Against the Ropes (Redemption, #1) by Sarah Castille

The Book
Release Date:

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 elite mixed martial arts club. But if anyone needs a medic on hand, it's these guys. Then again, at her first sight of the club's owner, she's the one feeling breathless.

The man they call Torment is all sleek muscle and restrained power. Whether it's in the ring or in the bedroom, he knows exactly when a soft touch is required 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...

My Opinion  3 STARS
This is a hit and miss kind of book.

First, you have to get over the fact that the author leans heavily on the full stop for punctuation with little else.  This therefore meant that it took a little longer for me to get into it.

Makayla seemed ok as a character,  but she seemed to have everything thrown at her.  A nasty boss, another boss that fancied her, poor because of her student debts, no parents… oh and a dislike of violence and blood, but yet she works at the hospital and has her EMT certificate.  Oh, don't forget her man has to come save her too….

Torment (aka Max Huntingdon) is another character that seems to have everything thrown at him.  He's an MMA type fighter n the underground circuit, has BDSM and dominant tendencies, dead parents, money, a mile wide possessive streak, temperament issues etc….

I mean some of this would be ok, but all thrown into one book makes it feel cheap and overdone.  Even Makayla's best friend seems more like Samantha in Sex in the City, sleeping around and talking far too explicitly about what she's doing or about to do.

There is a decent story buried in there somehow, but everything takes away from it leaving you feeling kinda sorry you picked up the book.

One saving grace for me was the texting between Max and Makayla, however it was still a little FSOF like in that regard (where they have emails instead).

Although I read this book pretty much in one sitting, it was mainly to get the book over with.  I'll read the second book in the series, simply to know what happens with Amanda (the BFF), however its not a book I will be recommending to anyone.