Their shared family history should dictate that they want nothing to do with each other. But all it takes is one chance meeting for them to become completely enamored.
What’s it About?
Maverick “the Avenger” Cage wants to rise to the top and become a legend in the ring. Though he keeps his identity well guarded, he’s known on the fighting circuit as the new kid with a chip on his shoulder and a tattoo on his back that marks him as trouble. He’s got a personal score to settle with the Underground’s one and only Remington “Riptide” Tate.
As Mav trains, he meets a young girl—the only other new person in the town–and sparks fly. When things get heated between them, he finds out she’s none other than Reese Dumas, the cousin of Remington Tate’s wife. A girl who’s supposed to root against him and a girl he’s supposed to stay away from.
But Maverick fights for the woman in his heart, and the monsters in his blood. The world’s eyes are on them and the victor will go down in history as the ultimate fighting champion; the ultimate LEGEND.
First Impressions
Here we go back into the dark and violent ring, but this time with a newer generation of characters than in the previous novels, although we do see the return of some familiar faces. While it takes them some time to fully understand whose side they’re fighting on, our lead characters quickly realize that everything is standing against their relationship to succeed. But Maverick is a fighter, and he refuses to let go of the one person who is a shining beacon of light in his otherwise messed up world. He’s always felt the need to prove himself in the ring; not to himself, but to the father who left him and his mother behind all those years ago. Upon meeting Reese though he now has another reason to be the best, so that he might be deserving of her love.
Fighting for True Love
Maverick and Reese’s love story may have been even more engaging than that of the original characters of Brooke and Remy from the first books. I loved them together, and even though we’re dealing with a case of insta-love, it’s also a slow burn of them both trying to convince themselves that it’s worth taking a chance on each other. Maverick stole the show in being the best uber growly and possessive male figure that you could ever possibly hope for in a fighting novel, while still displaying the utmost affection and gentility towards Reese. Where he is hard, she is soft, yet she’s also running from some of her own demons that we come to discover later on in the book. Even though this novel is told from their alternating points of view, I couldn’t help but feel as though we received a much more well-rounded view of who Maverick was as a character than Reese. It sort of always felt like she was just…there, whereas Maverick’s magnetism leapt off the page to practically hypnotize you. He is a legend after all.
It’s Not So Complicated
It certainly takes some time before these two decide to make a go of it, and even then they always seem to be toying with the idea of whether or not they’re right for each other. That being said, much of the supposed drama which made them question their future felt a bit contrived. First and foremost, and mini-spoiler here, Maverick’s father was the infamously evil fighter, Scorpion, who stopped at nothing to bring down our previous hero, Remy. And Reese just happens to be the cousin of Remy’s wife, Brooke. Standard romance story-telling protocol would typically have us believe we’re about to embark on a Romeo and Juliet situation, and this complicated past between their families does come up rather frequently as an internal reason to question things. And yet, when our lovebirds approach Remy and Brooke respectively about their growing feelings they both sort of have a reaction of, “mkay, you’re adults, we’re not your parents, go for it.” Even though Remy and Maverick are set up to be the ultimate opponents in the ring, Remy also openly takes the young buck under his wing to train and leave a legacy that would separate Mav from the complicated history posed by his father. We never really get the sense that Remy or Brooke opposed this budding relationship, so the fact it continuously returns as a supposed point of conflict was somewhat silly.
There is also the presence of Miles, a friend of Reese’s from back east who she’s always had a crush on. She’s taking this summer to reset by traveling west and caring for her cousin’s adorable young son, Racer, not to mention spending some time in the gym to tighten things up a bit. Maybe if she can build her confidence through exercise and some time in a new environment, she can return to be a sultry vixen that Miles might look upon in a new light. As soon as Maverick enters the picture though? Girl please, you might as well be asking Miles who? We never truly get the sense that Miles posed a threat to their relationship in any way, shape or form, and honestly the scene where he finally does appear was delightfully comical in the way that Maverick openly stakes his claim that Reese is his. Miles never stood a chance, and for the most part it seems that Reese could acknowledge that her feelings towards Maverick were all-consuming in a way they never were with her friend. Perhaps if she and Miles had previously dated, or were “on a break” for the summer, it would have been more believable to worry over this potential love triangle, but instead we continuously have to remind ourselves that Miles exists. In a way it was refreshing that these external conundrums, from a friend back home to family members on the opposing team, never escalated to a point of true conflict between Maverick and Reese. They definitely could have, which would have added multiple layers of drama to the read, but instead we are really more focused on Maverick facing his own demons both within and outside the ring.
Series: Real, book 6. Technicallyyyyyyyy you could probably get away with reading this one even if you haven’t read the prior books, but it’s definitely a bold choice. The author does a great job of summarizing some of the complex relationships from the prior novels, but I think you still get more reading them in order. This was supposed to be the final book of the lot, but it looks like we have one more to go detailing the son of Brooke and Remy from the first few books. Should be a hoot.
Would I befriend the heroine? I honestly don’t know. She seems like she’d be a great gym accountabili-buddy, but I need a gal pal who will also put away an entire pizza and bottle of wine with me when the going gets tough. Bonus points if we can order a side of Indian food.
Would I date the hero? For the purposes of his personality? You bet! His underground fighting career though? Not sure I’d be able to deal with all the sweat, blood and broken ribs.
Final Impressions: This is probably one of my favorite books in the entire series, which is saying something seeing as we’re dealing with an entirely different couple. What can I say? Maverick was the perfect blend of intimidating yet compassionate, and overall less frightening than Remy could sometimes be. Although I didn’t fully connect with Reese in the same way that I did Mav, I still rooted for them as a couple. It was also refreshing that the stakes of the novel never rose to a level that was too anxiety-inducing to be enjoyable.
Smut Level: At one point Maverick successfully manages to unclip and remove Reese’s bra with nothing but his teeth, and in a darkened corner of Central Park with nothing but moonlight to guide his way. That’s some America’s Got Talent sh*t right there.
Get it on Amazon: Click Here. $8.99 Kindle Price. Gallery Books. 306 Pages.
Romance Novels for the Beach 