Review: Passing His Guard by Melynda Price (Against the Cage #2)

Note: This ARC was provided by Montlake Romance via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

He's the son of a senator and a socialite and lived a life of privilege until one betrayal caused him to walk away from it all. Now, Aiden Kruze is living his life on his terms, enjoying a successful career as a mixed martial arts fighter in Las Vegas with the ring moniker of Disco Stick, for more than obvious reasons. His parents, however, refuse to let him be, leading his mother to hire private investigator Ryann Andrews to find and return him to New York. Aiden's been able to evade those that were sent his way before but Ryann is proving to be more difficult to get rid of, not only because she's willing to use underhanded tactics to do her job but also because she's the first woman to stir up a myriad of emotions within him. But there's more going on than Aiden and Ryann realize and when they do, much more is at stake for the two.

Passing His Guard is the second novel in the Against the Cage by author Melynda Price and overlaps in the first few chapters with the events from the first novel, Win by Submission, which is where one of the main characters, Aiden Kruze, was introduced. Here, the thirty-year-old MMA fighter is partnered with Ryann Andrews, a twenty-six-year-old private investigator who accepts the job of locating and bringing in Aiden in exchange for double her usual fee--money that she desperately needs in order to pay debts left behind by her late father. Even with the chemistry brewing between them, they can't help but see each other as adversaries, especially when it Aiden is resistant to the idea of returning to his family. There's a bit of miscommunication and assumptions are made but there's also quite a lot of passion and romance.

There's more to Aiden than meets the eye. He's a man who turned his back on his wealthy and powerful family and his job as a lawyer and becomes an MMA fighter who is as known for his prowess in the cage as his conquests in the bedroom. He knows that a lot of people want the persona that he exudes as an MMA combatant but what he really wants is to find the one woman who will see beyond what the spotlight offers. Ryann has her own preconceptions and you feel for Aiden when he's hurt by the things she says, coming off as if she knows him but when, in actuality, she's barely scratched the surface of who he truly is. He's physically domineering but is also emotionally and intellectually present, making him someone you wouldn't want to go up against in any situation. Here, he lays it all on the line for the girl he's fallen for.

The story is well-paced and has fine elements of romance and action suspense, especially since it isn't just about Aiden and Ryann falling in love with one another while they try to deal with Aiden's parents and Ryann's debt. I certainly didn't see the twist coming and it took the story on a very different course than I was expecting and which I quite appreciated. Both Aiden and Ryann were main characters whose quest for justice and journey toward love was thrilling from start to finish. This was a book I read in one sitting, which is quite a feat considering it's nearly 400 pages long in terms of the text alone. I do wonder if the series will continue with Nikko Del Toro's story next, which I hope it will, or maybe Kyle Cane's. Whoever's up next, it'll be on my list of to-be-reads. In the meantime, Passing His Guard gets five stars! ♥

Release Date: 25 August 2015

Date Read: 24 August 2015

Learn more about Melynda Price here.

Purchase Passing His Guard on Amazon.