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Redemption #2

In Your Corner

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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.

304 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2014

170 people are currently reading
4358 people want to read

About the author

Sarah Castille

29 books3,352 followers
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, Sarah Castille, writes contemporary erotic romance and romantic suspense featuring blazingly hot alpha heroes and the women who tame them. A recovering lawyer and caffeine addict, she worked and traveled abroad before trading her briefcase and stilettos for a handful of magic beans and a home near the Canadian Rockies.

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5 stars
1,841 (33%)
4 stars
2,272 (41%)
3 stars
1,137 (20%)
2 stars
224 (4%)
1 star
64 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 386 reviews
Profile Image for Duchess Nicole.
1,275 reviews1,571 followers
June 13, 2014
"I want you to want me until you ache," he rasps. "I want you to need me with every breath in your body. I want to turn around and know I will always see you in my corner. I want you to want me the way I want you. Body, heart, and soul."

I sure had some mixed emotions about reading Amanda's book. I felt like she did quite the number on good ole Jake during the first book. I'm not much for promiscuous heroines so she was already somewhat black listed.

However, after getting her back story, I think most readers will be a bit more forgiving. To be perfectly frank, she still had some growing up to do. Her parents...both of them, really, but especially her father...are just horrible people. Girl was looking for love in all the wrong places. And she looked at Jake and then messed it all up because she just couldn't accept the right kind of affection.

"You never kissed me like that before.
"You were never like this before," he murmurs, his fingers easing up my shirt, his thumb tracing over the crescent of my breasts. "Raw and open, vulnerable, needing my help. So fucking real."


Funny thing is, I actually really love Doctor Drake. Whodathunk, after the way he acted in book one? I wonder if he'll get his own story?

Jake is a great guy, he really is. The fact that he's even more sex on a stick than Max was is saying something. He's taking on a lot of burdens, which stresses him out. But the most intense feelings he has are reserved for Amanda. It was lovely to watch them each try to support each other in a pseudo-secret manner. And then to watch Jake literally pull no punches when he gets to show his protective side.

The secondary characters in this series really do MAKE this story better. All of them...the guys at Redemption, Ray and Penny...they are all unique, and I think my absolute favorite thing about this author is how she makes each and every character stand out all on their own. Fantastic. On the other hand, the romance itself seems to lack a little bit of realism or something. Not sure, it just doesn't feel genuine at times. The ending feels rushed, the hero's story is basically left out completely, which makes it really hard to relate to them. It feels very one sided, I suppose.

Not as much humor in this installment, which isn't bad at all. This felt more plot focused than book one and I enjoyed it very much.

Advance copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley for review.
Profile Image for Snow.
2,320 reviews734 followers
March 23, 2017
Ok, here we go!

"...I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
He's gotta be strong
And he's gotta be fast
and he's gotta be fresh from the fight..."

as Bonnie Tyler would sing...and she wouldn't be wrong...if put in the context of this storyline!

this book had everything in it - what a mash up but it was working for me...

And by the end of it, I got this urge to enroll the MMA course LOL

funny
“I’m talking fight talk. Don’t I have the words right? Submission, master, ground, pound, dominate, dominant, mount, rear naked choke hold…can we do that one next?”

love
“I don’t care about your past except that it made you who you are. And who you are is who I love. Everything. The good, the bad, the past, the present. I love you.”

Awww, isn't that nice?! ;)

sexy/funny
“Drop it.” His bark of warning startles me and I drop the purse.
“What? What is it? Spider? Bee? Bomb?”
Jake licks his lips. “Bend down and pick it up. Nice and slow. Show me that beautiful pink ass.”
“Seriously? You almost gave me a heart attack so you could watch me bend over.”

more sexy mischiefs
“I hope that special treat is big and hard and lickable.”

and a lot more of hot, steamy sex...

and detailed MMA fights, regular fights, more sex...more fights;

and a band of MMA brothers...

funny dialogues

I love sportsmen in my books and now I can surely add the MMA fighters to my repertoire :) (and that would be Jake) but what really made me proud was how the heroine Amanda developed from insecure woman to a true fighter who can literaly defened herself from any assault inside and out. Go girl!!! :)

I had fun reading it.
Profile Image for Kara.
1,409 reviews25 followers
April 28, 2014
[image error]

This is book 2 in the Redemption series. I like this series a lot.
The book started off I love that.

