Fighting Fate (Joining of Souls, #2) by Shaila Patel

Apr 05, 2018 Laurie rated it it was amazing

This follow-up to the wonderful YA Fantasy Romance, SOULMATED, is an adventuresome, swoontastic read. So happy to be spending time with Liam & Lucky again (their chemistry is off the charts). So I'm gonna hand out this award right now - no one writes supernatural kissing like author Patel ;) Another highly enjoyable read from one of my favorite authors.

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May 22, 2018 Nina ✿ Looseleaf Reviews ✿ rated it liked it

Shelves: 2018-release, urban-fantasy, india, e-books

This jumped the bandwagon hard into the romance genre. I loved the first book for its plot and world-building, not to mention the creative integration of mythologies and histories of Irish and Indian culture. While this book was still as well written, and the characters were just as engaging, I personally wasn't on-board for 2/3 of the content being proclamations of love and "you're my soulmate" and "no I love you more!" I still eagerly await anything by this author, but I think this book just w ...more

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Apr 02, 2018 KarenJo Custodio rated it it was amazing

Breathtaking from start to finish! Full review to come with author interview on my blog later this week.

5 ★ – BREATHTAKING, HEARTFELT, AND A LOT OF FUN

I LOVED Soulmated and have been eagerly waiting for months for the second book. When I finally got an ARC for Fighting Fate, I was beyond excited to continue the series and get back into the fascinating world of empaths. However, I didn't get to it right away since I had other books to finish for blog tours and reviews.

As soon as I read the first Breathtaking from start to finish! Full review to come with author interview on my blog later this week.

5 ★ – BREATHTAKING, HEARTFELT, AND A LOT OF FUN

I LOVED Soulmated and have been eagerly waiting for months for the second book. When I finally got an ARC for Fighting Fate, I was beyond excited to continue the series and get back into the fascinating world of empaths. However, I didn't get to it right away since I had other books to finish for blog tours and reviews.

As soon as I read the first page of this book, everything came rushing back to me and it felt so damn good being with Liam and Lucky again. Fighting Fate was even more breathtaking, heart-wrenching and completely electrifying than the Soulmated! Shaila Patel without a doubt knows how to create the best emotional chaos that will have you undeniably hooked turning page after page after page.

The ending in Soulmated left so many unanswered questions and my heart breaking into pieces. I was really looking forward to learning more about empaths, some lighthearted moments, more steamy kisses and playfulness, and of course MORE of Liam. Well, let me just say that Shaila gave me more than what I was expecting and threw in some amazing thrills and chills and twist and turns.

The writing was fantastic! The characters continued being awesome and the villains perfectly played their roles —they were manipulative, menacing, and creepy. The plot was amazingly fast-paced, suspenseful, exciting, and emotional. And the romance... swoon swoon swoon!!! I honestly could not get enough of this amazing story and found it extremely difficult to find a good place to stop. This book was a masterpiece and I loved that every moment just felt so real -- real pain, real sadness, real hope, real love --- just REAL EVERYTHING. Definitely be prepared to be overwhelmed with so many FEELS... because Shaila's writing style is wonderfully evocative, utterly incredible and so beautiful!

Like in the first book, the chemistry between Liam and Lucky was satisfyingly adorable and heartwarming. I think they're so perfect for each other and I thoroughly enjoyed all their interactions. Their romance was super swoony, cute, and sexy. They were playful, honest, confused, infatuated, fearful, guarded, protective, loving, sweet, determined and could not get enough of each other. Soulmated or not, Lucky and Liam acted like teenagers who were hopelessly in love, but also deeply cared about each other. That certainly took me down memory lane and gave me the BEST FEELS! Their story may be fiction and fantasy, but their emotions were real, raw and relatable -- And that's one of the many reasons why I love this series so much. I can connect with the characters and their stories, and share their experiences and feel all their emotions as they go through them.

With gorgeous writing that will keep you intrigued, delicious chemistry that's nicely balanced with heat and sweetness, and complex characters you can't help but love, Fighting Fate by Shaila Patel was an absolute joy to read. It's undeniably fascinating, romantic, thrilling, and so heartfelt leaving you breathless and impatiently waiting for the next installment. I know I AM!

