We all play victims to our pasts; to the choices we make and the lives we create. They define who we are. And sometimes if we’re lucky enough, the past stays where it belongs: in the past.I’m not one of the lucky ones.I never have been.Because now the past is knocking on my door, offering deals I have no choice but to take… deals that will help bring justice—not just for me, but for my brothers. … me, but for my brothers.
The problem?
The deal is a ticking time bomb.
One I didn’t know existed.
Tick.
Tock.
more
McLean is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Combative is book 1 in the Combative trilogy and it is a gut-wrenching story. Ky (Kyler Parker), hasn’t had it easy: an abusive father, living on the wrong side of the tracks, no doubt the odds are stacked against him.
Ky has returned from Afghanistan and winds up in jail after a bar fight. Jackson, His cop best friend (who’s more like a brother) offers him a deal: fight undercover to expose a drug ring, moonlighting as an underground fighting organization. Ky is hesitant, but agrees.
Insert Madison, Ky’s sexy neighbor who’s equally, if not more, troubled, and potentially hiding secrets. Both of their lives are interconnected with the other, and the buildup of suspense kept me locked in. This book was totally different from some of McLean’s others (in a good way). I thoroughly enjoyed it even though there is a cliffhanger. I can’t wait for book two. I highly recommend.
Combative by Jay MacLean is the first in a trilogy and focuses on Kyler Parker, a veteran from the army who’s suffering from a lot of guilt and struggling to find his place in life. After being abused when he was younger, Ky has issues with trusting people opening himself up to others. When his best friend/adopted brother needs Ky’s help infiltrating a fighting ring, Ky helps him out and starts training at a gym that Nate DeLuca owns.
Madison is a mysterious girl who lives across the hall from Ky in their apartment building. She’s quirky and a bit quiet, trying to get used to her surroundings. Madison definitely has some strange quirks and some huge secrets, and some are revealed by the end of this book.
Both of these characters are really different, but I loved how Ky really cares for Madison. He is patient with her and works hard to help integrate her into society. There is a cliffhanger at the end, and I’m interested to see how Nate plays a role in the next book.
Combative is so addictive you won’t want to put it down. Easily read in one sitting. What makes this story complete is the hint of danger. Leaves you with plenty of questions.
Jay McLean has proven once again why I love her books!! In this book you get some suspense, drama, laugh out loud moments, and chemistry!! She knows how to hook you from the beginning, keep you interested in the middle, and leave you wanting more.
Kyler is a bit rough around the edges. When he find himself about to get locked up he ends up taking a deal. Kyler is going to go undercover. What he doesn’t expect is his life is going to be flipped upside down by his new neighbor.
Madison is having trouble. She is lost and trying to have a life of her own. When Kyler enters the picture she is left with two options. Madison can either keep him at arms length or let him see the real her. Only time will tell
I have questions! So many questions! But that is a good thing. Normally since I’m an avid reader, I can guess here and there what will happen next in a book. Not here! And that is what makes this story sooooooo refreshing. Madison is awkward and intriguing. For the first part of the book I didn’t know what to make of her. There are a lot of secrets that she keeps under lock and key. But one thing that is undeniable, is that she deeply cares about Ky. And don’t get me started on Ky. Ok I will… he is direct and flirtatious. But the best part is that he is like a giant teddy bear. It’s about the small gesture with him. The ones that will have you feeling tender in the heart. He cares, ge worries, he loves, he protects. In 2 words, he is ALL IN.
And while their story slowly unravels with other issues keeping their guards up, it’s no less romantic. It’s simple. Their needs are simple. Just an existence with the other. Not to say that it’s easy. I’m excited to read the rest of the trilogy and get some answers while at the same time have them reach that goal.
Can I give this 10 stars?? Ky is a badass . I love how he is tough guy but also a pussy cat.
Ky gets in to some trouble and to get out of it, he has to do something very dangerous. This guy Declan, man he is a scary dude. He gives me the creeps.
Ky finds this girl going crazy with her mailbox. She is so mysterious and I was dying to know who she is! She is always skirting the questions of who she is . She is so enamored with picture frames and people and things its just so weird. Madison is as naive and sweet as can be and her and Ky fall head over heels . Well we will have to see how this plays out…
Madison and Kylers story has me intrigued and I’m looking forward to starting the next one. The secrets between these two flows like water but the core of how they feel about each other is so genuine that it keeps you guessing as to what’s real and what’s not.
This book kind of missed the mark for me. I didn’t really connect with any of the characters. But I did like trying to piece what was all happening with the story. I thought Ky was pretty naive when it came to Madison. Especially based on his personality, although based on his past it kind of made sense. The ending didn’t really surprise me that much but I still want to know how Deluca fits in. What happened to Steven? I think there’s an even bigger plot than what I see because that’s what I love about Jay’s writing.
I’m having a hard time putting a review for Combative into words, because I don’t want to give too much away. Jay McLean has quickly become one of my favorite authors, but this book has a much different feel than what I’ve read from her before. This story is a bit darker, mysterious and suspenseful, and it left me with more questions than answers.
