YBO Sniffer Review: REAL by Katy Evans

Title: REAL

Series: Real #1

Author: Katy Evans
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Erotica, Romance, Sports

Publisher: Gallery Books
ASIN: B00CRAMM02
Release Date: May 28, 2013
Source: Wentworth Library
Links: Goodreads ☆ Amazon

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?

I fell in love with this story from the very first page. Katy Evans has created a story that just pulls you in and there is no way you'll ever be able to leave it. I thought about REAL long after I read it, and I even dreamed about it. It was on my mind all the time, and I was just so hyped up just thinking about getting back within the pages.

We have the story of a woman with broken dreams and a man with a tortured soul. Both rise above any obstacles put in their path, and come out stronger for it. And when their paths cross, both of them are changed forever.

I really liked how music played a key role in REAL. Especially the song "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls. It's one of my favorite songs of all time. Music is used as a way to communicate feelings in this story, and because I'm not a great speaker, I really liked this creative way of communication without the characters having to say anything, because the song says it all.

And finally, what makes REAL one of my favorite books, is the emotion displayed in every aspect of the story. Emotion is one of the prerequisites to becoming a favorite book for me, and REAL is drenched in it. You can literally feel the emotions coming off the pages. I felt the happiness, the heartbreak, the fury, the love, the jealousy, as if they were my own.

I was just really satisfied when I finished reading REAL, but I was also desperate for the next book.

The Guy: Phew! Remington Tate. What can I say about him? I mean, the guy is just off the freaking charts! I can understand why he has thousands of female fans, all wanting a piece of him. And he knows it too. Remy has an ego, but it's well deserved. What I like is that all the attention hasn't made him conceited. He's actually a pretty humble guy once you get to know him. Remy is Alpha to the nth degree. He's possessive, territorial, and protective. Not to mention devoted. When you're with him he takes care of you. For never having much love in his life, Remy knows how to make you feel it. But Remy deserves someone who will take care of him in return. That is where Brooke Dumas comes in. But he fears that once she really get to know him and his dark secret, she'll want nothing to do with him, when all he wants is to be her REAL. I just couldn't help falling for Remy. He's just got it all. I think you'd have to be insane not to fall for him once you learn his story.

The Girl: Brooke Dumas, our girls whose dreams of the Olympics were shattered by a torn ACL. I really admired Brooke. She was completely down after her accident, but she was able to find her way back and into a profession that makes her happy. She's still able to do something in the sports world as a sport rehab specialist. And that's how Remy was able to push himself into her life, by hiring her! Brooke is a character that I could see myself being friends with if she were a real person. She has a very loving personality, but she's also a fighter. You hurt someone she cares about, and she'll hurt you right back. Brooke loves so deeply that that love can also cause her great pain. But I think that it's because she loves so fiercely that Remy was drawn to her. He saw something in her that he desperately needed.

The Gang: Pete, Riley, Diane, and Coach are all members of Remington's team. Pete is Remy's PA, Riley is Coach's second, Diane is the nutritionist , and Coach, is well Remy's coach. They are a pretty tight-knit group, and are kind of worried about Remy's obsession with Brooke in the beginning. That is until they see how she calms him, and really just the depth of emotion between them. This group's dedication and devotion to Remy is really great to see. It's nice knowing that after his terrible childhood, that there are people around him that truly care about him.

Melanie is Brooke's BFF, and she was the one who dragged Brooke to that first fight where she met Remy. So if you really think about it, it's because of Melanie that Brooke and Remy met. Melanie is a really supportive friend, and someone that I think Brooke really needs in her life. Melanie has a bright personality and can make any bad day into a good one. Nora is Brooke's little sister, and she definitely causes Brooke a lot of trouble. More about her in the Villian section.

The villian of this story is the yucky Scorpion. He's another fighter in the Underground and has it out for Remington. And he uses any means necessary to get what he wants. Scorpion uses his women and keeps them drugged up and addicted so that they do not leave. This is what he did with Nora and he uses Nora against Brooke and Remy as a way to try to get the Championship, because he obviously cannot beat Remy in a fair fight. I just found Scorpion completely gross. And that ridiculous scorpion tattoo on his cheek is so lame. Basically Scorpion is just a loser who can't take it like a man and uses women to hide behind.

My favorite part of REAL is the romance. Brooke and Remy are just so perfect together. There is a real emotional connection between these two that is really felt in all the pages of the book. It's not just physical between Brooke and Remy, although there is definitely a lot of that too. The thing about the relationship between Brooke and Remy in REAL is that it's Remy who want the emotional connection the most. He wants Brooke to know him and want him for himself, not as Riptide. So there is a switch of roles in that department.

Then there is the physical aspect of their relationship. Remy had Brooke from the very beginning and I think it was this line, “Brooke Dumas. I'm Remington.”, that really did her in. She was completely lost to him after that. But their physical relationship is kind of complicated. There's kind of a tug-of-war that happens between what they both want and what they will allow themselves to have. It's obvious that they both want each other, but there are things that keep them from going all the way.

And then there is the jealousy and possessiveness that they feel for each other respectively. Brooke knows how much the ladies love Remington and want to jump his bones, but that doesn't help the jealousy that flares in her every time they scream at him in the Underground. And then there is Remy's possessiveness. He doesn't like men so much as looking at Brooke, much less touching her. But these things are part of what make their relationship more real. And let's face it, Remy in possessive mode is hot. I don't blame Brooke for being jealous and possessive in return.

And now the action! In REAL, Remington is a boxer in the Underground circuit. Katy Evans is really descriptive of the fights and what happens during them. I could picture the fights in my head perfectly and that is something that I really liked for the fight scenes. I also liked how the technical terms for all the punches and moves were used. The big fight at them end, though made me cringe. I mean, that was one fight that I hope Brooke never has to watch again. I'm sure that she sees it enough in her mind as is. But out of all the fights, the last one is the one that sticks out the most, I'm sure for everyone that read REAL. It was brutal and just down-right scary.

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