A Christian romance in the MMA environment
Debut novelist and avid boxer Carmen Schober presents her romance novel "After She Falls", published by Bethany House Publishers – Bethany House. The book takes place in the Mixed Martial Arts setting. Former MMA fighter Adri "La Tormenta" Rivera flees with her young daughter from Florida back to Sparta, Pennsylvania. In the need of a job she ends up as a MMA teacher in the gym of her former boyfriend, Max Lyons. Ultimately Adri ends up fighting again being trained by Max, getting a divorce from Owen Anders, her husband, and has to deal with the advances of Max who is not a Christian.
This book is not something I would read again since I could not identify with the violence of the MMA environment. It is not my "cup of tea." I recommend the book to readers who are interested in MMA, but I do not recommend it to readers who have difficulties dealing with such topics as abuse (espousal, physical, mental, verbal), fighting, and violence in general. The book contains also Discussion Questions which are useful for personal reflection or for a book club.
There is also the issue that the grammar, especially at the beginning of the book is inconsistent, floating forth and back from present tense to past tense in spite of the fact that it always should be past tense and the fact that the Christian content seems to be imposed.
The complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley free of charge. I was under no obligation to offer a positive review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#AfterSheFalls #NetGalley

I liked the idea of an actress coaching a defendant for court and then trying to find out who is the real culprit, but the story was too over the top and the crime too overconstructed for my taste.
Written quite well and entertaining enough, but it will soon be forgotten.

I was intrigued by this book right when I first heard about it and saw a glimpse of its unusual cover.
For a debut novel, this book really packs a few punches (pun intended).
Adri is a fighter. Now, I'll be honest...this occupation or sport, whatever you want to call it, is not one that I am familiar with. I always enjoy reading about new things. But this one left me reeling just a bit. I think I'll say that it might be more enjoyable to someone who knows more about that whole fighting arena.
The story was well written, heart tugging, and sad. Adri left her home only to find herself in an abusive relationship. She manages to leave her husband, to save herself and her daughter, and finds herself back in her old hometown, and wanting to get back into her old favorite sport again.

This book does have lots of action - fights, relationship drama, etc.

One other thing that made it a bit more difficult for me to enjoy was the fact that it is all written in a present tense. I am not used to this, and find it easier reading when they are written in the usual past tense.

Adri as a character... I liked seeing her growth. I found myself rooting for her, wanting her to make good choices, and yet, empathizing with her no matter what. This story shows us things we all need to face - forgiveness, love, and more.

Disclaimer: I receive complimentary books from various sources, including, publishers, publicists, authors, and/or NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review, and have not received any compensation. The opinions shared here are my own entirely. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Adri Rivera finds herself in a church for the first time in years. Out of hope, out of the will to fight, and struggling with a mountain of regrets. A Bible verse reignites a spark of hope, lighting the way to her next step—leaving her abusive husband before he kills her.

Adri escapes to her hometown in rural Pennsylvania, where the uncle who raised her and taught her to fight welcomes her home. Adri’s dream of one day earning a championship title in mixed martial arts fighting gets reignited, too, despite her five-year leave of absence from the sport. She struggles with learning to live out her faith when dealing with her husband, the community she left behind, and especially her high-school sweetheart.

Max Lyons made a name for himself in the fight world, but after his father’s unexpected death he wants nothing more than to retreat from the glamour and glitz of the fight scene. He invests his money in rehabbing the old community center and turning it into a gym his hometown of Sparta, PA will take pride in.

When the only woman he’s ever loved shows up in town with her young daughter, Max offers her a job at the gym. After five years of silence, he doesn’t know how to pick up the friendship with Adri “La Tormenta” Rivera. If only she hadn’t rejected him, things wouldn’t feel so uncomfortable now.

But Adri’s back in town, and although clearly beaten down by life’s circumstances, Max can still see champion’s spark within her. Will she learn to believe in herself again?

What I Loved About This Book

I did love this book, even though I’m not a Rocky fan, and have never watched anyone fight (whether boxing, MMA, or wrestling) in my entire life. My previous knowledge of fighting comes from reading Louis L’Amour’s books where hardened outlaws and cowboys duke it out in the bar. Add glitz, glamour, and a fight cage, and you’ll have a fight scene from After She Falls.

