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Fight Town #1
Inspiration
WANT TO BE A CHAMPION? FIRST, YOU HAVE TO BECOME A CONTENDER.
Murdered for helping a stranger, Johnny Rockledge awakens in Fight Town, a boxing-based VR system where he earns bonuses by pleasing subscribers living vicariously through him.
Johnny grew up in Philly with five brothers, so he can fight. But can he box?
If he wins, he will create a great life for himself and others. But it’s a long, hard road from walking into a gym to winning the title.
Johnny has heavy hands, a granite chin, and world-class heart. Unfortunately, his conditioning sucks, he possesses merely average dexterity, and his hand speed is nothing to write home about.
To succeed, he’ll need to train hard, fight harder, and cultivate his seven stats—agility, chin, endurance, heart, power, speed, and strength—one hard-earned point at a time.
Luckily, Johnny has an amazing catgirl at his side: the lovely and talented “Fearless” Freddie Lopez, an undefeated fighter who soon becomes his best friend, training partner, and (hopefully) much, much more.
WELCOME TO FIGHT TOWN!
Warning: This gamelit, slice-of-life, Isekai story contains adult themes; a tough yet compassionate main character; cultivation; slow burn romance; realistic boxing scenes written by an experienced fighter; and a three-legged dog named Stella.
Murdered for helping a stranger, Johnny Rockledge awakens in Fight Town, a boxing-based VR system where he earns bonuses by pleasing subscribers living vicariously through him.
Johnny grew up in Philly with five brothers, so he can fight. But can he box?
If he wins, he will create a great life for himself and others. But it’s a long, hard road from walking into a gym to winning the title.
Johnny has heavy hands, a granite chin, and world-class heart. Unfortunately, his conditioning sucks, he possesses merely average dexterity, and his hand speed is nothing to write home about.
To succeed, he’ll need to train hard, fight harder, and cultivate his seven stats—agility, chin, endurance, heart, power, speed, and strength—one hard-earned point at a time.
Luckily, Johnny has an amazing catgirl at his side: the lovely and talented “Fearless” Freddie Lopez, an undefeated fighter who soon becomes his best friend, training partner, and (hopefully) much, much more.
WELCOME TO FIGHT TOWN!
Warning: This gamelit, slice-of-life, Isekai story contains adult themes; a tough yet compassionate main character; cultivation; slow burn romance; realistic boxing scenes written by an experienced fighter; and a three-legged dog named Stella.
448 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 21, 2021
103 people are currently reading
213 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
August 3, 2021
Rating 4.0 stars
I really enjoyed this book. This was more of a day in the life kind of book. The MC dies heroically and is brought to the future to be a character in a generated world for the entertainment of the people in the future. Apparently the future is a shit show and people need to escape and live vicariously through someone else. The MC gets dropped into a scenario called Fight Town. He was told his whole purpose is to live life to the fullest. People want to enjoy his experiences. He is told to fight, F**k, and party. He decides to live for himself and do what he wants. He ends up becoming a boxer I really enjoy this author's writing.
I really enjoyed this book. This was more of a day in the life kind of book. The MC dies heroically and is brought to the future to be a character in a generated world for the entertainment of the people in the future. Apparently the future is a shit show and people need to escape and live vicariously through someone else. The MC gets dropped into a scenario called Fight Town. He was told his whole purpose is to live life to the fullest. People want to enjoy his experiences. He is told to fight, F**k, and party. He decides to live for himself and do what he wants. He ends up becoming a boxer I really enjoy this author's writing.
August 16, 2021
A Knock-out!
First off, I've been underwhelmed by Hondo Jinx in the past. I've DNFed two of his books before this and basically written him off as a macho meat head who only writes in cliches and Alpha male stereotypes. I'd have never touched this book if it weren't for all the positive reviews I'd seen from people I trust. So I tried it and I love it!
What's so good about this book, you ask?
It takes so many of the Harem game-lit tropes and check boxes and stands them on their head. If you read a lot of harem lit, or LitRPG, This book will be a refreshing surprise because it plays off expectations. Here is a Main Character who refuses to take shortcuts, doesn't use power ups (even though he easily could) and even turns down disposable sex scenes and this book is so much better for it. What you get instead is hard work, effort, training, and so much heart. It sounds awful on paper, but man it works so well here. The author here knows what He talking about with boxing and small arena matches and brings that knowledge to the page.
Another great thing here is the MC makes very few stupid choices to advance the plot, or ratchet up the tension. (At Last!) Here is a guy who dose the smart long term thing, wile walking away from the temping but stupid short term thing.
I've been grumbling about this for a wile to myself, and I guess that Hondo feels the same way too.
I'm going to have to go back and give his other books a second chance now that I know he isn't a complete moron.
