Review: The Recruit by Fiona Palmer

Goodreads Summary:

Jasmine Thomas may not be completely normal, but she’s a pretty typical seventeen-year-old girl. She hates the rich mean kids, loves her best friends, and can’t wait to get out of school each day. Her spare time is spent at The Ring — a boxing gym where she practically grew up — learning karate, boxing and street fighting. So, yeah, Jaz can kick some major butt.

Life seems pretty normal until the day Ryan Fletcher enters her gym…mysterious and hot with heaps of bad boy charm. Sure, she checks him out. Who wouldn’t? But what doesn’t show on his gorgeous abs are secrets and lies that dominate his very grown-up world. Now Jaz has to figure out just how far she is willing to go to know more. Could Ryan really be offering the life-fulfilling life path she’s always dreamed of?

Publication Date: May 2014

This book was so much fun! I loved Jaz, she was such a tough girl heroine. Because of her boxing and martial arts background, she made a believable recruit. I also enjoyed her relationship with Ryan and the ending was a nice setup for future books in the series.

The action started early and kept going until the final pages. From the beginning, readers find out how strong and skilled Jaz is in and out of the boxing ring. When she meets Ryan, the plot really takes off and I was glad he became the major love interest in lieu of Taylor. I also loved the strong friendships Jaz had and I admired her loyalty.

The pacing was good and I never felt bored. Some of the plot points I guessed, but I still felt invested in what would happen in the story. The only thing that slowed down the plot for me was trying to translate a few of the Australian slang words I wasn’t familiar with.

Fans of YA suspense will likely enjoy The Recruit. I felt it was a solid series starter and I’m curious to see what direction the author decides to go in for the next book.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!