Hailed by Rachel Van Dyken as “equal parts sexy, intense, and emotional,” Sarah Robinson’s blistering-hot series debut introduces the Kavanagh brothers—mixed martial arts fighters who work hard, play hard, and love with all their hearts. As one of the big names at his family’s gym, Legends, MMA star Rory Kavanagh is used to being in the spotlight—until a gruesome leg injury knocks him out of the … knocks him out of the cage. Rory is left feeling sidelined in more ways than one, battling the inner demons that come with losing the one shot at his dreams. Then Clare walks into his life and gives him a new dream: winning her heart. There aren’t many new faces in Woodlawn these days, but this tough, beautiful stranger makes Rory want to get his life back into fighting shape.
Clare Ivers doesn’t think she’ll be able to tell anyone what really brought her to the close-knit Bronx neighborhood where she just started bartending. But her life’s on pause and her past is catching up fast, try as she might to move on—with new friends, steady work, and a chiseled alpha male trying to get her attention. Even though Rory’s more than a little intense, she can’t deny that her heart beats faster when he looks at her with those soulful silver eyes. Clare thought she was done with love, but Rory might just be man enough to show her she thought wrong.
Praise for Breaking a Legend
“I loved this book. The romance gave me butterflies, the intimacy between the characters made me blush, and the drama made me hungry for more.”—Jamie Otis, reality television star, FYI’s Married at First Sight and ABC’s The Bachelor
“Breaking a Legend will suck you in from the very first page and refuse to let go until long after you’ve finished. It’s one of my favorite MMA books to date.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken
“Rory Kavanagh will have your Irish blood warming, even if you aren’t Irish. Sarah Robinson does an amazing job with this sexy, sweet, edge-of-your-seat romance.”—New York Times bestselling author Kelly Elliott
“Breaking a Legend is a steamy, white-hot romance that will leave you wanting more!”—New York Times bestselling author Lauren Hawkeye
Includes an excerpt from another Loveswept title.
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Rory Kavanagh has a big ego. He shows how someone can be on a high one moment and be down low the next. You can see the bond he has with his brothers. Claire Ivers seems to be in the right place at the right time. She has her own personal demons that she’s trying to overcome.
Our author has created a great family support system and who better than a mother, the matriarch of the family. I loved how the author developed Rory’s story. He ended up showing me a strength that I wasn’t sure we’d see. Having someone that believes in you goes a long way. One thing she was good at is not letting Rory’s demons overtake the whole story. It’s an important message but if the story was to get too preachy than the readers might not finish a really good story.
We have an MMA fighter that just had a bad day at work and that bad day changed his life. Claire turns out to be a great support system for him – she lets him know in so many words, “get over yourself”. It was interesting to watch the natural progression of their relationship. We also get to see that there’s more than one type of rescue – whether it be human or animal. It’s been a while since I read this family’s stories and it was nice to get reacquainted – and once I got to the end I decided that I just might have to revisit them.
I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
Good read but some editorial misses and plot became predictable
This is my first Sarah Robinson book and I really enjoyed the story. I LOVED the Kavanagh family and Rory and Claire’s story is inspiring. I love that Robinson wrote Ace as in Intrachol part of the story.
I look forward to the other books in this series.
Awesome story loved every minute reading it
I really enjoyed Breaking A Legend and CANNOT wait to read the rest of the series. Rory Kavanagh was one of the top ranked MMA fighters until he suffered a career ending injury. Clare is running from her past and catches Rory’s eye. Rory and Clare’s chemistry and rapport is terrific. Clare’s such a smart ass which I love. I’m tired of girls being push overs. Then there’s Rory….I adore a tough ass man that can melt when he’s around his woman. As much as I loved Rory and Clare, I have to admit that Ace stole the show!!
I liked the ups and downs of the story. Very realistic. You keep pulling for the H!
It was a sweet story. Somewhat naive writing.
What a cute, yummy book. Sexy, damaged, Irish, ex- MMA fighter? Yes please! I really enjoyed this book. From the first page I fell in love with Rory. God he was dreamy. I also really liked Clare. She was sweet, sassy and a little vulnerable. I loved their relationship and I loved Rory’s family. This book was a sweet feel good read with just enough action thrown in to keep it from slowing down and being over the top sweet. I do wish the epilogue would have gave a little more of a peek into their future. I can’t wait to read the next book!