Jake and Amanda were great! loved the character development.

"I want to be your everything.
he rasps. "I want all of you, baby. When I make you mine, really mine, there will be no part of you my lips, my hands, my cock won't touch, no desire you have that I will not fill..."


That's hot right?! This whole book is filled with HOT.

all the supporting characters are great too... I am in love with this series and can not wait for book 3!

**ARC courtesy of publishing co (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review**
Profile Image for Rachael*Caribbean*girl*bibliophile.
2,232 reviews510 followers
Read
November 5, 2018
Since I don't own brain bleach I won't be touching this one at all......in book1 Amanda called a pause to her relationship with Jake and goes out on the prowl fully expecting that he'd come around to her way of thinking. She hooks up with the good doctor.Even after a confrontation with Jake where he tells her he thought they meant more to each other and she's all tearful........ she still continued hooking up with the doc even Knowing that he wanted Mac and has the audacity to ask Mac if she was sure that she didn't want him because he wanted her. I don't care that she more than likely has issues, I don't care how sorry she may be, that behavior was unforgivable so I'm gladly skipping this one!!!!!!
Profile Image for Syndi.
3,615 reviews1,024 followers
October 14, 2018
Kinky. Very kinky. Thats what i think about this book. As expected there is not much character development. Just animal lust between jake and amanda. The kinky is good. Very alluring and sexy.

But i wish there is more into the story to heighten the pleasure. More character development will be nice. The chemistry
between the characters are not that depth.

3 butterfly stars.
Profile Image for Simply Love Book Reviews.
7,046 reviews870 followers
July 2, 2014
Slick‘s review posted on Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews

4.5 STARS

Review copy provided for an honest review


In the second book of the Redemption series, In Your Corner, author Sarah Castille ramps it up a notch as returning characters Amanda and Jake are brought together again two years after a messy break-up. This book was better than its predecessor in that that their problems were intricate; there were some real reasons of why they had issues. Both Amanda and Jake have baggage that makes it difficult to see eye to eye on the way things should be between them. They were at different places in their lives and really thought they wanted different things, but they just couldn’t stay apart and they both came to realize that they were better when they were in each other’s corner.
We saw a little of Amanda and Jake in the first book in this series and their relationship was pretty tumultuous and that kind of continues in this book but the thing is Jake knows what he wants. He wants Amanda; heart, body, and soul and he knows she is not ready for that. He really keeps her at bay for a long while because he does want more and he knows that she’s incapable of giving more. He thinks he knows why, but he doesn’t know everything and that what has Amanda running scared and pushing him away. I loved Jake’s patience and even his impatience because it came from a good place.
Amanda is one of those heroines I really wanted to hate but there was this innate goodness about her that I couldn’t and it became very evident that she was her own worst enemy refusing help from anyone for anything.
One thing about Ms. Castille is she can write both MMA fights and sex; she’s pretty graphic in her writing and that’s not a bad thing. You feel the fight scenes; hear the noise of the crowd, the brutal blows, and the smell of blood. The sex scenes are often wild and uninhibited just like the two main characters and they are undoubtedly smoking hot, like fireworks on the 4th of July hot.
While Jake and Amanda’s relationship is a main part of this book, there are quite a few subplots going on that just enhance an already great book. The secondary characters are really quite unique and honestly I hope most of them will get a book of their own because some are just so larger than life that I’d love to see them fall and fall hard.
In Your Corner was a great love story; messy as hell, but to be honest sometimes those are the best kind because they keep you entranced, excited, and leave you wanting the next book. So, well done Ms. Castille!
Profile Image for ✿kawehi.reviews.
1,453 reviews425 followers
Want to read
February 19, 2014
Gosh, I want this already!!
Expected publication: July 1st 2014 by Sourcebooks Casablanca

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"You have to go. I won't be able to control myself. I've wanted you so bad for so long and after I've been in the cage...I can't think straight." He gives a guttural groan and his fist clenches on my hip.

Primitive. Primal. His need speaks to me. I tighten my grip on his neck and rock up to kiss him. He takes over. His kiss is hard and demanding.

