Meet Maverick “The Avenger” Cage in Legend, the newest stand alone in the REAL series releasing February 9th!

Maverick “the Avenger” Cage wants to rise to the top and become a legend in the ring. Though he keeps his identity well guarded, he’s known on the fighting circuit as the new kid with a chip on his shoulder and a tattoo on his back that marks him as trouble. He’s got a personal score to settle with the Underground’s one and only Remington “Riptide” Tate.

As Mav trains, he meets a young girl—the only other new person in the town–and sparks fly. When things get heated between them, he finds out she’s none other than Reese Dumas, the cousin of Remington Tate’s wife. A girl who’s supposed to root against him and a girl he’s supposed to stay away from.

But Maverick fights for the woman in his heart, and the monsters in his blood. The world’s eyes are on them and the victor will go down in history as the ultimate fighting champion; the ultimate LEGEND.

* LEGEND is the 6th and final installment of the REAL series, but it can also be read as standalone or after the three Remington and Brooke books (Real/Mine/Remy.)

 

At Tate’s corner, outside the ropes, his coach whistles. “You two get some headgear on. Stat.”
Tate’s lips curl rebelliously, and he looks at me with challenge in his eyes.
I smile back, a feral curl of my lips.
We tap gloves.
No headgear.
I jab. He swings his arm, blocks the hit, leaps back, and I jab again, blocked again.
We space apart and jump in place, shaking our shoulders, loosening up. I pull my gloves back up, narrow my eyes, and he asks, “You think you’re the shit because you’re fast and strong? I got news for you. I’m faster, I’m stronger, and I’m disciplined. Your coach isn’t doing you any favors.”
“He’s in my corner, and that’s enough for me.”
He swings, I duck fast and come up behind him. He straightens and faces me again. “If you settle for that, then you should settle for second place.”
“What the fuck. You want me to win?”
“I want a good fight. I like keeping things real. Reminds me I’m a man. Mortal.”
“I want to be a legend. Legends never die. Even if they die alone.”
He swings again, and I duck, come up, and jab three times.
He blocks repeatedly, then hooks with his right; I deflect. He grins and jabs again. I block, then I duck before he puts me up against the ropes, and I head back to center. He follows.
“To be a legend you need to fall seven times, get up eight,” he says.
I remember a final a few years ago when my father kicked Tate to a pulp. “Or not fall at all.”
He backs up his arm and then smacks the smirk right off me. “Before you stop falling, you need to embrace the fact that you’re going to hit the ground.”
I clean the blood from my mouth, glowering.
We take positions again, and he watches me as if waiting for my next move as we start dancing around, jumping, waiting for the other to strike.
“Do you want the headgear now?”
I lunge and start hitting, and he blocks, deflects, blocks. “Fuck you,” I grit out.
“Getting angry doesn’t help. You control the anger, not let it control you.”
I want to prove him wrong; I loop out my arm and aim for his head.
He ducks and hooks, his knuckles cracking into my jaw. I spurt blood and bounce against the ropes.
I shake my head, wipe the blood away, grit my teeth and straighten, narrowing my eyes. “My turn,” I growl, and I swing. My fist connects: a kidney punch.
He blocks my next hit, frowning in thought. “You’re cocky for someone who just lost yesterday.”
He jabs.
I dive my upper body to the side, evading. “You got to play it to become it.”
“I’m the champion, not you.”
“You won’t live forever, champ.”
He jabs three times, then leaps back, flexes his arm and looks at it.
“Muscle memory. You hit enough times, you fight on instinct; part of your brain works on your assault, the other is focused on the other’s assault. Let your muscle memory work for you and consciously stay focused on your opponent’s eyes.”
I laugh mockingly. “I don’t need your pointers.”
“Go back home to daddy, then.”
“When I’m finished with you.” I punch him, then raise my left hook and connect hard enough to stun him.
He raises his head, shakes it to clear it, and wipes blood from his nose. I catch my breath, satisfied I got some blood. At least I won’t be the only one with an ice pack tonight.
He sees the blood on his arm and looks at me, impressed.
“TIME!” his coach yells out from the corner. “You two won’t have shit for the fight if you keep up this nonsense.”
Tate grins at him, then turns back and glowers at me. “You get enough?”
“Barely warming up here.” I squint the blood out of one eye and raise my gloves. “Come get it, Riptide,” I growl.

