Review: I loved their connection!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 11, 2014
“My whole life is broken. Everything I dreamed about is shattered. Yet, I get up every day and try to make the best of it.”—LoganLogan’s dreams are shattered as she goes from a rising ballerina star to an MMA ring card girl. She needs the well-paying job to fund her new dream and get her out of the embarrassing nightmare that her fame-seeking ex keeps pulling her back into. To keep her job, she has to convince Keane, an unwilling fighter, to fight in a major tournament. But somewhere on the way, it turns out Logan’s the fighter as she fights for someone and something that goes beyond her dreams…“I’m going to find out what’s bothering you and together, we’ll fix it…that’s what you do when you love someone.”—LoganWow. Loved. This. Book! At first, I wasn’t sure if I would like the gorgeous Octagon girl (aka the scantily clad female that riles up the crowd before each MMA bout) even though I was pretty sure I would love our brooding fighter. But wow, Logan has a way of getting under your skin—as poor Keane, who just wants to wallow in misery, discovers! She has so much grit, determination, and class that I was rooting for her throughout the book to get even with her ex, achieve her dreams, and get her HEA with her man!Both our leads have tragic back stories leading them to their current lows. Logan is so strong despite the constant walloping she gets from her media hungry ex. I hate—hate!—her ex but love how she deals with him. She’s logical and takes the high road, biding her time until she can avenge herself while doing what’s needed to pick up the pieces of her life and move forward. Keane, on the other hand, is a truly broken and shattered soul who is locked in a prison of guilt, shame, and self-loathing. First off, he’s suffering from PTSD as a survivor of a couple of tours in the military, including Afghanistan—so, suffering war hero, that right there is enough for me to love and root for him. But then you add in the fact that he’s so protective over Logan and *bam*—that makes him so much more swoon-worthy! She’s like this flicker of light—that he can’t help gravitate towards—in his world of darkness even though he tries to futilely resist. Logan is so perfect for him in that she understands being in a dark place and will do what she can to help him.The romance in this book is so great; I love their connection! The heat level is definitely in the high range with very hot love scenes, but their characterization and emotional connection is what makes this book so strong. The secondary characters were OK, nothing compared to our leads, but they help move the story along—although I have to add again: I hate her ex! It feels like this will be a series with some other fighters as leads, and I’m looking forward to it! Logan and Keane’s story is complete though, so you don’t have to worry about a cliff-hanger, but I do want more of them and am crossing my fingers for cameos if this does become a series! Overall, this is a 5 out of 5 for me and going on my favorites shelf!(Originally posted on my blog; I received a NetGalley copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)