides Jacob’s depth and fills in blanks, is impressive.
I can’t say that Lola is a favorite character of mine, even with more backstory and depth.
But Jacob is a sweetheart. He certainly worked for his happiness.

[Emily Haskins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, it's a rewrite

To say Jacob and Lola have a very strange friendship. On and off. Jacob is a fighter with an overwhelming sense of protection. Lola ? Sassy sexy Lola. There are places in this book where you will roar with laughter, HELICOPTER. Then there are places where tears will fall. All in all it is a book that will charm you,, if I could give 10 stars...I would. Love your style Shandi.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book, how could you not! Jacob was such a huge part of Noah’s story and Lola helped with the beginning of Noah and Emily 😉 such a great story, it was amazing how the 2 stories meshed so flawlessly, I remember thinking in the first book how some things were left out but because it was so good, I didn’t mind, but then along comes Jacob and Lola’s story and it all makes sense! Amazing read, I cannot wait for the next book! 😁

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jacob is a big giant teddy but a passionate fighter for what he believes in.  Lola is a big softy with a hard outer shell hiding her inner feelings out of fear from secrets of her past experience with violence.
These two together spark lots of fireworks with some great laughs and life lessons on the way to working out what they truly want and being able to let go of the past hurts and finally find happiness.
Fantastic read.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me tell you that Shandi Boyes immediately opened this story with attraction, hot chemistry that leaves the reader sucked into what is to come. This author is a powerful storyteller and it shines here. This story kept me engaged from the opening to the final pages. It flowed seamlessly and the emotional ride was thrilling to behold. Jacob and Lola are magnetic in this book, setting the pages on fire. Couldn't put it down for one minute! Must read!!

[Ellen Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this book.
This was the first book I've read by Shandi Boyes so once I realised it was the 2nd I had to go read Noah's story before I read this. I loved Lola & Jacob's strong characters, I had a love/hate thing with Lola at the start. There is drama, twists/turns, it gets HOT & steamy. I can't wait to read the next one.

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

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this is book 2 in this series it can be read as a standalone, I have not read book 1 in the series but had no problems reading this book. This is Lola and Jacob’s story and starts at the beginning with how they meet. Their romance isn’t straight forward and runs into some obstacles such as Lola’s ex. It’s well written and held my interest cover to cover.

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

[Chasidy Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a C. T. Ha!

I fell in love with Jacob in Noah and Emily’s story. Lola took a little while to grow on me but I absolutely adored her and her no nonsense personality. It was a very cool way to experience Noah and Emily’s story from another point of view as well. I loved watching their “friendship” develop and how they both used their stories to help others as well. Thank you, Shandi Boyes!

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved

Loved Jacob and lolas story a girl who has been hurt so badly before who tries to keep ppl at arms length who lets out an appearance of a cold person and Jacob the big lug is a teddy bear his family and loved ones are his everything so when Jacob is driving home one night see these legs at a bus stop looks at the time and knows there is no busses at this time offers her a lift little did he know life was going to change

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weak Spot

Unfortunately, Lola and Jacob's story didn't do it for me. Jacob is a great best friend to Noah that never wavered. Lola to me was not the one for him. She definetely became his weak spot and that in turn made him look weak. So much happens to him because of her. He didn't deserve that. The only thing I really liked about this story was the update with Noah and Emily.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Jacob meets Lola, he is stunned. He wants her bad. Lola is truly a product of her life. She is bold and balls to the wall. Truthfully, she just hides her softness for fear of betrayal. Jacob has pain too, but is far less jaded. They don't seem to fit, but somehow they do.

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

[Kathleen Bradbury (Bulfon) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A captivating read from beginning to end! An exciting storyline that leaves you breathless wanting more! Sexy steam filled chemistry! Emotionally heartfelt, enjoyable and fun! One heck of a twisted, intense rollercoaster ride! An amazing must read!

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

[Shifty Bugger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book it was great, the story was well written and the characters are interesting. Jacob sees Lola that is when things heat up, but they want admit to each other that they do not do relationships. But the chemistry between them is intense.
Thank you for allowing me to review your book.

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