Series: Redemption #4
Pages: 304
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publication Date: 4th April 2017
Format: Ebook
Rating: 4/5
Trigger Warnings: Domestic Abuse, Self-Harm
Review: When I first picked this up, I had no idea what I was letting myself in for. A romance involving an MMA heavyweight fighter? That could be hot, I thought. Poor, naive, Evelyn. Fighting Attraction is a BDSM novel. Not my usual romantic fare. But by the time I realised that, I couldnt put it down!
This isn't to say that on reflection, I don't have issues with this book: the overprotective male thing has never really been my cup of tea, and as I am British myself, it was difficult to imagine a working-class woman from Leeds (West Yorkshire) speaking the Queen's English. These issues were hardly at the front of my mind as I read this novel though, as the story was just too engrossing.
Could it have been the morbid curiosity of a reader unused to whips, and ropes, and spanking that kept me up all night, reading? No. Fighting Attraction held my interest with well-drawn characters, an engaging romance, and some incredibly hot sex.
The two main characters are Jack, known in the ring as Rampage, and Penny. Jack is a Southern gentleman, friendly, well-liked, and seemingly harmless. But Jack has a dark side. Twice a week, he visits a playroom at Club Sin, where he becomes notorious dom, Master Jack, inflicting a level of pain that only the most experienced and hard-core submissives can endure. Penny is Jack's friend. They work out at the same gym: Redemption, and see each other regularly, but like everyone else at the gym, she has no idea about his secret, just as he has no idea about hers. Penny works as a legal assistant, but is haunted by the emotional baggage of a difficult past. Rejected by her father, and beaten by more than one ex-boyfriend, Penny feels worthless and inadequate. Now, when things get too much, Penny finds release in the pain of cutting herself.
Jack and Penny's friendship is changed forever when, sent to serve papers to owner of Club Sin, Penny sees Jack whipping a woman in his playroom. Penny is not repulsed by this. She doesn't feel angered, or betrayed, or any of the things that saw Jack's ex-fiance running into the arms of his own brother. Penny is curious. She wants to visit Club Sin herself, as a customer. But when Jack and Penny cross the line of simple friendship, things get complicated. Jack is certain that his desires mean he can't have a normal relationship. He holds back with Penny. She doesn't know, cannot know, how dark his true needs go. However much he feels for her, however much he wants her, he won't let them become anything more than friends. He tells himself this over and over again, even as he invites her back for more.
Some of the sexiest scenes in this novel for me, were not necessicarily those feauring pain, or bondage, but those where the unspoken desire between Jack and Penny came to the surface in other ways, like during their practice fights at the gym. I loved the heat of the sexual tension between them, and the shared secret bubbling under their everyday interactions. There were also a lot of really sweet moments that built up a genuine bond, which I appreciated.
I also really liked the community of the Redemption gym as a whole. This is the first book I have read in the Redemption series, but after this, I might like to try some of the others. I am a little nervous about this however, because, as I have mentioned, I'm not a fan of the overprotective/jealous male, and I get the sense that this is a bit of a theme with this series. I don't mind a little bit of protectiveness, but the idea of 'claiming' a girl by walking her around the gym like a prize cow, for example, was very unappealing. If anyone has more experience with this series perhaps they could let me know if I'm better off leaving it here? Whatever the case, I found a lot to enjoy in this particular novel, and I'm glad I stumbled onto it!
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