A new Southern Roots standalone… Azalea Barnes has hated Drake Collins since the day he broke her teenaged heart. Fast forward almost seven years later and her libido still hasn’t gotten the memo. Now they’re frenemies… with benefits. Which suits Azalea just fine. She gets what her body craves while keeping her heart safe. Kind of. Mostly. Drake has loved Azalea since the day they met. He …
Drake has loved Azalea since the day they met. He knows that she’s his forever. Too bad she only sees him as a good time. He wants more. Needs more.
If only he could convince her that it’s real this time. He’s more determined than ever to prove to Azalea that chemistry like theirs doesn’t exist only in the bedroom.
The odds may be against Drake, but he’s prepared for an uphill battle.
Please note: This title can be read as a complete STANDALONE.
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Ugh! All the angst, the back and the forth. I l odd it! Made my stomach drop and my chest ache and then made me happy! Loved this book! Characters are awesome and even give you some good laughs!
This is an amazing love story because let be honest we all have those two friends that act like this that end up falling in love!! I love how sassy and true her characters are in this book plus it explains perfectly the small town drama we can encounter!! LK Farlow did an amazing job.. Plus Mrs Farlow is an awesome person so it’s not surprising her books are just as awesome!!!!! I would recommend this series to anyone!!
3.5 stars
An Uphill Battle is kind of a second chance romance, but not quite. It’s also kind of an enemies to lovers romance, but not quite that either. In the beginning of this story, we’re thrown in to what seems to be the middle of a casual fling. It turns out that Drake and Azalea have known each other for years, and a series of miscommunication has kept them from moving forward with the relationship. I liked Drake, but Azalea frustrated me to no end with her refusal to see how Drake felt about her, no matter how many times he said it. I haven’t read the first book in this series, and despite the claim of this being a standalone, there were some things that I felt were missing. That aside, the story did hold my interest and there were some chuckle worthy moments in the banter between our couple.
3.5 Uphill Battle Stars
An Uphill Battle is the second book in the Southern Roots series by LK Farlow, I have only read one of her previous books before and it was the first in this series. I decided while sick to pick up this next book and give it ago. The book started off strong for me and I was really enjoying the feels and the style of writing.
One day, you’re gonna find a girl who makes you crazy, and when that day comes, you’ll do everything in your power to keep her, because that’s how you know she’s the one.
However when the games started this really ticked me off. I thought there was no need for some of the hurt and pain caused by their own games and all of this could have been avoided if they had just been honest with each other.
Girl’s got it wrong. I want more than strings. I want chains.
Overall though this was a pleasant read and did end up enjoying it.
L.K. sure knows how to write southern charm! An Uphill Battle was the second book in her Southern Roots series. I was so excited since I loved Azalea and Drake’s interactions from the first book. It had a sweet vibe with an intense push and pull! I wanted to smack the two together at times because they were both so hard headed and stubborn! What a pair!
Azalea learned real fast she couldn’t trust Drake with her heart. But as the years went by, he made it extremely difficult for her to keep it locked away. When lines were crossed, would she get her happy ever after or would her dreams go up in smoke?
Drake had been in love with Azalea since day one but their timing was always off. When he finally had the chance, of course the past would try to repeat itself. Could he ever convince her he was serious or would too many circumstances get in their way.
I may have been annoyed with them at times but I loved them together. From their eye rolling stubbornness to their sexy chemistry, it was a sweet read!
Azalea and Drake really fit the title of this book. The chemistry was on fire, but a lot of the time I just kinda wanted to slap them both upside the head…lovingly. For some reason, I can relate. I get the whole round and round battle that doesn’t go anywhere. But when you are into someone, the craziness doesn’t matter. I think for them, they enjoyed the chase. Some of it kinda did make me roll my eyes a little, but love…or the road to love isn’t always a straight path.
Azalea and Drake have known each other for years. And had a tolerate/hate relationship for just as long, but things have crossed over a line. Here’s the thing. Drake has had a thing for Azalea for years. Surely she knows that. And Azalea has wanted Drake for just as long. Everyone sees it but them. They are both in full denial. But that line they crossed? Gets more and more blurred every day.
I DESPISED Drake for part of the book. Sure, they both had their issues to work through, but Drake seemed to take great pleasure in messing with Azalea’s head when he was angry, rather than actually communicating without games or half-truths. Granted, he more than made up for it, but I wanted to cry for Azalea at every deliberate misunderstanding and game played. She had her own deep-seated issues based on their past and Drake appeared to be the same immature jerk he once was a few times. But I kept reading because I loved their story and how they made everything right.
I think I expected too much from this series or I have become old and jaded. I really liked Azeala and Drake and their combative attitudes were funny and kept things entertaining. Unfortunately their story just makes him look like a manipulating neanderthal, not a man in love/possessed as he claims to be. It even seems to imply the fault is all on her for her crazy and fear. The games the miscommunications all this crap they was exhausting for me but maybe described as angst to someone else. If you can get past this then the author’s style and the fact that it’s not a bad story then you may enjoy it more.