First off, I've been underwhelmed by Hondo Jinx in the past. I've DNFed two of his books before this and basically written him off as a macho meat head who only writes in cliches and Alpha male stereotypes. I'd have never touched this book if it weren't for all the positive reviews I'd seen from people I trust. So I tried it and I love it!
What's so good about this book, you ask?
It takes so many of the Harem game-lit tropes and check boxes and stands them on their head. If you read a lot of harem lit, or LitRPG, This book will be a refreshing surprise because it plays off expectations. Here is a Main Character who refuses to take shortcuts, doesn't use power ups (even though he easily could) and even turns down disposable sex scenes and this book is so much better for it. What you get instead is hard work, effort, training, and so much heart. It sounds awful on paper, but man it works so well here. The author here knows what He talking about with boxing and small arena matches and brings that knowledge to the page.
Another great thing here is the MC makes very few stupid choices to advance the plot, or ratchet up the tension. (At Last!) Here is a guy who dose the smart long term thing, wile walking away from the temping but stupid short term thing.
I've been grumbling about this for a wile to myself, and I guess that Hondo feels the same way too.
I'm going to have to go back and give his other books a second chance now that I know he isn't a complete moron.
July 22, 2021
This story was amazing as the characters are so real that you can picture them clearly in your head as the book unfolds. The gritty realism of the boxing gym could actually make me think i could smell the funk that any real gym has where those that dream big go and train. I loved the slow burn to the story as the emotional connection between Rock Hard and Fearless developed. Overall this was a outstanding book and i am eagerly looking foreward to reading book 2.
July 29, 2021
Holy crap!!!
I just finished this book seconds ago and my heart is still racing!!! This book gave me better cardio than ive done in years! Great story great characters GREAT relationship!! A touch of mystery and so much fun!!!! Buy it. Read it. Review it!
I just finished this book seconds ago and my heart is still racing!!! This book gave me better cardio than ive done in years! Great story great characters GREAT relationship!! A touch of mystery and so much fun!!!! Buy it. Read it. Review it!
November 19, 2021
A great read, the usual winning formula that Hondo Jinx is known. I like the way it portrayed boxing and the feelings it roused in the reader about the effort, pains and gains of the sport. It reminded me of the series Hajime no Ippo, love the implication of the cultivation aspec in it, altough it lacks the fantasy kick on it.
July 22, 2021
Another solid book, and I look forward to see where this series goes. I wasn't sure about a boxing book, but the author's obvious expertise on the subject managed to keep me engaged. The harem aspect is notional at this point, but the seeds are there.
January 17, 2023
It's a pretty good story until about the 80% mark, it is actually a story of the main character looking for love in a boxing gym. The names are cliché (Johnny and Freddie López ) but I feel that the author sets up the love as a trap, for the main characters to fall into it and get destroyed/separated/tortured/etc...
The cover is one of the best illustrations that I have ever seen on Fantasy (urban fantasy) books like these. Love doesn't really match with Harem-style books because Love needs loyalty, fidelity and trust, and one can't trust, be loyal, have fidelity if your partner loves every person in front of him or her. Like Ayn Rand defined: "Romantic love, in the full sense of the term, is an emotion possible only to the man (or woman) of un-breached self-esteem: it is his response to his own highest values in the person of another—an integrated response of mind and body, of love and sexual desire. Such a man (or woman) is incapable of experiencing a sexual desire divorced from spiritual values." (“The Objectivist Ethics,” The Virtue of Selfishness, Page 31)
I know that there are poly-amorous believers out there, but to me, Love is like a "paycheck", "personal I.D.", or your "grades or transcripts" , the "Love" you experience with person "A" is not the same, nor is it transferable to a "love" you might feel and have to person "B" To try to put it in simpler terms, some authors (i.e.: Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving) have classified the "types of Love": Love of the parents to their kids, love of the children to their parents, love of a friend, or a sibling, romantic love, etc. A Mother usually says that she loves "all her children the exact same amount", but ask a Dad and he'll usually tell you that they "love their kids" for different reasons. So loving everybody the same (when they are individuals and different people) is something hard to accomplish (or impossible to achieve).
So much for love, the other thing I wanted to mention, was that Boxing (pugilism) is one of the martial arts that I do not particularly like. The fact that each strike tends to destroy the brain, physical appearance of the "boxers", among other ailments tends to make me cringe, each time there is a "Boxing theme" or Boxers "killing each other to see who wins"... As far as I know, most other martial arts can be practiced for "self-defense". Although Boxing (training) is great exercise, the actual fights are always bloody, violent and Pyrrhic.
