A review by 7sofia7
Bare-Knuckle Love by K.A. Merikan

4.0

3.75 - 4.0

This novella is enjoyable but you have to like the tropes, kinks that are in it. 
The authors do a good job at describing them so read the description and warnings beforehand. 

Protagonist:
  • Poor baby I'm so mad that his family was so shitty
  • I don't love when characters are so much in need for emotional/phisical connection that will do anything for it. But at the same time I like the yearning and humiliation that comes from it. 
  • He was a bit too eager and said stupid stuff (SPOILER would you really tell the guy that made you his prisoner that it was your firts kiss?!?)
  • Do I like dogs irl? No. Did I like them in this story? Hell yes. 

The sex and writing:
  • Per se it wasn't too rough but the dynamic was pretty messed up. Blackmail, collaring, beating, using him as a target for darts were kinds of abuse perpetrated by the love interest to the protagonist in non sexual scenes.
  • I enjoyed the story and the relationship but it didn't make me horny.
  • I like how the authors write and the world that they create. Gritty and though but you can still find good. I find particulary nice how they manage to write power imbalance and rough sex but still make it seem fine to the reader.
  • This book was pretty short and there isn't much more story than what we are promiced by the blurb. It did it's job well and I would have wanted just a few pages more at the end (SPOILERS their first time, or reflecting upon it, and their kind of getting together)
  • You don't get much from the mc part, just rude and violent men betting on fights. What is more at the centre is the fighting 

The love interest:
  • Aka the mc's leader, high school crush, dr jekyll and mr hyde 
  • He was such an asshole. He acted like a true villain and then he did something somewhat nice for the main guy and so we went along.
  • We never really knew him and I would have liked to understand him a little bit better; sayed that
     I agree with the author's' choice to write the story entirely from the fighter's pow. 
  • I liked his family

This author duo is a nice one:
  • No disjointed parts or writing style changes
  • If you find yourself liking their books: 1. you are likely to enjoy their other books
    2.they have an extensive backlist