Emily Gray (3)

This was a book that I got for free through Bookbub. I don't remember what the blurb said that enticed me to try it - I generally like an MMA story. This turned out to be an underground fight club/mafia-style story, which I don't mind, but this was disappointing.

A young couple, Ace and Cat, find themselves in debt to a...well, it's never really explained what his role is, just that he has the power and connections to save Ace from the police. Ace pays that debt by becoming a fighter and Cat is pulled back in 10 years later, after getting her medical degree.

The characters are simple and flat, with no depth and their actions are pretty much straight out of the predictable trope playbook. The hero is trained to fight and becomes a cold, hardened man but he can drop that facade in an instant when his love reappears. She goes to medical school and then works in an emergency department without apparently learning anything about people. The main villain is slimy and malevolent in a cheap, stereotypical way, even to his own detriment. The secondary villain is complicated is some unexplained and unpredictable manner.

This is a fairly short book, which meant I could finish it quickly. I kept hoping for some development in the plot or characters that would redeem it, but it never happened. The writing was straightforward and easy to read, which was nice and it appeared to have been fairly well edited, something that I always appreciate. Overall, however, I just can't recommend it.… (mehr)