I went on to explain Love and Boxing, so as to let the readers know that "Harem-books" and "Boxing" are things that I do not like to read or "practice". This book 1 has almost 500 pages, with 56 chapters. The main characters could have been described better (girls not just their species/curves), little to no personality descriptors written. There are no maps of Fight Town, no inside illustrations or character summaries, like is usual in Fantasy-genre books. The descriptions of "Fight Town" could also have been improved and much better. Apparently, it's just a run-down, kind of depraved/poor ghetto-type of town, found in a lot of places on Earth, but with fantasy-beast-folk/spirit-folk in an all-immersive (can't get out or leave) "game" or "alternate reality place" that was made to be "streamed" to social media (like reality television)...
The introduction could have been improved, Johnny was a Brick-Layer that was killed in his "past-life" and "brought-forward" to the "future". The author didn't really explain this much...
The cover is one of the best illustrations that I have ever seen on Fantasy (urban fantasy) books like these. Love doesn't really match with Harem-style books because Love needs loyalty, fidelity and trust, and one can't trust, be loyal, have fidelity if your partner loves every person in front of him or her. Like Ayn Rand defined: "Romantic love, in the full sense of the term, is an emotion possible only to the man (or woman) of un-breached self-esteem: it is his response to his own highest values in the person of another—an integrated response of mind and body, of love and sexual desire. Such a man (or woman) is incapable of experiencing a sexual desire divorced from spiritual values." (“The Objectivist Ethics,” The Virtue of Selfishness, Page 31)
I know that there are poly-amorous believers out there, but to me, Love is like a "paycheck", "personal I.D.", or your "grades or transcripts" , the "Love" you experience with person "A" is not the same, nor is it transferable to a "love" you might feel and have to person "B" To try to put it in simpler terms, some authors (i.e.: Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving) have classified the "types of Love": Love of the parents to their kids, love of the children to their parents, love of a friend, or a sibling, romantic love, etc. A Mother usually says that she loves "all her children the exact same amount", but ask a Dad and he'll usually tell you that they "love their kids" for different reasons. So loving everybody the same (when they are individuals and different people) is something hard to accomplish (or impossible to achieve).
So much for love, the other thing I wanted to mention, was that Boxing (pugilism) is one of the martial arts that I do not particularly like. The fact that each strike tends to destroy the brain, physical appearance of the "boxers", among other ailments tends to make me cringe, each time there is a "Boxing theme" or Boxers "killing each other to see who wins"... As far as I know, most other martial arts can be practiced for "self-defense". Although Boxing (training) is great exercise, the actual fights are always bloody, violent and Pyrrhic.
I went on to explain Love and Boxing, so as to let the readers know that "Harem-books" and "Boxing" are things that I do not like to read or "practice". This book 1 has almost 500 pages, with 56 chapters. The main characters could have been described better (girls not just their species/curves), little to no personality descriptors written. There are no maps of Fight Town, no inside illustrations or character summaries, like is usual in Fantasy-genre books. The descriptions of "Fight Town" could also have been improved and much better. Apparently, it's just a run-down, kind of depraved/poor ghetto-type of town, found in a lot of places on Earth, but with fantasy-beast-folk/spirit-folk in an all-immersive (can't get out or leave) "game" or "alternate reality place" that was made to be "streamed" to social media (like reality television)...
The introduction could have been improved, Johnny was a Brick-Layer that was killed in his "past-life" and "brought-forward" to the "future". The author didn't really explain this much...
January 31, 2022
Fight Town: Inspiration is proof why story needs to be king over everything else to succeed in any genre. This book that was light on the adult and harem elements (when compared to other books in this genre) is by far the strongest book that I have read in this genre for a while. This is because rather than rushing all the necessary steps to get to the 'good stuff', the author takes his time to develop the characters, the world-building, and all the other vital elements of telling a good story.
In many ways, this is fitting for this book as the theme of the novel very much hangs on this same point. This is a story about a man who is taken from our world to a place called fight town, somewhere that has been specifically designed to offer entertainment to people who 'ride' the protagonist using VR equipment to see what he sees, feel what he feels, and so on. In order to keep them happy, the promoters of the show want the protagonist to experience all the good things in life, urging him to look for quick thrills and hook up with lots of women. However, the protagonist is looking for something deeper, recognising that patience and hard work towards a greater goal pays off in the long run over short term wins. He focuses instead on his boxing career and a girl he is falling in love with, and hopes that it pays off in terms of the happiness of his riders (viewers).
Overall, this is a story that's a bit smaller in scope than other books by this author, and is more a slice of life type of storytelling than anything else. However, that's not to this book's detriment as I really enjoyed this. The author has essentially taken Rocky, Gamer (the movie), LitRPG mechanics, isekai and the harem genre, then mashed them all together to create something that focuses on story first and is all the better for it.
