Heavier the Chains...

Kenzlee Mitchell grows up wealthy, with parents who are rarely home and a twin brother who is her constant ally. When he dies from an overdose, her privileged world is upended. She pulls away from her well-off friends and spends her days with the household staff instead, learning to see what matters. Then another loss hits her hard.

Talon Draven, eighteen, has been raised to shoulder adult responsibilities. His father is absent and his mother works two jobs, so he looks after his younger sister and helps at home. Talon discovers underground fighting, where the violence, the crowd and the money pull him in. After two years of training, he enters the bouts and quickly rises to champion. Every dollar he earns goes toward his sister's college fund, and he has no room for distractions.

When Kenzlee's father loses the family's fortune, she is sent to live with her uncle until her parents sort out their lives. She starts over in a new school and town, facing new friends and an unclear future. Her first meeting with Talon is an accident on the way to class, and it changes his carefully planned path. He is drawn to her immediately and determined to have her. Kenzlee, already overwhelmed, tries to keep her distance, though she cannot ignore how he affects her. As they both work toward their futures, they find that staying apart is far harder than either expected.

Content warning: the book contains strong language, explicit sexual scenes, violence and suicide.