REVIEW: REAL BY KATY EVANS

A fallen boxer.
A woman with a broken dream.
A competition…

He even makes me forget my name. One night was all it took, and I forgot everything and anything except the sexy fighter in the ring who sets my mind ablaze and my body on fire with wanting…

Remington Tate is the strongest, most confusing man I’ve ever met in my life.

He’s the star of the dangerous underground fighting circuit, and I’m drawn to him as I’ve never been drawn to anything in my life. I forget who I am, what I want, with just one look from him. When he’s near, I need to remind myself that I am strong–but he is stronger. And now it’s my job to keep his body working like a perfect machine, his taut muscles primed and ready to break the bones of his next opponents . . .

But the one he’s most threatening to, now, is me.

I want him. I want him without fear. Without reservations.

If only I knew for sure what it is that he wants from me?

REAL – April 9 2013

Book #1 of The Real, Raw & Ripped Series

***Mature New Adult/Adult Contemporary Romance - recommended for ages 18 and up.***

GoodReads | Amazon 

*4 1/2 Stars*

Okay Courtney, I know I've probably said this before and I'll probably say it again...but Holy Cow and thank you for recommending it!!!! This book was H-O-T. Let me warn people: your Kindle may be ash in your hands by the time you finish reading this book.

1) Remy. Remington Tate. He's a fighter. He's hot. Maybe even hotness personified? Like you look up the word hot in the dictionary and there he is. He's got a reputation of being sex on a stick, violent in the boxing ring, and living a life in the fast lane. Interestingly, he appears to be none of that, once you get to know him. He surprised me from the very beginning of the novel by some of his actions (like how he and Brooke first speak to each other) and he continued to surprise me until the very end. Remy is definitely one of those strong and silent types. I kept waiting for him to have a word explosion because he really didn't say much for the first half of the book, but he didn't. There's a reason. You'll have to read to find out. His back story is so different than anything I've read before and once you know it, everything clicks into place. The things he does for and with and to Brooke: swoon. 

2) Brooke. Brooke also surprised me; I thought she'd put up more resistance to her desire for Remy. She didn't seem all that interested in the first page..or two but then she seems helpless to fight her intense attraction to him. To her credit, she tries to keep her interactions with him professional but under all of that professionalism is animalistic attraction. As we get to know Brooke, we learn about an accident that could have embittered her, an interesting story involving her sister Nora, and see that even in the heat of her desire for Remy she can make hard choices and stand up for things she believes in. Brooke isn't my traditional sassy, overly confident, funny heroine, but I really like her. She's smart, and sarcastic,and sure of herself but not too sure of herself, and she's compassionate. I won't give anything away--but I can totally appreciate her actions and reactions to Remy in the last 25% of the novel.

3) The tension. OMGosh. The sexual tension between these two was enough to make you want to throw something...or better yet, find the characters and lock them in a room together and tell them to DO IT, ALREADY. Sheesh. Then when they finally do DO IT...um, wow. I almost had to call in sick just to recover from it. 

4) The technicalities. Katy Evans did a fantastic job of balancing the technical details of Brooke's knowledge of being a trainer and how much a reader could grasp without being lost or confused. I liked that she didn't dumb down information but she didn't lose us in jargon either. I also appreciated the writing; I found some of her lines so pretty to read and so beautifully expressed and also sometimes very raw. I found myself highlighting several passages on my Kindle. 

My desire for more information is the main thing that dropped my rating from a 5 to a 4 1/2. I wanted to know more about Remy's past and more about Nora. I'm so excited that Katy Evans is extending this story-line to another novel and I cannot wait to see how their journey continues.

*5 Stars*

EEEPPP!!! I am so glad we moved this book up too! I just couldn't help it. Every single time I opened up my kindle app there it was taunting me. That little star tattoo that is. If you haven't noticed it, well play a little Where's Waldo and you won't be disappointed. Moving on...(hee!)...I think we've both been riding this crazy Remy high for a few days and it's a great one to be on! I have to say, this did not turn out to be the typical fighter/tattoo, good girl/virgin that a friend of mine has dubbed my MO. (I know! I gasp at this too, it's not my fault, I swear!) But I'll shut up and get on with it...

1) Remy. Remington. Strong and silent, Remy. When I told you that for the first basically HALF of the book he hadn't really said much, I think you about said a resounding NO to starting it yet. It really was amazing that I was still loving it so much, because what happens still kept me hooked. I will elaborate on another hook later, but need to say actions speak louder than words is a huge understatement for this story. Actions make this story, both in and out of the ring. As does the music...oh my, the music. I am a reader who can't take silence of any kind, and have my favorite tunes playing as I am writing this. Pretty much all of my favorite songs have some good memories attached, and I love you Katy Evans for using this as such a huge "character" if you will for this story. While I don't have quite the 20,000 song library Remy has, I have a pretty good one and just...I get this! I cried (I know, I always cry) when Remy finally starts talking, and wanted to crawl in and comfort this tortured soul myself. 

2) Brooke. I really liked her. It's cool because she's my age, and the some of the best characters are the relatable characters. She's beautiful, but she doesn't a) think she's the most gorgeous thing to have hit planet earth or b) have horrible self esteem. While those things can make compelling stories, I am glad this one didn't have it or need it. That's not to say though that she had it all figured out. Her loyalty shined through early, and I was impressed by it. She's rebuilt her hopes and dreams, and discovers herself through this crazy journey into the Underground. She stands up for what she believes in, and in the end stands up for herself. I admire her for that, because there's nothing worse than letting such an alpha male make you a doormat. 

3) I really thought Kristen Ashley had the Academy Award for building sexual tension and prolonging it on and on and on and on. Well...the Oscar officially goes to Katy Evans. Keep the speech short please! ;) Even though it takes a while, you will definitely not be disappointed if that is why you came to the show. Poor Brooke, she was a take charge woman and told him over and over what she wanted, and for once it was the Remy who was trying to be a gentleman. It was really sweet, but I thought she was going to tackle him at some point. I'm honestly surprised she didn't. 

4) The technicalities. Here it the point where I am going to gush my love for Katy and this is my HOOK. The orthopaedic side of things was awesome. Nerd Alert here: but I am an ortho nurse, so I discuss ACL injuries/surgery/rehab protocols, blah blah blah to most people, all day long, every single day. It was well written, like you said, but not dumbed down completely for people who aren't like me and have been surrounded by orthopaedic surgeons every single day for the last five years to make a person annoyed or feel stupid. It was all well researched and made me proud. 

I will be waiting patiently, okay impatiently, for any news on book new which I have found is to be called MINE. Buy this book! The second half of this book completely took me by surprise, and was riveting, tragic, beautiful, heartbreaking, and really took a very original topic and made an even more original story. I haven't read a plot like this that I can think of so that made it even better!