Book picks similar to
The Trainer by Shey Stahl


romance
cliffhanger
fighters
fighter

Consumed


Skyla Madi - 2013
    His arresting presence rippled through me and I felt his chaos deep in my bones as our gazes met across the expanse of my father's gym.The alluring fighter wasn't my type with his athletic torso, long, ropy arms, and powerful fists built to destroy men weaker than him, but every fiber in my being was fixated on him.I craved him.And although I knew he was the kind of guy who left a trail of shattered hearts in his wake, I wanted him.I needed him.I had to have him.For the first time in my life, I decided to take a walk on the wild side, consequences be damned.

Knockout


J.C. Valentine - 2014
    The only light in her life was a boy whom everyone agreed was destined for prison; but with his first kiss, he had set her soul on fire. Since the day the police dragged him away in handcuffs, she had managed to lead a quiet life, but when she attends an event fraught with mayhem, trouble resurfaces.The one person she can’t forget...Jamison Weston is the kind of guy dads load their shotguns for; endowed with a hot temper and a rap sheet as long as both tattooed arms. Known as “The Judge,” Jami’s hot temper, lethal fists, and cocky attitude have earned him respect and admiration both in and out of the ring. But just when he thinks he’s pummeled his past to death, Alyson Blake reenters his life.Two paths collide…After years of separation, Alyson is eager to reexplore the man who’s never left her thoughts, but for Jamison, she’s both the distraction he wants, but doesn’t need. As the two embark on a relationship that neither of them expected or bargained for, an outside threat closes in. When Alyson crosses the line of professionalism and takes her work home with her, her life is put in danger, leaving Jamison with no choice but to once again step in and become her protector.WARNING **Book One in a two part story.** This book contains a mild cliffhanger ending that will be resolved in book two. The release date for book two has been moved up to July 2014. If you do not like cliffhangers, you might consider checking out my Night Calls series instead.

12 Rounds


Lauren Hammond - 2012
    One, he's the middle-weight boxing champion of the world with an undefeated record. Two, women find his cocky persona, chiseled biceps, and inked body sexy. Also, the fact that it's known that he doesn't do relationships only adds to his sex appeal. And three, he's Irish, proud of it, and a member of the Braithreachas Don Saol, a branch of the Irish mafia and king pins of the drug cartel taking over the streets of Cleveland.Connor Doyle(aka Connie) the boss and leader of the Braithreachas Don Saol, has been like a father to Sean, taking him under his wing and teaching him how to survive on the streets after the death of his parents. Sean has never been ungrateful, but has always wanted one thing...More. More to live for. More to fight for. More to believe in. A chance at a future without drugs or guns. A chance at a future without wondering which day will be his last.There's only one problem with that. You live by the braithreachas. You die by the braithreachas. And Sean knows whether Connie considers him to be family or not, the only way he'll be leaving the braithreachas is in a body bag.Hadlee Flax has had a year to overcome her issues. After almost being raped and brutalized, she's putting her best foot forward, seeing a therapist, and has even(with some persuasion from her best friend, Lara) enrolled in self defense classes. And she's doing well moving on with her life until she meets the dark, and conflicted Irish boxing champion of the world, Sean Reilly.Hadlee is immediately drawn to the gorgeous, cold, and mysterious man who speaks with a slight Irish brogue. She soon learns that there is much more to him than his darkened gaze, cool demeanor, and body covered in tattoos. He's not the type of man she thought he was. And Hadlee finds herself doing something she never thought she would do in the last year...Falling for a guy.Falling for Sean Reilly. A man who is on the path to becoming a boxing legend. One thing Hadlee doesn't know is the other part of Seans' life. His life of drug running, and killing. Or the fact that when he's not boxing he's walking the streets with a gat tucked into the back of his loose jeans, and glancing over his shoulder at every turn. But it doesn't take Hadlee long to learn that some attractions and relationships can be fatal.And sometimes...They just might be worth fighting for.

Jax


Lane Hart - 2015
    Known for his viciousness in the cage, and his playboy ways out of it, Jax is arrested and charged with a brutal rape. The thought of spending decades in prison is one of the few things that actually scares the shit out of this cocky fighter. Newly admitted attorney Page Davenport is willing to do anything it takes to get out from under her father's thumb and finally prove herself in his law firm. Anything except represent the infamous miscreant, Jackson "The Mauler" Malone. Despite her protests, Page is powerless to avoid becoming the sacrificial lamb, the token female, who will be the face of the violent, angry Neanderthal's defense team. Jax is a bad boy with a temper, doing whatever the hell he wants in life while flipping the bird at all his haters. Page is the prim and proper rich debutante her parents want her to be. They've been pulling her strings, telling her what to do, where to go to school, what to wear, and even who she should marry. Page and Jax struggle to work together, engaging in a knockdown drag-out fight for dominance. When they finally stop taking swings at each other, they're both surprised to realize that sometimes first impressions are completely wrong. In fact, opposites really do seem to attract. However, there are lines that attorneys and their clients can never cross, if Page wants to keep her license to practice law. Will Page risk it all and submit to the cocky fighter? Or will Jax's temper and jealousy prove too much for her to take on outside of the courtroom? Either way, one thing is for sure - neither Page nor Jax are going down without a fight. In the end, the secret for them to find heaven may be to battle their way through hell first. This 72K word book has a HEA with no cliffhanger.

