Book Review: The Tornado by Missy Blue

(Blurb): A once gifted ballet dancer chained to the demons of her past, Jewel is broken and can no longer dance, her dream torn away from her. Determined to not lie down and die, she takes up the fight, disguising herself as a man, and dares to enter... The Tornado’s testosterone-fueled boxing gym.

An ex-Marine turned MMA fighter, living in the shadow of his tragic past, Asher “The Tornado” Prince only wants to keep his head in the game, turning any man who enters the ring into dust. His temper is hotter than a branding iron, keeping everyone at arm’s length for good reason. He is all tattooed muscle, blood, sweat, and anyone who dares to cross his path, he’ll leave them in tears.

But one night is all it takes. One look is all it takes. Two broken souls find love in the unlikeliest of places.

Jewel wants out of her dark world, and she faces the fight of her life to get there. But she won’t do it alone. When Asher discovers that the skinny little kid who comes to his gym every night is a beautiful young woman, nobody will dare touch her again. They call him The Tornado, and Jewel finds out fast why he lives up to his hard-hitting, bone-crunching name. But when he proves to be the tornado to her demons, he also becomes the shelter to her storm.

And in the end, he will give up his dream, only so that he can… save hers.

Author Note: MATURE CONTENT 18+ Past descriptions of abuse, but nothing graphic. Previously titled Dances with Monsters.

Book Information:

Published: April 2015
Genre: Sports romance, Drama
Age: New Adult
Length: 295p



Review:

A trope I've grown quite fond of is one I'd call "girl in a boy's world". First off I'd like to give a shout out to the author/editors/friends/confidants/whomever for going through with a book blurb that actually tells what the story is about. I don't know if it's just been the way I've been searching for books lately or what, but every book back has been so vague and similar. I won't digress on to that winded topic though.

What I loved

The Tornado was a perfect blend of two broken souls finding each other mixed with self discovery and coming-of-age as an adult. To clarify that last point...we're all familiar with the typical coming of age teenage story. I think we forget that adults can be reborn as well and have their own coming-of-age as they stumble their way through life. Author Missy Blue did an excellent job bringing the tough fighter Asher together with woman on a mission to make changes in her life, Jewel. All the while dropping the typical cocky bastard characteristic that all of these fighter books seem to have in common and giving our woman a literal fighting chance and taking her life back in her own hands. The H/h weren't forced together simply for sex scenes and the darker issues weren't skated over in favor of bumping up the sexual tension. 

I also loved the cover. Yes is a cliche ab shot with the muscly tattoos, but something about the angle and red pop on a grey schemed palate really caught my attention. I point this out because I admit to being a bit of a cover snob. But this cover is pretty simple, somewhat generic, yet in a league of it's own when I compare it to other books found in the same reading section.

What I'm neutral about

I was hoping that Jewel would actually take up some MMA and step in the ring if even for an in-gym spar. But that's not the direction this book goes. Just FYI. If you're looking for more of a girl-fighter book, it is not that. At least not a fighter in the ring -- because her life battles are nothing to cast off.