Heart of a Savage

3/27/2017

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Title: Heart of a Savage
Author: LaShanta Charles
Publication date: 01/31/2017
Publisher: Imani Ink
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: No
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Blurb (from Amazon.com):
Bailey Ross-O'Malley has spent her whole life catering to others. She used to enjoy it. Until her father died. In an attempt to protect her, her father chose Connor to be her husband, but that was a mistake. Connor was supposed to love her, be her rock--but some rocks need to be tossed as far away as possible. She only has one source of happiness now, her son, and if Connor doesn't get his way, he'll take that joy from her as well.

MMA fighter, Dominic Prince, has only one mission in life: forget his past. Forget the pain, the drama, and the loss of things taken away from him too soon.

He's guarded and secretive and that's the way he likes it. He was doing a damn good job of keeping it that way. Until her. Bailey showed up and Dominic’s life became a minefield. He can't decide if he wants to kiss her or shake her, but he does know that he'll fight to keep her safe. He'll be as savage as he is in the octagon, outside of it.

Neither of them wants to accept it happening, but the past has a way of sneaking into the present. Hearts will be shattered and bonds will be broken. Will they survive it?

My review
There were parts of this book that I thought were brilliant. Then there were parts that confused me. And then...there were parts that made me want to throw my Kindle.

Let’s start with the brilliant bits:

LaShanta Charles is a great writer. Her dialogue has a very natural feel to it, and the story had a nice flow. This was definitely an engaging read that made you truly care about Bailey and Dominic.
I loved Bailey’s transformation from scared little mouse into MMA-fighting badass. And the fact that she took it upon herself to train so that she could defend herself and her son, despite the fact that she’s clearly terrified of strangers in the beginning, was beautiful.
Bailey’s devotion to her son, and all she was willing to endure for him, was inspiring. She’s a great example of a what a mother should be.
I loved Bailey’s character. I find her habit of blurting out her inner thoughts endearing.

He smiles as he nods his head and I can only stare. He has to know what his smile is capable of. No one is that dumb. His smile grows into a full-blown grin and I flush. Not out loud. Not out loud. Not out loud.
“What exactly is it capable of?”
Fuck! That was out loud

Now for the confusing bits:

The beginning of the book, in which we get a feel for just how terrible Connor is, is brutal. Jarring. Dark and violent. Then with the introduction of Dominic and his friends, the whole tone shifts to almost lighthearted. There are some truly hilarious bits in the interactions between the guys, and between Bailey and the guys. So, the dark violent beginning was extremely well-written, but it didn’t totally match the tone for the rest of the book. Was I supposed to laugh when Bailey incited the riot? I did. But I felt weird about it. It was hilarious, but the circumstances were so serious that I wasn’t sure how the author wanted me to react, which made me kind of uncomfortable as a reader.
Bailey’s blog and her writing seemed like a throw-away. It was mentioned in the beginning, and once towards the end. Was this a passion of hers, or wasn’t it? If it wasn’t, why even mention it at all?
Don’t get me wrong: I LOVE badass Bailey. I loved reading about her gaining confidence, strength and skill. I LOVED reading about her slamming Dominic’s bitchy ex to the ground. But at the same time, this Bailey is such a huge departure from the Bailey we met in the beginning of the book that it just didn’t ring entirely true for me.

And now for the bits that made me want to throw my Kindle in a fit of anger. It’s established from the very beginning of the book that Connor is a cruel, soulless, spineless abuser. Bailey knows that he’s not above using her son to manipulate and hurt her. So, the fact that she went anywhere with him willingly towards the end made me want to reach through my Kindle and smack the crap out of her.

“[Connor] looks helpless. Lost. I actually feel a stab of pity for him.”

I’m sorry...did you just say that you feel pity for the dude who has made your life a living hell? I must’ve read those lines at least ten times before I believed them. Why—in the name of all that’s holy—would she feel ANYTHING for this vile human being other than loathing? That’s not OK with me.

And it’s also well-established that Bailey is a great fighter. This dude is hurting her, hurting her son and she just takes the abuse? Why didn’t she kick the ever-lovin’ crap out of him? Having Dominic save her wasn’t nearly as satisfying as Bailey saving herself would’ve been.

But all-in-all, this was an interesting read that fans of MMA fighter romances will enjoy.

Full disclosure: We received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
Well, it’s well-written enough to help crush that portion of the romance stigma. But it’s definitely within kissing distance of being unrealistic, in my opinion. As it stands, I’d say it’s neither hurting or helping the romance stigma.

Other reading suggestions
This book was well-written enough that I’d be willing to check out the author’s backlist. For other stories about fighters who train survivors like Bailey, try Punching and Kissing by Helena Newbury or Once Pure by Cecy Robson.

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