This was a quick, light-hearted, small-town romance that was sometimes sweet, sometimes witty, and at times frustrating.
The back and forth between Drake and Azalea drove me crazy and their sometimes childish antics was enough to make me want to slap them. Lol!
Simon’s story is next!
**I listened to the audiobook and I thought the narrators did a great job.
They have the passion, now they just need the understanding
Azalea & Drake are like TNT. Explosive and a wee bit unstable. They’ve known each other for years. They’re hooking up. Drake just needs her to believe he really loves her and Azalea needs to let go of her past. These two really need to learn to communicate so they can get the HEA everyone knows they’ll have.
So I just finished An Uphill Battle. I was stalling all day because I didn’t want it to end!
BUT I have to mention….there were a few times in the book where it said Drake bites down on his fist and the only thing I could picture was Lenny (from Laverne & Shirley). I would start giggling and have to go back a couple pages to read it again once I cleared my head.
I said in the review for her first book that LK’s writing can only improve and I was so right. I’ll probably say it in every review from now on…I can’t wait to read more from this author! She’s one of my automatic one clicks now.
I felt more of a connection with these characters. I felt they were… I’m not sure if I’m phrasing how I really want to… but they almost felt more real. I could feel the relationship between Azalea and Drake more than I could for Cash and Myla.
I’m so ready for book #3! I fell in love with Simon in Coming Up Roses and I can’t wait to read his story!
Quick read that had me ready to throw my kindle across the room a few times. The relationship between Drake and Azalea and their horrible communication skills frequently had me wanting to tear my hair out, but maybe that’s because I’ve seen those exact same communication skills in my own friends and family. I loved the way LK Fowler fleshed out her characters, both the main and secondary ones. I understood where Drake and Azalea were coming from even as I wanted to slap them upside the head and tell them to straighten up. The way their friends supported them while calling them out was spot on what friendship should be. All said, the final destination was worth the roller coaster of emotions.
LK Farlow has an amazing act for words and I knew the second that I finished Coming Up Roses back in 2017 that I needed her next book as soon as possible! Let me just say that An Uphill Battle lived up to my expectations and I found myself falling more and more in love with her beautifully unique writing style.
If you read Coming Up Roses, book one in the Southern Roots series (standalone), then chances are that you remember Azalea and Drake. I knew after getting a glimpse at these two that I couldn’t wait to get my hands on their story! The second this book downloaded I found myself devouring the story from start to finish. Seriously I couldn’t get enough of these two and their complicated relationship.
I didn’t think it was possible, but Drake might rank slightly ahead of Cash on my swoon-worthy scale! This character managed to wiggle his way into my heart and I was swooning until the very end. Now Azalea was something else for sure. I loved her spunky attitude and her stubbornness. These two are absolutely perfect for each other and I couldn’t help but connect with their love story right from the start.
Make sure that you one-click their story today and fall in love with the Southern Roots characters! I am so freaking excited and I cannot wait for the next book in the series…
This is the perfect title for this book. Azalea Barnes and Drake Collins are too characters that I absolutely wanted to reach into the pages and strangle,like( Look at what’s right in front of you), (Come on guys get it together), (thats a bad idea), and (another bad idea). For a book to evoke so many feelings from me has gotta be a 5 star read, throw in how southern they are, and myself a born and raised Tennessee chick I loved this story . AzzyJo was the perfect southern woman who leads with her heart instead of her head, she overreacts, and assumes the worst, I totally get her. Thank Goodness Drake doesn’t give up easily. Loved Loved this story and the other characters are just as amazing , Please let Simon and Magnolia be next
I loved this book!!!!!!! Okay so not sure when this book comes out but I have to say man what a roller coaster of an emotion. I loved this book. It reminds you about how much you need to communicate to the one person you love. These two keep you on your toes. Awesome book Farlow !!!!
An Uphill Battle is the second book in the Southern Roots series. This novel centers around Azalea and Drake’s mindfuck of a relationship.
Since ending Coming Up Roses, I’ve been dying to get my hands on Azalea’s story. She seemed like a no-nonsense chick and given the back and forth moments in her relationship with Drake, I was excited for some sexy banter and loads of drama that, no doubt, would surround these two.
I have to say, I was a little annoyed by certain parts of this novel that occurred towards the end. I thought I was ready for the ‘love war’ between these two but honestly, I just wanted them to be happy and get together. These two have a serious communication issue! As for the drama….it was spot on and literally made me anxious in some moments. I absolutely hated the game’s that Drake played towards the end though. My rating for Drake went down just a little. Especially given the fact that he knew Azalea had trust and commitment issues. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know why those issues were set in play, you don’t play with a heart the way he did.
Overall, I love the friendships in this series and I still love Azalea and Drake even if this book wasn’t my favorite. I think this group of friends is dynamic. I can’t wait to see what Simon and Magnolia have in store, and what deep dark secrets Magnolia is hiding!!!
