Publisher's Synopsis
Cillian Ronan is a U.S. Army soldier home from a disastrous second deployment that resulted in the death of one of his best friends. Despite this, his heroic actions overseas have won him local fame and the admiration of many in his hometown of Boston. As he struggles to come to terms with what happened, he's also trying to keep his father's boxing gym afloat under the majority ownership of money-hungry, unethical businessman Carl Wilhelm. All Cillian wants is to save enough money to buy out Carl's share of the gym, but supporting his younger sister and her two children on his meager pay proves to be a burden he can't shoulder for much longer. A potential opportunity for a better life falls in his lap when he's invited to participate in a huge MMA tournament that offers substantial cash prizes to the last three men standing. Sammi Carnevale is a closed-off young woman with a traumatic past who's given up on her professional ballet career as she struggles to rebuild her life. Her greatest test is yet to come when she'll soon be forced to come face to face with the person that nearly destroyed her life and caused her near-constant mental trauma and the anguish that's become her new normal. All she wants is to realize her dream of teaching dance in her own studio, but she can't do that without overcoming her demons first. Cillian and Sammi become acquainted after he stops her from getting assaulted at the gym. He soon realizes she's got a few closely guarded secrets that make her wary of everyone she meets, and she learns that despite what the public says, Cillian doesn't see himself as a hero at all-in fact, he thinks he's the opposite. It quickly becomes clear how much they need each other's friendship and support, as she relies on a dangerous habit to deal with her dark secret, and the pain of the loss of his friend haunts him day and night. Their bond strengthens after all of their secrets are laid bare, and in the wasteland of pain they share, they decide to trust each other. Just when it seems that they're ready to take their friendship to the next level, Sammi's past resurfaces in a horrifyingly public way, and through a series of miscommunication and outright lies, the blame is placed squarely on Cillian. Will he lose everything he's worked so hard for and the woman he's fallen in love with? Will Sammi be able to fight through her pain and the trauma of her past without Cillian, whom she's come to rely on for strength and understanding, when everything crumbles to ash? Will these two broken souls be able to heal apart, or is it only the power of love that can make them whole again-together?