If you're looking for a heart-stopping edge of your seat YA romantic fantasy, then I highly recommend you add this to your TBR.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

FULL REVIEW AND AUTHOR INTERVIEW ...more

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Aug 18, 2018 Leslie Dobson rated it it was amazing

I am torn! I'm so surprised but I'm going to have a hard time waiting for the next book! I loved it! When will that be?!?!?!

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Apr 23, 2018 C (InkBlottings) rated it liked it

Shelves: reviewed, 3-stars, read-in-2018

My Review For: “Fighting Fate (Joining Of Souls #2)” by Shaila Patel
Rating: ★★★
Link To Book Blog: www.inkblottings.com
Link To Full Review: http://inkblottings.com/reader-review...

Review:

Fighting Fate finds Liam determined to protect his soulmate ‘Lucky’ at all costs, which leads to the event of him breaking up with her for her own safety. Heartbroken and aimless, Lucky finds herself falling into the hold of her mom’s mysterious new boss, who seems to have all the answers for her predicament. L My Review For: “Fighting Fate (Joining Of Souls #2)” by Shaila Patel
Rating: ★★★
Link To Book Blog: www.inkblottings.com
Link To Full Review: http://inkblottings.com/reader-review...

Review:

Fighting Fate finds Liam determined to protect his soulmate ‘Lucky’ at all costs, which leads to the event of him breaking up with her for her own safety. Heartbroken and aimless, Lucky finds herself falling into the hold of her mom’s mysterious new boss, who seems to have all the answers for her predicament. Lucky’s offered the ultimatum: stay and abide to her mother’s plans for her life, or leave with the new stranger who promises her a world anew?

The second book very quickly picks up where the first book left off and it does well to get the story going quickly again. This is nice for the audience because, especially if they’ve been waiting on the continuation of the series for quite some time, they’re going to be reunited with the characters that they’ve already come to know rather well. Likewise, just like the continuation of the story does well to maintain the narrative and the plot itself, the author yet again returns with the wonderful characterisations of the cast members that are showcased throughout. For the readers who have come to know and love Lucky and Liam, they’re going to be thrilled to know that their personalities shine through even brighter in this continuation of the series. Liam’s notable dialect and his bold personality are just as evident as before and, whilst that’s captivating for the reader directly, I think the main light shines on Lucky’s development throughout the book.

Focusing on this element of the book further, I do think that Lucky’s character arc is something that needs to be considered and explored further. At times I felt as if her strength was ‘ebbing and flowing’, if it were. It felt as if she was developing but in a way where she took one step forward and two steps back. In a sense, it felt as if it were a game of cat and mouse – will she, won’t she? This is definitely something that has the potential to be developed in the further continuation of the series and the third book as, since she’s obviously such a main focus of the narrative, her character needs to become more sturdy and further needs to be ‘scoped out’. However, this also links into the fact that Lucky showcases her own issues with coming to terms with her personality within this second novel, as her ties to Liam’s world become more developed and further details are revealed as the plot continues. She’s facing an internal battle and doesn’t know who she really is – and this is an element of her characterisation that comes across easily to the audience themselves. Though, this is also something that I didn’t feel all that comfortable within as a plot feature itself. As somebody who has a mental illness that legitimately causes them to lose all sense of identity, a part of me felt that it was being used a ’shock’ tactic. It was all reacted to in a very dramatic fashion by the characters as if it were completely unrealistic and unthought of when this isn’t the case. A part of me could indeed relate to Lucky’s struggle in terms of her not being able to pinpoint who she was, but this only lasted for a moment before the story moved on and seemed to completely forget that plot point in its entirety. I was happy that the book wasn’t focusing on the fact and inadvertently using the mental illness as a shock factor, but I do think that it was introduced to play a bigger role in the story than it actually was. Again, this is a personal thing as I’m directly linked to the subject matter at hand and I’m sure that a lot of readers will just skim over it as another plot point, but it is something that I picked up on through my own reading experience.