Extreme Love


Abby Niles - 2013
    But when the MMA fighter meets pretty Caitlyn Moore, he seems to be striking out left and right. The more Cait denies his advances, the more intrigued he becomes by the sharp-tongued beauty. She's a challenge he cannot resist.Comfortable with the average Joe, Cait doesn't get it when the ultra-masculine Dante walks into her life and expresses an interest in her. Sure, she's shed eighty pounds and her confidence is building, but there's nothing spectacular about her. Certainly not enough to hang onto a ripped babe-magnet like Dante, whose violent profession, catty groupies, and cruel competitors are already making her life a living hell. Dante's light-hearted pursuit quickly becomes a battle to win her heart as they find themselves thrown together again and again and it's affecting his training. Cait won't let him lose the biggest fight of his career because of her, but when her plan to keep him focused lands her in the dangerous clutches of Dante's vicious opponent, there is more at stake than just the championship belt.

Shadowboxer


Cari Quinn - 2014
    I’ve faced the darkest parts of life and survived. But now I’m starting a new life with my baby sister. And that means I need cash.Quick. To get the money I need, I’m going to beat the reigning king of the male fighters in New York’s underground MMA circuit, Tray “Fox” Knox. Tray refuses to fight a woman, until he learns I’m not what he expected. At all. Then he makes me a bet I can’t refuse. He’ll fight me, but if he wins, I will spend the night in his bed. All night long, his rules. No tapping out. I agree, certain he will lose. Because I have to win. I have no choice. What I didn’t realize is that Tray loves to fight dirty…and that this match may end up being the most important one of our lives.Author’s note: Shadowboxer is a full-length MMA novel and is book 1 in the Tapped Out MMA series. It has a happily ever after ending and no cliffhanger, though it contains violent material that may be triggering. It was previously published by Cari Quinn in 2014 and has been lightly re-edited.

Love Hurts


Mandi Beck - 2015
    I’m at home, in my element, inflicting pain onto men trained to hurt me just as badly. Making them submit, knocking them out, maiming them, because it’s them or me. And I choose them. Outside the Octagon, my only weakness is a five-foot-two, classy as fuck woman that I’ve loved for most of my life. She’s the one that brings me to my knees, fills my arms, my heart, and one day soon, my bed. She makes me reckless. Volatile. I drink too much and try too hard to fuck my way out of feeling—all because of her.Frankie De Rosa is my girl, my best friend. I haven’t earned her yet, but I won’t stand by and let anyone take her from me. She will be the greatest fight of my life, but she’s worth the battle. Love hurts, but anything worth having does, right? I’m Deacon “The Hitman” Love — Welcome to the Cage.

Loving Lawson


R.J. Lewis - 2014
    After being turned away from her mother and on the verge of homelessness, she turns to an unexpected source for help: her boyfriend's older brother.Heath Lawson is everything his brother isn't: a rough, street fighter that can't commit to a girl if his life depended on it. He likes being on his own. Likes living the simple life. But when Allie turns up asking for help, he has no choice but to take her in.Knowing Allie most of her life, help is something Heath is more than ready to offer. After all, she's the love of his brother's life.However, what he doesn't expect... is that she's also his too.

Come


Becca Jameson - 2014
    Unfortunately, one of the firm’s partners has been pressuring her for a date. She has no interest in sleeping her way up the corporate ladder, but he won’t take no for an answer, and he’s following her. His Lexus is in the parking lot of her uncle’s gym when she steps outside. In a split-second decision, she plasters herself to the sexy man leaning casually against the wall outside the gym. Rafe Wesson is stunned by one look at the woman so totally out of place at the gym. His plan is to casually run into her outside and ask her out. And then she catches him off-guard with a kiss that rocks his world. Katy isn’t Rafe’s type. She’s far too innocent. But two dates don’t dampen his desire. Rafe has personal rules against sleeping with a woman before she is fully informed about his preferences. However, Katy is persistent. She wants him, but he fears he’ll lose her when she finds out about his lifestyle. Rafe tries to step away from her, but he can’t ignore the unknown threat that haunts her, and time is running out. Someone wants Katy dead. And Rafe wants Katy...very much alive.

