Books like 'Knockout'
Readers who enjoyed Knockout by J.C. Valentine also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance military, war & conflict war fighter sports steamy alpha-mc friends-to-lovers athlete
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Finding Forever: Book 3 of the Rollin On Series by Emilia Finn
Rated: 4.64 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsJimmy and Izzy are up! Izzy Hart was his from the beginning of time... despite the fact her brothers would kill him for even looking at her. Best friends since birth, Jim and Iz grew up together and knew where their futures were heading; they just didn't tell anyone else their plans, least of all each other. Now Iz is having a baby with another man... -
Takedown by Nikki Ash
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMila Pregnant and married at the young age of eighteen, I settled into my life not knowing there could ever be more. Until Mason, with his sexy smirk and magnetic baby blue eyes. With a single look and a few words, he made me feel sexy and alive. But as quickly as he came into my life, he was gone, leaving me wanting more... -
Whisper of Love by Melanie Shawn
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsStand-alone Whisper Lake romance, complete with HEA—and plenty of heat and heart along the way! There is a thin line between love and hate. For Allison Walsh, that line was a tightrope hanging a hundred feet in the air, with no safety net to catch her if--or when--she fell. Ali was barely treading water after losing her big brother, who was her hero and best friend... -
Paxton's Promise by L.P. Dover
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsShe hates him, yet she can’t get him out of her mind. Female Bantamweight fighter, Gabriella Reynolds, has a bad habit of falling for forbidden fighters. Enter Paxton Emerson. He’s tall, tattooed, and the current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Everyone wants a piece of him, and he only has eyes for her. Through no choice of her own, she’s fallen in his debt and he’s now demanding payment... -
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At Your Service by Lexi Blake
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsJuliana O’Neil’s promising future was burned away in the heat of battle. She had been an officer with a bright future in the military, but now she is struggling to survive. Her husband gone and her career in shambles, she finds a job at Top as a hostess and tries to put together the pieces of her life... -
Kept from You by Nashoda Rose
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA sexy second-chance romance from New York Times Bestselling Author Nashoda Rose. Can be read as a standalone. A first kiss that changed everything. Killian Kane. He was the most feared guy in high-school. Guarded. Angry. A fighter. But when I caught him watching me with his captivating green eyes I saw something more. Something protective and kind... -
Finding Home: Book 1 of the Rollin On Series by Emilia Finn
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFrom Emilia Finn, a real-life full-contact fighter, comes Finding Home - A powerful tale of family, heroism, and propulsive suspense. Sometimes, the only way to save the girl is to teach her how to fight. Bobby Kincaid is a twenty-six year old MMA fighter whose life has always revolved around his family and gym... -
After Midnight by Suzanne Halliday
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFormer Delta Force and current Nightwind CEO Jon Weston has always thought of himself as a lone wolf. His solitary life suits him just fine, and he has no problem keeping it that way. Imagine his surprise when he meets Lorelai Midnight and something inside of him shifts.Lorelai is a dancer, actress, and singer who’s busy chasing her Broadway dreams...Categorized as:
alpha-mc female-mc friends-to-lovers second-chances steamy war action-adventure adult -
Dare to Dance by S.B. Alexander
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThis story will grab your heart and never let go! Based on true events. Hoping to sign with one of the biggest boxing promoters in the country, Kross Maxwell has to maintain a near perfect record. He can’t afford to lose any more bouts. But his head isn’t in the ring. Instead, he can’t seem to shake his past that’s been beating on his mind... -
Repentance: The Story of Kace Haywood by Meghan Quinn
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEvery choice you make in life comes with a consequence, which dictates the outcome of your future. I was once on top, I was living the life I dreamt of, I had everything I could possibly hope for. I was happy, satisfied, content…until one night. One off day. One moment in time I wish I could take back. My biggest regret... -
Cruz (Diablo's Throne MMA) by H.J. Bellus
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsShe hates fighting. He lives for it. Layla's vicious past drove her away from her hometown. She couldn't live with all the reminders surrounding her--so she ran. Cruz Felix found a new home, a place where he could get his head on straight, train, and fight match after match toward the end goal--the championship in Las Vegas... -
Unleashed by Scott Hildreth
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsRIPP - I've never backed down from a fight in my life, and I'm not about to start now. My only concern is that this battle is not in the boxing ring. It's in the courtroom. VEE - Ripp may be undefeated in the ring, but he's not in the ring any longer. He killed a man and is facing life in prison... -
