Review: Humorous and steamy but nothing new.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 8, 2014
Against the Ropes was surprisingly humorous in its delivery - from the bookworm turned hot-bodied doctor to the dirty-talking cop by day, MMA fighter by night. Much like other MMA stories I've read recently or wanted to read, this hero also had a knack for falling for a woman who had been abused or viciously attacked at some point and was therefore weary of men. You can expect the usual flow from a hero who pursues a violent sport and shows interest in a heroine with baggage: mutual attraction, a lot of chemistry, sex yes, relationship no(t yet).The story was stacked with other popular tropes and clichés: the heroine was the “annoying” little sister, she had a crush on her brother's best friend, they all grew up together, she was “invisible”, Slade and Chrissy's parents died when they were young, the bookworm returned to her hometown and had undergone a transformation from ugly duckling to swan that neither the hero nor his libido could ignore. The heroine stubbornly refused to listen to the hero when he asked her not to go somewhere potentially dangerous.The history between Chrissy and Jack made the pacing of the present tension and attraction believable, and it was rather amusing to follow. This story moved pretty fast – it was one snarky encounter after another in quick succession. For the most part, I thought it was pretty funny watching those two clash verbally and then start groping one another. We got glimpses of Chrissy's childhood throughout the story which became repetitive over time.I liked Chrissy's nurturing side and her plucky attitude. Other times it felt like she was someone else. She was supposed to be an independent and strong woman, having “been to hell and back”, and from traveling to some of the worst places as a doctor and surviving that. And yet she couldn't summon up the courage to tell some overbearing town folks to butt out of her life (the scene in the diner). She giggled way too much, and at times she just sounded silly ("I am woman hear me roar! Roar!").I liked Jack's cheeky side at times and his willpower to not fall into bed with Chrissy, even though he had a really tough time controlling himself. They had great chemistry, and I was particularly fond of her driving him up the wall, and him making her blush, laugh and get turned on with his dirty-talk and double entendres. He was just a little too corny to make me fall in love with him (“I wouldn’t want you to stop doing something you love.” “I wouldn’t stop doing something I love. I’d start doing someone I love.”).The heroine's hem-hawing between wanting to sleep with him but not risk her heart because of her history with abuse was tiresome. It stands to reason that the act of climbing into bed with someone would leave anyone vulnerable to an attack. The love scenes were steamy. Well, the string of third base encounters. Even though this book is advertised as MMA, the sport content seemed more like an afterthought. A cop's life can also be violent, therefore I never felt that Jack's hobby was really a big enough threat to Chrissy. I was expecting a more suspenseful climax considering the build-up of the events with the girl and her abusive boyfriend, and the event that put Chrissy in the hospital only to discover there was no connection at all.Disclaimer: Complimentary copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review. It is possible that some events/quotes were changed prior to publication.