LOVED this book!! Cindi Madsen dives into the MMA world with a flourish as she brings us the story of Shane and Brooklyn. Shane Knox is a former MMA star who is trying to regain his reputation and win a comeback fight. Brooklyn is the daughter of the man who has agreed to take a chance on Shane. Training and working on his comeback with Brooklyn's brothers and father is an opportunity Shane can't afford to screw up yet Brooklyn is too tempting to ignore. Brooklyn knows first hand that dating a fighter her father is working with can lead to all sorts of trouble. Been there. Done that. That's why she's sworn off the bad boy fighter types. She has to admit though that there is something about Shane that calls to her. Will she repeat the mistakes of her past or will she have the strength to resist temptation.

As expected from Cindi Madsen the story is wonderfully written and these characters will pull you in immediately. Their chemistry is also undeniable. This is a book I highly recommend.


Trigger alert - When the story first starts Brooklyn is involved with another man. Nothing happens between Shane and Brooklyn until she is clear of that relationship though.

Until you're mine was a new read by this author and I LOVED it. Definitely won't be my last. Real page turner. I couldn't put it down.

I almost wasn't interested in reading this because I am not a fan of MMA, but I am so glad my love of Cindi's writing made me go ahead. Brooklyn and her two older brothers grew up in their father's training gym. His past as a great fighter inspired her brothers to follow that path, but she wanted something different. When she puts her life on hold and comes back to help them for a summer, she's not expecting to get pulled back in, but there's Shane. He's training at the gym and trying to get his career back. Both Brooklyn and Shane have a bunch of reasons they shouldn't be interested in each other, but they are drawn together like magnets. I loved the anticipation and build up in this book. Good story, likable characters, and great ending. Looking forward to the next book already.

Having read Cindi's hockey books I was very excited for her to start a new sport series; while there was a detail that caused me a bit of trouble, overall the book was great and I think it's a great first installment in this new series. I'm already looking forward the upcoming stories!!

Our main heroine is called Brooklyn and despite her family, father and brothers are all immerse in the MMA world, she'd like to keep her distance from that world, and she's actually an artist.
On the other hand we have Shane, who was a very successful fighter until certain things happened and now he's trying to make a comeback, under the gym that belongs to Brooklyn's family.
Now I think both are great characters and I won't lie I totally fell for Shane, but I did have a bit of an issue with the fact that at the start Brooklyn has a boyfriend, there is no actual cheating but with all the banter, innuendos, it's all very intense so I'd have preferred for that issue to be solved sooner.

It starts a bit slow but it's all building up. There are great supporting characters, I loved Brooklyn’s brothers and can't wait to read their stories. Overall, this was a really good read, and it's a great set-up to a new series!

**3.5 stars** Until You’re Mine is the first book in Cindi Madsen’s new ‘Fighting For Her’ series. I haven’t read many books in this genre (MMA books), but because it was Cindi Madsen and I really liked the synopsis, I definitely wanted to read this one.

Shane and Brooklyn had explosive chemistry together. When they first meet, you can tell these two aren’t going to be able to stay away from each other for very long.

Brooklyn is back temporarily for the summer at her family’s training gym in San Diego to help them sort out the financial side of things and all the paperwork and bills that have piled up. She’s been pursing her dream of being an artist and isn’t planning on getting sucked back into the MMA fighting world. She’s been hurt in the past by one of their ex-fighters and has a strained relationship with her father. Shane is working on getting his life back in order after losing a couple fights in the past due to personal reasons and hopefully land a fight that will get him back on top.

But Brooklyn has a boyfriend. He’s back at home in San Francisco and the long-distance thing isn’t helping her when it comes to staying away from Shane. I did have some issues with this part of the story. There was a fine line there and what constitutes as possible cheating. There may have not been physical stuff that happened, but…I wish Shane would have been more respectful of the fact that she was in a relationship and backed off a bit until she could sort out what was going to happen between her and boyfriend.

The second half of the book had me more engaged when there was the freedom of their relationship. But it isn’t an easy road for these two to their HEA. They will have to work for it and not give up their dreams for the other person.

All in all, I did enjoy it. The hot, sexy scenes, the funny banter, and the emotions felt were strong in this one. I’m definitely looking forward to the future books in this series!

