Review: Defying the Odds (Battered Hearts #1) by Kele Moon

12:09 pm 23 October 2013
Defying the Odds - Kele Moon

 

 

Synopsis

 

When struggling waitress Melody Dylan gives a handsome, lonely stranger a simple gift she has no clue her life is about to take a drastic turn.The stranger ends up being Clay Powers, a famous UFC heavyweight fighter. Clay’s large build and dangerous fists have always intimidated. People in his hometown keep their distance and Clay is fine with that. Everything changes when a new waitress at the local diner buys him a piece of pie on thanksgiving. Touched by the gesture when it’s obvious she can barely afford to survive, her warm smile and lush body churn up powerful feelings that leave Clay wanting more from her than pie.

 

Melody is running from her past and the small, country town of Garnet is the perfect hiding place. With an ex-husband after her and scars from her abusive marriage etched deep, the last thing she expects is to fall for a man who makes a living with his fists, but she can’t resist Clay or the tender connection they share.

Finding love in the most unlikely of places, the passion is undeniable, but Clay and Melody know their haunted pasts and unpredictable futures leave the odds stacked against them.

 

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual situations, graphic language, and material that some readers may find objectionable: violence.

 

Reading Order:

 

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Defying the Odds (#1) Melody and Clay

Star Crossed (#2) Romeo and Jules

Crossing the Line (#3) TBR

 

review defying
“Yes,” he assured her without hesitation. “I thought I was broken too, that I’d never trust women, but I had it all wrong. I wasn’t broken at all. I was just waiting for you. It’s always been yours; even before we met, it belonged to you.” 
 
A short, sweet, sexy read, Defying the Odds surprised me with it's charm. I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did. And in addition to bikers and men in uniform, I suppose I'll need to add fighters to my list of scrumptious occupations.
 
MMA heavyweight champion Clay accepts a lot more from skittish waitress Melody when she gives him a piece of pumpkin pie because he seemed lonely. Their meeting and getting to know one another was incredibly sweet. Clay, despite his occupation and personality was genuinely thoughtful when it came to Melody.  He wanted to take care of her, help her.
 
Because of the short length of a novel, their courtship felt really rushed to me. In spite of this, it was so well written, that I didn't even mind. I've read a lot of books and even lengthy novels didn't provide that spark that made the characters come alive. Kele Moon was able to bring Clay and Melody to life with a quarter of the length of some other novels. I wish should would go back and add some more scenes, though, to give Defying the Odds even more depth and substance. The novel would only get that much better.
 
Due to Melody's abuse suffered at the hands of her ex-husband, she feels like she would subject Clay to untold harm at his hands, so she pushes him away in order to protect him. But a connection like theirs won't allow them to be separated for long. In order to keep him focused, Clay's friends Wyatt and Jules conspire to bring Melody to Las Vegas to sort things out.
 
What I loved most about Clay was this teddy bear quality he had to him. Sure, he's a titled MMA fighter and knows how basically kill a man with his hands, but he also has this other side that you just want to snuggle up to. He conjures up thoughts of snuggles and I love nothing more than a good snuggle with the strong, silent type. There's something about a man who possesses strength and confidence that also knows how to be vulnerable with a woman that tugs at my heartstrings. 
 

"Don’t leave me again, okay?" Clay whispered in a voice choked with emotion as he pulled her tighter against him and tilted his head to rest his cheek on top of her head. "’Cause that ’bout killed me."

 

I don't think there's anyone that can pen sexual tension like Kele Moon. I've read a lot of her books and if possible the sexy scenes get better with each read.  If you're looking for a quick, sweet, hot read, this is definitely the book for you. The only issue I had was with it's brevity, but aside from that it was very enjoyable! 

Source: http://missconstruedsreviews.com/?p=112