Serial series appear to be all the rage right now, with so many coming out about all sorts of our favorite subjects. Bad boys, billionaires, alpha males, rock stars and fighters… all of ’em emotionally tortured. All of ’em need to be saved. And want to save “us” in return.
And while I haven’t read this specific series yet, it is the one that is tempting me the most. With one part of the series complete, and another spinoff currently in action. With SO many awesome reviews and nary a bad one (I mean… just loooook at those reviews!! I’m already pre-squeeeeing!), I can’t help but be intrigued.
MMA fighters. 😉 You know these guys are the ultimate protectors, and the fact that they need to fight (for whatever reason) just makes me want to find a way to protect them back.
And what makes this one even more exciting for me was the “behind the books” look that the author just sent over. ‘Cause you see… she researched this subject personally.
And one of the “heroes” is kind of… real. Or at least, a portion of his story is what inspired her to write the spinoff.
Just take a look and you’ll see why this sounds awesome and right up our dark-fighter alley!
She says:
“I went through six months of MMA training (with some devastatingly hot fighters) to research those books. It was crazy fun and painful and exhausting and I cried even though my trainer would yell THERE IS NO CRYING IN MMA! There is when *I* do it. 🙂
I’m about to continue that series with another fighter/trainer I met. He mentioned randomly that he had a little girl he couldn’t afford to go visit very often because her mother moved her far away, and I had to write a story about that. He even posed for the cover. <— side note from Maryse: This is the “Fight for Her” series… and what a gorgeous cover!!! That’s him!!! —->
The whole series started when I was taking normal kickboxing and sort of got blindsided by this god-like fighter who was training us as a substitute for the day. I found out he trained a special group at that gym at a time not listed on the schedule. And I screwed up my courage and WENT!
The whole story started from there. Along the way I learned a lot about these fighters, and how little most of them make, and the injuries they suffer. Only the ones who make it big do very well. Training with them was often humiliating but always, always did I learn something new and find some inner well of strength and toughness I didn’t know I had.
PS. I wrote “Fight Class Updates” for the fans on my Facebook page as it went along. Here is the “Update” when I met the trainer who would be the subject of the Fight for Her books. It will give you a general idea of how my training would go. “Bryan” was the one who inspired the first series. “Parker” of course is the one Fight for Her is written about.”
FIGHT CLASS UPDATE! (May 2014)
Okaaaaay. So you all know that most of the people in Bryan’s class are fighters, unlike my old kickboxing fitness, which was mostly woman working out.
So, I don’t talk about the fighters much. Mostly I keep my head down because they are all so much more kick-butt than me. If I notice THEM, then they are going to notice ME.
I’d kinda rather fly under the radar.
But there was one I sorta noticed. He has this killer tattoo across his arm, and he’s really really muscular. The kind of muscular that is ROUND, you know? Not just strong, but all bulgy, like he’s his own strong man costume.
So I secretly fashioned the character of Power Play — Parker — after him.
NOW DON’T THINK I’M CHEATING ON BRYAN.
Well, okay, maybe I am.
Anyway, I’ve kept quiet about it because he’s nice and I could actually *talk* to him. Maybe I’ll admit his actual name eventually, but for now we’ll call him Parker after his character.
So I go into fight class and Bryan is NOWHERE.
And Parker is behind the desk.
I’m like — hmmm.
Then Parker takes over the class. We’re doing pretty much the same thing Bryan has us do. Maybe a little more arm work. Remember those sandbag discs I talk about in Uncaged? Well, he really loves those, apparently.
I’m being all stupid again and trying to show off. (You would think I would learn, right?) But Parker has us doing something different in that we’re in a circle in the middle of the room and all facing each other.
So there is no radar to fly below. We can all see each other do stuff.
So no baby 8-pounder for me today. I take a 20 pounder.
Because I’m stupid.
So he has us doing Caveman Throws. I think I have these in Uncaged 4. I’ve done them before.
Just not with 20 pounds.
I’m doing all right. The room resounds with the thuds of sandbags hitting the ground. We have to squat with it on our chest, stand up, lift it over our head, then slam it to the ground. Squat, pick it up etc.
Well, Parker has us going a little longer than Bryan does.
And, it is, of course, TWENTY POUNDS.
So I get a little tired.
Oh, fans. Really. I’m like a walking sit-com. Week after week I go in there. And week after week, I do something dumb.
I KNOW that when my arms are shaky, I should stop.
I KNOW.
But I gamely lift that stupid weight over my head anyway.
And it goes too far back, and then, yeah.
I fall backwards.
The hilarious thing about fighters, though, is that no one blinks an eye when someone does something like this. Maybe they’re laughing on the inside, but they are poker-faced as all get out.
Even Parker kinda just glances over, sees I’m not dead or bleeding, and keeps walking around.
So I go pick up a 10-pounder and move on.
I do feel it though. I think I’ve strained something. But we’ll see how it feels tomorrow.
Later in the class we’re doing squat kicks across the room and I cannot seem to keep my balance. Parker sort of notices, and I can see he is wondering why the heck I’m in there. I’m feeling verrrry low, and not liking Parker very much and thinking of killing him off in book 5…
In the last five minutes, though, WHO should walk in but BRYAN! He’s dressed like a normal human in jeans and a button down shirt. He’s all, “I had a meeting!”
He slaps Parker on the back and points to me, as I’m right by the door, trying not to fall over during the squat kicks.
And he says, “SHE’S GETTING GOOD, ISN’T SHE?????”
MY HERO!
Parker nods, like yeah, it’s cool. She’s all right.
MY FAITH IN THE WORLD IS RESTORED!
So I’ll reconsider killing him off.
But I think I’ll stick with 10 pound sandbags from now on.
Hehe!! *snort* 😉 Wow… first… I’m crushing hard!!!! And second… I LOVE when authors let us into their inspiration like this. Makes the story that much more real. Thank you JJ!!!!
Here is the series reading order:
- Uncaged Love #1: MMA New Adult Contemporary Romance
- Uncaged Love #2: MMA New Adult Contemporary Romance
- Uncaged Love #3: MMA New Adult Contemporary Romance
- Uncaged Love #4: MMA New Adult Contemporary Romance
- Uncaged Love #5: MMA New Adult Contemporary Romance
- Fight for Her #1: MMA New Adult Romantic Suspense (Uncaged Love)
- Fight for Her #2: MMA New Adult Contemporary Romantic Suspense (Uncaged Love)
- Fight for Her #3: MMA New Adult Contemporary Romantic Suspense (Uncaged Love) – expected release date November 7th 2014
- Fight for Her #4: MMA New Adult Contemporary Romantic Suspense (Uncaged Love) – release date TBA