I have very mixed feeling about Until You're Mine.
I struggled reading the first half of this book because Brooklyn is in a long distance relationship, makes it well known to Shane, and they still blur lines.
They continually find themselves in situations where touches are allowed and linger and innuendos and desires are stated.
Brooklyn seldom dishes them out but she allows her line to be blurred. There is most definitely emotional infidelity and it can be just as bad, if not worse than physical infidelity.
Then Brooklyn and her boyfriend break up and I really began to enjoy Brooklyn and Shane's relationship and dynamic.
They just fit.
Shane's had a tough life and only 2 people have ever stuck by in good times and bad.
Brooklyn has grown up in an MMA centered family and she's always had to sacrifice her wants and desires for her family.
Neither are a stranger to disappointment, and neither want to be that for the other.
Shane really turned out to be an amazing man and made sticking out the first half worth it.
1st half: 2 stars
2nd half: 4 stars
Average: 3 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for providing an advance copy of this book which I voluntarily read and honestly reviewed.

This was sexy as hell. Such a well written book with characters that make you feel something. Sinfully delicious.

This is my first book by this author. I haven't read an MMA book in quite some time so I was looking forward to reading this. I did have a couple of problems with the story. For the first half of the book, I could not stand Knox. He knew right from the beginning that Brooklyn had a boyfriend and he was all up in her grill, all the time. I just wanted to scream at the pretend dude to back the hell off! No really, simmer down there Casanova. Usually in my fake reading world stuff like this doesn't bother me. But it really bothered me this time because it just wasn't a little bit here or there, it was like 50% of the book! What?! Why did it have to drag on that way for so long? I was quickly losing interest and kept putting the book down. I did finally get through it but it took me 2 days and I was skimming towards the end. There is a lot of internal monologue so I think that was another thing that got me skimming. I'm a dialogue whole, I think it makes the story flow better.

What I did like was Brooklyn's 2 brothers. One is missing his best friend big time and it's the next book and it looks pretty interesting. I dig the whole friends to lovers troupe.

I loved this book lots!!!

Shane Knox ♡♡ I loved his character alot. MMA fighter, funny, sexy & hot yessss please.

I havent read an MMA book in a while and this was right up my street.

Plus it's my first read for 2018!! Xx

I am one who is picky about fighter romances. This one thankfully made it to the table of "alright" as a book in general.
I truly did enjoy this bool. The ups and downs, the obstacles that came in between both characters is one that I found unique in a fighter romance. I am usually very picky about the whole aspect of any of the characters having a partner that is not supposed to be the one and only, but with this one I let it slide.
I highly recommend this novel to those who are looking for an angsty romance, filled with an intense amount of dirty thoughts and games that make you drool for more and more.

I’m normally not a big fan of MMA books but I think Cindi Madsen has changed my mind. As with all her books, this book is swoon worthy with the perfect blend of humor, romance and sweet moments.
I liked both Shane and Brooklyn and they made the perfect couple. Both have overcome some crappy stuff in their past and had different ways to deal with that but yet they made the perfect couple and balanced each other out .
While I enjoyed both I liked Brooklyn a bit more, while she was funny and confident she was not as cocky as Shane. But I think that is why they were made for each other.
I really enjoyed this book a lot, while of course a bit predictable we still get some nice surprises, awesome characters main and side that kept me glued to the page., Plus we get a gym full hot and sweaty guys, so what’s not to love.
Once again Madsen done it again and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series already.
I rate this nook 5 ★

I loved Brooklyn and Shane. The romance was hot, steamy and unable to avoid. Shane is a mma fighter who knows what he wants

I received a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Well, this was my first read from the author and let me tell you that it didn’t convinced me to get all of her books. However I’m going to try because a lot of negative things regarding this story originated from the plotline and not necessarily the writing.

From this point there are going to be some minor spoilers. I usually write spoiler free reviews but to adequately explain my reasons for disliking it I needed to reveal some things.

