Title: Remy
Author: Katy Evans
Series: Real #3
Release Date: November 26, 2013
My Rating: 4 Stars
Underground fighter Remington Tate is a mystery, even to himself. His mind is dark and light, complex and enlightening. At times his actions and moods are carefully measured, and at others, they spin out of control.
Through it all, there's been one constant: wanting, needing, loving, and protecting Brooke Dumas. This is his story; from the first moment he laid eyes on her and knew, without a doubt, she would be the realest thing he's ever had to fight for.
The Seattle crowd is wild tonight. Backstage, the noise reverberates between the walls, bounces off the metal lockers in the room where I prepare with some of the other fighters. I watch Coach bandage the fingers of one hand, and all I can think of is how Brooke Dumas is out there among the spectators, sitting in one of the seats I bought for her.
I’m so jacked up I feel like I’m plugged into a fucking electrical outlet. Blood pumps heady through my veins. My muscles are loose and warm and ready to contract and strike anything in my path. I’m ready to put on a fucking show and there’s one girl, one lovely girl, that’s got me tied up in knots, that I want to see me fight.
I hand Coach my other hand and stare at my bare knuckles as he shoots off the same instructions he always says.
My guard . . . patience . . . balance . . .
I zone out, letting his words slip through me and into my subconscious, where they belong. Right before a fight, I find a calm. I can hear all the noise but listen to nothing. A clarity comes with fighting. Every detail sharpening in your mind.
This sharpness and awareness makes me lift my head to the doorway. She stands there like out of some childhood dream, looking at nobody but me.
She wears a pair of white jeans and a pink top that makes her skin look even tanner than it is and so damn lickable my tongue hurts inside my mouth. Neither of us so much as twitches as we stare.
Hammer steps into my peripherals, and when I see him head straight for her, my anger ignites.
With deadly calm, I grab the tape from Coach and throw it aside as I stalk over to her. Then, I position myself directly behind her and to her right, taking my spot in a way that lets the dipshit Hammer know I was born to be here. Beside, behind, and by her.
“Just walk off,” I warn him, my voice low but lethal.
He doesn’t seem inclined to listen, instead narrows his eyes in contest. “She yours?” he asks with narrowed eyes.
Nodding, I narrow my eyes and let my gaze burn into him. “I can guarantee you, she’s not yours.”
The asshole leaves, and I notice Brooke doesn’t move for a long second, as if she doesn’t want to step away from me in the same way I don’t want her to go anywhere. Holy god, she smells good.
I drag her scent to my lungs like a junkie, and suddenly every inch of my body wants to cup her hips and draw her into me so I can scent her more. She turns her head to mine and softly murmurs, “Thank you,” but quickly leaves. I duck my head and haul in as much as I can before she walks away.
I remain standing there, feeling dizzy, my shorts ridiculously tented.
“Riptide! Hammer! You’re up next!”
Exhaling as I hear my name, I glance narrowly at Hammer across the room, who seems amused as fuck that I am clearly in deep shit with this girl.
He’s in even deeper shit with me.
“Remington . . . are you listening to me?”
I whip around to Coach, who’s fixing that last bandage he couldn’t secure. I keep glaring at Hammer as Riley extends my satin robe, and as I ram my arms into the sleeves, I decide Hammer better be prepared to vacation in a coma for a while.
“I said don’t let that bastard get to your head.” Coach knocks his knuckles to my temples. “And that girl neither.”
“That girl’s been in his head since the first fight here,” Riley tells him with a smirk. “Hell, he wants to carry that girl around with him like an accessory on tour. Pete is drafting the contract as we speak.”
Coach pokes a finger into my chest and I feel it almost bending. “I don’t give a shit what you’re planning to do tonight with the girl. You keep your head in the fight going on right now. You got that?”
I don’t answer, but obviously I get it. I don’t need to be told these things. Half a fight is in your head. But Coach likes feeling useful, so I just roll with it and trot out. I’ve fought all my life to stay sane. To keep focused, driven, and centered. But tonight, I fight to show one woman my worth.
Ok, this is going to be a bit of a different structured review. Instead of me just spouting out whatever is on the top of my head, I'm going to separate it into categories- The Positives, The Negatives and the Final Consensus sections. The reason being this book was a first for me and I just automatically starting dissecting it by those three sections. So here we go!
The Positives:
I have to say this was my first re-telling from a different POV and I really liked it! I could seriously read Remy and Brooke all the time and never tire of wanting more of their story. I think because the books so intense that when I re-read them I see something that I missed the time before. Or sometimes a certain scene strikes a deeper meaning with me the third or fourth time around. And Remy was the same way. It is the reflection and remembrance of certain scenes from Real and Mine from Remy's POV. The best part is we also get glimpses of Brook and Remy's church wedding. For me, it was kind of like a "The Best Of Brooke and Remy." It retold some of my favorite scenes and it gave them deeper meaning because it was retold from Remy's POV. I think being inside Remy's head gives much more insight to his thoughts and reasons for his actions. You experience him both going black and become blue again. And it really helped me understand him more. Katy Evan's drives home the point that he has an illness, and while he is 100% aware of that fact, he also can't help his triggers. At certain parts it hurt my heart to see Remy almost defeated by Brooke, Pete or Riley's actions. Like he knew they were coddling him and he didn't want it but, he needed it. So, I think this offers a facet to the series that was definitely needed and will show the readers what exactly goes on his mind. Because it is much more than just Remy being an alpha male, or extremely possessive. It enlightened me as to how Brooke is literally his livelihood, and the constant struggles that Remy experiences. Oh, another positive is the little tidbits into the current goings-on with Melanie and Riley and Pete and Nora. Because I absolutely cannot wait for those stories to unfold!
The Negatives:
Obviously by my gushing above there won't be many negatives but, with any book there are always those few tweaks the readers wish they could make. My only problem with this book is that, I wish it had more "Present" moments. I understand the importance of showing us the scenes from the first two books, and I enjoyed those. But I also wish it had gone a bit further or started a bit earlier in the present storyline. I did however, immensely enjoy what present storyline there was. I just wanted more of what Remy and Brooke are doing now. Yeah, I know I'm greedy. But I don't care! These two are one of my favorite book couples so of course I want more! :) Anyhow, other than more present moments, there was nothing else I found lacking in this book.
Final Consensus:
For fans of Mine and Real, you will want to pick this up. It is just that little bit of more that some of you are looking for. For those of you who, heaven forbid, did not like Remy as a character: maybe try this one out. It gives you insight that you didn't have before and opens up a whole load of explanations as to the thought process that Remy experiences. To me, Remy was the perfect tie-in to the previous books. It offers whys and hows to questions previously unanswered and really helps bridge that connection between Remy and the reader. Overall, a fabulous book that I thoroughly enjoyed. I urge you all to go pick up a copy and let me know your thoughts once you've read it!
Happy Reading!
*ARC was provided by the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review*
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Meet Katy:
Hey! I’m Katy Evans and I love family, books, life, and love. I’m married with two children and three dogs and spend my time baking, walking, writing, reading, and taking care of my family. Thank you for spending your time with me and picking up my story. I hope you had an amazing time with it, like I did. If you’d like to know more about books in progress, look me up on the Internet, I’d love to hear from you!
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