Summary
Rafe
Hate is easy.
A hell of a lot easier than the alternative.
It’s my job to keep Wicked safe, which means getting my hands a little dirty sometimes. After I lost my best friend, I’m not pulling my punches anymore. So it’s hate that helps me win every fight and close every case.
But now the past is coming back to haunt me, and I refuse to be cornered. As for the girl who just moved in next door, hate is my only option, and I won’t go down without a fight.
Shelby
Ten years ago, he ruined my life.
Now, it’s my turn to ruin his.
I didn’t plan to move in next door to Rafe Nolan—especially after what he did to me and my brother. But now I have the opportunity to make his life as miserable as he made mine.
And for a man who is so tortured, this should be easy.
But there is a dark secret behind all that pain of his that draws me in. He’s trying to hold his power over me, but I can see him losing control.
I can use his secrets against him, but as I start falling for him, I know this is one fight I am going to lose.
Welcome to Wicked Beach…
Excerpt
I’ll give him this much, he’s got a right hook that could knock my ass straight into next week. Which is exactly why I can’t let him get that punch in. He’s strong, but he’s not very fast. Luckily for me, I’m a little bit of both.
Just as he comes in for a left, then a right, I move fast enough to miss his throws and use my momentum to sack a punch right into his jaw. I feel a shift under my fist right as it lands against his face. It’s probably nothing, just a little crack in the hinge, but I bet it hurt like a mother fucker.
The pain makes him hesitate long enough for me to land another one on the other side. The crowd around us goes nuts. It’s loud enough to distract me from the howling in my knuckles.
“Fuckin’ pig,” he growls before he comes in for another slow swing, which I block, and it brings him close enough to let me drive my fist into his rib cage. He stumbles, and this time I know I probably fractured something. And it feels fucking good.
I don’t always want to hurt the guys I fight, but this one is a real piece of shit, so I take my pleasure where I can. He owns the strip club, the seedier one near the outskirts of town, and I’ve heard more than once that he’s abusing his girls and making them work a little too hard for their money. Of course, none of them will come forward, and I can’t get enough proof to shut him down. Until I do, cracking his ribs and breaking his nose is a goddamn delight.
He’s only up long enough for me to bring a hard left across his cheekbone. Then he crumbles to the pavement like wet mud. The guys around me celebrate, and I know it’s because they all just made some money on me. The few who bet against me stomp away cursing my name, but I have to turn a blind eye to that shit.
That’s the deal.
It’s part of the compromise I made with Vic, the owner of the gym. I can fight as much as I want. For him, I keep the cops away. Every time word gets out about a little illegal gambling behind the perfectly legal boxing gym, I shut the rumors down. For me, he lets me hang around these little concrete brawls, sniff around for leads if I need to, and we both stay happy. I don’t make any arrests around here. I get to be a slightly crooked cop for a couple nights a week, and it pays off in bigger ways than shutting down some harmless betting.
Review
(audiobook) I liked this second chance story about a traumatized cop slash boxer and the woman he betrayed–more precisely, he put her twin brother in jail, for reasonable reasons. They start as enemies, but undeniable sparks flare between them and they soon become lovers… almost. Because of his troubled past, Rafe has problems with intimacy. If I thought Shelby was a bit too bossy–and almost disrespectful–trying to get him past his fears, the way he tries and overcomes them for her was beautiful.
The background plots, with Rafe the cop investigating a possible drug trafficking, the illegal bets, Shelby’s work as a nurse for dying people, were interesting but barely used, as the story really focus on the relationship and Rafe’s trauma. Ezra’s revenge was more useful, as it creates the conflict between the two main characters.
The female narrator’s pace and voice did nothing to me, even annoyed me at times, while the male voice did a much better job. So the narration was okay but could have been much better. At least they both knew how to read the sexy scenes.
Quickie
- Series: Wicked hearts #3 (can be read as a standalone)
- Hashtags: #cop romance #sport romance #enemies to lovers #second chance #virgin
- Triggers: past parental abuse, mild violence in the ring, drug traffic
- Main couple: Shelby Hawthorne & Rafe Nolan
- Hotness: 4/5
- Romance: 4/5
- + I loved how Rafe gets over his struggles with sex
- – I don’t like people denying the consequences of their actions and blaming others
Stalker mode
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