Book Blurb:
“Speer has not just delivered a love story, but a story which had strength, fight, beauty, and a wonderfully woven tenderness. I was glued to the pages” – International Best Selling Author, Belle Brooks
“Excellent jaunt into the fighter universe. I love this story!” – Brandi, Let’s Read Romance Book Blog
The steamy, adrenaline fueled, Sports Romance from the award winning author of the Undeadly Secrets series that will melt your kindles, before sending them to the mat!
Owen Gasnier is a gentleman even inside the Cage. As much of a gentleman as one can be having an undisputed record with every win by a knock out. People LOVE him.
Overworked barista Tegan Holland doesn’t know he exists. Not until ten minutes before her friend Fiona drags her to the biggest cage fight Sydney has ever seen.
By the time he heads back to his training camp in the States, she’ll never forget him. But should she let him forget her? He’s chasing his dream. He doesn’t have time for her. Does he?
For Owen, the hits just keep coming. Trash talking opponents, sensationalist media, and someone’s out to ruin him for good. He can’t put Tegan in the middle of it. Can he?
Soon, will any of it matter? Cause life has other plans, and NOTHING hits harder than life.
*CAN BE READ AS A STAND ALONE*
“Undisputed was a book that kept me on the boil. My interest was high because there always was something going on and the word-smithing was perfection… and, holy hell, there was some pretty intense scenes between Gaz and Teagan. Or should I say, classy, steamy, h-o-t” – via Amazon
“Even if you are not big on romance you have to read it for Fiona. She is the most hilarious female side kick I have ever read. I had tears rolling from laughing at her” – via Amazon
“This was a great MMA romance. This book brings the feels with it and has you wishing the characters were really human. This book is very different from the author’s other work I’ve read but in a great way. Shows how capable the author is at creating a sports romance different than others that are written” – Book Luvr’s Cave
My Review:
This book is the first book in the Undisputed Series, and it is a fantastic book about picking your battles, never giving up and most importantly making sure that you have people by your side that can help you win. This story is heartfelt, funny, full of angst and has an enormous amount of love and passion. Undisputed will draw you in and make you hungry for more, but prepare for it to twist you up while you read.
Owen ‘Gaz’ Gasnier is an MMA fighter who has dreamed of becoming a world heavyweight champion and has done his whole life. Owen’s father, Robert, was a top fighter but the sport ruined his marriage and ultimately Owens family life, however in spite of this he still wants to succeed. What happened to his family reminds him that the life of a fighter and the commitment he puts into training means that a relationship is not possible. Robert never wanted Gaz to make the same choices and mistakes that he did and therefore didn’t want him to become a fighter. But when Gaz does it anyway, Robert decides to stick by him and acts as his manager and trainer. They choose to face the MMA world as a father and son duo.
Gaz fights hard but fair, he’s the only competitor in his division who doesn’t attack when an opponent is knocked to the ground, instead waiting for them to get back up. This strategy works and has left him undefeated so far. He is Australia’s only MMA heavyweight fighter, so when he returns home from the US to fight it is a big deal. If he wins that fight he only has one more opponent to take down and then he can challenge to take on the champion.
After his hometown win he is taken to the meet and greet area, which Gaz loves because his fans are important to him. There are times he wishes that he wasn’t noticed by fans but he isn’t big headed or cocky, knowing that there are people out there who are doing much more impressive things that are deserving of love and support, but he is still very grateful. At the meet and greet there is a scuffle and he is escorted out of the room, which is when a gorgeous girl catches his eye right before she starts to vomit. Little does Gaz know this would be the start of a relationship that changes both of their lives.
Tegan has not had it easy growing up. She has no family and is haunted by a traumatic past, but despite this manages to remain strong and independent. She is supported by her best friend that she works at the coffee house with, Fiona. Fiona is a massive MMA fan and when one of her friends couldn’t go to the fight they gave Fiona two tickets to the big fight. Knowing Tegan has been living a somewhat shy lifestyle, she invites her along to the fight despite the fact she knows nothing about fighting and thought the Gasnier posters she had seen advertised were a band!
After putting up a fight initially she agrees to go. Tegan doesn’t enjoy the warm up matches and would even go as far as to say that she was bored. But all of that changes when gorgeous, strong, muscular Gaz steps into the cage and ends things in a few seconds with a deadly punch. She can’t help but be drawn to Owen as he is very enigmatic and almost brooding. When Fiona and Tegan realise they have meet and greet tickets they argue about her needing to socialise more and she is guilted into going. Whilst all the other girls are crowding and pushing at each other to get to Gaz, Tegan stands back instead helping herself to some prawns. But when she starts to feel sick she runs out to the garden space to vomit. Then she feels someone pull her hair back she looks up expecting it to be Fiona. Instead she meets Owen and her life changes forever.
I absolutely loved Own and Tegan’s relationship. It starts off fast, heated and passionate because they think they only have a couple of nights together and so they decide to make it count. But the more time they spend together, the more they realise they don’t want it to end and it becomes clear that their feelings are more than a fling. But Owen has to return to the US to train for his fights. So they keep in touch and agree to meet up when he returns to Australia. But sadly events get in the way and they face turbulent times ahead that tests them both as people and their relationship.
Tegan is an absolutely fantastic character. She is shy and quiet at first but there is a fierce, proud fighter inside of her. She has faced unbelievable pain and suffering and still is struggling. She pushes Owen away thinking that she doesn’t need him but not realising that they both need each other. So, when she does slowly let him in she begins to trust that he could love her and she finds strength from him. Seeing her at her lowest was incredibly sad and I was so desperate for her to find happiness.
I loved Owen so much. He is strong, honourable and incredibly gorgeous. The fact that he is prepared to give up in his dream for Tegan was such a beautiful gesture. I think while the news portrays him as a bad boy, the truth is far from it. The love, support and care that he shows Teagan when she is at her lowest was so beautiful. If you weren’t in love with him after that, wait until he starts interacting with his young fans because that will win you over and make you sign up to the Gasnier fan club for sure. I loved his strength and determination but also the fact he knew when he needed to ask for help and that is an incredibly hard thing to do. When he goes into the cage I was on the edge of my seat and felt like I was watching the fight live. That is how great the writing is!
Overall, I loved this book so much. It took me on an emotional rollercoaster. I felt sad, annoyed, angry, upset, embarrassed, joy, laughter and love. I didn’t know it was possible to feel that many emotions when reading one book. I know this is the first book in the series and I cannot express how much I am looking forward to the next book. This is the first book that I have read by Aaron L Speer, but his ability to create lifelike characters that are relatable and get me to care about them so much, is incredibly clever. Then add on top of that a great plotline and you have a truly great book. This will most certainly not be the last book of Speer’s that I read. Bring on book 2!
Note: I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review
This book is available for Free on Kindle Unlimited or can be purchased here:
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2ZE5Jis
Emma's Romantic Reviews 