Review: Defying the Odds

Reviewed by Shelly
 

Doesn’t every great romance start with some pie? You might have your doubts, but Melody and Clay will disagree. This is a new author for me and I was really afraid I wouldn’t like the book, but this stuff had me reading/ crying/ eating peanut butter sandwiches (don’t ask) at 3am in the morning because I couldn’t put it down. What the heck?!

Melody Ryan is down on her luck; she’s left the big city where she and her abusive ex-husband lived. Being from a small town, Melody knows that there was no way that she can stay where they lived, but she can’t go back home either, so she does the next best thing. She finds someplace in the middle. That place turns out to be the small town of Garnet where they grow their men big and broad – oh boy do they. While working in the all-day diner as a waitress, Melody sees Clay ‘Powerhouse’ Powers sitting by himself and offers him a slice of pie – on her dime. Clay is immediately smitten because girls don’t give him things.  They might want him to give, but they don’t.

In a good way, I couldn’t get over Melody’s matter of fact attitude about her past. Its a hard reality to face but she’s strong, brave, cautious, and still has that innate innocence about her that I found absolutely charming. It’s rare that a storyteller will use the metaphor of the boiling frog and apply that to the victim of abuse - I thought it was well done. I think that somewhere along the line Moon must have done her research for the subject matter. But I digress.

UFC heavyweight champion Clay is a big man, 6'5" - 260lbs of pure fighting muscle, with a bad attitude; and thank goodness he's very accepting of his short comings and has no real need to change. By the way, did I tell you he's awesomely cool? And I thought he and Melody rocked it out something fierce. He's a good foil for her and it doesn't hurt that she's got some dimples and a sweet smile that he can't get enough of. I felt a little jealous of Melody because Clay has some overt testosterone manliness and muscle that she and I both think is the best thing since sliced bread. But what I especially appreciated about these two is that they didn't jump into bed together. When they do it's off the chain hot - ¡ay caramba!

Some of my favorite moments are between Clay and his best friend Wyatt. There's some pretty smart and engaging dialogue that made me laugh out loud and even tear up a little. These two brothers loved each other and the routine they've developed over the years that takes the place of 'I love you' is quite memorable. Wyatt's twin Jules' story is next and I'm really looking forward to reading more about these guys.

Happy Reading Folks!

Rating: B+

*Provided by Loose ID via NetGalley 

Click to purchase: Amazon

Defying the Odds

by Kele Moon

Release Date: December 20, 2011

Publisher: Loose ID