Review ~ In Your Corner (Redemption #2) by Sarah Castille

eARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: July 1st 2014

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Description:
He rules in the ring

Two years ago, Jake and Amanda were going hot and heavy. But when Jake wanted more, Amanda walked away. Jake immersed himself in mixed martial arts, living life on the edge. But that didn't dull the pain of Amanda's rejection-until a chance encounter throws them together.

A high-powered lawyer, Amanda was a no-strings-attached kind of girl. But two years after her breakup with Jake, she still hasn't found anyone who gets her heart pumping the way he did. And then he shows up in her boardroom, hot as sin and needing help...

But can he rule her heart?

Jake is darker, sexier, and impossible to resist. As their chemistry builds, Amanda's not sure if she can stay in control, or if she's finally willing to let him claim her body and soul.

My Opinion

In Your Corner is the second book in the Redemption series but it can be read as a standalone and all I can say now I have finished it is, wow. That was the not response I thought I would have by the end of this book as it's not my usual genre, but the MMA theme was enough to intrigue me and now I'm at a slight loss for words--besides wow.

This book surprised me. When I saw that it was erotic fiction I was a wary as from past experiences this genre has never had much depth. Therefore the fact that this book had more than one strand to the plot, was well developed and there was more to it than just hot sex really did surprise me, which is one of the reasons I really enjoyed it. There was a lot going on in the book, a vast array of emotions and there was more than two characters who had something going on. Of course, I loved Jake and the MMA guys with their alpha-male control and things definitely got heated.

I also liked Amanda. I found her relatively easy to connect with and I liked that their relationship had its ups and downs. There were scenes that broke my heart and others that were the total opposite--as in omg that was hot and intense. The drama in the relationship was crafted well and I loved the MMA backdrop. There was a dangerous element to the book because of that and the control aspect was brilliantly worked in. 

If there were two things that annoyed me slightly, it was the author's references to Penny's British 'habits'. I've said this before on my blog but we are really not that different to Americans and we don't all drink tea. I found some of her characteristics stereotypical and the constant reminder she was British irritated me. The second was how Amanda's case against her old law firm ended up. For me it fell a bit flat and I wanted something bigger but I'll leave it at that as I don't want to spoil it.

Overall though, In Your Corner was a brilliant read I couldn't put down. My annoyances were definitely overshadowed by the writing and story. There is plenty of hotness in the book and there's also a lot of depth so you can connect with the character. I will be checking out book 1 shortly!

4.5