Where it loses a star is that some of the characters still felt a little whacky in some cases and flat in others for what was needed in this character-focused story, and also that the main character never really missed a step when he was transported to this new world. That last part, in particular, is a big bug of mine as even if there was a character who didn't really have much in the old world, the culture shock of being taken to a new planet has to leave scars of some kind and characters are always better when you explore their damage in some way to introduce conflict and give them something to overcome.
However, those are small gripes and I look forward to the next book in this series.
In many ways, this is fitting for this book as the theme of the novel very much hangs on this same point. This is a story about a man who is taken from our world to a place called fight town, somewhere that has been specifically designed to offer entertainment to people who 'ride' the protagonist using VR equipment to see what he sees, feel what he feels, and so on. In order to keep them happy, the promoters of the show want the protagonist to experience all the good things in life, urging him to look for quick thrills and hook up with lots of women. However, the protagonist is looking for something deeper, recognising that patience and hard work towards a greater goal pays off in the long run over short term wins. He focuses instead on his boxing career and a girl he is falling in love with, and hopes that it pays off in terms of the happiness of his riders (viewers).
Overall, this is a story that's a bit smaller in scope than other books by this author, and is more a slice of life type of storytelling than anything else. However, that's not to this book's detriment as I really enjoyed this. The author has essentially taken Rocky, Gamer (the movie), LitRPG mechanics, isekai and the harem genre, then mashed them all together to create something that focuses on story first and is all the better for it.
Where it loses a star is that some of the characters still felt a little whacky in some cases and flat in others for what was needed in this character-focused story, and also that the main character never really missed a step when he was transported to this new world. That last part, in particular, is a big bug of mine as even if there was a character who didn't really have much in the old world, the culture shock of being taken to a new planet has to leave scars of some kind and characters are always better when you explore their damage in some way to introduce conflict and give them something to overcome.
However, those are small gripes and I look forward to the next book in this series.
October 21, 2022
Viewing this as a smut story, this was underwhelming. For this sort of writer, with this sort of premise, this didn't live up to expectations.
Viewing this as a regular story, this was a surprising gem.
I won't lie. With the dissonance between what I expected and what I got, I was a bit disappointed at first, especially since it came up in my recommendations for "men's literature," but this turned out to be a strongly character-driven action-romance novel, with just a sprinkling of smut on the side. (Peter was actually an excellent stand in for the kind of reader I came into this novel as. It probably didn't happen on purpose, but I still think it's hilarious in retrospect.) The story was light on lurid descriptions of the women, and beside a brief fling with a side character, there was only one real sex scene which was plot relevant. The rest of it was actually quite nicely paced and put together.
The isekai-ish kickoff to the plot does feel cliche, even if it had a twist, but it tied into the LitRPG parts of the plot fairly well. Surprisingly, the most crucial element isn't the trading card numbers for a boxer, but the soft skills and intelligence and training that goes into Johnny and Freddie honing into fights. I think this probably reflects the most realism, such as it is, into this novel.
As for the rest, I learned a surprising amount about boxing, and the afterword holds that Hondo had spent a large degree of his young life as a junior boxer, and it certainly shows.. The main character made good decisions and had to scrape his way up from "at the bottom but has potential." It was a good story with no bullshit about artificially inflating tension with bad decisions he should have avoided or things coming out of left field. The writing included a line about overpowered characters being fun but get boring, and another about how the grit and authentic work and effort Johnny being his most critical aspects. This rings truer as the novel goes on.
Hondo, if by some chance that you're reading this, all I'm asking for is Johnny getting together with Marvella in book 3 in some form. The prospect intrigued me since the initial content selection scene, and I make no apologies for always having loved tough chicks.
Viewing this as a regular story, this was a surprising gem.
I won't lie. With the dissonance between what I expected and what I got, I was a bit disappointed at first, especially since it came up in my recommendations for "men's literature," but this turned out to be a strongly character-driven action-romance novel, with just a sprinkling of smut on the side. (Peter was actually an excellent stand in for the kind of reader I came into this novel as. It probably didn't happen on purpose, but I still think it's hilarious in retrospect.) The story was light on lurid descriptions of the women, and beside a brief fling with a side character, there was only one real sex scene which was plot relevant. The rest of it was actually quite nicely paced and put together.
The isekai-ish kickoff to the plot does feel cliche, even if it had a twist, but it tied into the LitRPG parts of the plot fairly well. Surprisingly, the most crucial element isn't the trading card numbers for a boxer, but the soft skills and intelligence and training that goes into Johnny and Freddie honing into fights. I think this probably reflects the most realism, such as it is, into this novel.