Back to the main plot content of the second book, I definitely enjoyed the fact that there seemed to be a lot more action that was present throughout. Even though the first book does well to completely immerse the readers, the second book works to keep them entertained as the action makes the plot feel more ‘fast-paced’. Despite this, the novel has been written wonderfully in the way that it allows the audience to follow the action even as it picks up. This means that the reader isn’t going to get sidetracked and they’re not going to lose focus of the main things that are happening in the plot at that point in time. Not only does this, again, make them feel closer to the story, but it makes them feel as if they’re part of the narrative, more so than just spectators who are looking in. Due to this, the second book proves to be another easy read as it continuously flows well and at no point did I feel as if the content or the action was lagging. The pacing of the second book is just as good as it was in the first which the reader base is generally going to appreciate as it makes it more enjoyable to read. It also works to tie the two books together a lot better and the plot between the two seems to flow. There’s no ‘jump’ between the first book and the second which leaves the readers feeling as if they’ve missed out on something – they don’t have questions that are still unanswered.

The characters are faced with new challenges that test their relationship to both each other and their family members around them, so it’s obvious that there’s going to be a lot of emotional conflicts. One of the things that I liked about the book – and that I generally enjoy when it comes to the series itself – is the fact that the author does so well to showcase and portray the emotions that the characters are experiencing. In turn, the audience gets a better understanding of what they’re going to and they’re able to put themselves in the mindset of the characters that they’ve come to be so close to. Even just through describing what the characters are experiencing, the author does well to create visualisation that transports the audience into the world of the story and they feel as if they’re going through the plot with the characters directly.

Again, I think it’s just personal preference in the fact that I’m not versed in the romance genre which is why there are elements of the book that still made me cringe. I can’t relate to any of the relationship experiences or the emotions that are showcased, and so, in turn, I don’t think I understand the extent of them. In some scenes, instead of seeming romantic, the actions of the characters just seemed dramatic and over-the-top. I’m not a huge fan of romance and this series definitely didn’t covert me, but that doesn’t mean that it was any less of a joy to read and experience. It’s always fun to expand reading preferences and explore different stories and plots, this one just happened to be further from my personal life.

I think the end of the book does well to round of this specific ‘chapter’ of the story but, at the same time, it effectively leaves it open to continuation. It doesn’t leave the reader thinking ‘what if’ like the first book did, but it does indicate that the story is going to expand even further and that the characters are going to face more challenging situations that they’re going to have to battle through. For fans of the series, this is going to leave them on the end of their seats and, for new readers, they’re likely to want to explore the plot even further as well. We know what’s going to happen, but we don’t know how and we don’t know how the characters are going to deal with the obstacles that are thrown into their paths, so that gives the audience enough motivation to mark the upcoming third book down on their ‘to be read’ list.

To put it simply; this second book in the continuation of the series does well to reunite the readers with the characters that they know and love. The characterisation is excellently written, once again, and the relationships that form throughout the progression of the book really shine through. Though there are a lot of elements of the book that could be improved (such as either expanding on or closing off the whole ‘conformer’ storyline), the narrative has still been well-constructed and does a great job of submerging the audience into the world of Lucky and Liam yet again. Likewise, the book showcases a lot of potential for the characters to be developed in the future, which holds the audience’s attention even further and prompts them to want more. It’s another fun, immersive, riveting read that transports the reader into a world that’s completely new. All in all, there’s definitely going to be a fanbase waiting for these two to make their return in the third ...more

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Mar 07, 2018 Kalli Bunch rated it it was amazing

Have you ever read a book that so perfectly takes emotions and puts them into words so that when you read them you can actually see the images that the author is trying to paint? This series does exactly that. I thought Soulmated was really good, but when I read this book, I hadn't even gotten 25% in and I was so completely enamored of this book. Most books about empaths struggle to find a way to connect with the readers. There is (usually) no easy way to get the story flowing fluidly AND paint ...more

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Mar 19, 2018 Rebecca Stalnaker rated it it was amazing

Oh. My. Gracious!!!! I thought that I loved the first book Soulmated, but this one completely blew me away! Shaila Patel is a master of bringing emotions and characters to life. I was 100% emersed in this story within the first chapter.

I only thought the ending of Soulmated was a heart stopper! The end of this one.... stole my breath and froze me in place! I was frantically turning the page, hoping to find out what was going to happen, only to find myself of the very precarious edge of a cliffh ...more

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Apr 08, 2018 Sarah (The Clever Reader) rated it it was amazing

I thought book one was intense! Shaila does an amazing job at portraying emotion in her writing. The energy between Lucky and Liam keeps you on the edge of your seat as you wait for the joining of souls to happen! When it does it’ll leave you eager to know what happens next!

