Sick Heart: A Dark MMA Fighter Romance by JA Huss

Cort van Breda has won 35 death matches as a fighter in an MMA circuit so deep underground there are no rules and only the winner gets out alive.
They call him the Sick Heart.
They say he’s a shameless monster.
They say he’s a ruthless killer.
They say he’s as twisted as the man who owns him. 
They say a lot of things about Cort van Breda.
But in our world violence is money, and money is winning, and winning is life, and life is the only thing that matters. 
Except… he wasn’t meant to win that last fight.
And I wasn’t meant to be his prize.
But he did.
And I am.
And now his sick heart owns me.

My Review

Cory is an MMA fighter nicknamed “Sick Heart. “He is ruthless a monster, some say, but he liked to win, and he loves to live. 

Anya is the taught of one of the owners of the rings. She is brave and intelligent and gives the reader an introduction to this unique world of underground fighting. Her sister seems sweet, and they have an incredible bond. But the whole situation is really messed up. 

We do get to read from Cort’s perspective. Cort is kinda crazy definitely has a side to him that leans toward the psychotic. I find it interesting that he doesn’t know about all the prizes for this fight but instead seems like a tool. It did say this was his last fight, and these fights are to the death. 

I’m thoroughly surprised by the shifts in this story from super-steamy scenes to intense action and even more twisted realities. I have enjoyed the convention that Anya and Cort seem to make and the likeliness in their damage. Although neither of them speaks, they seem to communicate well. The rock was an excellent side twist from where I thought this would go. Now I’m curious as to why we went there instead of the training camp. 

As this story devolves, we get more insight into the man behind the sick heart. He and Anya have intimate moments, and the story does divulge some of the sickness and evil behind their story. Not much is in great detail, but you, as the reader, finally get to feel the depravity of their life, and their journey evolves in the months that follow their arrival on the rock.  I was especially surprised by the training camp coming to them at the end of their 30 days. I was even more surprised by the story behind why they do what they do. This book really delves into a grotesque side of life that very well could be true to some. 

I like that author embraced this and chose to present it to the reader. In this story, most wouldn’t handle the things that are done to children in this book. Although we don’t get a close personal look at it, the knowledge is there. Anya and Cort are just two beings in this circle of slavery, two that can relate to the lives they have both lived. 

This story gets very twisted and makes you question the loyalties you have come to know. The end of this is not at all what I was expecting. This book has an intense story in it if you can see past the evil in the book. The purpose is to find the light at the end of the darkness, and they do. 

Wow, this story floored me, quickly climbing into one of my favorites. I found this book from an ad on social media, read the blurb, and decided to give it a try. Yes, this story has some very dark, unsettling themes, and they are beyond anything I can describe; please heed the warning at the beginning of the book. However, that being said, once you get past the darkness, there are moments of true awe in the story that leave you speechless.

 The moral of the story is one of hope, love, and even salvation, but wow, it is a journey to get there. This is fiction, but it could have been a real-life story. This isn’t about just about one couple, and no, not a romance book, but it does have romantic elements. There is a happy ending but so much inward thought and outward actions that you miss the build-up to it. This book was very emotionally and physically deep. 

I didn’t consider this a romance. However, I did love the life lessons in the story, the approach to the dark themes, and the relationship formed. Yes, it has some super steamy scenes few and far between, and yeah, he even admits he might love her and that she is different, and he isn’t sure why. I would classify it as sports fiction with some suspense and dark themes and romantic elements. 

I did enjoy this story. I love that it was world-shattering and different but also contained so much heart and knowledge in the pages. It did have a dystopian edge to the story, and it doesn’t seem like it took place in contemporary society and is not known about. 

Beware, this story is deep, dark and will leave you in shambles for most of the book, but the end is an unexpected relief. 

If you would like to read Sick Heart by JA Huss you can find it on Amazon. As an Amazon associate I earn on qualifying purchases.

If you liked this book you may also enjoy books with these tags and categories Romantic Suspense, Sports and Mature.