As for the rest, I learned a surprising amount about boxing, and the afterword holds that Hondo had spent a large degree of his young life as a junior boxer, and it certainly shows.. The main character made good decisions and had to scrape his way up from "at the bottom but has potential." It was a good story with no bullshit about artificially inflating tension with bad decisions he should have avoided or things coming out of left field. The writing included a line about overpowered characters being fun but get boring, and another about how the grit and authentic work and effort Johnny being his most critical aspects. This rings truer as the novel goes on.
Hondo, if by some chance that you're reading this, all I'm asking for is Johnny getting together with Marvella in book 3 in some form. The prospect intrigued me since the initial content selection scene, and I make no apologies for always having loved tough chicks.
August 10, 2021
I'm happy to say that this book was a pleasant surprise and I enjoyed it. I consider it a risk to pick up books like this because they are all too often riddled with amateur writing mistakes and devolve into harem orgies with the thinnest pretext of a plot. I'm glad to say that didn't happen here.
The writing was pretty straightforward and clean. Pretty much what I hope for when picking up a light novel. While the series has the potential to follow the standard power fantasy, this book took its time in the early stages, which is something many books unfortunately rush through.
The MC was a bit lame at times, a bit too much of a Gary Stu, and the dialogue made me cringe a bit during some of the scenes with Freddie, but luckily the story stayed 90% focused on the boxing. The story also benefited from the author's experience with the sport and obvious familiarity as a fan. I really enjoyed a lot of the little commentary of the matchups of legendary boxers in Vicarus, though I also couldn't help but smile and shake my head at how much James Toney was glorified. He will always be the guy who got ran over in 3 minutes by Randy Couture to me.
All in all, this was a pretty fun read between reads for me. It's nice to see harem authors tone the harem down a bit for a series once in a while since many of them technically have higher quality writing than average for gamelit. When they aren't losing track of plot and pacing and taking 75% of their time detailing the MC's dozen daily sexual encounters, that is.
The writing was pretty straightforward and clean. Pretty much what I hope for when picking up a light novel. While the series has the potential to follow the standard power fantasy, this book took its time in the early stages, which is something many books unfortunately rush through.
The MC was a bit lame at times, a bit too much of a Gary Stu, and the dialogue made me cringe a bit during some of the scenes with Freddie, but luckily the story stayed 90% focused on the boxing. The story also benefited from the author's experience with the sport and obvious familiarity as a fan. I really enjoyed a lot of the little commentary of the matchups of legendary boxers in Vicarus, though I also couldn't help but smile and shake my head at how much James Toney was glorified. He will always be the guy who got ran over in 3 minutes by Randy Couture to me.
All in all, this was a pretty fun read between reads for me. It's nice to see harem authors tone the harem down a bit for a series once in a while since many of them technically have higher quality writing than average for gamelit. When they aren't losing track of plot and pacing and taking 75% of their time detailing the MC's dozen daily sexual encounters, that is.
July 23, 2021
The first book of the new Hondo Jinx series blindsided me, especially since the MC (Johnny) hadn't formed a harem by the end of book 1.
That's pretty unique for a Hondo series.
This time around the theme is boxing, with a subtext of people from the future using those who died in the past as characters in a VR game where users can feel the characters experience.
Not much is explained about how that works exactly, but that's fine. The main benefit is that Johnny collects credits depending on how his riders (viewers sort of) feel about his performance, which he uses to boost his speed, endurance, power, etc.
It's not a complicated LitRPG system, but it works. There are no notifications as everything happens in a virtual shop.
Heading to the local gym as he tries to figure this new world out, he meets Freddy, and eventually her trainer Marvella. There are other side characters, such as the not too mysterious Exhibitionist (it's not what you think), his room cleaner who tends to be naked when he comes home, and stuff like that.
All in all, it's a straightforward boxing / love story, although it's easy to see where that will change in book 2. Still, I enjoyed it for what it was and read it in one go.
If you've ever shied away from Hondo's novels because of the harems, this might be the one to try.
Recommended. 5/5*
That's pretty unique for a Hondo series.
This time around the theme is boxing, with a subtext of people from the future using those who died in the past as characters in a VR game where users can feel the characters experience.
Not much is explained about how that works exactly, but that's fine. The main benefit is that Johnny collects credits depending on how his riders (viewers sort of) feel about his performance, which he uses to boost his speed, endurance, power, etc.
It's not a complicated LitRPG system, but it works. There are no notifications as everything happens in a virtual shop.
Heading to the local gym as he tries to figure this new world out, he meets Freddy, and eventually her trainer Marvella. There are other side characters, such as the not too mysterious Exhibitionist (it's not what you think), his room cleaner who tends to be naked when he comes home, and stuff like that.
All in all, it's a straightforward boxing / love story, although it's easy to see where that will change in book 2. Still, I enjoyed it for what it was and read it in one go.
If you've ever shied away from Hondo's novels because of the harems, this might be the one to try.