I really liked the synopsis and the idea of the premise of the story. Unfortunately it quickly became obvious that I’m going to have problems with it because it presented one of the things that I hate in books. SPOILER!! Which is when either the hero or the heroine, don’t exactly cheat but close enough. You see Brooklyn had a boyfriend for almost half of the book, yet she still shamelessly flirted and went on ‘dates’ with Shane, which is just didn’t sit well with me at all.
Just this fact projected an enormous negative impact on this book for me alas it already started out with a disadvantage, it irritated me. However this is not the entire reason I down rated the book so much. For me Until you’re mine was a story that I seen numerous times before, there was nothing new in it and it was predictable. I truly bored by it and even contemplated DNF-ing it a couple of times.

The sad thing is that even if I tried to overlook the elements that purely personal preference things I still couldn’t give it a much better rating. Why? Because apart from the kinda boring and standard plotline I think the writing style is not the best either. Personally I found it average and so dense that it was hard to get into the story. I don’t know it I felt so strongly against it because paired with my other problems it got amplified or it is like this all the time. For this I need to check out one of the author’s other book.

I was disappointed because this book looked so promising and I was desperately looking for a great sport romance at the time. This one was not it for me.

4.5 stars

This my first read of this author. I picked up the book based on the description. This is a sports romance focused around and MMA gym and a once promising fighter who wants to climb to the top again.

Brooklyn is the baby and only girl in a family of fighters. It has always been about the fight and never about what she wants out of life. She distances herself but comes back at the plea of her brother to try and straighten out the books. She is in a nice safe relationship back home but her heart and her libido start to wander.

Shane is so distracted by Brooklyn when they meet, he gets knocked up side the head by his partner in the cage. Romance and lust have know place for a fighter who wants to win.

The whole story tries to answer the question of what makes us worthy? Is it our family, our skills, our hearts? Brooklyn and Shane have so much sexual tension, the pages start to steam. Other than flirting, no lines are crossed until Brooklyn is single again.

Wonderful story of redemption and love. Great read!

A fun entry into the MMA romance scene. Brooklyn is an aspiring artist whose father and brothers run an MMA training gym. She spends the first half of the book fighting off her attraction to Shane, the guy they’re training up. Shane is trying to make a comeback after having lost three fights while his foster mom underwent cancer treatment. The gym is almost going under financially. So there is a lot riding on Shane’s success. But he and Brooklyn are irresistibly attracted to each other. They face a lot of barriers - her nice, but lightweight boyfriend, her desire to get away from the world of MMA and pursue her art career, her family’s resistance to their becoming a couple, the big fight coming up that is, of course, against the toad who was Brooklyn’s ex and cheated on her, and scheduling conflicts between her art and his fighting.

But young love perseveres and Shane is a charming, sweet guy beneath all his muscles. The book could have been a little shorter since it spent the first half on their sexual tension and the second half with lots of hot sex and almost repetitive scenes of the problems they face and their attraction to each other. But it was still an enjoyable read and you’ll be pulling for Shane and Brooklyn.

I was given a free ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

It took less than a chapter for me to remember how much I love fighter books. I forget that I love them, but this book reminded me that they're one of my favorite genres and I was hooked immediately by Shane and Brooklyn's story.

And, you guys? It's a good story. I struggled with my rating a bit because I do think it was very good, but I had some issues. I think my problems with it were the pacing (it dragged for me in places, I did a fair amount of skimming) and the fact that it felt a little inconsistent to me. That is, sometimes I got me right in the sweet spot, I hung on every word, I was completely invested in the story as it unfolded. Other times it completely lost me, I felt disconnected and like I was maybe getting more information than I needed.

That said, I did enjoy it. I loved the everloving crap out of Shane. I loved the intensity of his relationship with Brooklyn. I loved how they interacted with each other and, I kid you not, there were moments that made me feel like I was going into full on swoon.

In moments and scenes, this book is phenomenal and the set-up for a series moving forward is fantastic. I want to know more. I want to spend more time in this world. I am definitely invested and am definitely happy to have read this one and I can't wait to see what lies ahead!