 

LEGEND
KATY EVANS
PUBLISHER: Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc
PUBLICATION DATE: FEBRUARY 9, 2016
SOURCE: ARC GIFTED BY AUTHOR/PUBLISHER IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW

Hot damn! What a surprise knockout!   Legend is a real “I’m a lover AND a fighter” romance.

Maverick is a mix of tough and tender.  The reader will instantly fall in love with him.  He sends his first prize winnings to his mother because she needs it more than he does.   Who can’t help but love this guy?

Maverick has spent much of his life dealing with the knowledge that his father was a corrupt and dirty fighter.   He’s angry and fighting is his outlet.  It’s in his blood.

He tries to find a coach who is willing to train him but too many refuse to take on the challenge of training the son of the scorpion.   This fuels his desire of pride, determination, self-control, and hard work while trying to remain razor focus and forge his own identity.

Then he meets Reese.  That’s the two-punch in the face he did not see coming!!!

The mystery girl at the gym who proclaims “he’s with me.” She is living with Remy and his wife for the summer while taking care of their son, Racer, for the underground tour.

It turns out she is Remy’s wife cousin.  The same Remy he wants to dethrone as the champion of the underground and become a legend in his own right.

It’s hard for Reese to accept a relationship with Maverick while keeping the secret of who she is.  But she is drawn to him and she has secrets of her own.

With the help of Reese, he meets Oz. A down and out alcoholic trainer.  Maverick convinces him to give it one more try and they start training.  Before long, a shot at the title emerges along with Remy “Riptide” Tate taking a notice of the young upcoming fighter

He sees the potential in Maverick and unofficially becomes his mentor and brings him into the fold of his family and team.  His relationship with Remy is complicated at best.  Its more the enemy of my enemy is my friend.  A case of keeping your enemies closer maybe?

It doesn’t matter however because they each vow to bring the pain and their “A” game to fight for the championship.   It may very well be the swan song for one of them.  May the best man win!!

For a fighter romance, its surprisingly gentle, innocent and easygoing.  It was a pleasure to see how Reese balances her secret rendezvous and her sexual growth under the watching eyes of the Tate’s. It’s heartfelt to read how maverick turns into the guy who needs somebody to back him and cheer for him.  He wants someone in his corner who loves him as the man he is; not the son of a villain.

Legend mixes romance with bloodlust fight sequences.  Its packs a real emotional punch between Maverick and Reese as lovers.    Sometimes when a romance is done right, it ends up being a carefully crafted simmer of aching anticipation and what ifs?   This is one of them.

Real (Book One) The Real Series
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1CHl6sS
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1w35g8N
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iBooks: http://bit.ly/1tHrTct

Mine (Book Two) The Real Series
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1I2nbzy
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1tHrdns
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iBooks: http://bit.ly/1yhymBF

Remy (Book Three) The Real Series
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1vOn8T2
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1w35lcN
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1ynVnBv
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1vlqhom

Rogue (Book Four) The Real Series
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Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1FOFfJy
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1wvpqI6
iTunes: http://bit.ly/12xnylU

Ripped (Book Five) The Real Series
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Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1yia714
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/11X9CAG
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1ynQ9FV

Hey! I’m Katy Evans and I love family, books, life, and love. I’m married with two children and three dogs and spend my time baking, walking, writing, reading, and taking care of my family. Thank you for spending your time with me and picking up my story. I hope you had an amazing time with it, like I did. If you’d like to know more about books in progress, look me up on the Internet, I’d love to hear from you!

Website: http://www.katyevans.net
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