by Vi Keeland
Part of MMA Fighter
First published 2014
Lily St. Claire grew up watching her father, legendary MMA fighter "The Saint," and she built a career running a chain of fight gyms. She knows exactly what men like that are made of: aggressive, possessive, and controlling. So she drew a hard line and kept her distance. Then Jax Knight walks through her door. He is Ivy League educated, well-mannered in public, and disarmingly charming. He is nothing like the men she expected. Lily finds herself captivated before she can stop it. The problem is the timing. She just ended a relationship, and she was not looking for anyone new. Jax is patient and confident, a gentleman who turns commanding behind closed doors, and he pulls her in despite every wall she has built. But her ex has no intention of stepping aside. What starts as an unexpected attraction becomes something Lily cannot easily walk away from, even as the past refuses to stay quiet. The emotional core of the story is simple and sharp: how much of your own history do you have to overcome before you can trust someone new.
Genres: fiction, romance, adult, adult-fiction, contemporary-romance
Vibes: character-driven, emotional, intimate, introspective, passionate
Tropes: commanding-love-interest, emotional-conflict, second-chance-romance, slow-burn
Period: 21st-century
314 pages · Paperback · CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Content warnings: emotional-abuse