Against the Ropes

By: Sarah Castille

Narrated by: Lucy Rivers

Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

He scared me. He thrilled me. And after one touch, all I could think about was getting more . . . Makayla never thought she'd set foot in an elite mixed martial arts club. But if anyone needs a medic on hand, it's these guys. Then again, at her first sight of the club's owner, she's the one feeling breathless.

The man they call Torment is all sleek muscle and restrained power. Whether it's in the ring or in the bedroom, he knows exactly when a soft touch is required and when to launch a full-on assault. He always knows just how far he can push. And he's about to tempt Makayla in ways she never imagined...

©2013 Sarah Castille (P)2013 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Castille's debut is steamy." ( Publishers Weekly)

Good but sometimes silly

This was a good listen but sometimes was a little silly. Yes I laughed but also said "really?" I guess the author didn't want to keep it too serious the whole time because it did have some very emotional and serious parts. Overall it was a good book/listen and I liked the narrator .

One of the best books I've read in a Long time!!

Would you listen to Against the Ropes again? Why?

I would definitely listen to this book again. This was such a good book I couldn't put it down. The story line was romantic, exciting and not what I expected at all. Well worth every penny or credit you have.

What other book might you compare Against the Ropes to and why?

Bella Andre books are very close to the storyline in this book. So steamy, hot and kept you on the edge of your seat the whole time just like Bella's books.

Have you listened to any of Lucy Rivers’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have never listened to Lucy Rivers before but because of her excellent reading, this made the book for me. She knows exactly when to heighten the narration and when not to. This really makes a difference.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me cry when Max & Makayla split up when he left her in her bedroom alone.

Any additional comments?

I normally don't praise a book this much but this book is well worth the credit and I am so glad I purchased it. I hope Sarah Castille writes more books like this one. I could not put it down because I didn't want to miss anything and I couldn't wait to hear what was next. I couldn't get enough. I want more please!!!

Took too long to develop

I enjoyed this book, overall, I just wish the H/h would have sorted their conflict earlier, in the book. It would have been nice to enjoy the cohesive relationship more than a couple of chapters, of the book.
The narration wasn’t bad but, Ms Rivers struggled with making the many male voices sound different, and some were pretty lame. I hate to be critical about narrators because I realize that narration is difficult skill to master and it is a skill I am envious of.
I have enjoyed other series, written by this author, so I’m going to continue with this series even though this book wasn’t all that impressive to me.
-V from Kansas

Intense

The story was great!! Max was handsome and tough never did I guess he had another life. Makayla was so funny that it made me want to listen more and more to this story.

THIS WAS A WEIRD ONE FOR ME….

I decided to take a chance on this audiobook since it had a lot of good reviews, but once I was about 20% into it, I was having a hard time figuring this book out. It seemed like a parody to me because most or all of the relationships are very exaggerated. To the extremely punishing female boss, to the mafia-style debt collector to the slutty-wild but "gorgeous" best friend….I mean I could go on and on. Even when it comes to the hero Torment (or Max) he can be something likable to everyone (depending on what you like in your alpha male) because he's an MMA fighter, a hot biker, billionaire venture capitalist, and Mr. BDSM in the bedroom. The heroine, Mikayla (Mic) is corky, dorky, but cute in her own way. This story is taken from her perspective and the girl sees the world through a lens of humor…very exaggerated humor, even during the dangerous or serious moments.

I decided that the reason I finished this audiobook was because I thought the best parts were when Max and Mikayla were together and well when the romance is good, I'm typically interested. They have plenty of things to work through in their relationship, but overall, I thought they had good chemistry and their romance was interesting. HOWEVER, I could NOT STAND Mikayla's friend, Amanda…or Dr. Drake. Ok, this is a bit of a rant on my part, but here goes---- I am not reading her book which follows this one. She is not a worthy heroine, AT ALL….I didn't find her to have any redeeming qualities. Amanda has a great thing going with her boyfriend Jake (MMA fighter), she tries to manipulate him in bed, he doesn't give in, so she breaks off with him and sleeps with Dr. Drake who wants Mikayla. But, Amanda's generous, I suppose, (major eye roll) since she kept offering to let Mikayla "have Dr. Drake" if she wanted him, as he's so kinky in bed and Mikayla needed to loosen up--- Ugh, Amanda just grossed me out. And, most of Mikayla's stupid decisions were made when she was with Amanda. I also thought she put her friendship with Amanda before her relationship with Max. Anyway…..there were countless times I thought this would be a DNF for me, but I pushed through because of the romance……So, overall, it gets 2.5 STARS for the silly, moderately steamy, and interesting romance between Max and Mikayla.

Narrator: Lucy Rivers did a decent job. I think her exaggerated voices for some of the MMA fighters and characters was in line with the writing in this book--both kind of weird…especially when the leads texted each other in 3rd person. On these parts, narrator sounded like a cave man????--Not sure…. This whole book was just overall kind of weird experience.

love this book need part 2

love the book couldn't put it down
need more please. thank you so much. great

Above average, but didn't exactly get there

The leading lady is struggling in life...she doesn't really know her place in the world so she is at a dead end job, with a string of dead end boy friends, she has just been playing it safe in life not willing to fully go after any one thing. Enter the hero of our story...Torment...yes that is his MMA fighter name and it suits him! He's damaged due to his past, she is damaged due to hers, can they heal each other or is the damage too great for either of them to have a happily ever after?

I liked this book, don't get me wrong...it had many great qualities that I like in a book. A dark hero, a lady in distress, and some kink...but it just didn't tie together like I thought it should. I can't put my finger on it, it just didn't all come together...maybe it needed to be longer, or maybe this is a fluff story trying to be deep and missing the mark?

I'd still be willing to read book 2 about Jake and Amanda, but it isn't on my list of dear God when is audible going to get that book!

Still, if you can catch it for a credit or on sale I say go for it, it was enjoyable.

So Sexy and Fun

I never know to go with another book from a series I'm listening to or taking a chance on someting new. So I took a chance and I'm so glad I did. This one has great characters and narration. I find myself grinning in places and also loving the steamy sexy parts. This is a great listen. I will be looking for more books from this author and hopefully more from other characters in this book.

Loves this book

Another phenomenal Sarah Castille book. I loved the narrarotors and the characters. Who doesn't love a hot alpha male fighter?

Loved

I loved the story .. Makayla got on my nerves & was annoying.. I did love Max. I really enjoyed the story and didn’t want it to end..