BOOK REVIEW

 

Sick Heart

Sick World #1

by JA Huss

 

 

 

Blurb:

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.

 

WARNING: This is a sweet love story adrift in an ocean of evil. It is about two survivors dealing with their darkest secrets while they fight to change their lives. It is for mature readers only and has descriptions of deeply disturbing situations. There will be pearl clutching.

 

“This book will STUN YOU SILENT!”
“Brutal, Brilliant, Beautiful!”
“You will NOT stop turning pages.”
“Unique story and Top Read 2021”

 

 

 

My Review:

This was a dark, brutal, raw and unsettling read, as this is the sort of thing that could be happening as we speak – an MMA read set in a world of evil child slavery with the ultimate price being paid.

Cort was brought up as a boy slave, his ‘father’ is the big boss and he was taught to fight and has been killing from a very early age. Now at 27 he has reached his final fight where he can win his freedom along with his 3 friends, and nothing is going to stop him from getting this.

Anya is another child slave working for a different boss, who has different uses for her. At 18 she is quite old to be in this trade, but has lived a life of a princess looking in from the outside, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Both are very damaged souls, and both are silent by choice, for Anya it is the only way she has any control over in her life. I liked Cort, he is feared and renowned for his killing fights, yet in the world he has been brought up in he is a fierce protector if you are in his camp, trying to teach the young children how to fight in order to survive, which of course many don’t.

I loved how Cort and Anya had to get to know one another by learning each other’s body language. Anya has many layers to her, she is feisty and wants to be treated like everyone else in the camp, as a fighter.

This is a brutal world they live in, using children in illegal fights to the death, breeding, control, perversions. It’s not an easy read, full of mature themes and triggers, some MM MMF action as well along the way. It’s a raw and heartbreaking read.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author Bio:

JA Huss is a New York Times Bestselling author and has been on the USA Today Bestseller’s list 21 times. She writes characters with heart, plots with twists, and perfect endings. Her books have sold millions of copies all over the world. Her book, Eighteen, was nominated for a Voice Arts Award and an Audie Award in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Her audiobook, Mr. Perfect, was nominated for a Voice Arts Award in 2017. Her audiobook, Taking Turns, was nominated for an Audie Award in 2018. Her book, Total Exposure, was nominated for a RITA Award in 2019. She lives on a ranch with her family, dogs, cats, birds, chickens, horse, donkeys, and goats in Colorado.

Website / Facebook Page / Facebook Group / Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub / Amazon / Audible