Warrior

First to Fight, Book 2

By: Nicole Blanchard

Narrated by: Susan Fouche, Joshua Gibson

Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

From New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Nicole Blanchard comes a second-chance military romantic suspense!

One night with a hero.

It was only supposed to be a fling with my brother’s best friend. The same man I’ve loved since he gave me my first kiss. I knew he was about to leave for a year, but I couldn’t let him go without showing him how I felt.

One lie that could tear us apart.

Our paths crossed again, but we’re both different people. I should have told him the truth, but I couldn’t. Not when he ignored every message I ever sent. He’s no longer the man I once knew. He’s warring with his own demons, against silence threatening to swallow him, and I know if he ever learns the truth, he will never forgive me.

One love that will have to save us.

When all I hold dear is threatened, I have only one way to repair the damage. I have to trust the man I lied to. The man I never got the chance to make a life with. The only man who could save what we created together.

©2015 Nicole Blanchard (P)2023 Nicole Blanchard

Loved Warrior

I really loved Warrior! I had already read the ebook ,but the audiobook just takes the story to a whole new level. I especially loved Joshua Gibson , he was just perfect as Ben's voice. He really brought Ben's character to life for me.
Susan Fouche did a great job as Olivia's voice also. I highly recommend this audiobook you won't be disappointed, give it a listen!

Sweet and Sad and Hopeful

I listened to the audiobook of Warrior, and I loved that there was a female voice for the female lead's chapters, and there was a male voice for the male lead's chapters, and they both did a great job; especially the male speaker. I liked the female voice too, but it was a little bit too breathy for me, but it was good for the sex scenes, so I'm going to mark that down as a good job. In Warrior, Ben is a soldier home for the weekend, when he finally gives in to his attraction to long-time friend, Olivia, the 2 have a very hot, wonderful night together before Ben has to leave again. Ben is going to be away for a long time, and won't have reliable access to outside communication, so even though there are feelings between the two, they don't really solidify anything between them, but some things happen that change things for the both of them, and they need to re-evaluate each of their lives. I love when 2 characters have been trying to resist each other, but in the end, they can't handle it anymore and can't keep their hands off of each other. Poor Olivia has some really upsetting things happen to her, and I really felt for her! Poor girl! I love how resilient she is, and even through tough times, she shows her strength. After reading the premise, I wasn't sure how I'd feel about her, but I'm glad the premise wasn't quite accurate with the whole situation. She does get on my nerves sometimes, but nothing too major, just her being stubborn. Ben has some crap stuff happen to him too, which makes him feel like he doesn't have much to give to a serious relationship, so he withholds himself from Olivia, and for some reason he thinks he is a bad guy, but I never saw anything in this book for why he would feel that way. I love that for the most part he is light-hearted and playful, but he also maintains his sexy manliness. Ben and Olivia are adorable together, and they have some really sweet moments, and the sex scenes were hot! The chemistry was really great between the 2, and you can feel how deeply they care for each other, and I loved that they've known each other for a long time. There is some suspense in this story, which kept the story entertaining, and created some good tension in the story and between the characters. I do think the characters should have figured out the situation a lot sooner than they did because the link was sort of obvious to me, and I was surprised the characters didn't consider that option. The writing was smooth, and I liked the flow of the story. There are some interesting side characters, who look like they will have their own books in this series, so I would definitely like to check those out, and I look forward to more books by Nicole Blanchard!

Ben has my heart

Well this is the first book I've listened to that I've already read. Wow. I felt the love of Ben and Olivia and their inner turmoil. I felt the struggle and heartache these two were going through more hearing the story than reading. This may be my new way of reading. This story is so worth the read.

So so so good!!

I received an arc audible copy for an honest review.

Wow! I loved this book and being able to listen to it? A-mazing!! This is the first book I've listened to and it was a fabulous experience!
Loved the story line and I was always trying to figure out who 'it' was throughout the book...I love this in a book so it makes it more enjoyable :)
I'm not American so sometimes the different accents take a while to get used to. I loved Ben's narrator but it took me a while to get used to Olivia's. Not complaining though :)
Definitely 5* from me and I think I'm going to be buying more audible books from now on!!

Loved it!

I loved this book when I read it the first time. Now being able to listen to the story being told all over again was amazing. I even got cold chills during certain parts. Great book & great Audible choice too.

hold on tight

Olivia and Ben face so many obstacles. The tragedy he deals with while deployed, the misunderstanding once he gets home, and the danger that targets Olivia.
Nicole Blanchard knows exactly how to wring every emotion from you. Joshua Gibson and Susan Fouche breath life into these characters.

LOVE WILL EVER LAST

What a beautiful love story, where true love will get there no matter what happens as we see between Ben and Libby.
yes there are moments where, when I could throttle Ben for keeping things back & thinks he's doing things for the right reasons, as he doesn't want to lay down his deep memories & feelings.
Even after everything Libby has/is going through she still being strong.
But it's not until it's practically ripped out of his again does he reacts.
Great has love, suspense & it's a great story

Unnecessary drama and girl narration isn’t great

I have an immense irritation for drama caused bc a character can’t just yell out one sentence to solve a misunderstanding. Also, why do authors create heroines that have to disagree with common sense “actions” ? With that said, it was an ok story.

So Brilliantly Exqusite and Utterly Perfect!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would most definitely recommend this audiobook to a friend. It's a wonderful experience! The narrators are so absolutely perfect, and their deep emotional connection to the story comes through crystal clear. Their paring is perfect, and they both stirred my heart and mind while allowing me to savor and cherish this story one more time.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved just how amazing these narrators are for this story. Their performance of the characters they portray is wonderfully phenomenal!! I am not sure there would be any better choices that could be made.

Which scene was your favorite?

The last scene where Ben is reunited with the last member of his team. That was specatular on so many levels. Not to mention how it brought in Jack and Sophie's story which takes off next.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The next to last scene where Ben puts Cole to sleep and then reacts so viscerally to Olivia seeing in her a towel after her shower. He realized how lost he is to her and their son Cole, and he wouldn't have it any other way. Their road has been excruciatingly hard and unfairly stacked against them, but they have won and overcome. There are exactly where they are meant to be.

Any additional comments?

I seriously can't love this story and the author anymore. Her stories are without a doubt epic and fantastic! I can't get enough of them, and I can never wait patiently for her next masterpiece to release. :)

Heartbreakingly Beautiful ❤️

I'm so over the place!!!
This is my first experience with audible, and my first book from the author, I'm so amazed by the experience and the great story.
I'm definitely hooked, and looking forward to the next book in the series ❤️❤️❤️