Fighting the Pull

Haunting, emotional, heart breaking, raw

FIGHTING THE PULL is the fifth instalment in Kristen Ashley’s contemporary, adult RIVER RAIN erotic, romance series. This is thirty-year old, billionaire businessman Hale Wheeler, and twenty-seven year old, celebrity journalist Elsa Cohen’s story line. FIGHTING THE PULL can be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading book one AFTER THE CLIMB for backstory as it pertains to Hale’s father Corey Szabo.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise including talk of suicide, child abuse, and bondage and discipline, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from first person perspective (Elsa) and third person perspectives (Hale, Heath) FIGHTING THE PULL follows the building romance and relationship between Hale and Elsa. Elsa’s interview with billionaire Hale Wheeler was about to go off the proverbial rails as Hale was struggling with revealing anything about himself but a few minutes with Elsa found Hale reconsidering the who and what of our story line heroine. A pretend relationship, a potential stalker, and the heart falling for someone who couldn’t love themself found our couple battling the heart break of betrayal, and the dramatic loss of a father that had yet to be acknowledged. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Hale and Elsa, and the potential fall-out as Elsa is caught in the direct line of fire, and Hale is unable to forgive himself for the damage that is caused.

The world building focuses on three severely dysfunctional families with insights into child abuse, neglect, infidelity, divorce, and the resulting suicide of a man who struggled to come to terms with what happened and why. Kristen Ashley pulls the reader into a heart breaking and emotional look into deteriorating family values precipitated by greed, jealousy, betrayal and vengeance. Innocent children will pay for the sins of the parents but sometimes the child pays more than anyone could have imagined.

The relationship between Elsa and Hale begins acrimoniously as Hale is reluctant to be interviewed by Elsa Cohen but Elsa and Hale are kindred spirits, each suffering with the endless emotional abuse and betrayal by the people sworn to love them the most. As Hale and Elsa come to terms with their own relationship, the past is determined to destroy our couple, taking aim at the woman with whom Hale is falling in love. The $ex scenes are intimate and provocative with some light scenes and discussion of bondage and discipline.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful, energetic and often destructive secondary and supporting characters including most of the previous story line couples. We are introduced to Elsa’s embattled family, and Hale’s bitter and remorseless mother, as well as Elsa’s co-workers and Hale’s security team.

FIGHTING THE PULL is a story of betrayal and vengeance, loss and acceptance, greed and jealousy, acceptance and love. The haunting premise is heart breaking, emotional, raw and honest; the characters are tragic, animated and starting to heal; the romance is seductive and spicy.