But don’t let the fight scenes turn you off or turn you away. Schober builds a believable world where sin is strong, but grace is stronger. I grew up a sheltered Christian, but I loved seeing the saving power of Jesus working in people’s lives—even if they didn’t grow up just like I did.

A lot of inspirational fiction features middle-class white women like me, giving the illusion that Jesus is only for tidy, middle-class white people. Adri and Max remind me of my own sinful state (different sins, but equally sinful) and how true victory comes from surrender to the One who knows us best.

Trigger warnings: relationship abuse, near-rape, and a scene with cruelty towards an animal.

𝘼𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙨
Carmen Schober

𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜-
💙💙💙💙💙💙/5
(yes I did give it a six star because I couldn't help it!!)

𝙁𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙌𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚-
When Max takes Adri’s hand and raises it a final time, she feels that soaring feeling again and gives God a silent thank-you, aware that it’s much more than just a win or her name filling the arena. It’s the sound of a broken dream being put back together.

𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬-
Adri fell in love with Owen when she was an eighteen year old who was new to the world of ᴍɪxᴇᴅ ᴍᴀʀᴛɪᴀʟ ᴀʀᴛs what she didn't know was that he also liked hitting women and beating her was even more thrilling to him because she was capable of fighting back but chose to submit to him Every. Single. Time!!

It's been five years since she's been in her hometown at uncle Rowan's house but now she has nowhere else to go so she takes Eva and runs back home. Max her old friend and flame owns a mixed martial arts gym and has a position vacant but the way ahe left him still hurts so it's better not to talk to her or talk about her but Rowan and Yvonne have other plans....

Watch the tango of hearts and souls as spirituality hinders the joining of hearts but when it's God's timing everything fits perfectly ain't it😉

The author has written about serious issues that people often don't understand "the WHY?! " I mean it's a tough feat to accomplish and talking about spirituality and beliefs is hard but somehow she fit it all inside a neat masterpiece and made it a book!! The writing and plotline is so beautiful that it's hard to believe that this is the author's debut novel!! I mean where have you been my entire life!!!!! The characters are all in sync and the way she takes her characters through tough situations is mesmerizing!

So I really hope you don't miss out on an amazing Christian romance it comes out on 2nd November so don't miss it!!

I loved this book! All Adri wanted to do since she was little is to fight in the ring. At 17 she left her small town for bigger and better things but ended up pregnant and married to a fighter. Owen becomes abusive. She decides to leave with Eva and go back to her hometown and her uncle who used to train with her. Max, her childhood friend, is a trainer. She would love to train with Max, but he is still getting over the fact that she left him for someone else. This book is about love of family, friends, and God. It is faith that carries Adri through and allows her to suffer all the punishment to her body to reach her goals. I loved her Uncle Roman, Max, and Eva. Each time she tried to give Owen the benefit of the doubt and allow her daughter to see her dad, I feared for her. As Max worked with Adri, trying to keep his distance, I hoped he would forgive her. The grueling training and boxing matches kept me glued to the pages. A very different book with wonderful characters and the will to power through to reach your goals.

4.5/5 -- Adri is a young mother with a background in MMA fighting. At the beginning of the book, she leaves an abusive relationship. She picks MMA fighting back up, and this is a wonderful way for her to heal relationships from her past and make a future for herself and her young daughter. I loved watching her gain independence and strength as she trained. She’s the underdog in the MMA world, but the story builds to a major fight in Las Vegas with the top-rated fighters in her category. I know next-to-nothing about boxing and fighting, but I felt invested in every move Adri made during her fights. As the book neared the end, my heart was beating faster and faster, hopeful for the outcome that I wanted. This is categorized as Christian romance but I would go further to call it sports romance because there is a subgroup of readers that enjoy sports-themed stories.

Another thing I loved about this book: one of the characters goes through this wonderful transformation from a non-believer to a churchgoer, then to someone who is actively growing his new faith. It is a beautiful representation of what gaining new life can be! I loved this character’s true development over the course of the story, and I loved that he asked a lot of questions and was vulnerable about his doubts as his faith began to grow. Felt very real.

