Unreal: A Second Chance Romance

by M.K. Condry

For better or worse, you never forget your first love.

Dustin ‘Chip’ Case has come a long way from pining over the girl who left him in the dust ten years ago like what they shared meant nothing. Now, he’s the man on top. Men admire him and women line up to be his. He’s an amateur boxer undefeated in the ring and nothing can block his path to greatness.

Then he’s forced to work with Tina James, the strawberry blonde heartbreaker, now desperate and in need of a savior.
Seeing a chance to even the score, Chip proposes a deal, never suspecting what he’ll discover will be the biggest knockout of his life.

Tina James’s grandpa is ailing, a loan shark is breathing down her neck, and bills are piling up faster than she can say “debt.” As if all of that isn’t bad enough, she has a stalker. She’s staring up at rock bottom and needs binoculars to see it.
Then in walks Dustin Case, with a cocky attitude and an irresistible offer.

Throwing caution to the wind, she accepts his price, not sure if she’s ready for the answers to questions she thought were dead and buried.

When life pummels you with lemons, you make lemonade…but what if that tall, cool glass is the local reigning champion with a massive chip on his shoulder?

284 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 17, 2024

About the author

M.K. Condry writes contemporary romance that’s equal parts steamy and smart—designed to make you blush, laugh, and maybe text your partner something filthy. Her heroines are the kind of women you want in your corner (or at brunch), and her heroes? All dirty talk and sinful charm—the kind you’d fantasize about.

She’s a genre-hopping reader with a hard “HEA required” rule. When a story plays it too safe, she hunts down the dark, the taboo, or the downright unhinged just to crank the dial back up.

A Southern California homebody through and through, M.K. likes her bed made, her laundry folded, and her meals planned—until a plot twist pulls her under. By day, she writes. By night, she reads until reality fades.

Reviews

[Samantha Sellars · Rating 5 out of 5]

**ARC Review**

When I tell you that I was hooked from the beginning, that is an understatement. Unreal by M.K. Condry centers around Dustin “Chip” Case, a boxer who also helps run his father’s sports company, and Tina James, Dustin’s high school crush who gets a job as his assistant while she’s struggling financially to support herself and her grandfather. Tina and Dusty were friends in high school when Tina was dating his best friend. After a fatal car accident, Dustin and Tina drifted apart with Tina never realizing his feelings for her. Years later they are back together with Tina working as his assistant. Will his feelings towards her be of revenge, renewal or something more and will she feel the same?

I hadn’t read a sports romance before so I was hesitant at first but HOLY HELL I may be a convert if they are like this! If you like the following tropes, you will be just as obsessed as I am:

Second Chance Lovers
One Bed (it breaks)
Mafia
Possessive MMC
Morally Gray MMC
Breeding Kink
Slow Burn Spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Forced Proximity

The side characters are also so well developed that I couldn’t help but care about them as well. This book is part of a series but each book is also a standalone so you absolutely won’t feel lost if you only read one (but seriously, do yourself a favor and read them all).

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gave me everything I was hoping for when the teaser for it ended the first book of the series. The angst and passion between the main characters was great and the spice was spicing! My only real complaint is that while the book dealt with some heavy emotional situations I didn’t really feel that emotion while reading, which would have brought my review up to the full five stars. The ending was also a little too happy and perfect for my taste but that’s just personal opinion and doesn’t really affect my rating.

Overall this is a realistic 4.5 stars. It was well written and the storyline is engaging the whole time. I read it in one day because I genuinely couldn’t put it down. A must read for anyone who’s into medium-dark, spicy romance.

[Doom Sunshine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is set as a second chance/enemies to lovers book, but the premise of "enemies" and second chance is thin at best.
The MC's are late twenties, but have the communication skills of teenagers. There was a bit of everything in this book; mafia vibes, secret clubs, hidden agendas, dirty underworld, stalking, OTT possessive, etc. Yet, none of them were fully developed.
There's a plethora of side characters that all have a story, yet we don't get to learn their stories which means a lot of the plot goes unsolved and readers are left wanting.
A lot of time passes in the book, but who knows how much since it's never really said.
Reading the book felt like I was an observer to the world and not apart of it.
The immaturity of the MC's really turned me off from the plot.
There was a lot of the story that was just NOT said and it was felt like I was trying to play catch-up by filling in the holes with my own imagination.
Terrible nicknames for the FMC: peach, mouse, babe, little mouse.

[Carmen M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to M.K. Condry for this ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

Unreal by M.K. Condry, follows Dustin, a boxer whose life gets more complicated when Tina, someone Dustin had a crush on back in high school, starts working as his assistant in his dad's sports business. Tina is going through a rough patch in life and is trying to take care of herself and her grandfather. In high school, she was dating Dustin’s best friend, so he never had the chance to tell her how he really felt. After a bad car accident, they lost touch, but now they’re reconnecting.

What makes Unreal a great read is that the other characters are just as interesting as Dustin and Tina. You start caring about their stories too. Even though this book is part of a series, you can enjoy it on its own without getting lost. But if you have time, you might want to check out the other books in the series!
4.5 Stars!

[Kimmy Cervantes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whoa! I was not expecting the ending at all, talk about twist. I love the relationship between Tina & Dustin and all of Tina’s girlfriends especially Rosa. I also enjoy the boys in Dustin’s corner.

The entire time reading I thought I knew where the story was going but let me tell you, you have no idea how this story ends! I cried, I laughed, I clutched at my pearls, I got mad, confused - this book took me on a rollercoaster that I absolutely loved.

I didn’t read book 1 about the character Christian but after reading this I HAVE to know about Christian!

The spice is there, the love is there, the fighting is definitely there!

[dreamwithmelo · Rating 5 out of 5]

🔥3/5

I received an ARC and am leaving an honest review.

MY GOODNESS! This book will make you laugh and cry! It is a contemporary second chance romance and there are some triggers. Tina got a second chance in life with Dustin as both of them had gone through some similar struggles in their past. I teared up when Dustin and Tina found their home within each other.

One of my favorite quotes from the book
“Every shattered pieces has been yours…”

[Mayii Serpas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can only say that I loved this book, it is addictive and has everything I like in a book, I recommend it 10/10 ✨️