I flew through book one and two in a week which for me is pretty quick on ebook format because I usually don’t have the focus or time to sit and read for hours but when it came to these two books I just couldn’t put them down ...more

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Apr 04, 2018 Little Bee rated it it was amazing

I received a copy of this book by the author in exchange for my honest review. I have not been paid for my opinions, these opinions are my own. This review may contain minor spoilers

Every now and then, a series pops into my life and leaves me wrecked. Soulmated is such a fantastic series. The first book, Soulmated left me in need for book 2 immediately. Alas, I had to wait AN ENTIRE YEAR before Fighting Fate arrived in my email. Just like in Soulmated, I am left with this high from the unique an I received a copy of this book by the author in exchange for my honest review. I have not been paid for my opinions, these opinions are my own. This review may contain minor spoilers

Every now and then, a series pops into my life and leaves me wrecked. Soulmated is such a fantastic series. The first book, Soulmated left me in need for book 2 immediately. Alas, I had to wait AN ENTIRE YEAR before Fighting Fate arrived in my email. Just like in Soulmated, I am left with this high from the unique and original story line, and now I am dropping, and the crash is going to hurt knowing I have to wait another year to read book 3.

In Fighting Fate, we pick up where Soulmated left off. The joining that did not quite happen because of Liam's fear of injuring Lucky, which resulted in Liam breaking up with her while he tried to figure out how to join without killing her, and left them both catastrophically wrecked for weeks. Their waves of emotions were so savage they barely slept, they could not breathe while away from each other, Lucky lost weight because she could not eat. As a reader, you feel their pain. You have been there, you have experienced that loss at some point in your life that leaves a hole in your soul that you cannot figure out how to fill back in. In some cases, we get better, use some duct tape to close the wound, and move forward with our lives. In other cases, the hole gets bigger, and consumes us more until we can no longer breathe. We have to decide if we will drown, or find that strength to keep fighting the waves before they take you under. This is what Liam and Lucky had to decide. They decided to keep fighting, to fill that hole together. They were faced with many adversaries, and many challenges are faced that will either make them stronger, or break them apart.

This book had so many twists. At one point, I thought I was going to have a heart attack. My chest began hurting, I felt physically ill. Shaila Patel has a way to keep you hooked from the first page, all the way until the end, and then leaves you full and empty all at the same time. It has been a long time since I have been so hooked into what I was reading that I could barely breathe. I caught myself several times holding my breath, trying to get through. Trying to ride this ride with Liam and Lucky.

This is such a wonderful series, that I highly recommend. If you would listen to at least ONE book recommendation from me, this series would be the one you should pick up next. This series is so original and a breath of fresh air to the YA genre. You will not be disappointed. I can promise you that. ...more

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Mar 31, 2018 Rebecca June rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc

"Who was the real Lucky?"

This review was originally posted on my blog, June Reads Books.

Shaila Patel did it again! The characters were captivating, the connections between Liam and Lucky were descriptive, and my heart was beating out of my chest with ANOTHER cliffhanger! Why do you do this to me, Shaila?

One thing I particularly loved about this second book is the more in depth looks into Liam and Lucky's individual cultures, as well as that of the empaths. The descriptions of the landscape of Ir "Who was the real Lucky?"

This review was originally posted on my blog, June Reads Books.

Shaila Patel did it again! The characters were captivating, the connections between Liam and Lucky were descriptive, and my heart was beating out of my chest with ANOTHER cliffhanger! Why do you do this to me, Shaila?

One thing I particularly loved about this second book is the more in depth looks into Liam and Lucky's individual cultures, as well as that of the empaths. The descriptions of the landscape of Ireland and the foods of Lucky's Indian heritage created a desire to know more, to understand more. I even went and made myself some penda after reading the mouth-watering descriptions! There is also a bunch more background on the empath history, which sometimes slowed the plot down quite a bit, but it all ties up very nicely by the end of the book.

As Lucky learns more about what it means to be an empath, her powers and connection with Liam, and the dangers racing toward her, it honestly gave me some Twilight vibes. Let me preface this by saying I do NOT like the Twilight books, I DO like the Joining of Souls books. For starters, I think Patel writes these stories better than Meyers did. But the phenomenon of Lucky turning into this supernatural being and Liam teaching her about this world and her powers made me feel a ton of similarities between the stories. Thankfully, while Liam and Lucky can get pretty obsessive about each other, neither are whiney and selfish like Bella and Edward. In fact, one thing I admire a ton about their love for each other is how much they seek to put the other person before themselves, trying to give them what's best for them. But, like typical teenagers, that's not always actually the best thing for them.