"Mine." His voice is raw, savage and for a moment I truly believe he may lose control.

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.
Profile Image for Sheryl C. Nash.
1,984 reviews433 followers
April 25, 2014
LOVE IT, LOVED IT, LOVED IT!!!!! I thought Max was my favourite fighter, but after reading this, I take that back!!! OMG, Jake was such an ALPHA... *SWOON* ... and that piercing... *YOWZA*!!!!! Since I have been left speechless and unable to formulate proper sentences because of that, I shall leave y'all with this; ME... WANT... JAKE... NOW!!!!

Will write my proper review soon, but I just wanted to say, as usual you have KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE BALLPARK for me Sarah Castille!!! 5 BRILLIANT, DOMINANT, MMA FIGHTING stars!!!


*ARC courtesy of Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca*
Profile Image for Carmen Rae.
1,656 reviews184 followers
April 9, 2015
I have been meaning to post my review for this for ages but when I went to do it today I realised it was in my lost kobo :(

So I can't really come up with much other than the fact it was smoking hot with loads of dirty talk and a sexy MMA fighter.

Figure I don't really need to say much more than that but it is a shame I didn't get to use any of my sexy fighter pics. Guess I will save them for my review of Full Contact which you can catch on the blog tour by clicking RIGHT HERE
Profile Image for VoldermotYOLO.
52 reviews6 followers
September 27, 2018
To be honest, didn’t like Amanda at all from the first book . I think this book should have been about Jake getting over her and finding someone better.
Profile Image for Jess.
2,294 reviews76 followers
March 25, 2015
2.5 stars

All the guys talk like they walked off the stage of a Kristen Ashley novel.
All the fighter people had names like they walked off the stage of a JR Ward novel (but with fewer h's).
All the villains acted like they'd been hired from Mustache-Twirlers-R-Us.
The heroine seemed to be modeled after season 5 Buffy (will she, won't she, do I even care anymore?).
I don't even know what was up with the hero.

Even with the really repetitive blocks of text explaining their respective back-stories the lead characters never made sense to me. And the "50 Shades meets whatever" blurb on the front just made me laugh. Yes, the hero introduces the heroine to spanking, but that's about it. (That scene also made me go ??? given the heroine's active sexual history and self-described preference for rough sex. But given a few of the "treat your man right" conversations elsewhere combined with her promiscuity, her spanking virginity might have just been included to make the hero look more... what, manly?)

This is probably really 2 stars, but I'm giving it an extra half star because it has tempted me to read book 1 (even though I know I'll regret it). Can't quite give it a 3 because I'm already rolling my eyes about the cliches in the sequel bait.
Profile Image for Jess.
1,072 reviews157 followers
June 4, 2014
DNF 77%, I can't stand this couple, especially the heroine. Too immature, too much back and forth with the relationship. Very frustrating read.
Profile Image for Rochelle.
1,639 reviews
July 11, 2020
Loved this story. Out of the books in this series, I love this one the most. Love Jake and Amanda.
Profile Image for What Makes Patri.
298 reviews203 followers
April 16, 2014
We are The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club, to know more about this book, go to the post in our website:

In Your Corner (Redemption, #2) by Sarah Castille

If you are interested, you can visit our website:

The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club

The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club's Review:

Rate: 4,5 stars

Review:

In Your Corner is the perfect second book for the Redemption series. As Redemption fans may know, Jake and Amanda had a lot of potential, chemistry and problems in the first book of the series. So it wouldn't make sense not to have them as the main characters in the second book.

Two years ago, Jake and Amanda had sort of a relationship: they were going hot and heavy and they were not prepared to face the problems that can emerge in a relationship. Amanda has trust issues and a problem with relationships while Jake didn't fight for what they have.

Two years before their painful breakup, these two find themselves again. However, this time Amanda is vulnerable, remorseful and still having feelings for Jake. And Jake's more dominant and whiling to take what he wants.