It took me a few chapters before I was fully invested in Shane and Brooklyn, and then BAM! I was desperate for them to make it. They both had issues and I was praying that they could get past them. Shane, full name Shane Knox (and doesn’t that name just match the gorgeous hunk of a man on the cover) is an MMA fighter with a huge heart. It would appear when he loves, he loves hard, his mum being the centre of his world. He’s no pushover though and when he sets his sights on Brooklyn there’s no stopping him. Brooklyn is a take charge girl and I love how she stands up for herself, I loved the banter between her and Shane, not forgetting the sizzling hot chemistry in the mix. With Brooklyn’s art taking her away from Shane, I had no idea how they would make a go of a relationship without either of them giving up their dream, and what’s more I didn’t want either one to have to forfeit everything they’d worked so hard for. Brooklyn’s Brothers (also Shane’s coaches) are awesome, superb supporting characters with strong protective instincts. I can’t wait for book 2.
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, this is my honest review.

Shane Knox almost made it to the top of the MMA circuit until a personal issue took more presence. Now he's ready to head back up, with the help of Team Domination. Brooklyn is home for the summer to help out with her family's MMA gym, getting the books in order, before she's back to NYC for her dream art studio job. Shane can't believe how sexy Brooklyn is and it doesn't deter him when she finds out she has a boyfriend. Despite being attracted to Shane, she has a boyfriend and is true to him. When they break up, though, all bets are off! This was an awesome MMA romance read. Cindi Madsen is a great author who knows how to write books that hold readers attention till the last word!

Let's start with that cover shall we? That's one of the best covers I've seen since??? Right. Moving on. The cover is just the start of what is one hell of a read. You read the blurb, I'll hit the high points, there were no low points and this book is a winner.

Brooklyn- I loved her. The inner dialogue, the banter with her brothers and yes Shane. Brooklyn is an art student, now graduate and has a internship back in San Fran waiting for her. She's beckoned home by her brother who promises that their Dad wants to try to make amends. Right, not so much.
The family owns a gym that trains MMA fighters. When Brooklyn agrees to come home to help for 2 months she's met with months of back paperwork, bills and a huge mess and of course Shane.
Growing up in this life she wants no part of it. She's mostly made peace with the past and her father's lack of any sort of acknowledgement of her, her brothers and the gym came first. She was just a p.s. She's knows what she's getting into when she comes home, what she didn't expect was Shane. The minute they made eye contact it was game on. Shane chased and Brooklyn ignored. I loved it.

The witty banter between these two was spectacular. I laughed, melted a little (yeah I really did) he was just over the top. A really good guy. And the chemistry between these two was sparking right off the pages. He was such a tease. I loved it. He has his history too, one that he opens up and talks with Brooklyn about. She's still fairly guarded with him, trying to protect herself from falling although I thought she'd already taken the dive. But no, the way Cindi wove this amazing tale between the two it was hard to tell. Her two older brothers were always there. Her father...oh good grief, I'd like to kick the man in the pants. The man should have just kept his foot in his mouth all the time. He had no idea what came out of that mouth of his. Liam her oldest brother is seriously grouchy and testy since their friend moved away. He won't admit it, but he misses her. We get to see their story in the next book and I can't wait.

So here's the shake with this book. You have two people who care deeply for each other and they're both chasing their dreams. Brooklyn has a dream art showing and this internship in San Fran. Shane has a big fight coming up and his dream is to get back into the fighting game and claim the title he came so close to. They both know they can't have both, their dreams and each other. The worlds don't mesh. Or could they? It's a tough call. She was raised in that life, she knows what it's like. She needs to be who she is. Neither of them want to ask the other to leave their future for the unknown.
The feels are just insane in this book. I loved every single moment, the wit, the steam, the anger and frustration. Every emotion you felt.

This book is an absolute winner. It deserves more than 5 stars. Looking for to the next story.

**arc from NetGalley and Entangled.**
*I voluntarily reviewed this book. The above is my honest review and the opinions are mine alone*

Shane has a lot to make up for, after losing fights and taking a break for personal reasons, he is now back in the game, training hard.
Brooklyn is in town only for a short time, to help out her family, while she waits to hear back from an art gallery. She is not interested in fighters and anything to do with MMA, having burned her hands before.
When they meet, sparks fly but with the odds are against them, what hope do they have?
I loved Until you’re mine. Brooklyn is feisty and Shane cocky, and together they are perfect. Their chemistry is off the charts hot, their banter funny, their emotions and fears real. The characters, main and supporting were superb, they draw you in and make you smile and cry. Can’t wait to read more in the series.