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The Brick Yard (2014)

by Carol Lynne(Favorite Author)

4.33 of 5 Votes: 5

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Totally Bound

review 1: 3.5 stars. Lucky has had thing for Dray since Lucky has a high school student hiding out from his drug addict mother at the local gym. He's taken under the owner Brick's wing and given a place to feel safe while training to be a MMA fighter. After being outted, Dray gives up his career in the cage and moves away. Eight years later, he's called back when Brick -- who was also Dray's mentor -- needs him. And finally, he and Lucky can give into their attraction, but Dray doesn't want to come between Lucky and his UFC dreams. If you like a lot of sports action, you won't find it in this book. It had just enough talk and scenes in the ring to establish Lucky as a successful fighter without making my eyes glaze over with the details. The book isn't really about MMA anyway. It's ... moremore about Lucky healing from his abusive past and being there for a man who was like a father to him. Dray gets a little lost -- it becomes mostly about Lucky's needs and desires. The book has a realistic feel and some very emotional moments. The boys' love for their mentor was the second love story here. It was moving to see and feel their affection for Brick, a man who in essence saved them both. The epilogue was a great tribute
review 2: I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.I was surprised by the scope of this book. I wasn’t expecting it, and I wasn’t expecting the darkness in it. Lucky and Dray and the handful of other boys to come through the doors of Brick’s place were all in need of a savior, none of them more so than Lucky. His was a truly horrific home life that he continually fought, physically, mentally, emotionally. Brick, for all his gruff orneriness, was that savior. He offered a safe haven while giving the boys purpose and a feeling of belonging and acceptance that they hadn’t gotten probably ever before. Dray was very likely on his way to major success as a MMA fighter when he was outed – betrayed and broken by a man he’d made the mistake of trusting. Running, he left Brick and Lucky to start his own life. And he was doing fine right up until he was reacquainted – albeit from a distance – to a new, grown, very appealing Lucky. Determined to bring no harm, even by association, to Lucky, Dray kept his distance. That worked right up until Brick’s illness called him home.As an aside – I was both dismayed and pleased with the way the author handled Brick’s illness. Cancer is ugly. It’s extremely ugly, and having experienced the death of someone with this very same cancer, I am so often finding myself disgusted (while secretly relieved) at the smooth glossing over of the disease in books. Carol Lynne didn’t do that. Some (who haven’t experienced it) may read it and think she deliberately made it harsh and scary and ugly, but I can tell you it wasn’t exaggerated. The author has either been there, or she talked to the right people and did her research. And while I respect and appreciate that, it made this a difficult read for me personally that I might have (okay, I would have) avoided had I known beforehand.But the romance … the romance was rather gorgeous in the face of tragic pasts and painful histories and scary, horrible present days. Lucky was pretty much well and truly messed up, but Dray was not about to give up. He was determined to make Lucky see that he was loved, and that he was good, and that others saw the good in him. That he had value and something to offer others that was needed. Not an easy task, (Lucky was so very damaged) but well worth it in the end. Kind of like the story itself. less

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