Three years after graduating college at the top of her class, EMT Makayla Delaney is floundering in a dead-end hospital admissions job, barely scraping together enough income to pay for her tiny room in a shared Oakland, Calif., home. When a bill collector starts hounding her for student-loan payments, she reluctantly takes a second job treating injuries at an unsanctioned mixed-martial-arts fight club. Despite her aversion to blood and fighting, she can’t resist acting on her intense attraction to the club’s owner, Max “Torment” Huntington, a fighter and rich venture capitalist. Alpha-male Max doggedly pursues Makalya, attracted to her determination to support herself and her enjoyment of BDSM-lite. Firmly set in the “new adult” genre, Castille’s debut is steamy but could benefit from additional character development. Agent: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary Agency. (Sept.)
This week’s Romance Roundup includes an American heiress who gets captured by a rugged man, a martial artist whose old flame is her new manager, and lots of ladies who are about to deal with some major family drama.