I loved this story. The couple in it has a lot of potential: there's an almost palpable sexual tension between them and a lot of chemistry. There's a huge chance in the before and after of these two characters and I found myself truly surprised to even like them more than the first couple in the series.
The main point in this book is the same as in the first book: the main character (the female) needs to trust and fall truly in love with the other male main character. While this might sound repetitive, it's not. With a different perspective, new problems and a completely different drama, the author did a wonderful job. This time Amanda's been fired and tries to start again: new life, new Amanda. And Jake's even hotter, more dominant and oozes alpha male in every scene. I love him this way.

I like that this book can be perfectly read as a standalone. The author explains everything, without missing any detail, and the reader can understand what's Redemption, who's Amanda and Jake and their present and past relationship. Although, as a reader myself, I would recommend to first read Against The Ropes to fully understand the past between Jake and Amanda and the drama behind their current tension and the changes that Redemption suffers throughout the years.

The plot is well-written and the reader doesn't feel lost in any moment. There's a lot of lawyer lingo this time, aside from the fight lingo, that either the author did a terrific job in her research or she has a splendid knowledge.

The ending is what I like to call a Redemption type ending: one that leaves the reader satisfied and with a huge goofy smile, aching for more and introducing a potential couple for the next book.

In Your Corner is the perfect read for those romance lovers that are seeking for an erotica book. I highly recommend this book 'cause it has everything: romance, sexy scenes, alpha males, fighters, drama, an amazing plot and an incredible and hot couple that would make you stay awake until you read all the book. I can assure you that Jake will keep you awake all night!
Profile Image for D.C..
Author 17 books107 followers
July 8, 2014
OMG...GREAT BOOK!

Contemporary Erotic Romance
FIVE Stars
Release Date: 07/01/14

ABOUT THE BOOK:
"You have to go. I won't be able to control myself. I've wanted you so bad for so long and after I've been in the cage...I can't think straight." He gives a guttural groan and his fist clenches on my hip.

Primitive. Primal. His need speaks to me. I tighten my grip on his neck and rock up to kiss him. He takes over. His kiss is hard and demanding.

"Mine." His voice is raw, savage and for a moment I truly believe he may lose control.

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 REVIEW:
I had never heard of Ms. Castille prior to this ARC being discovered on Netgalley, but I have to say, I have yet another author to stalk. Sourcebooks really hit it out of the park with this one.

This story has the makings for a romance you won’t be able to put down. You have history between the two characters, heartbreak, brooding men, strong-willed women, hot and crazy attraction, and omg drama galore. Add in the MMA fighting and things just get even better. I kept turning the pages on this one, gobbling up the words, and stayed up until the wee hours of the night just to get more.

You’ll love this book, you’ll want more, and you’ll be unable to contain yourself with it. This book definitely hits it out of the park. I’m not so much a fan of book one as I am of book two, but the great thing about these books is the characters will make appearances in both.

Happy Reading!
Profile Image for Emily McGee.
392 reviews16 followers
July 23, 2014
I don't think I can fully explain how excited I was to read this book. I read and reviewed the first book in this series almost a year ago, and from the first few pages I way dying for Amanda and Jake's story. Little did I know it was going to be a long and torturous story. I was expecting a flashback prelude of a story, but no. Sarah Castille had to go break my heart in Against the Ropes and break them up. Flash forward to In Your Corner. These two have had their share of heartbreak. In part to their own destruction, and in part because of the life that has shaped them. Amanda is clearly a hot mess when it comes to her personal life, and Jake... well I'm not sure he knows what he wants, at first.

This is a push and pull battle of the sexes. Amanda has hit a personal rock bottom, and Jake is in a life that he wasn't meant to lead. They meet up again right before everything goes to hell in a hand basket. But now that Jake's back in her life, he won't let her flounder so easily. There's a lot of hurt to reconcile, and a lot of feelings that neither one of them want to divulge. In the end, they build off a friendship. Even when they're spitting mad, they're still there. Along the way they help each other find their true selves. Jake helps Amanda create a business and a future that she was always meant for, and Amanda helps Jake find his roots and gives him the confidence to go out fists swinging... literally. While, they make great friends, can Amanda move past her insecurities to trust that Jake will always be there? And can Jake fight long enough for Amanda's trust, or will he give up?