Recommended. 5/5*
September 21, 2023
To start, this is my absolute favorite harem novel. If you're on the fence about reading it, don't bother finishing my review, just go check it out.
Fight Town is an interesting series, with a lot of interesting ideas. The setup is a grab-bag of different stuff: you've got LitRPG and cultivation, isekai and time travel, VR game and real-world stakes. And boxing. There's a lot of boxing.
I'll admit that I'm not really into boxing, or any other combat sports. They're not something that interests me in the slightest. But the author's love of the sport comes through in the writing, and his enthusiasm is contagious. I cared about the MC and his struggles, and I wanted to see him win.
The romance aspect is very sweet and progresses at what I thought was a reasonable pace, not too rushed and not too slow. Nothing more to say about that. It's a harem story, but not the sort that throws 25 girls at the MC and you need a spreadsheet to remember all their names.
Seriously, go read it.
Fight Town is an interesting series, with a lot of interesting ideas. The setup is a grab-bag of different stuff: you've got LitRPG and cultivation, isekai and time travel, VR game and real-world stakes. And boxing. There's a lot of boxing.
I'll admit that I'm not really into boxing, or any other combat sports. They're not something that interests me in the slightest. But the author's love of the sport comes through in the writing, and his enthusiasm is contagious. I cared about the MC and his struggles, and I wanted to see him win.
The romance aspect is very sweet and progresses at what I thought was a reasonable pace, not too rushed and not too slow. Nothing more to say about that. It's a harem story, but not the sort that throws 25 girls at the MC and you need a spreadsheet to remember all their names.
Seriously, go read it.
October 27, 2021
LOVED IT!!!
As I went though this work I was a bit on the fence about whether I liked it or not. On the one hand, it feels like the MC is a slave to the whims of his “benefactors”. They totally control his life, based on their perceptions regarding his choices and success. Somehow, though, it feels like the MC will get to deal with that situation on his own terms.
The end of this installment really just blew away any doubts I felt about the story. I’m now all-in on this series. I’m NOT a fan of boxing, but the author has done a REALLY good job of making his MC and supporting cast likable and exciting. Not what I was expecting from Hindi Jinx, but heck - he’s constantly surprised me in previous series, so I shouldn’t be surprised that he’s done something magical with this series. Truly looking forward to the next installment.
As I went though this work I was a bit on the fence about whether I liked it or not. On the one hand, it feels like the MC is a slave to the whims of his “benefactors”. They totally control his life, based on their perceptions regarding his choices and success. Somehow, though, it feels like the MC will get to deal with that situation on his own terms.
The end of this installment really just blew away any doubts I felt about the story. I’m now all-in on this series. I’m NOT a fan of boxing, but the author has done a REALLY good job of making his MC and supporting cast likable and exciting. Not what I was expecting from Hindi Jinx, but heck - he’s constantly surprised me in previous series, so I shouldn’t be surprised that he’s done something magical with this series. Truly looking forward to the next installment.
August 9, 2021
Another well written Hondo book, I was unsure of this book as I'm really not a boxing fan, but hey even though its fiction, you still learn stuff. The book started well and captured my interest early with typically strong and interesting Hondo characters and that was a suprise as I expected to struggle more with this book. I do prefer Power Mage and Wrangler style books but Hondo has never let me down before so I had to try. I got a little bogged down in the middle but it finished really strongly leaving me wanting more. I was a little uncomfortable with the potential for female character maniplation but that fizzeled out early so not a problem. If I hadn't read Hondo's other series I would not have picked up this book, which would have been a shame and I would have missed out.
April 15, 2026
This is the single best Kindle-original, Romance-for-Men, Harem/Game-lit offering in the genre, full stop. That sounds like a, "best tasting cat shit sandwhich," comment, but I will die on this hill. It's problematic, of course, every entry in this genre is problematic, but it's unique in that it's the only one I've found that's written by a guy who seems to actually like women and resents the trappings of the genre. The relationships and Rocky-style sports drama in the book are genuinely great, the framing device around all of it is garbage. That's the best you can hope for with something like this.
Regardless, I've read this at least three times. It's my go-to guilty pleasure read. I love it.
Regardless, I've read this at least three times. It's my go-to guilty pleasure read. I love it.
August 7, 2021
Rocky would be proud and the sequel can’t come soon enough
This is a boxing story first and foremost. The details of training, the sounds of the gym, the characters all come together so much you could swear you heard Gonna Fly Now playing. All too often we see women falling into a MC’s lap without any real development. Here, the slow burn plays and the author even pokes a little fun at the genre with the game managers. The relationship between Johnnie and Freddie is so well written, so well done, I cried at the end and that’s hard to do. If I could preorder book 2 this second, I would. So stop reading this review and buy it already!