There is still the tension of Lucky's mom's desires and Lucky being straddled between Indian culture, American culture, and empath culture, which is one of the most interesting conflicts in these books in my opinion. How does Lucky stand up to her mom without dishonoring her? How can she be one person split between so many people and worlds?

Patel does a fantastic job of jumping in right where Book 1 ended, while also slowly reminding you of things from the first book without being completely obnoxious. Yes, that's a thing. I remember hating it way back when I was a kid reading the Nancy Drew books as a kid. YES I KNOW WHO NANCY IS BY THIS POINT, OKAY? The last fourth of the book had my heart racing. I was reading as fast as I can, devouring the drama. Unfortunately, as I mentioned earlier, Shaila LOVES her cliffhangers, so now I have to wait even MORE impatiently for the next book! ...more

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Mar 15, 2018 K. Lincoln rated it really liked it

This is the second book in this breathless YA romance telling the tale of Irish Empath Prince Liam who is living in the U.S. to find his dream-foretold soulmate: who just happens to be an Indian-American name Laxshmi.

Love, love, love the set up and all the cultural living-in-America-but-of-Asian-background stuff that goes into this. Laxshmi, or Lucky, as Liam calls her, has to deal with cultural assumptions by her mother about how she should behave, can't be seen with her white boyfriend at Diwa This is the second book in this breathless YA romance telling the tale of Irish Empath Prince Liam who is living in the U.S. to find his dream-foretold soulmate: who just happens to be an Indian-American name Laxshmi.

Love, love, love the set up and all the cultural living-in-America-but-of-Asian-background stuff that goes into this. Laxshmi, or Lucky, as Liam calls her, has to deal with cultural assumptions by her mother about how she should behave, can't be seen with her white boyfriend at Diwali celebrations, and struggles with her identity. Cool stuff.

Wasn't as enamored of the Irish brogue speech patterns Liam, his parents, and mysterious Empath Elder Brennan had. (and that sometimes bled over into other characters). It wore on me. That's most likely personal taste, however.

I also felt that I probably should have started this series with the first book. Liam and Lucky , while not together at the start of the book, are quite deeply connected to each other. And I mean deeply. They are massively in luuurvvve and very vocal about that to each other in terms of saying things like "you are my soul" etc. This felt a bit over the top at times, and I was thinking that if I had been along for the ride as they fell in love and found each other, it might not have felt so overwhelming.

The story is heavy on feelings, and protecting each other, and figuring out what they're going to do with their lives now that they've found each other but haven't quite joined in soulmating (or in a more physical sense, if you get my drift, this is very sweet romance with one joke about "diddies" when she's in the hospital but other wise just a lot of holding and kissing so safe for most ranges of YA). It's a little less heavy in plot. Although we get some intrigue with another Empath Elder out to use Lucky for his own nefarious purposes, and a forced arranged marriage, it's mostly Lucky and Liam feeling each other's feelz as Empaths (lots of water and air imagery describing their feelings.)

If you're a lover of YA fiction with characters that are emotional spigots of angst and love, this book will be right up your alley. And despite my quibbles with Liam's brogue, as a character, he's great (and a hottie). And if you're looking for a main character who lives in her bicultural identity as an Asian-American, definitely pick up this book. As a parent of bicultural daughters, I really did enjoy that part of the book. ...more

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Mar 29, 2018 Cassandra **The Bibliophagist** rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

**Disclaimer: I was gifted an advanced reader's e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review**

I was hoping to have time to read Soulmated prior to Fighting Fate, but sadly I did not have the time. None the less, I loved this book.
There was some information that I was confused on, but the book lays it out nicely. Even if you haven't read the first one...which you should...this is a great book. The author adds an excerpt of the first book at the end, for those like me who have not had the ...more

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Apr 07, 2018 Alycia Luster rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 03, 2018 Jordan rated it it was amazing

I was desperate to pick up this next book after how the ending of the first one! I read this in 2 massive sittings because I physically could not put it down. I even tried to go to bed around midnight on the last night but found myself picking it up an hour later just to see what happened next.