I loved this book. It's steamy, and alluring. And even though I didn't know it, it was exactly what I wanted from Amanda and Jake. They dealt with their past, dealt with their present. Kicked a** individually and as a couple. All around a very amazing read. I really and truly hope there is more coming from this series. I love me some MMA fighters and this cast of characters are a complete riot!

Happy Reading!
*ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*
Profile Image for Heather andrews.
9,520 reviews160 followers
May 3, 2014
This one takes the cake out of all of Sarah's books I loved this one the most! Even after years of being apart Jake is protective of Amanda, "Jake's shoulders stiffen. "Private? Everyone in the hallway could hear you," he spits out. "Not only that, but she's hurt. Is this really the best time for a verbal assault?" Sometimes I don't think Amanda realizes she's pushing a caged tiger ready to pound upon being released, "he growls deep in his throat. "You started pushing when you walked into the gym dressed to leave little to the imagination." The boy is just seriously horny when it comes to Amanda, "he pulls me into his chest and teases my lips with his tongue. "I have a lot of things in mind," he rasps. "Most of which I suspect would be inappropriate for a law firm. But if I had to choose one, it would be bending you over your desk in that effing hot, tight little suit...." He's not one to mince words, he's not one to really state his feelings, "baby," he growls pulling me up so I am lying flat on top of him, his unbelievably ever-hard erection pressing against the juncture of my thighs. "When a man feels strongly about something, he doesn't waste time choosing words." I want Fuzzy's story next, he was just utterly hilarious in this book.
Profile Image for Jenna Howard.
Author 20 books37 followers
May 28, 2014
So I got to read an ARC of In Your Corner. I stroked the sexy cover and made a purring sound because...I had an ARC in my hand.

And it was awesome.

I loved Amanda and Jake. I loved the tension between them. I loved the conflict. I loved the sexy fun times. Watching Amanda struggle to find her way was what made this book for me. There was something so vulnerable about her.

I cried a few times. I laughed a few times. And I am totally smitten with PI Ray. Totally book crushing on Ray. Yes, yes, Jake is hot and sexy but Ray is...rrrawr.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
2,511 reviews85 followers
May 1, 2014
Received an ARC for review

They were together. They broke up. They got back together and then broke up. They...you get the picture. When they were together, it was HAWT. He did what to his package? I'm sorry I had to stop reading and google it. OH MY GOODNESS. This book was good but not as good as Torment and Doc. Now whose do I want her to write next: Fuzzy, Shilla, Ray, Penny, Doctor Death, Sandy. So many choices.....
Profile Image for Renee Booth.
415 reviews43 followers
November 12, 2022
I was in the mood for a book to take me away and consume me and In Your Corner did just that!

Addictive, sexy, hot, tantalising. All ways to describe this book as well as Jake. He is just Devine!!!!

The storyline was fantastic! Thoroughly enjoyable and so easy to read. It tended to get me a little hot and flustered too!

A must read!

- Third time reading. It’s my go to series to escape. I am obsessed with these boys
Profile Image for Dabney.
480 reviews68 followers
September 6, 2014
This book bored me to tears and yet I suspect it's a sexy contemp that would appeal to many. If you like hot pierced heroes who love strong willed sexually demanding heroines and don't mind a paper thin plot and interchangeable secondary characters, you will like this book. I didn't but this really is a a case where I don't think most contemp readers will share my perspective.
Profile Image for scribes23 .
182 reviews36 followers
July 18, 2014


Sarah! Sarah! Sarah! you certainly knows how to make the perfect alphas! Sexy and Sweet at the same time. I'm having a hard time, choosing between Max and Jake!

I can't wait for the next one!

Max or Jake guys!
Profile Image for Dawn.
1,468 reviews290 followers
May 31, 2014
Loved this one..mmmmmmmm..pierced and fierce..my fav!
Profile Image for Fos.
1,220 reviews2 followers
January 21, 2023
Audiobook

Narrator- ok.

Amanda and Jake
I loved the setting, the story. 5 🌟
The relationship was 3 🌟
Jake was ok.
Amanda was ok.
I liked them individually out of their relationship but their relationship interaction was just ok. No real relationship depth although Jake goes on and on about how he wants forever with her, he loves her but really it's all just sex. It became repetitive. It didn't add to the story.

