Real Thing by J.J. Murray
Contemporary Romance
For mature readers
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Former boxing champion Dante “Blood and Guts” Lattanza is being featured in Personality Magazine’s “Sexiest Men Alive” issue, and reporter Christiana Artis has the scoop. There’s just one hitch: she’ll have to fly to her elusive subject’s home in Canada. But once she lays eyes on Dante’s chiseled physique and sultry Italian looks, she decides it was worth every mile. Too bad his icy demeanor doesn’t match his hot body.
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Since he lost his last fight ten years ago, Dante has led a reclusive life–and he never gives interviews. But he’s making a comeback, ready to prove to the world–and his ex-wife–that he can still win a championship. He gives Christiana an ultimatum: if she can perform five tasks, she can ask him five questions. And then she can be on her way. Yet Dante’s always had a weakness for beautiful black women, and seeing Christiana everyday is enough to melt his defenses. Soon Christiana is an intimate part of the very story she came to write. But when the line between personal and professional gets blurred, it can be difficult to see when you’ve found the real thing.
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Book Review
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This is my first experience in reading a JJ Murray book and I was so happy I did. It was really good and entertaining. The book starts fast with Christiana in a small town in Aylen Lake, Ontario Canada as a reporter looking for this famous ex-Boxer who was undefeated until his last fight. Christiana was determined to get the scoop and feature him as one of the sexiest men alive. Even though Christiana really did not like her job, traveling around the world and hunting down celebrities, she commits to the article. She finds Dante “Blood and Guts” Lattanza – an Italian boxer who has a strict diet and workout routine. Dante is almost 44 years old, but has a body of a 20 year old and is preparing for his final fight to win back the title he lost years ago. He lives in the remote town of Aylen Lake, Ontario, far from his hometown New York City. The reader discovers that Christiana is a city girl who has a hard time spending time in such a small town. There are no major shops, it’s hard to get to, and you have to work for your food…I mean fish and hunt!
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Christiana is propositioned and has to stay for a while in order to get her interview with the fallen fighter. Dante has a team of friends who pose as his family and stay to protect him also. The more Christiana learns about Dante the more she looks at herself and her life choices. Of course she falls in love with the fallen boxer, but there is more to it than that. Christiana really gets to know him and his past relationships. I don’t want to give away the book so I will not give any more information than that. But know that Christiana does get to grow and learn by the end what is most important in life, and Dante makes a huge decision that affects everyone’s lives.
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“This is a very entertaining book that will have you cheering for Christiana and Dante’s happily ever after, and you won’t be disappointed’. -Andrea’s Book Blog
