Book Review March 5th
Defying the Odds
by: Kele Moon
★★★★ 4 Stars
The stranger ends up being Clay Powers, a famous UFC heavyweight fighter. Clay’s large build and dangerous fists have always intimidated. People in his hometown keep their distance and Clay is fine with that. Everything changes when a new waitress at the local diner buys him a piece of pie on thanksgiving. Touched by the gesture when it’s obvious she can barely afford to survive, her warm smile and lush body churn up powerful feelings that leave Clay wanting more from her than pie.
Melody is running from her past and the small, country town of Garnet is the perfect hiding place. With an ex-husband after her and scars from her abusive marriage etched deep, the last thing she expects is to fall for a man who makes a living with his fists, but she can’t resist Clay or the tender connection they share.
*ARC Provided by NetGalley for an honest Review*
Defying the Odds was a beautiful and emotional contemporary romantic suspense story. Both the characters... All the characters are extremely likeable and it's easy to hope for their happily ever after.
Clay and Melody are both severely unhappy. Melody is in hiding from an abusive ex-husband and Clay feels alone in the world of professional fighting. Melody unknowingly makes Clays Thanksgiving when she offers him a piece of pie without knowing who he is. Finally Clay has a woman who is not fawning over his fame and fortune. The two immediately start a game of cat and mouse since neither feels worthy of the other and they have to come to the overcome their own fears before they can be together.
What I Liked
The fighting and entire aspect of Clay's MMA life. I thought the fighting was an interesting element and the detail made it all come to life. I felt like I was watching a football game and getting all pumped watching the player go at it. Clay is really passionate about what he does and it comes off that way. He hates the fame and press that comes with his title but mans up when he has to even if he lets Wyatt handle most of the hard stuff.
Jules and Romeo. Wow, both these characters have so much going for them and they were extremely intriguing. I cannot wait to read their story, Romeo and Juliet coming together at last. (Though I'm hoping for a much less fatal end :)
The town and setting played out like an extra character. Though small town diner is not the most original setting, it worked for these characters and their jobs. It was nice to see how Clay turned his bad upbringing around and takes care of the town with the athletic center, pretty much the only constant and thing he understand in his life.
I am super happy knowing their is a second book with Jules and Romeo's story. I'm sure it will be a knock-out. I'm carving out special time in my schedule this weekend to read it.
Clay's attitude. Not only willing to fight for her (with all those muscles he could fight the Hulk) but also goes out of his way to make sure she recognizes how special she is. His protective traits are believable and explained, he doesn't just want to defend her but protect her and be a balm to her soul as she is for him. Can really feel the connection and lighting between the two. The sizzle is remarkable. They heal each other of past and current pain. Clay helps wake her up and makes her recognize the freedom she now has and has had all along even if she didn't see it. It's sappy in a way how they make each-other reevaluate themselves and find their self-worth but I loved every second of it.
My favorite part was the scene in which Clay basically tells her to use him, he's hers to do as she wishes. Wow, um hott!!! And he's beyond sweet especially for someone of his size and musculature :) He calls her the other half of his soul... <3 br="">
Mr. Powers, reminded me of Austin Powers and every-time she called him that I would laugh and expect him to ask, "shall we shag now or shall we shag later."
Finally Defying the Odds delivers a great ending and segue into the next book. My favorite line, "You think a piece of pie is gonna fix my problems?"... "Why not? Fixed mine."-Clay and Wyatt
What I Didn't Like
The scene in Vegas with her ex seemed unreal and unbelievable like a dramatic movie scene. It was easy to expect her grimy ex would pop back up. I was a bit shocked that Clay wasn't the one to save the day. But aside from that the whole scene was a bit over the top considering they were in the middle of the Vegas strip and he was waving a gun around. Maybe I just expected someone to knock him over rather than all gawk at the scene. But since Romeo came to the rescue it can easily be forgiven.
Wyatt got progressively worse in my eyes. Maybe he just needs his own story but by the end it's like something crawled up his butt and sucked all happiness right out of him.
I would recommend this to all romance fans. Defying the Odds was a cute and quirky romance with just enough suspense to make you shiver.
HAPPY READING!!!
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