The Reading Diaries: Book Tour: Book Review: Battle Within

Monday, June 19, 2023

Book Tour: Book Review: Battle Within

BattleWithin copy

Welcome to the tour for Christina Mattingly's Battle Within. A shifter romance with bite!

Battle-Within-Claimed-Series

Battle Within (Claimed: Emma & Ryder)

Publication Date: October 26, 2022

Genre: Shifter Romance

Emma, a sound mage, needs to get away from her fast-paced life as a magical nightclub owner in the city, so she decides to visit her brother’s small mountain town for the winter. After years of living without long-term commitments or consistent relationships, she’s ready to settle down and find something real.

After finding herself in her roommate’s bed, what she thought was a one-night stand turns into a big mess when she discovers Ryder’s wolf imprinted on her, irrevocably claiming Emma as his. He’s just the kind of guy that she could see herself settling down with, but Ryder doesn’t want anything to do with a relationship with her.

His wolf’s possessive nature won’t let Ryder leave her alone so she can move on, but with Ryder pushing her away at every turn, their relationship seems doomed to fail before it’s ever had a chance.

Available on Amazon

Review

I received Battle Within in return for an honest review from the author as part of the tour hosted by R&R Book Tours.

Emma is a mage who uses her magic to control sound and needing a break from her club she heads off to visit her brother who happens to be a werewolf living in the mountains. Maybe a chance to recharge is just what she needed but she didn't plan to meet Ryder who sets her on fire. What should have been a one night stand turns into a complicated relationship as his wolf has imprinted on her even thought Ryder isn't sure he wants to be anything more than friends.

I like Emma she's this passionate adorable character who you just can't help liking right from the start. I'm didn't start out loving Ryder I have moments when he's just what she needs and moments when I want to stab him. Sometimes his hot & cold behavior gives me whiplash. In his defense he's struggling with his wolf so things were already a mess before she shows up. I love her best friend James he sees what Ryder doesn't see at first. I love them chemistry between them all.

I love the world building for this one the shifter community was very interesting the way they work with the humans. I love the mage concept I found it unique using the sound to create charges that change the way people feel. I enjoyed the characters even if I wanted to stab them a couple of times. .

The story is well written fast paced and hard to put down I devoured it in one afternoon. The author did a great job of balance the story with the steamy scenes. While the bedroom scenes are sizzling the story doesn't lack in anyway. My only complaint is I wanted more I wasn't ready to say goodbye to Emma and felt a little rushed I'm hoping to see more of Emma in the next book even with a supporting roll.