There are great themes of forgiveness in here but I think the best thing about the story is watching Adri blossom into a woman with strength and self esteem. Once I started reading, I really didn't want to put this book down at all. Congratulations to the author on a wonderful debut!


I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley. I wasn't required to write a positive review. Thank you, Bethany House!

This is a wonderful, emotional, heartfelt story. Adri is a mixed martial artist whose career got sidetracked when she got pregnant. After a few years of marriage to an abusive ex fighter she escapes to her hometown where the love of her life is running a gym where they train future athletes. I loved every bit of this story and highly recommend it.

I have one little problem with the story. All of the characters “smirked” at each other multiple times in each chapter. Other than the names of the characters I think this was the most repeated word in the text.

According to wordhippo.com these are synonyms for smirk :
“grin, simper, beam, leer, sneer, smug smile, smug look, smile, broad smile and grimace. “

I also feel like the characters could have had
a wider range of emotions and reactions than just constant smirking.

I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Oh my. So very good. I enjoyed every last little page. I didn't want it to end though so that made me kinda sad. But I don't regret a minute of it. Definitely will be reading again.

This sports novel celebrates mixed martial arts, redemption, and romance. Adri returns to her hometown with her daughter to flee an abusive spouse. She is lovingly welcomed back by her widowed Uncle Roman (refugee from Cuba and champion ex-boxer). Max, whom she had a “friends to romance” relationship with as a teen, is resentful of her return, but hires her on to be an instructor at his gym. The first half of the book shows Adri balancing single motherhood with work, as she begins to heal and grows stronger in her faith. Then her dormant desire to return to MMA competition is realized.

Faith is connected to the story in conversations, prayers, and times of extreme emotions. Adri and Max meet an ex-fighter/coach and christian nicknamed “Boom”. He adds humor and realness to the story. The author includes glimpses of Adri’s Cuban family traditions in mentions of food, decor, and language. The writing is in third person point of view and you are given access to the thoughts, deep feelings, and doubts of Max and Adri. As a romance, the physical side does not cross certain boundaries, while there are feelings between Max and Adri that resurface while she is waiting to legally end her marriage.

The writing mostly maintains a linear timeline with some significant flashbacks to the past. The action scenes of training and cage-fighting are some of the most compelling and agonizing. There are villains among the competitors and they add drama to the entertainment side of the professional fighting culture. This one-of-a-kind novel will appeal to romance lovers, sports fans, and those who love a “prodigal” story.

tw and cw: on page and flashbacks to physical, verbal, and mental abuse; mentions infidelity, physical and attempted SA (on page), due to the sport there are details of fight scenes and injuries

Thank you to Bethany House and NetGalley for the e-galley. My reviews and ratings are my own.

This book seemed nice enough by the cover and it was okayish to be honest .
The book starts off nicely and the development is smooth and good but the religious part felt forced and i can't understand it. You just can't force your beliefs onto someone .
I wish we could have known more about their past .

AFTER SHE FALLS by CARMEN SCHOBER is a really great read, full of action, memorable characters, and a Christian message of redemption as we see how Jesus transforms those who look to Him and how reconciliation with Him “can lead to reconciliation with people”. I like the cage fighting theme and the loyalty between the fighters and their coaches. I also like the reference to broken people being put back together.
Adri Rivera and Max Lyons are two such people, meeting again after six years during which time Adri has had a daughter and married Owen Anders, who abused her physically and emotionally, and Max has opened a training gym in their home town of Sparta, taking over from his late father.
There are other interesting characters such as Roman Rivera, Adri’s uncle, who took her in when her mother abandoned her, saw her passion for the sport and trained her to fight from the age of eight. We also see, on the opposite side of the spectrum, bullies and manipulators amongst the fighters and coaches.
It is really a lovely read and I do not want to spoil it for you by telling you any more. I am looking forward to more novels from this author.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bethany House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

I found it interesting to learn about cage fighting. I actually would have had a few more details. I think the author has great potential.