Jake spends most of the story trying to change Amanda through screwing her. 😬

Amanda, even for being a lawyer, has no sense for self preservation.

The story starts out really strong but the last half is rough to go through.
Profile Image for The Romance Evangelist.
341 reviews89 followers
June 6, 2014
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at The Romance Evangelist.

This review may contain spoilers for On The Ropes, book 1 in the Redemption series. You should be able to read In Your Corner as a standalone book.

ON THE ROPES was one of the first Mixed Martial Arts themed romances I read back in 2013, and it’s still one of the best. So I was excited to learn that there would be additional books featuring other characters in the world of Redemption. IN YOUR CORNER picks up two years after the events of ON THE ROPES, and tells the story of that couple we saw break up so painfully before: Jake and Amanda. Back then, anyone could see that although they were from different worlds, they still had not only an undeniable sexual chemistry, but also an emotional affinity as two people who had learned the hard way not to trust anyone but themselves for protection and safety, especially of the heart. So when Amanda pushed Jake away for good after he made a terrible snap judgment in a moment of weakness, we knew they weren’t quite done with each other. And now it’s two years later, and they’ve both grown and changed in ways that will prepare them to write the ending to that story at last.

When Amanda discovers that Jake is her new client at the stuffy corporate law firm where she’s been working herself to death in an attempt to make partner just to please her never-satisfied parents, the shock is almost too much to bear. She’d never known Jake was from a well-off family with a large and successful business. Now he needs a lawyer, and quickly, but he quickly makes it clear that he won’t allow it to be her. His seeming rejection of Amanda triggers a series of events that begins with her being forced to quit her job and ends with her broken and bleeding in a dark alley just down the street from Redemption. Jake and his fellow MMA fighters at Redemption try to rescue Amanda from the downward spiral that pushed her into that near-fatal alley. But will Amanda finally ask for the help she needs even when refusing it means losing Jake for good?

Jake had tried to forget Amanda after their painful breakup, but losing both her and his brother Peter was too much to bear. Being forced to take over the family business after Peter’s death has isolated Jake from everything else good in his life, especially the people at Redemption who were his true family after his parents had rejected him. But now that Amanda is back, Jake isn’t going to make the same mistake a second time. And when he’s done, he’ll have everything he always wanted before: the professional MMA career, the camaraderie of his Redemption family, and Amanda.

As much as I loved ON THE ROPES, I was even more blown away by IN YOUR CORNER. I think it’s because unlike Max (Torment) in the previous book, there’s no mystery about who Jake is or what really makes him tick. He’s a guy who came from wealth, but never found happiness until he discovered his love of MMA at Redemption and got his life turned in the right direction. There’s really no secret about who Amanda really is, either.. She’s spent her whole life striving for the wrong goals, all because her father wanted a son and both he and her mother were too busy with their own legal careers to spend much time making sure their only daughter was actually loved and cared for. It took the dramatic events put into play by Jake’s rejection of Amanda as his lawyer to force them both to give a chance at happiness together one more try, but it took all their good friends to keep pushing them back together every time one or the other started falling back into their old patterns of rejection and hurt feelings.

Usually a romance where the hero and heroine keep splitting up and coming back together would annoy me, but IN YOUR CORNER neatly avoids the usual traps which would otherwise doom the book to failure. As corny as it sounds, each time Jake and Amanda seem to be taking a step back, they really do end up taking two steps forward, and the small successes start adding up. By the time we reach the final black moment where it appears Amanda will lose everything she’s fought for, including Jake, all the lessons she’s learned the hard way start to kick in, and she is able to step back from the abyss this second time. Both Amanda and Jake realize that they need to love each other as they are, and accept that what they have together is exactly what they need. Along the way, we learn more about the various characters who populate the Redemption world, and the impending setups for future romances in the series. Redemption may be an MMA training center, but its name represents more than that for the people who have made it a success, and IN THE CORNER is show how true that is for both Jake and Amanda. It’s a moving and passionate look at a couple who learn to fight for what they want until they win, both in and out of the Redemption ring, and one of the best books I’ve read this year.
Profile Image for Kristen Hooper.
184 reviews54 followers
June 1, 2024
Amanda was immature, the banter sucked, and the dialogue as a whole seemed so cheesy.
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