Ky and Madison begin a relationship just as Ky has gotten himself into what could become a very dangerous situation. They were both dealt some pretty bad hands in the past and have a lot to overcome, but they quickly find a comfort in each other. Both Ky and Madison are keeping secrets from each other though (Madison more so than Ky), and it gives a you bad feeling throughout much of this book that things are just going too good for them. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, and the ending? Well, it definitely dropped! I am so curious to see this story unfold and I just have so many questions! I need answers!! I can’t wait to read book 2.
*4 Stars*
Copy kindly received in exchange for an honest review.
This was an interesting story, but I don’t really know how to review it, in all honesty. Kyler was a great character, although he has many issues from his past that he needs to deal with. Madison, I didn’t really like her at all, and so I wasn’t too invested in her.
I found Jackson to be intriguing and would like to know more about him, and I loved Christine. The ending of the book was a whoa moment and I really need to know what’s going to happen next, and what sort of secrets are still left to come out.
I look forward to reading the next instalment of this series.
This is the first in a new trilogy and what a beginning this story is. Kyler has had a tough life and has just returned home from his tour in Afghanistan when he is involved in a bar fight where he ends up in jail. Jackson is his cop brother, and he offers him a deal to get into underground fighting where he can unleash his anger and pain, to bring down the villain in the case he is investigating. Kyler is in love at first sight with his new neighbour Madison, but she is keeping secrets and makes no bones about it. Madison is an enigma, but who is she really? This is a well written flawless story which is heartwrenching, raw, gritty, and filled with intrigue, twists, secrets, suspense, mystery, and with a dark and unpredictable plot. I look forward to reading the next book in this trilogy, and I highly recommend her work for all.
• •
: Combative
: Jay McLean @jaymcleanauthor
: 5/5
In this first book in the trilogy we get to know Madison and Kyler. Two people with their own struggles and past. They form a friendship which slowly blossoms into an unlikely love. The side characters are just as perfect as in any other Jay McLean book. Even though they are not part of the main story at all (or at least at this stage), they are crafted just as carefully as the main characters. Which I LOVE, because it makes everything feel so much more realistic. This book, the suspense, the mystery, it was what kept me reading. It is a story with drugs, the mafia, fighting and so much more. I can’t really say too much about the story, because I do not want to spoil anything. ANYWAY the cliffhanger nearly killed me, it left me with even more questions than answers I have gotten throughout the whole book. Another must read from Jay McLean!
My reviews are also available with photo at my Bookstagram: @justmyfantasyworld
Wow, just wow! This book should be a movie! I loved the character building, the twists and turns, it had me on the edge of my seat! I highly recommend!
Combative was a bit different from what I was expecting it to be, yet at the same time it was good ‘ol Jay McLean through and through. The story slowly unfolded jumping from past to present so you could see where Kyler was coming from throughout the story, and what a journey it was! The characters slowly developed right before my eyes, spotlighting the fact that Jay left Madison as a complete enigma. There were so many chances for Madison to share about herself, yet she kept her secrets at heart making you want to know what she was hiding.
Kyler loved Madison wholeheartedly and she seemed to return the love he had for her, however, the texts between Madison and her friend, Sarah (whose identity is kept from us), seemed to keep me questioning the sincerity deep down in my heart.
The story was amazing and beautiful as it unfolded, but left me with many unresolved questions that I’ll have to wait to be answered in the next book. Did I mention the crazy cliffhanger ending Jay left us with??? I may go out of my mind until all of my questions are answered. I’ll definitely have one heck of a book hangover now.
Combative is the first book in the series of another new to me author. The story is dark, gritty, and full of suspense and mystery. It’s the story of Kyler, who just went out of deployment and were recruited to help crack a lead on a case. During those times, he met Madison, his shy and mysterious neighbor.
This is a slow burn romance as we get to know the main characters’ pasts through their POVs. It was evident that both of them were trying to hide/ shield each other from their dark pasts and hurts. But it only got them more attracted and found similarities as they both slowly strip their layers. This book ends in a small cliffy and had my mind spinning and connecting the dots. Can’t wait to devour the next installment!
I really enjoyed this, I went in blind not really knowing what the storyline was, which added to my enjoyment I think. Turned out to be a good read, different from what I thought it might be having read previous Jay books, this is a tad darker and more suspenseful, but still very good!
Kyler Parker is back from Afghanistan having completed 4 tours of duty. He had a bad upbringing with an abusive father, he ended up being taken in by a neighbor and growing up in their family, with their son Jackson. He was a little wild and ended up with some deep regrets and guilt, which is why he joined up, not wanting to face these.
He ended up in a bar fight, his ‘brother’ Jackson is now a Detective and offers him a get out clause, if he helps with their investigation. He must go undercover as an underground fighter and get to know the leader, Nate, a drug dealer. Doing this may also give his some revenge and retribution for something in his past, as well as an outlet for his anger.
All is going well until he meets a new neighbour and their mailbox. Madison captures him like no one else. She in also unlike anyone else he has ever met, she seems unworldly, very childlike in her existence, and takes pleasure in the slightest of things. He fears that if he pushes her too hard for answers about her past then she will just run, so he doesn’t. Their relationship is unusual, but they fall hard for each other. Kyler opens up himself to Madison, having eventually found someone he can talk to and confide in. But Madison is an enigma, we end up knowing next to nothing about her.
