Shadowboxer (Tapped Out)

I knew Cari Quinn's books were unique (Test Shot is one of my favorites) but she blew my mind with this one. The story is about a FEMALE underground MMA fighter (the sport is outlawed in NY). Mia Anderson is a fighter in every sense of the word inside and out of the cage. She endured a horrific ordeal when she was a little girl which leaves her broken and damaged. But she survived and now dreams of getting away from NY with her little sister and creating a new life for themselves in a small town. She challenges a male fighter, Tray "Fox" Knox, to a fight where she expects to make enough money to be able to realize her dream. And so the romance begins, told alternately from Mia's and Tray's point of view. Tray is attracted to the enigmatic Mia but she wants none of it and pushes him away. He is relentless in his pursuit and begins to chip away at her walls. Their relationship is passionate and explosive and Mia falls for Tray even if she denies it to focus on her dream. There is good character development, a few interesting plot twists, the dialogue is clever and funny (love Tray and his dirty mouth), the sex scenes are super steamy, but there is also tenderness and caring with a sweet epilogue that is full of promise. No cliffhanger! Yeay! Mia is without a doubt one of my favorite book heroines. She is not without flaws but she never feels sorry for herself and you can't help but admire her drive and determination to make a better life for herself and her sister. Watching her overcome her demons and move forward and live again is what made this story special for me. And Tray (oh Tray)...intelligent, sensitive and protective...he was the perfect lover. The chemistry between them was off the charts. I loved the sexy banter and the supporting cast was hilarious. I am so looking forward to the next book (Mia's sister Carly and bad boy fighter Giovanni). Oh, and I must also mention that this was a long book, so for 99 cents...wow...what a great read!

4.5 Stars I absolutely adored Tray! He will definitely be added to my list of hot book boyfriends. Tray spots Mia on her way to work and is instantly attracted to her. It's as if a magnet is pulling him towards her. When he approaches her, he discovers Mia already knows who he is. Tray (a/k/a Fox) is a MMA fighter and so is Mia. She has plans to talk Tray into fighting her. But Tray doesn't fight women, he's not that kind of man. As Tray continues to pursue Mia, she continues to push him away. She lived through a terrible experience in her teens which left her broken. But Tray doesn't give up. He shows Mia over and over that he'll be there for her and that he wants her in his life. I can't say too much without giving away what happens. There are a couple of MMA fights and we learn Tray has some demons of his own. But mainly, I will warn you not to give up on this book. This book is over 350 pages, and up until about 50% Mia is going to seriously mess with your patience. On more than one occasion, I wanted to reach inside m Kindle and strangle her for how she was treating Tray. But something happens (not telling you what) and she finally opens her eyes and from that point on, the book just got better and better. Shadowboxer is told from alternating POVs. Tray is sexy, loving, sweet, considerate, vulnerable and when he tells Mia what he wants to do with her....HOT! He is so perfect. The scene where he comforts Mia when she tells him about her childhood experience is so moving. Mia is strong, stubborn and protective and has learned to depend on and take care of herself. Her sister Carly is a great character and I also liked Tray's best friend, Slater. Overall, I really loved this book and I am looking forward to Carly's book, On the Ropes, scheduled to release later this summer.

“Sometimes the bogeyman was real. And once you knew that, you never, ever forgot.” This story was definitely, if not darker, more serious and intense than I thought it would be. Which, especially paired with the author’s fantastic writing, was absolutely perfect for this story. Mia is a struggling young woman trying to make her way in New York, hoping to move on to a better life with her younger sister one day, hopefully soon. One of the ways she plans on doing that is to fight one of the top male underground MMA fighters on the circuit, since she knows she’s as good, if not better, than he is. Plus….she needs the money. But when she accidentally runs into Tray, the same man she plans on proposition for a fight soon, things don’t go quite as planned, be that for better or worse. I went into this book not really knowing what to expect. I like fighting books, anything to do with MMA or otherwise, so that’s what originally attracted me to this book. But fighter books are fairly popular, and most are cheesy, with dashes of un-believability thrown in for good measure. This book, however, is not like that at all. Each character has amazing depth, and the author only feeds you small details of the characters past when she feels like it in the story, which helps space things out evenly, and realistically. The characters, primarily Mia, has a dark past that really has corrupted her view of the world, and more specifically of people in general. At one point she states “Actions showed the truth. Words were often lies. Sometimes pretty ones, but lies just the same.” That is her outlook through the majority of the book. And you root for her to finally find some sort of peace, of happiness, so badly. Some of which you hope Tray can provide. There was so much more depth and realness in the story as a whole, and you really felt like you went through an emotional rollercoaster throughout the whole thing, simultaneously wanting to shake some sense into the characters and kiss them, all at the same time! Overall, I really, truly enjoyed this story. I will, without a doubt, be buying the entire rest of this series as soon as I can, as I can’t wait to see more of Mia and Tray, as well as some of the supporting characters in this book. All of which had just as much personality and depth as the two main characters. I’m also super excited to check out more of this author’s work. I don’t think I’ll be disappointed, if this book was any indication.

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I couldn't put it down!!! The Characters were absolutly believeable and I loved them both! I felt their pain, the joy, the Love... I would recommend it to everyone!

It's refreshing to have a fighting novel from the female point of view - she is so focused on what she needs for herself and her sister that her single minded determination almost makes her miss out on something important. Damn good - read it

I loved that the heroine in this book could stand up for herself as much as the hero! It's unusual and different to have a strong lead female character and I loved the contrast between so many other books. Can't wait to read vinnies story now.

Good read