This is the second book in the author's Oni Fighters series. Although I haven't read book one, it was pretty obvious that this story ( for the most part) parallels book one rather than following sequentially. Believe is in first person and shifts perspectives between Ari and Dane throughout. The story is set in Australia and is written with Australian spellings, grammar, and colloquialisms. Personally, I thought it was a fun departure from what I usually read.
Ari is a single mom with a young son who has Aspergers. She has been the victim of an abusive relationship, and want to get as far away from violence as she can. Dane is an MMA fighter. He loves the sport and doesn't view it as violence, but rather discipline. When he helps Ari and her son out of a bad situation, he quickly wants to know her better. Ari is also attracted to Dane, but she holds herself away because of her zero tolerance for violence stance.
Despite their differences, the couple keeps being drawn together, and the relationship between Dane and Ari's son develops even faster. When the violence against Ari escalates, Dane doesn't exactly offer protection as much as demands he be allowed to give it. Ari has no family, so she gives in and places herself into much closer proximity with Dane. The couple argues and guides back and forth over the violence versus protection issue, but in the end, Dane's training and MMA capabilities may be the only things keeping Ari and her son safe.
I enjoyed both the setting and the story. Honestly, it started out a bit awkwardly for me, but after I got into it, I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen.
I received an ARC from Net Galley for review.
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