Fighting for Honor by J.B. Salsbury
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsNew York Times and USA Today Bestselling author JB Salsbury brings her Fighting series to Harper Sloan’s Hope Town in Fighting for Honor. UFL fighter Caleb hasn’t been to Hope Town since he was eighteen. His next big fight takes place in Atlanta and the serene lakefront home from his childhood is the perfect place to train without distractions... -
Uncaged Love #4: MMA New Adult Contemporary Romance by J.J. Knight
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe Ultimate Betrayal An MMA fighter rescues a girl with powerful raw talent of her own in UNCAGED LOVE, an erotic, romantic suspense series. **Contains mature content, ages 17+** With Colt and Jo working as a team, they are unstoppable. Colt’s manager puts him back in line for the MMA title fight. Jo’s own career takes off as she prepares for her second match... -
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Uncaged Love #5: MMA New Adult Contemporary Romance by J.J. Knight
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen happily ever after means the fight of your life The dramatic conclusion to the bestselling erotic suspense series featuring MMA fighters Colt and Jo. Colt’s ability to ever fight MMA again is in jeopardy after suffering injuries in a near-deadly street brawl... -
Collateral Damage by Kaylea Cross
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsPride tore them apart… Warrant Officer Honor Girard made the worst mistake of her life in walking away from the man she promised to marry—and she knows it. An attack on base unexpectedly pushes them together and in the aftermath she realizes she can’t let him go a second time. Only he’s not willing to let her back in...Categorized as:
alpha-mc angst female-mc friends-to-lovers second-chances war action-adventure adult -
Bucking Bear by Izzy Sweet, Sean Moriarty
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsSometimes, the biggest fights of your life are the ones outside the ring. Grace They call Max "Bear" for a reason. He's enormous and hairy, and not someone you want to mess with -- in the ring or out of it. But he's wonderful with my daughter and he makes me feel like a queen. Things were great until my baby daddy started causing trouble... -
Cain by Lane Hart
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsEveryone always asks me why I’m so f*cking angry all the time. Let me count the ways. I threw away my dreams when I was forced to fight and beat men bloody for her, but she doesn’t even know it. Whenever I try to protect her, she pushes me away... -
Fighting Fate (Fighting Series) by J.B. Salsbury
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratings***BONUS CONTENT: The first two chapters of JB Salsbury's stand alone novel SPLIT included!Axelle’s broken.I live to hold her together.Killian McCreery only has two dreams . . .Fight for the UFL.And Axelle.He’s watched her give her time and her body to men who don’t deserve to breathe her air... -
Hook Me by Chelle Bliss
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsBad boy fighter meets good girl doctor.Michael Gallo spends his mornings training for a championship and his nights working as a piercer at Inked, his family-owned tattoo shop. He's on the road to winning a title when he meets woman who alters his world forever.Dr. Mia Greco is dedicated to saving lives and helping the less fortunate. She doesn't have time to meet Mr... -
Mr. July by Nicole S. Goodin
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFrom international bestselling author Nicole S. Goodin, comes a new standalone, MMA sports romance. Hudson Scott. Nicknamed ‘The Horror’. Champion MMA fighter. … And caught up in an off-limits woman. Ramsey Ashton. Queasy around blood. Pink haired beauty. … And crushing on her brother’s best friend... -
Ivan by Lane Hart
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsI’ve always had one goal in life – find the man who murdered my mother and make him pay for taking her away from me. Who would’ve guessed that a beautiful woman from a one-night stand would lead me straight to the person I’ve spent the last six years searching for. Now I just need to find a way to get close enough to kill him... -
BRAWLER by Scott Hildreth
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsJAZ – My mother died giving birth to me. My father beat me. I spent my childhood in a boxing gym with a man who I looked up to as father. He died when I was 16, and so did my love for boxing. Everyone and everything I tried to love gave up on me. As soon as I turned 18, I packed what little I had into a crappy car and headed for the Gulf Coast... -
Senn by Lane Hart
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe woman is pure evil. Tiny, sexy, manipulative evil. I can’t even blame my stupidity on alcohol. There was only half a beer in my bloodstream when I agreed to get into that cab with her. Why didn’t I just drive us? Because when I asked her, “My place or yours?” her answer was, “In the backseat of the cab.” Six words and she had me under her spell... -
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Breaking Beast (Pounding Hearts) by Izzy Sweet, Sean Moriarty
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHe's determined to protect her, even if it breaks him. Alex : Life's been pretty damn good to me. As the reigning middleweight champion, I've got money, power and fame. Not to mention a surplus of women willing to jump into my bed. All in all, I've got few complaints. I'm just living the dream... then Christy falls into my lap. She's young, vulnerable, and innocent... -
