This book... So, I cried. I loved Shaw, even as his self-hatred gutted me. I would say this book is a little less hard-hitting than the previous two. At least where the events of the past are concerned. The heroine lost her sister in the shooting at the center of this series. As such, I expected to encounter way more trauma from Taryn's experience of that fateful night but was relieved that the author didn't go there. 
Instead, she gave us a gut-wrenching, doomed from the start, romance between a strong female who tries to give everyone hope and a lost Hero who has given up all hope for his own future.  
I've read books 2 and 3 back to back, but it's been two years since reading book 1. The One You Fight For is the front runner at least until Book 1 gets a re-read. This story was just *chef's kiss*
I can't wait to see where the last book, The One For You, ranks.