Reviewed by Elizabetta

 

TITLE: Takedown

SERIES: Bannon’s Gym, book 2

AUTHOR: Cat Grant

PUBLISHER: Samhain Publishing

LENGTH: 188 pages

BLURB:

Home may not be what he remembered, but it might hold what he needs.

 

An abusive father drove Tom Delaney away from Lincoln Beach. Now that he’s back to settle his family’s affairs, he’s finding that not even the good things he left behind are the same. The old neighborhood is a dangerous slum. Eddie’s diner is on its last legs. Gloria, who looked after him like her own son, is seriously ill.

 

His only refuge is Bannon’s Gym, where Danny Bannon nurtured his talent for mixed martial arts. Bannon’s also harbors Travis, his ex—as in ex-sparring partner, ex one-night stand. The man who, the last time they faced off in the ring, left Tom with a broken jaw and a concussion.

 

The sparks are still there, in the ring and out of it. But when Travis’s own troubles quite literally explode, their only chance to build something solid on their broken past could go up in flames.

 

Warning: Hot guys slugging it out. Heaps of sexual tension and cursing. Fighting. Grappling. Kicking. Throwing elbows. All drenched in buckets of manly sweat.

 

 

REVIEW:

 

(If you have not read book one of this series, this review may contain spoilers)

 

Looking back, trying to sum up what this second book in the series is about, there are some big changes for Tom and Eddie in particular. What’s clear, though, is that this is continuing Tom’s journey, his growth through the family issues and all his anger around them as revealed in book one. Eddie and Danny’s established partnership remains as more of a side theme, their continued mentorship of Tom acts as the foundation for his story.

 

 

The book starts with Tom’s return after a two year gap during which he left California to finish up college at an ivy league school back east. Degree in hand, he returns home to collect his inheritance. Tom still carries a world of hurt and guilt– all the scars from living with an alcoholic, abusive father whose reign of terror on the family remain in day-glo pain. Dear old Dad has just passed away and Tom is back in town and back at Bannon’s Gym, looking for closure, looking for a way to mend the hurt.

 

But things never remain the same back home; except for the support of friends made in book one. Eddie, Danny, and Gloria, Eddie’s mother, welcome him back with open arms. But can they help? Can Tom work through his trust issues?

 

Entering on the scene is Travis, the love interest. It seems that Tom hooked up with Travis before splitting for college. The two guys are sparring partners at Bannon’s gym and continue to circle around each other in and out of the fight cage, picking back up on the attraction that brought them together two years ago.

 

Which brings this to my favorite part of the story– anything that has to do with the MMA training and events. There is still a good helping of cage and gym action which keeps my interest. Really, I could have used even more of that. The rest of it, though… the time gaps around Tom leaving for college, and other gaps built into the present story, left me with a feeling of disconnection. Travis and Tom are thrown together without much background about their initial attraction. Indeed, it seemed that one of the reasons Tom left town was in reaction to a tournament match between the two that didn’t end very well. Can you spar with someone, be matched up to physically punch them out, and maintain a romantic connection? And for Tom, all that other hurt and confusion around family and relationships doesn’t help much either.

 

So, it’s a mixed bag for me. I like these guys, I like the setting and the difficulties faced in this book. I like how Tom’s MMA training continues to help him work out his anger and frustration (it’s a work in progress; he could still use more of that). I’m just not sold on some of the delivery as mentioned. There are a lot of issues in the story– including drug abuse and domestic/child abuse– so the writing seems scattered at times and the frequent POV shifting (also an issue in book one) doesn’t help. Since it looks like the series continues with more of Tom’s journey, I hope for a deeper connection between him and Travis. And for some attention to the writing issues. I will definitely return for more, especially if the fighting action continues to be a integral part of the story.

 

RATING: 

 

BUY LINKS:

Samhain Publishing

Amazon