Review: Real by Katy Evans

First of all, Happy Birthday Katy! You are my favorite author and such a sweet, wonderful and kind person. Your books and magical and I cannot thank you for the magical stories and characters that you have shared with the world that have touched my heart so much. I hope you have a fantastic day and I hope you know how much your writing means to me. Before I get into the giveaway or any of this review, I just wanted to explain why this book is so special to me.

I have suffered from depression and anxiety my entire life and when I was fifteen and fourteen I tried to kill myself. I was bullied from both my peers and adults, I was told to go end my life and that I didn’t matter. But I survived that part of my life and even when I tried to end myself, I didn’t die and so…I thought I would try to keep living. Although it wasn’t easy, I kept pushing through even though things still remained difficult I keep going. However some other events occurred and by the time I was eighteen, I thought I was crazy. I went throughout college and the entire time I thought I was losing my dang mind! My  high school sweetheart and I finally got married when I was twenty one and I moved from home for the first time. Things escalated after that; I was constantly angry and anxious, but especially angry. It got to the point where my husband sat me down, told me he loved me no matter what but I needed to figure things out. 

I went to the doctor’s office, got tested and was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The entire time in college I had ringing in my ears, unbearable and constant anxiety, nightmares and the uncomfortable paranoia of being in a crowded room. I wasn’t crazy after all, I had PTSD. Things got better after that, I decided to get help and six years later I am healing. I will always have those scars and I will probably have PTSD for the rest of my life, but I am healing slowly but surely healing. I am not afraid to talk about this or the darkness that looms over me because I want to help others. Reading about Remington touched my heart and soul because honestly like Remy, I didn’t think anyone would love me like this. Yet my husband and I have been together for ten years, and to this day I still ask if he loves me even though I’m like this. Which makes him shake his head and laugh because he has always loved me, even on my bad days when I feel triggered the most or when I’m so depressed I can hardly move.  I’ve realized that love conquers all and anything which is especially apparent in Real and in my life. 

Mental health isn’t talked about much and some people even refuse to talk about it at all which is wrong; mental health needs to be taken seriously and I hope someday people can be open about it because talking about it can save lives. It’s why I talk about it and it’s why I share my story so openly. Reading Real and finding Remington Tate was one of the best days of my life and I love this book, story and characters so much. Katy if you’re reading this thank you from the bottom of my heart for using your platform to write about mental health. Thank you. 

Thank you so much for reading all of this and I hope you check out Remy and fall in love with him as much as I did!
Happy Birthday Katy! This is for you!

The Cover: I love this cover so much! I wish that there was a face to the model BUT I do like the fact that we can imagine our own Remington and what he would look like. I like the mystery. A+

Basics: Real was released on May 28th 2013, published by Gallery Books and is 269 pages long. Genre wise Real belongs to contemporary romance.

Description: Remington Tate has a bad-boy rep in and out of the ring, a granite-hard body, and a raw, animal power that sends his female fans into a frenzy. But from the moment their eyes lock, the only woman he wants is Brooke Dumas. His desire is pure, all-consuming, and REAL.

Hired to keep his perfect body working like a machine, Brooke finally has the lucrative sports therapy job she’s been dreaming of. But as she tours the dangerous underground fighting circuit with Remy and his team, Brooke’s own body becomes alive with the most primal of hungers. If what happens between Brooke and Remy is ever as light as a flirtation, it quickly becomes an erotic obsession for them both, and promises so much more.

But their white-hot lust has a dark side—and when Remy’s deepest secret comes to light and Brooke’s familial duties demand action, will the pair be able to hang on, or will everything that once seemed so real suddenly fade away like an illusion?

Overall thoughts:Real is a romance classic! The brooding hero, the curious heroine and the sparks that fly between them and bring them together. But Remy is no prince and Brooke has no idea what she’s getting into when it comes to underground fighting world. Not only is she suddenly knocked off her feet by the mysterious, sexy and powerful Remington Tate, she is given an offer she can’t refuse. Brooke is an amazing heroine, she’s hard working, strong and stitched together with a tenacity that just makes you want to cheer her on. 

She has no idea what is going on in Remy’s head or why one minute he wants her, the next he’s pushing her away. But you can’t find an indestructible force and once your caught in a riptide, there’s really nothing you can do but ride the waves.  Remy and Brooke have undeniable chemistry that literally sent shock waves through me as I read their story and I adore them so much. They are such a great couple to read and swoon over and their story is an important one that I believe every romance lover and reader should read. This was my first Katy Evans book and she will have a friend and fan of me for the rest of my life. I HIGHLY suggest you read Real and trust me, you’ll fall hard for Remy just as much as I did! 

Couple Chemistry Rating: 5/5 Shells++++++

Favorite Quotes: “I’m every woman’s adventure, damn you, and I don’t want to be yours. I want to be your f*cking REAL. You get that?” -Remy

“He’s complicated and complex, a labyrinth I want to lose myself in. He’s my fighter, and I really want to fight to be with him.” -Brooke

“How can you be a mistake? Have you seen you?” -Brooke

My Rating: 5/5 Shells


Buy Real: 
Amazon (Paperback)
Amazon (Kindle)
Barnes & Nobles
Kobo
iBooks
Nook
And check out the entire rest of The Real Series here <–

About the Author: Katy Evans is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Her debut REAL shot to the top of the bestselling lists in 2013 and since then 9 of her titles have been New York Times bestsellers. Her books have been translated into nearly a dozen languages across the world
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Connect with Katy:
Email: katyevansauthor@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorKatyEvans
Twitter @authorkatyevans