Wow I love these characters and I was so relieved to find out more about the empath's world. I loved getting to see more of Jack and Shiney (I may have a soft spot for poor Jack who is just trying to look ...more

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Mar 29, 2018 Lindsey rated it it was amazing

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Soulmated so much and the second did not disappoint. I couldn't stop reading.
Every moment pulled me right back to feelings I have had, and felt so real. She paints the world so well that you feel like you are in Liam and Lucky's shoes.
Fighting Fate picks up right where we left off in Soulmated. Thank you! I didn't want to miss a single moment! Liam seeking for answers about the joining, and Lucky trying to put her broken hea ...more

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Mar 20, 2018 Keri Hunter rated it it was amazing

Shaila Patel spins a world of empaths, soul mates, and villains so perfectly that it is a struggle to not say one more page. The relationships the reader can form with the characters make the emotions dance right off the pages. Lucky or Laxshmi? Conform to what her mother wants or break free and live the life she wants? Liam and Lucky are hands down one of my favorite couples, along with all the twists and turns that come from their friends, family, and counter parts. This series is a must read ...more

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Mar 28, 2018 Betsy Aldredge rated it it was amazing

I didn't think it was possible to love a sequel even more than the original, but I did. FIGHTING FATE picks up where SOULMATED ended. While the romance and the magical elements are just as wonderful in FIGHTING FATE, I really enjoyed Lucky's journey as she grew into herself, and there are some very intriguing plot twists and turns that led to me staying up way past my bedtime to finish this book. And of course, Liam is completely dreamy. The only problem is that I really want to read the conclus ...more

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Mar 04, 2018 Vicki Pierno rated it it was amazing

I just want to say that I got this as a advanced reader copy, I received this book for an honest Review!

I absolutely loved this book and wasn't disappointed at all! I literally read this book in one day, I couldn't put it down!

This book is Book 2 of the joining souls series by Shaila Patel, the first book is called Soulmated! Which was also an amazing book!

However I am going to warn you It kinda ends with a cliffhanger and I wanted to throw my book (more like tablet, since I have a Digital co ...more

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May 21, 2018 V.V. Mont rated it it was amazing

Ah!! What a beautiful continuation of Lucky and Liam's story! These two have grown so much and their love only gets stronger. It was emotional, heart-warming, and a true demonstration of real love. There were so many sizzling moments between these two, the chemistry was HOT. I need the next one ASAP!

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Mar 31, 2018 Hannah Michaels rated it it was amazing

Oh no. Oh no, no, no. Don’t even do this to me. My heart hurts and I’m not ready for that off hanger and everything is on fire and WHY SHAILA WHY. 😭 Lucky and Liam are easily my favorite characters chemistry wise. They just mesh and blend and I could read about them forever. And Liam is total book boyfriend material. I was not prepared for this book. It started with heartbreak and then the roller coaster continued from there. Shaila writes these gorgeous books that I soak in like sunlight. I can ...more

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Mar 12, 2018 Amanda rated it it was amazing

Shaila Patel does not disappoint with the second installment of her Joining Souls series. Once again, she'll have you hooked from the get go with tales of love and supernatural happenings.
Starting up where Soulmated left off, Lucky and Liam continue on their paths as two intertwined soulmates with loads of twists and turns along their journey.
Wonderfully written, with an enjoyable plot line, Fighting Fates has me itching for the next book.

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Apr 07, 2018 Briana Williams rated it it was amazing

Okay, I am in love with this series. Unfortunately due to a very mean cliffhanger I am very sad. Besides that, the writing is fantastic, the perfect capture of Indian and Irish culture is my favorite part of this story. Go Shaila!!! I received an advanced copy for my honest review

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May 19, 2018 Holly marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018, diversity, diversity-author, feels-like-i-won-a-million-bucks, april, must-have-own-copy, oh-hell-yes, really-wanna-read, series, top-books-tbr

WHAT THE WHAT I have clearly not been paying attention!! Gah! I LOVED the first book so, so much, but I hadn't realized book 2 was now out! Eep! Must. Read. ASAP 😍

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Jun 08, 2018 InD'tale Magazine rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018-june, genre-ya, rating-4-5-star, rating-crowned-heart, steam-2

4.5/5.0

A highly engrossing, emotionally charged second book in the “Soulmated” series, “Fighting Fate” picks right up from the previous book and moves forward with a bang.

