FILTHY, a stellar debut novel by Katherine Lace, is a raw, gritty romance about a dirty talking MMA fighter who is in way over the head with the mob. Cain McAllister wants out, or at the very least, a chance to thumb his nose at dastardly Mafia kingpin Phil Spada. What better way to get under the mob boss’s skin than seduce his gorgeous daughter, Jessica? But will one night of blistering hot revenge sex ever be enough to satiate his primal desires? Or will this fearless fighter lose his heart to love…and go to battle to stake a claim on what’s his?
I had a gut feeling after reading the book blurb, and seeing this hard-muscled, heavily tatted heartthrob on the cover, that this book was going to be something special. And my instincts were right. This is not paint by numbers fighter book by any means. The premise is pretty straightforward--MMA Fighter Cain McAllister is being forced to throw fights, and is sick and tired of being controlled by the mob. He wants a way out. Or, at the very least, a way to thumb his nose at the loathsome mob boss Phil Spada, exact some delicious revenge, and get some hot sweaty action between the sheets in the process. But his mark, Jess, is no shrinking violet, and though she is a VERY willing participant in their steamy liaison, she is using Cain just as much as he is using her. She too wants to rub the relationship in Spada’s face because she feels like a virtual prisoner in his home, and yearns to break free from daddy’s iron control. She has big dreams of going to school and becoming a Physician’s Assistant but Spada, who controls every aspect of his sheltered daughter’s life, is having none of that. She’s to stay home and have babies. And that’s the end of it. In fact, he handpicked one of his mob cronies as her fiancé and eventually baby daddy. But the thought of being trapped in a marriage with the repulsive, sick, twisted Carmine makes Jess’s stomach roil. She will stop at nothing to prevent that from happening. Even if it means marrying someone else…someone who Spada may end up killing for crossing him.
I loved this book! Lost myself in the fiery sparks between the characters, the edge of your seat excitement, the forbidden passion and throbbing emotion. I rooted for this couple to get their HEA. But the specter of Daddy Mobster dogged their every move, which made for a very palpable, tension-fraught read. And at the risk of sounding predictable….the main draw for me was Cain! He is just so deliciously Alpha and roguish and brash that you just can’t help but love him. He starts off as your typical cocky scoundrel whose main agenda is to do the nasty with the heroine, but Ms. Lace did a really admirable job of peeling away his gritty layers to reveal a man of much substance…and heart. The more I got to know Cain, the more I swooned. I adored his fiercely protective nature, his gruff tenderness, his gradual evolving feelings for the heroine (though he didn’t quite understand them). A former foster kid who never got out of the system, Cain doesn’t get what love is…doesn’t think he’s capable of it or worthwhile of doing anything other than fighting for survival…in and out of the ring. But Jess, sweet, sassy Jess, who has had a very tumultuous life herself, sees so much more to Cain than what’s beneath the surface and eventually helps him heal his raw open wounds from the past. Shows him that he does in fact have a capacity for love and greatness.
I appreciated the gradual development of this romance…though to be honest, I was a bit leery at first that there was a disconnect between the characters because their relationship seemed purely based on carnal sex. For me, sex without feels just leaves me cold. Well, I needn’t have worried, there are plenty of feels in this book. Hot, sexy feels. Sweet tender feels. Heart in your throat feels. Turns out, a painstakingly slow build to deeper level of intimacy was all part of Ms. Lace’s grand plan. For as the plot unfolded and this couple faced down danger together, they forged a beautiful emotional and romantic connection that I found utterly breathtaking. Ultimately, what started out as a hot, tawdry arrangement to stick it to Frank Spada transformed into so much more.
But make no mistake…this is not a syrupy hearts and flowers love story by any means. The relationship between Cain and Jess is raw and rough and real. I loved how one moment Cain could have her pinned her up against the wall for some hot lovin’, but the next could be gently wiping away her tears and soothing her with sweet reassurances. There was also a fair amount of blood and violence, as one would expect from a mafia/fighter book, and Cain didn’t blink an eye at taking a sacrificial beating to protect what was his. Plus, every time he possessively growled “Mine” in the heat of the moment, I just about melted. Bottom line…Katherine Lace has a very bright career ahead of her. FILTHY is a pure adrenaline rush of smoldering emotion, thrilling fight sequences, mafia mayhem, and lots and lots of mind blowing sex.
A win-win in my book!