One word describes Azalea and Drake’s relationship, COMPLICATED! And oh boy does this story give you a wild ride of those complications. Between misunderstandings and refusing to believe each other, these two are a rollercoaster of emotions and raw passion. There were moments I really wanted to whack Azalea because of her stubbornness but in all fairness, Drake is the king of mix signals. The past comes to haunt them and throws everything for a loop.
I really loved the ups and downs of this book honestly. It felt like an angsty real life relationship that has everything thrown at them and they still come out above it. The title of this book is honestly so fitting! Overall, this was a great read! I would highly recommend this book and anything else by this author!
Worth the wait
The second book in LK Farlow’s Southern Roots series, An Uphill Battle, is a brilliant “frenemies” (friends who act like enemies) to lovers romance. Drake and Azalea have known each for years and despite a long simmering attraction the timing hasn’t ever been right. I really enjoyed reading the journey that these two characters go on to discover whether each other is worth the wait or if things just aren’t meant to be.
Author Kate Farlow has shown great improvement in her writing – something that was clear to me having only read her debut novel a week ago. And while in the middle of the book I was concerned there was some “drama for the sake of drama”, I was satisfied in how it was all resolved and on reflection the conflict did, in fact, help Drake and Azalea’s story. I loved the characterisation of both leads and I felt their backgrounds really shaped the way in which they reacted to the events in An Uphill Battle.
And I am keen to read the next book(s) in the Southern Roots series as I’m hoping that Seraphine and Magnolia get their own stories soon as well. I’m looking forward to watching Kate grow and improve further as an author – something I really love doing as a reader of so many indie romance authors.
Technically the writing in this is good, and the fact that the characters elicited such deep feelings of annoyance means that in some ways they were well written. However for me reading this was very much An Uphill Battle .
I am genuinely saddened to be critical of the book because (a) the author will have invested a chunk of their soul in the writing of it and (b) in many ways I thought the book was quite well written. It’s the second of these two points that raised this from a 0 or 1 star review.
So why did this book not work for me? Three words – Drake and Azalea. I didn’t find much to like about either of the main characters. I actually preferred Azalea to Drake, and had he not been such an emotionally stunted idiot then perhaps I would have warmed to the book a little more. Other characters kept telling us how he was obviously in love with her, but Drake’s words and actions never really showed her, or the reader, that he was.
The book starts with Azalea and Drake being frenemies with benefits. No explanation of how long they have been sleeping together, how often it happens, and no actual scenes of them in this situation. Again we are told when we need to be shown. They have apparently loved each other for years, although they were both too busy going out with other people to do anything about it!!!???!!! This led to the ‘Kelly’ incident. However the years between that and now are never mentioned, leaving me a little confused as to how/why/when they got back together, but not together.
We are told by Azalea that
“Sometimes, when we are together, it truly feels like he wants more. He says all the right things, but only when we’re in bed…”
Why did she feel like this? What were these actions that made her feel this way? A couple of times Drake’s friends called him out on the fact that he wasn’t really showing or telling Azalea how he truly felt but then he did nothing about it. The author then seemed to switch the blame to Azalea and hang it on her Daddy insecurity issues.
However the plot is basically summed up by these two quotes
“Y’all both made some really dumb choices, and y’all communicate about as well as toddlers”
So much of this drama between us was nothing more than miscommunications, and totally avoidable
A whole book of neither main character ever actually saying what they thought/felt/meant. The pair go out for a meal, only for Azalea to later learn that Kelly recommended the restaurant. She assumes Drake went there with Kelly. Does he explain that Kelly is engaged to Brent? No he lets her sit in her car in tears, thinking the following –
I stand there, silent, not knowing what to say to fix this mess of a misunderstanding.
Hello!!!???!! How about – “Azalea, just so you know, Kelly went to Fire with Brent ‘cos they’re a couple”.
But no our ‘hero’ has his head so far up his own derriere that he lets her assume the worst. They then arrange to meet and sort things out. When she arrives (late) Kelly is again by his side. (view spoiler)
No matter what I try and say, she’s determined not to hear it.
OMG – she won’t hear it if it’s in your sodding head man! She isn’t a mind reader – arghhhhhhh!
When Drake decides to go out with a different woman, to make Azalea jealous I put the book down as a DNF. This was the point I realised what a stupid, childish, waste of space Drake truly was.
“Why, Azalea, why?”
I have to say I asked myself this several times, why bother with Drake – go and find yourself a man who isn’t a prize bottomhole. Oh and Azalea’s best friend was ok with this ‘game’. Girl you need to pick better men AND better friends.
However curiosity got the best of me so I did finish the book – partly to see if the characters could get even more annoying or stupid. Surprisingly they didn’t. The last few chapters actually worked, in it were two characters I would have liked to know and read about. However too much of the book was just repetitive and annoying.