I really enjoyed this, all the mystery about Madison and the secrets she obviously has!
When I first started this 4.5 stars read I did not know what to expect. Being a huge fan of her More Than series, have also been forewarn that it would be nothing like her other books, and seeing the cover I was somewhat afraid of what would entail in this novel.
People do crazy things when they feel like the clock is ticking too fast, or too slow, or not ticking at all.
Jay has a way of writing that will deeply suck you into her world and her characters. This is the first book in the Combative series and it was definitely different from her usual books where she has brought in a mysterious and suspenseful read into our hands. We meet and learn about Madison Haynes and Kyler Parker’s story and their background will bring reeling thoughts that will have you wondering what will happen next for them as an individual, as they get to know each other, and in their life overall. They each made some choices that will either make or break them in the long run and just as you get close to getting some answers you have been dying to know the author leaves you with a jaw dropping cliffy that will have you itching for the next book pronto!
“I don’t think it’s our past that defines us, and it’s not even our life’s final destination. It’s everything we do in between, the actual living, that creates who we are.”
Let me conclude that Jay has once again BLEW. MY. MIND! Her thoughts, her words, and the imagination she has started to create in this series is freaking brilliant! The little details she also includes in the read just makes the read sooo much more intensive that the start of this journey will have you on the edge of your seat wanting more!
All through this book I was somewhat secrets everyone had. At the end we got to see a glimpse into one of the big ones. I am now on to reading the next book to get some more answers.
Hello. It’s Me. I’ve been wondering… WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN THIS BOOK
*e-book generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*
“You say you miss me and I wanna say I miss you so much
But something keeps me really quiet, I’m alive, I’m a lush.”
West Coast – Lana Del Rey
What’s this book about? (I’m trying to give as little spoilers as possible)
Kyler Parker has always had issues. He managed to escape them for a while, but he can’t anymore. Years later, authorities are closing in on what happened in the past and he’s presented with a deal that provides REVENGE for the wrongs that occurred, but somewhere along the way he gets lost in the eyes of his mysterious and pretty neighbour Madison.
I came cross this series by accident and let me just say, having read all of the books in one weekend, I do NOT regret signing up to read them. HOW DID EVERYONE ELSE MANAGE WITH THE HUGE CLIFFHANGERS!?!??!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!??! I could barely contain myself and I had all the e-books ready on my device.
Combative was an easy read for me, fast-paced and so mysterious. Ugh. Half the time, I had no idea what was going on. Told in dual POVs, from Kyler Parker and Madison, it gives us a glimpse into two worlds. The reader receives a lot of information on Kyler Parker; he just can’t contain himself, can he? He’s had a difficult life, but he’s loveable. HE IS. The relationship that he develops with Madison appears so genuine and it’s just too cute. Ky and Madison are exquisite together and their plot dominates most of the book. I loved their development so much that I almost didn’t want anything else from this book, just these two resolving their issues. But hey… the guy’s not supposed to fall in love WTF!!!! HELLO!!! Like for real. Control yourself, human!!! YOU HAVE A JOB, KY. *says the Evil Witch* And this job contains an antagonist who’s bad-ass (in the bad way?!) and incredibly enigmatic. Like… do we hate, loathe or love? No clue. And no further discussion because it’s late and I don’t want to spoil ANYTHING. The sports slash MMA aspect of the novel kept the characters busy, but the novel didn’t revolve around it, so for all sports hating people, don’t worry. This book is just plain mystery. While I read it, I had a thousand questions building in my head. I read with suspicion and sometimes, that’s entertaining as f*ck. While I connected with Ky, it took me some time to feel for Madison. However, especially IN THE END, I was mind-blown and I was extremely glad that I had the next books ready.
„Combative” is a adult book series written by Jay McLean. When I was reading „More than” series, the problems of ours heroes were a little infantile. Here, everything is serious and this series is now my favourite from this author.
Kyler was a normal boy, but he didn’t have a normal life. He was abused and neglected, her parents had his son in their asses. He spend his time with his bestfriend Jackson, who were his foster brother. Both of them grew up and now they are adults with responsibilities.
One day Ky met a strange girl named Madison. Their love was faster than light. But everything can’t go lucky and both of them realised that they have a big problems.
„Combative” is a first book in series. On the cover we have a fighter, so my first mind was that this will be a fighter book. And somehow it is. But not only on the ring. It is fight for love, for revenge and for truth.
Ky and Madison are broken people. Both of them had a tough lives. Now isn’t better but they have got each other as a support. I really like this changes, that Ky has undergone He slowly opens in front of Madison and in his lonely and broken soul we can read emotions and everything what he can’t say.
Madison Haynes is a right girl for Kyler, but she need help too. And Kyler is her liveraft. They are perfect together.
„Combative” is a great book, but THIS ENDING? Jay McLean are U serious? Really?
Fortunately I have the second book in series on my Kindle, so now I am going to read it too.