Review: Against the Ropes – Sarah Castille

He scared me. He thrilled me. And after one touch, all I could think about was getting more…

Makayla never thought she’d set foot in an underground mixed-martial arts club. But if anyone needs a medic on hand, it’s these guys. Trouble is, at her first sight of the club’s owner she’s the one feeling breathless.

All sleek muscle and restrained power, the man they call Torment plays to win at any cost. Whether it’s in the ring or in the bedroom, he knows exactly when to use a soft touch and when to launch a full-on assault. He always knows just how far he can push. And he’s about to tempt Makayla in ways she never imagined…

Series:
Release Date: September 3, 2013
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Source: NetGalley
Reviewer: Elizabeth
Rating:

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Reviewer’s Thoughts

I had a difficult time getting through this book. The cover is hot and I loved the MMA trope but as I started to read, I was confused and I wasn’t able to follow what was going. I found myself going back to the beginning of the chapter because I thought I missed something. When I did catch on, the pacing felt a little forced at times and didn’t flow well.

There’s a part in the first chapter that bothered me. When Makayla looked into Max’s eyes and could tell that he was letting his emotions show through, I really found that hard to believe. They’ve known each other five minutes, how can she possibly discern the look of emotion in that amount of time? As a contemporary read, it felt a little unrealistic to me.

Please let me explain. I understand that this is fiction and anything is possible; however, it’s difficult for me to keep interest in a story when I can’t relate to the characters. I felt that this particular interaction between Makayla and Torment, aka Max, wasn’t believable. I also had this problem with other characters in the story.

Max’s character was sometimes cruel and that made it difficult to like him. The fight scenes were good and very detailed and the fighters had pretty sweet ring names. I particularly liked Blade Saw, Rampage, Obsidian, and Homicide. Unfortunately, those were not enough to hold my interest and enjoy the story.

2.5 Cocktails