Numb by Xavier Neal
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsJust when Logan Kellar was finally ready to make some changes in his life, his entire world was flipped upside down. Now the pain he is used to burying is fighting back. Refusing to let him slip into his old ways, refusing to let him hide from his mistakes, and refusing to let him become numb... -
Uncaged Love #3: MMA New Adult Contemporary Romance by J.J. Knight
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsSometimes you have to risk everything for love An MMA fighter rescues a girl with powerful raw talent of her own in UNCAGED LOVE, an erotic, romantic suspense series. **Contains mature content, ages 17+** Colt believes another great love has deserted him during his worst hour. Jo is certain Colt is better off without her... -
Love Burns by Mandi Beck, Wen Ross
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsLove.It’s my name. It’s what I fight for. It’s Frankie.I’m a fighter. Trained to always keep my cover. To anticipate, see the next hit coming. I never expected her past to come at us swinging like it has.I’m about to take on two of the most important fights of my life. My girl and the belt. I know that I can handle it. That I’ll never stop fighting... -
Something For The Pain by Victoria Ashley
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsTempting, inked and highly addictive. Alex is all that and more… I’ve made a lot of mistakes – ones I’m not proud of, and definitely ones that have left their marks both mentally and physically. Things got lonely; I got lost in my own fucked up mind and in the end it left me fucked out of my mind and unable to fight – or at least win. That life’s over for me and I’ve moved on... -
SLATE by Kelly Gendron
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratings"Some boys will keep it, some will break it, and some boys, they just won't want it. You gotta be careful who you give your heart to..." Slate Declan First loves, we all got them. Mine is Slate Declan. He was kind, gentle, and caring. Still, he managed to break my heart. So I put miles between us, and eventually, my heart healed... -
Just One Taste by Lexi Blake
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsOne Hot Chef…. Eric Vail has always loved a challenge. After leaving the Navy, he mastered his passion for cooking. As the sous chef at Top, one of Dallas’s hottest restaurants, his skills are pushed to the limit every night. Unfortunately, his ultimate prize still eludes him. Server Deena Holmes is the sweetest thing he’s seen in forever, but she’s as distant as she is beautiful... -
Abel by Elizabeth Reyes
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsComing off the worst divorce in the history of marriages, Nellie Gamboa’s looking to let loose and make up for years of neglect. When months of building sexual tension between her and the young hot boxing stud, Abel Ayala, finally peak, she makes him an offer no man would refuse. No promises. No demands. Just pure unrestrained passion. Abel’s training for the biggest fight of his career... -
Perfect Addiction by Claudia Tan
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWhen Sienna Lane walks in on her boyfriend Jax Deneris in bed with her sister, her world falls apart. In less than five minutes, she’s homeless, friendless, family-less. Vowing to get back at Jax, Sienna quickly charts a course of revenge that will hit him where it hurts most—in the MMA ring.Step one: convince Jax’s rival, Kayden Williams, to train with her... -
Simon Says by Lori Foster
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWith his perfectly chiseled, lava-hot body, Simon Evans, an ex-fighter, also has a perfect life—great job, great girl, and more than enough dough. All that changes, though, when he catches his girlfriend cheating. To shake things up, Simon goes full force back into the ring, ready to take his rage out on his opponents... -
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Hard To Handle by Lori Foster
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSometimes Fate delivers a left hook. After Fate deals Supreme Battle Challenge (SBC) fighter Harley Handleman a sucker punch, his uncle secretly hires a pretty lifecoach to get Harley back in the ring of life. Anastasia Kelley has actually known Harley for years, but never as well as she's going to now... -
Risk by Cora Brent
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 20 ratings“I’d seen enough of Creed Gentry to know he might be the worst thing I could do. Yet one lustful glance from him scrambled every piece of sanity I owned.” Truly… My life hasn’t been uneventful and a few things should have sunk in by now. I’m a tired age twenty one with a laundry list of heartbreaks. Most of all I know what carnage comes from carelessly risking the heart... -
Worth the Chance by Vi Keeland
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsMeet Liv MichaelsIt may have been seven years, but I’d know him anywhere. Sure, he’s grown, filled out in all the right places, but his captivating blue eyes and cocky grin are exactly the way I remember. Even though I’d much rather forget.Liv Michaels is almost there. She’s smart, determined and weeks away from landing the job she’s dreamed about for years... -
Ripped by Katy Evans