Knock Out


Michele Mannon - 2013
    Dropped by her ex on national TV, she's gone from prima ballerina to ring card girl, reduced to revving up the crowds before MMA bouts. However distasteful she finds her new job, it pays well…and she needs the money if she's ever going to rebuild her life. Promised a huge bonus if she can convince a brooding, gifted welterweight to keep fighting, she'll do whatever it takes to earn his trust.Keane O'Shea is unbeatable in the octagon. A former marine, he fights with a ruthlessness no gym jockey can match. He knows his brutal strength is too much for the delicate ex-ballerina, regardless of how fascinating he finds Logan's tight dancer's body. But one private performance and he's drawn to her in a way he can't—or won't—resist.As Logan discovers the heartbreaking truth that lies beneath this handsome warrior's rage, she'll need to forfeit everything she thought mattered for the one thing that matters the most: saving Keane from himself.

Against the Ropes


Sarah Castille - 2013
    He thrilled me. And after one touch, all I could think about was getting more… Makayla never thought she’d set foot in an underground mixed-martial arts club. But if anyone needs a medic on hand, it’s these guys. Trouble is, at her first sight of the club’s owner she’s the one feeling breathless. All sleek muscle and restrained power, the man they call Torment plays to win at any cost. Whether it’s in the ring or in the bedroom, he knows exactly when to use a soft touch and when to launch a full-on assault. He always knows just how far he can push. And he’s about to tempt Makayla in ways she never imagined…

Fighting Envy


Jennifer Miller - 2015
    Other people, like me, are branded by something - actions or words. "No one will ever love you, Rowan, you're not worthy." Those are the words that created my blemish, my scar, my mark upon my soul. They were words whispered by the woman who should have loved me most. But in the darkest moment of my life, one where I stood abandoned and alone, one man proved to me that she was wrong. When I desperately needed someone, MMA fighter Jackson Stone crashed into my life. He wasn't the one who should have been there, but he was exactly the person I needed He believed that only fools live in the past. He showed me that a real relationship is full of dreams, faith, trust and passion. He taught me that love is worth fighting for - even when it's unexpected and more of a collision of hearts and souls. He proved that the wrong man at the right moment can heal everything.

Beat


Amity Cross - 2014
    Then one day they lose the battle and she’s all alone.Now twenty-two, Ren reluctantly goes to find her estranged father. He owns the down and out boxing studio, Beat, and Ren finds herself drawn to the ring. She thrives on learning a new way of fighting a life that kept kicking her down…instead of struggling against the current, she kicks it right between the legs.Then one day, Ash Fuller, her Dad's star fighter comes back to town. Mysterious, handsome… Dangerous… Everything Ren doesn't need.But he's got other ideas……and so does she.

Banging Reaper


Izzy Sweet - 2015
    Only one can be the best in the ring.Only one can make her completely his.AveryLife isn't easy when your mother abandons you and the grandmother who raised you is gone. Ethan has been my best friend since middle school. He helped me out with college when I was flat broke, and now I feel like I owe him. So when he starts treating me like his MMA lucky charm, it's hard to say no. But when he finally loses, he blames me--and Reaper, the guy who beat the crap out of him, is the one who rescues me.I want to forgive Ethan ... but I can't resist Reaper.ChaseYeah, they call me Reaper, because I make anyone who fights me wish he was dead. I'm large and in charge with a big house, two cars, and enough money to party for the rest of my days. Life is great--but meeting Avery changes everything. She's nothing like the ring girls I usually hook up with. There's just something about her that brings out the protective beast inside me. She needs to be mine, but that cheating asshole Ethan is in the way.I'll do whatever it takes to claim her ... even if that means destroying her best friend.Banging Reaper is a HEA, standalone MMA/Bad Boy romance with a dominant alpha hero and a young heroine trying to make her way in the world. Some content intended for mature readers.

Unbelonging


Sabrina Stark - 2013
    But she knows all too well that no one wants a pauper in their mansion, so she's gotten good – maybe a little too good – at faking it 'til she makes it. With more baggage than any airline, Lawton Rastor made his money through prizefighting – and not the kind with padded gloves and some bowtie-wearing referee. He made it through the gritty, back alley kind where sweaty money changed hands over beer and bimbos. She's a poor girl from Hamtramck. He's a billionaire bad boy from Detroit. They should've never crossed paths. But when they do, thanks to Chloe's latest housesitting gig, the collision of sparks, secrets, and misunderstandings leaves both of them yearning to belong exactly where they shouldn't – with each other. A full-length novel, this new adult contemporary romance is book one of the two-part Unbelonging series. It features mature content, sexual situations, and adult language. It's not advised for under-age readers.