Fatal Knockout is a love story, first and foremost. It is clear Ms. Nicole has dug deep and written this touching novel from her heart. Given the title, I expected the focus to be on an MMA fighter’s intense and arduous journey to succeed, and how it affects his relationship with the woman he falls for. It is much more than that. It is the story of Madisyn and Blaze, their absolute, undying love for each other, and their belief that faith will win out over the worst of times.

The chapters alternate between Madisyn and Blaze’s point of view, which is a technique I like. It adds depth to the story and makes for a fast, exciting pace. Even though the chapters are titled as to whose point of view we are reading, there were moments when it was just a tiny bit unclear. The elements that distinguish one character from another, such as speech patterns, dialogue style and pacing are very similar at times. Although… it is a well known fact that couples who are extremely in tune with each other can virtually finish each other’s sentences, and tend to sound similar. On that note I will stop being picky and concede that Madisyn and Blaze are just such a couple.

Fatal Knockout opens with Madisyn losing her parents in a plane crash on the day of her high school graduation. She feels regret and responsibility to some degree, even though she knows it’s not what her parents would want. They insisted on flying home from a business trip even though severe weather deemed it dangerous. It is clear this is a tight knit and loving family.

We are fast forwarded four months. Madisyn and her brother, Dawson now live with their grandparents, whom they love dearly. Despite logic, Madisyn still harbors guilt along with her sadness and anger at the loss of her parents. Her father was a respected MMA trainer and owned the gym Madisyn is currently working out in.

Enter Blaze Benson. Although he had been training with Madisyn’s dad, he has never met Madisyn. He watches her pounding out her frustration on the bag and, typical male that he is, proceeds to tell her she’s doing it wrong. She lets him continue just long enough to make a fool out of himself when she busts out her moves as a fighter. It’s very cute and sweet and fun. This short chapter quickly lays the foundation for the relationship that develops between them. We see the intense attraction, but also something more. There is a deeper level to these two.

“Do you want to know what I see when I look into your eyes, Madisyn?” My face confined by his brawny hands, I breathe out, “Yes”.
“When I look into your eyes, I see hope, vulnerability, ultimate and irrepressible passion. And call me crazy but I see a future – my future.”

Fast forward again. This time it’s one year later to Blaze and Madisyn’s wedding day. My initial reaction was Wait! Where was the courtship? Things are moving too fast here. And then I thought about it. These two are very young, 19 and 21. Did I really need to know details, because obviously, the author has something more in store for us. And once again, Ms. Bailes writes a short, touching chapter that makes her point of just how dedicated Blaze and Madisyn are to each other. Blaze’s vows say it all.

“Madisyn, my finding you wasn’t luck…it was God driven. I can’t promise you a fairy tale but I do promise to do everything to make your dreams come true. Today, I don’t give you my heart, because you claimed that more than a year ago. Today, my love, I give you my trust. I give you my life. Madisyn, my love for you is unconditional and sacrificial. There’s nothing in this world that I wouldn’t do for you.”

Fatal Knockout is a story about true love, hope, and faith, and how they will get you through the hardest of times. Even when you think nothing worse could possibly happen, the universe has a way of dishing out dessert. Madisyn and Blaze are served a triple scoop of heartache and sadness in this novel. There were times I felt it was too much. But that’s just me. Each instance of misfortune did serve its purpose in moving the story forward.

Madisyn was accepting to a fault. I wanted her to rant and rave and get pissed off about all the crappy things that kept assaulting them and their family. Instead, she took each piece of heartache and loss with grace and quiet emotion. I liked Madisyn. She’s strong, logical, and good in a crisis. I just felt there was some depth missing to her character.

Blaze is every woman’s dream. He’s not only a physically gorgeous man, he is beautiful to the core. He’s a fighter in every sense of the word. In the cage he refuses to be defeated and rises to the top of his field. In life, he understands that the loss he and Madisyn are handed left and right to be God’s plan, however, that doesn’t mean he blindly accepts it. He will do whatever it takes to protect his loved ones, including bending the law. When Blaze’s no good father appears, tension escalates, danger is imminent. This is what I wanted more of throughout the book. That’s not to say the other obstacles weren’t heartbreaking. Those things were cut and dried occurrences for which nothing could be done. The appearance of a no good black mailer affords more options for resolution that keep the reader guessing and biting their nails.

All in all, I enjoyed Fatal Knockout. Ms. Nicole is a very fine writer, her ability to wring emotion from the reader excellent, and she writes a compelling story.

One last note…the first ARC I received from Ms. Nicole was fraught with editing and formatting problems. I DNF’d it and explained why. She repaired the problems, and the updated version is what I’ve written my review about.