Review originally posted at Ramblings From This Chick 
 I love a good sports romance, so when I saw Fighting For Irish by Gina L. Maxwell I knew this was one that I wanted to read. Fighting For Irish is the first book that I have ever read by Maxwell, but I have heard really great things about her work. I was not disappointed at all. This book was so good and I absolutely loved every word of it. Even though this book is the third in her Fighting For Love series, these can be read as stand alones. After reading this one though, I can't wait to go back and read first two books. 
 Kat MacGregor has been living under the name Sydney while waitressing at a bar barely scraping by. She is on the run from some men who want her to pay up for a debt that her ex-boyfriend ran out on. When they finally catch up to her, they give her forty-eight hours to come up with the twenty grand or else. Not knowing what to do she plans to run. Aiden "Irish" O'brien has been keeping an eye on Kat even though she has no clue. When his friend's fiance asked him to find her sister and look out for her he never expected to get to know her. But now that he has been working with her and keeping an eye on her, he finds himself unable to walk away. When he finds out she is in trouble, he vows to protect her and get her out of the debt. But in order to come up with the money to buy her freedom, he must reenter the world of MMA fighting that he left behind years ago. Aiden has been running from his own past, and knowing that he needs to fight is bound to bring it all back. As Aiden and Kat begin to spend more time together, their feelings quickly grow. But can they get her out of danger before time runs out and any chance at a future together is lost? 
 I loved Aiden! He was sexy and sweet, protective and caring. I loved how he was so patient and gentle with Kat despite him used to being a certain way with women. He really showed that he cared for her beyond her just being a favor to a friend or a random girl. I loved watching him help her heal. I loved how real Aiden was. He was kind of a slob and was rough around the edges, but I found him and his Boston accent completely charming. He was really sort of perfect in all him imperfections. I felt so bad for him with all the guilt that he carried and how he kept himself away from those he loved because of it. Kat was great. She was vulnerable yet strong, and I loved that even though she was broken from her past she wasn't apologetic about her circumstances. She accepted her situation and was determined to protect her sister from ever knowing what had happened to her as well as the situation she was in. I liked that she had learned to stand on her own two feet, but it was even better when she started learning to accept help from Irish. Not only was he great with her, but she helped him to realize that he deserved better than what he had been living like as well. These two were so perfect for each other, and I loved that the drama and angst was saved for things beyond their relationship. They had their issues along the way, but most of the problems they experienced were due to things outside of their connection and that was nice for a change. Aiden and Kat had off the charts chemistry and they were amazingly hot together! I loved how things started off slow for them and really grew. I think it made their relationship and connection that much more believable. 
 Overall, I thought that this book was fantastic. It was a great romance that had so much to offer. I thought that the writing was great and the story flowed really well. I was interested from the start, and the characters were so likable that I was immediately invested in their HEA. I didn't want to put this one down, and I only did when absolutely forced to. I also really loved the secondary characters that we encountered also, especially Xander. I really hope that we get his story! This is definitely a must read for anyone who likes a rough and tough hero that is surprisingly gentle. I would highly recommend this book to any fan of romance though because it is definitely one of the best books I have read in quite awhile. I will definitely be looking for more from Gina L. Maxwell in the future and can't wait to go back and read the first two installments in this series. 
 **ARC provided by Publisher**