Title: Outmatched
Author: Kristen Callihan & Samantha Young
Genre: Romance
Publication: 11/19/2019
Read: November 2019
Format: Digital
Pages: 334
Rating: 4 Caffeinated Stars
Trigger Warnings: Misogyny

Goodreads Summary:

What happens when a boxer finds chemistry with a geek?

Parker Brown can’t believe she needs to hire a fake boyfriend. When she landed her dream job in renewable energy, she thought she’d be entering a world at the forefront of progressive thinking. But the head boss prefers to promote employees who are “settled.” Thankfully, she’s found the perfect candidate, a fellow intellectual looking for some quick cash. What Parker gets is his protective big brother—Rhys Morgan. The tall, muscled ex-boxer with a foul mouth shows up just as her boss does, and now she’s stuck with the manipulative jerk.

Responsibility weighs heavily on Rhys. Now permanently out of the ring, he’s trying to hold together his late father’s gym and keep his younger brother, Dean, on the straight and narrow. To save Dean from himself, Rhys takes his place, ready to give this society girl a piece of his mind. Instead, he finds an opportunity. Even though they can hardly stand each other, posing as Parker’s boyfriend is a win-win deal. She gets to keep her job, and he’ll charm her star-struck boss into sponsoring his gym.

Problem is, they can barely keep their hands off each other. And what started as an easy deal isn’t so easy anymore. Because what future can a rough ex-boxer, afraid to open his heart, and a polished society geek, who has sworn off real relationships, possibly have?

They say opposites attract. These opposites are about to combust on impact.

My Thoughts:

I have been a fan of Samantha Young ever since I read On Dublin Street. I love her writing, and the stories that she creates are so much fun to read. I was a little hesitant to read this book simply because I never read anything by Kristen Callihan. I am happy to say that Outmatched still had the great banter that I have grown to love when it comes to anything written by Samantha Young.

I enjoyed watching the characters banter and bicker throughout the book. The chemistry between Parker and Rhys was fun, and I loved the enemies to lovers aspect in this book. It is hands down one of my favorite tropes to read. When it comes to good banter, you have to have well written characters. The main characters in Outmatched were definitely well written.

I loved watching the characters grow, but I will admit, I feel like there were some loose ends that never quite got resolved. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a cliffhanger ending or anything, but I would have liked to see more resolution with the side characters. It feels like the plot points that resolved around anyone but the main characters were forgotten in the end.

Even though I had some issues with the plot, I still really enjoyed the book. The banter was fun, the tropes were well done, and I really loved the characters. All in all, I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t my favorite book.

Want to give this book a shot? Here are the purchase links!

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Libro.FM