Real by Katy Evans

SO everyone has been carrying on about this book for a while now and I decided it was about time to read it.. 

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?

My Thoughts

I really wanted to love this book, I went in thinking I was going to fall head over heels in love with it but I just didn't.. 
(too high expectations...maybe?)

Please don't throw things at me, I promise I am not going to berate the book (I would never do that to an author) I am just going to tell you the things that I liked and didn't like and leave it at that. 

Ok so as I dive into it I am thinking wow this is really similar to another story about a fighter that I am completely in love with (aheem Travis Maddox) AND people seem to love this fighter more so I am getting all hot and bothered just waiting for the anticipation of falling in love with him because I mean he DID beat Travis in the NA Crush Tourney so there HAD to be something about this man that was going to get my blood pumping and panties drenching..

(PS definitely nothing like Beautiful Disaster wheeww I didn't want to re-read that one I liked that this had its own spin on it)

Well, he did on more than one occasion make me sweat a little but I wouldn't say he was better than Travis plus Travis is a hard one to beat for me because I am a complete Travis Maddox slore. 

Now, I had a feeling there was something wrong with Remy, he barely talked in the entire book. I believe that the longest thing he said was at the very end when he was giving his speech to Brooke about wanting her to come back to work with him. Actually now that I think about it I believe that was the ONLY conversation the two of them even had..

Yes, Remy is a man of very few words and I already figured out why from the very first mention of the word "speedy" and "dark"..
( I guess all those psychology classes I am taking has finally paid off.. )

So then I think ok awesome I love me some psychological issues with a love story thrown in, case in point Flat Out Love, Pushing the Limits, Fear of Falling, all of those books were BEYOND superb with the amount of research put into them. BUT I don't think this author showed enough of this disorder in this book 
(no I am not telling you what it is because I don't want to ruin it for you). 

You get a good foundation of what it is like but it is very very dangerous for a person with his condition to not take medication and be seen by a doctor or therapist. 

As a future counselor I really had a problem with this and no I do not think every patient needs medication but people with this disorder DO! It is an actual chemical imbalance inside the brain and if not regulated properly people can cause severe harm to themselves or others. It is actually imperative that people with this disorder take medication in order to help stabilize the chemicals in the brain.

The biggest problem I had were the descriptions about Brooke's vajayjay and how it "clenched" "moistened" (shivers I fucking hate that word), "shivered" it all got to be way too much and I was really starting to get concerned about her vagina, it seemed to clench up every time she was around Remy, when he looked at her, when he smelled her, when she smelled him.. it was a lot of clenching and eventually I skipped over a lot of how he made her feel by just being in the same room or watching him fight because it was usually about two pages long and I got annoyed.. 

Ok I get it.. he makes you hot and bothered.. now lets move on please and for the love of God stop clenching your vagina or I am going to recommend you to my Gyno!! 

I give the author credit though, after reading it I wasn't sure if I was sexually frustrated myself or for Brooke, that is definitely something she elicited well, while writing this.

I knew going in this Remy was an alpha-I'm going to claim her as mine- male BUT he did everything short of peeing on Brooke's leg or tattooing his name on her body. He did a lot of petting, licking, and I was starting to think he was a lion in another life. This one was a good/bad for me because some of what he did was HOT and then other times I was left feeling a lil grossed out. 

I just couldn't really connect with the book or the characters, it was just so intense all the time, there weren't any relaxing moments or carefree moments that you can go crazy silly for and swoon at. The dialogue was a huge turn off for me but that is me personally, I have a thing with certain words and this author definitely used the ones I cringe at but again thats just me.. 

Ok enough of the bad stuff lets move on to the good things

I <3 Remy and his fuckedupness.. I felt his pain.. Crappy parents, locked up in a psych ward because his parents didn't want to deal with him.. ugh heartbreaking.. My bleeding heart really bled for him.. I couldn't imagine growing up the way he did and coming out on the other side semi-normal..

The remarkable thing about Remy is that he still loved people in his own way. He really didn't know how to love but he took care of the people he did care about and he made sure none of them wanted for anything. He fought for Brooke in his own way but because he never talked, we never got to see what was going on inside of him. 

"Protecting you is my privilege. I will protect you and anything that you value as if it were mine." 

See that is some panty drenching shit right there and I just wish there was more of it. I did like the secondary characters, Remy's whole team was fan-fucking-tastic and they seemed to really care for the damaged, misunderstood boxer. 

I also enjoyed the fact I didn't see the ending coming with the last fight against Scorpion.. I don't know what I thought Remy was doing but the hospital scene with him and Brooke and then her taking off, only to find out what he did for her made me fall even harder for him. I am hoping to get more insight with Remy in the remaining books for the series so I may even change the overall rating in the end, just depends.. 

So in the end I give Remy 4****and I give the book 2** so I am going to average it out as a 
3 ***book.. 

eekkk don't kill me I swear I did not want to give this book less than 4 but I just didn't feel it..

Here is a picture to make you feel better.. 
who I pictured as Remy:

Brian Stann.. SWoOOn I just <3 him

If you want to decide for yourself go here and get the ever challenging boxer, 
Remy in real