This is a boxing story first and foremost. The details of training, the sounds of the gym, the characters all come together so much you could swear you heard Gonna Fly Now playing. All too often we see women falling into a MC’s lap without any real development. Here, the slow burn plays and the author even pokes a little fun at the genre with the game managers. The relationship between Johnnie and Freddie is so well written, so well done, I cried at the end and that’s hard to do. If I could preorder book 2 this second, I would. So stop reading this review and buy it already!
August 14, 2021
A story about boxing and love
This is an interesting story that about boxing had a lot of boxing terms and a lot of what goes into being a boxer I would assume cuz I myself don't know much about it but it sounded and read very interesting to me. I like the way the story develops not just with the people but with situations also. They're also a main romance theme but I see some fringes on the sides that look like there could be more romances coming the main character's way. I guess only time will tell if other girl step up or does someone in my own imagination either way it was a good read and I would buy the second book.
This is an interesting story that about boxing had a lot of boxing terms and a lot of what goes into being a boxer I would assume cuz I myself don't know much about it but it sounded and read very interesting to me. I like the way the story develops not just with the people but with situations also. They're also a main romance theme but I see some fringes on the sides that look like there could be more romances coming the main character's way. I guess only time will tell if other girl step up or does someone in my own imagination either way it was a good read and I would buy the second book.
July 28, 2021
Awesome new book from Hondo!
I have got to say mate you blew me away with this one. I was enthralled right from the start, and enjoyed the fact I could relate all the way. Hard work gets rewarded is a great theme and something you don’t read to much about with overpower M/C’s in this genre. The harder you work the luckier you get is a theme from my life and it was so good to see it in a character I could relate to. Thank you for a great book and I really can’t wait to read the next book in this series.
I have got to say mate you blew me away with this one. I was enthralled right from the start, and enjoyed the fact I could relate all the way. Hard work gets rewarded is a great theme and something you don’t read to much about with overpower M/C’s in this genre. The harder you work the luckier you get is a theme from my life and it was so good to see it in a character I could relate to. Thank you for a great book and I really can’t wait to read the next book in this series.
July 30, 2021
Hondo keeps getting better
Honestly, boxing was never something I ever wanted to try. I grew up when Cassius Clay still had that name. I do remember the joy of watching Ali and then Sugar Ray Leonard fight. This book brought back those memories.
The only reason I started reading this book was Hondo’s name on the cover. That all changed about 50 pages into the book. Great world building, rich character development, and a rocking plot made this an incredibly rewarding read.
Looking forward to the next book in the series.
Honestly, boxing was never something I ever wanted to try. I grew up when Cassius Clay still had that name. I do remember the joy of watching Ali and then Sugar Ray Leonard fight. This book brought back those memories.
The only reason I started reading this book was Hondo’s name on the cover. That all changed about 50 pages into the book. Great world building, rich character development, and a rocking plot made this an incredibly rewarding read.
Looking forward to the next book in the series.
August 25, 2021
I've read Hondo's books before and enjoyed them greatly. However, this is perhaps my favorite. Of course, I'm a huge boxing fan, especially 90s-early 2000s boxing. Hondo captured the essence of that time period in boxing. However, Johnny is a likable character as well along with Freddie Lopez. I found myself cheering for Johnny and actually shadowboxing during the end of the book during his first actual fight. I really did pretend I was boxing while reading, call me weird but that's how much I enjoy the sport.
Anyway, I can't wait for book 2!
Anyway, I can't wait for book 2!
February 7, 2022
This has a different pace from other Hondo books. If you make it to the afterward you'll get a good explanation of how and why it happened. Love an author that pushes themselves and manages to continue to execute something that excels. And books that make me smile help.
If you're looking for world understanding and building though you won't find it. The focus is narrow but wide enough to cover all of the day in and out living. Many things left unknown are filled in by being familiar with the genre.
If you're looking for world understanding and building though you won't find it. The focus is narrow but wide enough to cover all of the day in and out living. Many things left unknown are filled in by being familiar with the genre.
February 29, 2024
You keep hearing people mention this as one of the best books in the genre, so I'm really not sure why I held off reading it for so long. I think I let my dislike of "Dan the Barbarian" color my impression of Hondo Jinx to much; one of the first books I tried in the genre. All that to say, it really lives up to hype. You can tell the author has a deep knowledge of boxing but more than that of boxing culture, and it comes through. The whole harem thing is relatively unimportant by comparison, and that's how the best books in this genre work.
July 23, 2021
Wow
I've read a few cultivation stories in the past. I've even recently read a boxing one shot novel. This is something more. The detailed training and fighting are obviously presented by someone with a deep knowledge and love if the sport. Boxing is an art, and this first is a love letter to that art form. Great character development, and there is already potential for MORE......awesome!
