Review - The Fights Of Summer

Note: I received an advanced copy for review. The released story may have had minor changes.

James is a young man studying in university, and in an unusual relationship with two other men, Carl and Dane. The other two men are also students, as well as mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters. James himself is something of a pacifist. He dreads fight nights, when he has to watch one or both of his lovers get beaten in a cage. Of course, if they win, the highly charged celebratory sex afterwards almost makes it worth it.

But then one day James’ worst nightmare comes true. Dane is seriously injured in a fight. He spends weeks in a hospital, but despite James’ feelings, Dane refuses to see it as the end of his career. For his part, Carl is also determined to fight on. James’ fear turns to anger, which threatens to tear the relationship apart.

This is an interesting story in many respects. It is set against the world of MMA fighters, which is probably unfamiliar to many people. The author does a fair job of depicting the fights and draws a good picture of the two men, Carl and Dane, and their backgrounds. Of course, the story turns on James and his reactions to seeing his lover hurt. James wants to be supportive, but can’t wrap his head around why either man is so set on getting back in the cage.

The fear and anger that James feels is expressed in dreams, and this is where the story didn’t quite work, for me. I could see where the author was trying to go, but she didn’t quite get there. The imagery just wasn’t quite vivid enough, and this was also true of the sex scenes. They were hot, but disjointed enough to keep you from really getting into them.

The sex in “The Fights Of Summer” is generally pretty rough, but I haven’t tagged this as BDSM. The men seem to take it in turns to be dominant or submissive, sometimes even switching mid-scene, so it’s ‘just’ rough sex.

“The Fights Of Summer” may be purchased from Amazon.