Read full review in the 2018 June issue of InD'tale Magazine.

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Apr 07, 2018 Megan Coppadge rated it liked it

Shelves: arc, author-given, first-read-not-goodreads, next-book-please, ya

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 07, 2018 Kester Nucum rated it liked it

Disclaimer: Thanks so much to the author for providing me a free electronic ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This will not affect my review in any way.

Soulmated was one of my favorite romantic reads last year, and I was very eagerly awaiting the sequel these past few weeks. I was very ecstatic to have the opportunity to finally read Fighting Fate after that crazy cliffhanger the author left me at in her debut. Fighting Fate takes readers to the next level from Soulmated, adding Disclaimer: Thanks so much to the author for providing me a free electronic ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This will not affect my review in any way.

Soulmated was one of my favorite romantic reads last year, and I was very eagerly awaiting the sequel these past few weeks. I was very ecstatic to have the opportunity to finally read Fighting Fate after that crazy cliffhanger the author left me at in her debut. Fighting Fate takes readers to the next level from Soulmated, adding more heartbreak, betrayal, revelations, and shocking secrets that will get readers hooked. Unfortunately for me, this sequel disappointed me a bit in the sense that it just did not suck me as much as I had wished to. With such high expectations from Soulmated, I was hoping for a stunning sequel, but it fell short.

I have got to say that all the action and conflict was upped in book two. There was so much more tension between basically everybody! You could literally feel it as you stepped through the story. I fell in love with Lucky and the Whelans so much that I just kept on rooting for them (along with Lucky and Liam’s relationship–just get together already, haha) no matter what happened. The Empath world and system was also very fascinating, too. As Lucky learns more about what being an Empath is like, readers see not only more Empath abilities but also escalated action and tension throughout the plot. There are Empaths fighting each other mentally! It’s very awesome, and I kind of wish I had that power. It was a very interesting mix of fantasy and romance in a contemporary setting.

However, I just did not get into Fighting Fate as much as I did with Soulmated. I really tried to become immersed in the book, but it did not happen. I did have to set it down for a bit because I had to finish other books and things, but I expected myself to be immersed in the writing. While the first half was really well-written, and there were so many times where I just wanted Lucky and Liam to finally get together again, by the halfway point my interest waned. I didn’t like all the deeply romantic sections very much (since I prefer reading clean novels without a lot of profanity or obscenities), and they dominated the middle chunk of the book. By then, I didn’t feel very connected to the story and the plot didn’t move too much for me (as a reader who likes faster-paced plots). The ending (after the 80% marker) did pick up and had many surprises that I did not expect, but overall, my reading experience was not at where I had hoped to be.

Even though I did not like Fighting Fate as much as I had wanted, I will still be on the lookout for book three. Liam and Lucky’s story is not done in this installment, and once you get to the end, you will know why I really want to complete the series. Soulmated and Fighting Fate are perfect for readers whose hearts get warmed from YA romance, whose imaginations soar from magic and fantasy, and whose sense of thrill craves action and intrigue. Certainly do pick up both books! Lucky and Liam is a couple that you do not want to miss.

Please note that this is a review of an unfinished Advance Reader’s Copy. There may have been major and minor changes between this version of the book versus the finalized novel that will be released to the public. ...more

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Mar 02, 2018 Harman rated it it was amazing

I am absolutely obsessed. I've read this book three times already and I can not get enough. I didn't know it was possible, but Shaila made her already amazing characters even more incredible.

The first thing I feel like we have to talk about is the writing. I've read the first book, Soulmated, several times and after reading Fighting Fate, the growth in the author's writing is blatant. I'm not saying that the writing in book one wasn't good--it was, but this book just flowed better. The writing ...more

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Dec 01, 2017 Krysti rated it it was amazing

Shelves: chick-lit-ya

The early version of this book that I read was amazing, and the finished product is even better! It’s captivating, and romantic, and so fast paced. I absolutely could not put it down. The stakes are higher than ever in this scintillating sequel with a villain that is truly vile, and whom readers will love to hate. The story picks up right where Soulmated left off, perfectly tying up some plot points from the first book and introducing a whole new set of obstacles for our heroes to overcome. Figh ...more

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