I've read a few cultivation stories in the past. I've even recently read a boxing one shot novel. This is something more. The detailed training and fighting are obviously presented by someone with a deep knowledge and love if the sport. Boxing is an art, and this first is a love letter to that art form. Great character development, and there is already potential for MORE......awesome!
July 26, 2021
Wow..nough said
Ok, I don't normally leave reviews, just hit the stars and move on. That being said, I've enjoyed ALL of Hondo's books , but this one really shines . I didn't even like boxing lol till I read this book, more into mma . Seriously, the author has come a long way, love the build up ,good plot, like how he really nails having to work hard to get good, which is slowly disappearing. Can't wait for next book
Ok, I don't normally leave reviews, just hit the stars and move on. That being said, I've enjoyed ALL of Hondo's books , but this one really shines . I didn't even like boxing lol till I read this book, more into mma . Seriously, the author has come a long way, love the build up ,good plot, like how he really nails having to work hard to get good, which is slowly disappearing. Can't wait for next book
August 5, 2021
This is a brilliant novel full to the brim of excellent dialogue and wonderful relationship building, both romantic and not.
If this books romance wasn't as great as it was this book would have gotten 4 stars, as the book is laden with boxing terminology and some unclear stats that left me feeling lost during most of this book.
Regardless I am extremely excited for the sequel and highly recommend this book.
If this books romance wasn't as great as it was this book would have gotten 4 stars, as the book is laden with boxing terminology and some unclear stats that left me feeling lost during most of this book.
Regardless I am extremely excited for the sequel and highly recommend this book.
September 7, 2021
Wow
I’m not a boxing fan. I’ve seen clips of bouts, like anyone, but I don’t *know* anything more than what was shown in the movies.
After reading this, I feel educated. I really feel like I understand more about the art, the technique.
The LitRPG/cultivation aspects are frosting. An interesting mechanic to make the development of fighters a little more controllable.
I’m going to go buy the sequel.
Clean prose, though it’s not family friendly.
I’m not a boxing fan. I’ve seen clips of bouts, like anyone, but I don’t *know* anything more than what was shown in the movies.
After reading this, I feel educated. I really feel like I understand more about the art, the technique.
The LitRPG/cultivation aspects are frosting. An interesting mechanic to make the development of fighters a little more controllable.
I’m going to go buy the sequel.
Clean prose, though it’s not family friendly.
January 26, 2022
Dude
Whoa. So I've never been a huge Hondo jinx fan. I read the books as they come out, because I like the genre, but I've never been a huge into his writing style.
This one was on a whole other level though. This was a very very good book, start to finish. And the boxing knowledge that he seems to possess is very shocking and impressive. I am greatly excited to read more of this
Whoa. So I've never been a huge Hondo jinx fan. I read the books as they come out, because I like the genre, but I've never been a huge into his writing style.
This one was on a whole other level though. This was a very very good book, start to finish. And the boxing knowledge that he seems to possess is very shocking and impressive. I am greatly excited to read more of this
February 17, 2022
Heart and Grit
I have to say this has to be one of my favorite series from this author so far. I loved that on an interpersonal level the budding relationship was more realistic even if the world the main character ends up in is more 'surreal'. This story had a great balance of litrpg, grit and the author obviously knew what he was talking about with the fight scenes and training routines. Keep up the great work!
I have to say this has to be one of my favorite series from this author so far. I loved that on an interpersonal level the budding relationship was more realistic even if the world the main character ends up in is more 'surreal'. This story had a great balance of litrpg, grit and the author obviously knew what he was talking about with the fight scenes and training routines. Keep up the great work!
July 23, 2021
Hooray for Fight Town
Wow! Quite a departure from the norm of harem lit, yet manages to hint that more ladies will join Johnny in later books. Maybe Lennie will join up with him and Freddie and he'll get to do the twin experience??? This book gives a fairly accurate view into the world of boxing...quite a fun ride.
Wow! Quite a departure from the norm of harem lit, yet manages to hint that more ladies will join Johnny in later books. Maybe Lennie will join up with him and Freddie and he'll get to do the twin experience??? This book gives a fairly accurate view into the world of boxing...quite a fun ride.
July 24, 2021
What a great book!!!!
Johnny and Freddie are a match made in boxing heaven! This is an excellent story matching great well done characters and the sweet science! I'm fired up and waiting for book two!!! Read this story, it has great characters, a slow burn romance with excellent action in the ring!
Johnny and Freddie are a match made in boxing heaven! This is an excellent story matching great well done characters and the sweet science! I'm fired up and waiting for book two!!! Read this story, it has great characters, a slow burn romance with excellent action in the ring!
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