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsEvery woman wants me--except the one I sing for.Seattle shakes with anticipation: they call it the concert of the year. They say girls are getting pregnant just thinking about Crack Bikini being in town.But when you love a girl, you don't leave her with nothing but a ring and a promise. Any man with half a brain should know... -
In Sly's Eyes by S.M. Donaldson
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsKara Chambers plays by her own rules, she has since she graduated high school. Knowing from experience that her body wasn’t one that guys wanted to keep around, she’d drop them before they could drop her. One night, that’s all she ever gives. One night and she’d be able to get the sexiness, known as Sly Webb out of her system. No complications, no awkwardness, just one night. Yeah, right... -
Always with You by R.J. Sable
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAfter an unexpected and unwelcome turn of events, Jamie-Lea Carter and Jason Reed find their lives altered drastically. They don't know who wants to hurt Jamie, or even why, but Jason and the Carter boys aren't about to let it happen. Jamie and Jason's love is strong. They've overcome too many bad things to let this ruin what they have but Jason is terrified of losing the love of his life... -
Stronger with You by R.J. Sable
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsJamie-Lea Carter and Jason Reed have been through the mill. Jason has been there for her in every way he could be. After a tough start to her life at university, Jamie-Lea is only now coming to realise who she really is. She makes a resolution not to let herself get pushed around as much but that's easier said than done as part of the Carter family... -
Unraveled by A.S. Teague
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratings**Each book in this series can be read as a complete standalone.** I had it all––until I didn’t. When my job, my livelihood, and my passion are suddenly snatched away from me, I’m left scrambling to keep my head above water. Desperate, I’m forced to walk into the last place I ever thought I’d go... -
A Life Worth Fighting by Brenda Kennedy, CBB Productions Christina Badder
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLeah and Robert Grether face many battles after losing their only child, three-year-old Jamie. Leah still grieves and battles depression while Robert fights his own inner demons of guilt. As they try to move on, their attempts to conceive work. Leah is making progress. Her business is thriving and her pregnancy is progressing... -
I Am Lioness by Dee Garcia
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWith pain comes strength. My name is Hazel Perry. You however, can call me Lioness. I live and breathe MMA -24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. That ring is mine. I'm the Queen. Fierce, untouchable, and undefeated. I've been asked how I willingly subject myself to such an intense, brutal career. My answer… Because it feels good... -
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Fighting For Grace by Hope Ford
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFighting For Grace Evan I’m down on my luck and out of patience. If I can’t fight, who am I? I still go to the gym every day to train and get better. When I get talked into teaching self-defense lessons, I never expected to meet her. She’s sweet, innocent... and in trouble. Injured or not, I’m fighting for Grace... -
Hers by Becca Jameson
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSubmitting to him is easy… Shaking off her past is not. Kayla Temple is leery about returning to a BDSM lifestyle. Finally free from four horrific years with a man she wishes she could forget, she wants to experience the release of submission again, but can she trust any Dom enough to let herself go? Gage Holland has been watching Kayla for two years... -
Lust by Becca Jameson
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAbby Burns has a new life in Vegas. She’s got a great job as a dealer in a casino. New friends. Awesome house. Everything is going smooth, until she gets pinned under the back porch trying to rescue some kittens. Zane Randolf is an EMT. He also has it all—great job, awesome group of guys he fights MMA with, and a membership to the local BDSM club... -
Vidar by Michelle Frost
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAll his life, Vidar Rourke has stood tall against every challenge he’s faced—from his father’s fists to the demanding world inside an MMA cage. Providing for and protecting his family has been the north star on the path he set for himself years ago, and he’s never faltered. Never get attached. Two men have come into his life like a whirlwind hellbent on throwing him off course... -
Deaf by Xavier Neal
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhile the pleas of Logan Kellar's best friends typically fall on deaf ears, there's one voice he can't ignore so easily. His own. And when Maxx, his beautiful best friend, says something that shakes his existence, he finds himself suddenly desperate to be heard... -
Fight for Her #4: MMA New Adult Contemporary Romantic Suspense by J.J. Knight
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe dramatic conclusion to the bestselling MMA series arrives with Fight for Her #4. Maddie has left me again, and I can’t blame her. I failed to protect her. I don’t even know if I deserve her and Lily. But I’m determined to make things right. First, I’m going to find her father. He’s been living on the streets too long. That has to end...
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