This was my first encounter with this authors work and I can say with complete certainty that it won’t be my last! I thoroughly enjoyed reading Clare and Rory’s story, and can hardly wait to make a return visit to Woodlawn and learn more about the fierce fighting Kavanagh boys!
Clare moved to Woodlawn looking for a fresh start and as a part of her new life she wanted to learn how to defend herself from her haunting past and a controlling ex-boyfriend. So she enrolled in self defense classes at Legends gym, hoping to find her inner strength and gain some valuable defense tools, not realizing this gym really held all the keys to her future, one of those being MMA legend Rory Kavanagh. Rory himself also struggling from his own demons, is also in need of a fresh start in life, not realizing a little harmless flirting would lead to a new life path for him, and also the discovery of true love. The chemistry between Clare and Rory was like a slow burning fire, smoldering with intense heat, and fueled with intense passion, which made for one hell of a steamy read.
The story line is very well written, very engaging and highly addictive, I devoured it in one sitting and was left highly satisfied!
This is by far one of the hottest stories I’ve had the pleasure of reading in a while, highly recommend you acquaint yourself with the Kavanagh brothers!
ARC requested through NetGalley and kindly provided by Loveswept Publishing in exchange for a honest review.
I really really liked this book! All that ex MMA fighter who falls hard for one his gym’s clients is extremelly intriguing. And, besides, who doesn’t love an amazing story about the fall-in-love of a MMA fighter?
And this time, this fighter hears at the name: Rory Kavanagh! Rory was a MMA fighter who had a horrific – literally horiffic – accident in his last fight that costed him his carreer. So, now, he’s struggling with this loss and the pain through alcohool and pain killers. Until he meets Clare…..
Clare is a 24-year-old young woman who ends up living in the same town with Rory after a major decision she made. But, just like Rory, rules break and everything changes when she meets him.
It was amusing to see how these two interact and communicate in and out of The Legends gym. You suddenly see the hearts of two people, who each one has its own deep wounds and demons, to start open up and reach out to each other so they can be whole again. And let’s don’t talk about steaminess and hotness because their levels in here are really high that you are unable to talk about them without getting affected…….
This story has a roughness that is mesmerizing and makes your heart sing. Everything about it is captivating and you can’t walk away easily from it. But, although, it’s quite predictable at most times, it’s also fun to reading it and enjoy every minute of it.
But, what I L O V E D in this book was a “character” that you fall hard for becasue he doesn’t leave you any other choice. And the name of this character is: Ace! And that’s how far I’m going to go about him because I want to make you more intrigued about it!! Cruel teasing, I know! But….. you can end the teasing with reading it! Trust me, you’ll see why the mystery over this special character…..
Breaking a Legend is my first read of Sarah Robinson and I have to say that I’m glad that I started her with this book. It’s almost impossible to keep still until the new book in the Kavanagh Legends series comes out.
Sarah Robinson does it yet again – a book that hooks you from being to end. The first book in her new series Kavagah Legends which focus on the Kavangh family and with a number of hot males and one women in the family this book won’t be the last
First in the family to star is Roy a washed up MMA fighter after a mistake in the ring. Unable to come to terms with the loss of his career and lifestyle he turned to drugs and alcohol. Ace a rescue dog is his constant companion apart from one nights stands. That is until the day Clare Ivers walked into the Kavanagh gym to learn self defence, he is drawn to her esp after her interaction with Ace.
After learning she works at a bar and often finishes late – he show up to escort her safely home. Claire has a past she is running from one that could get her and others close to her hurt or killed. Can Roy prove he is worth of Claire without knowing all the pieces of the puzzle and when he does learn them. Can he protect her.
This is the first book of the new Kavanagh Legends series by Sarah Robinson. It has it all. However, I don’t know that it had enough of “it all” to give it more than three stars. No big surprises, no extreme tension, nothing extraordinary. For the most part, I connected with the characters, there were a few times I wanted to throw my hands up and scream. The ending was too abrupt for me. It’s a good book and will entertain; it’s worth the read as an introduction to the Kavanagh family and the rest of the brothers who will get their own story.