Hard Knocks (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781764233460)

With the championship on the line, Cain Weaver stepped into the ring determined to defend everything he had built. He walked out without his title and with an injury that threatens to end the only life he's ever known.

Alicia never expected a night out with friends to change anything. A physiotherapist with no interest in combat sports, she finds herself captivated by the brutal nature of the fight and unable to forget the man who lost far more than a championship belt.

When her work brings her to Hard Knocks Gym, Alicia comes face to face with Cain once again. Gone is the confident champion who reigned over the ring. In his place is a man struggling to recover from a devastating loss. Cain's future hangs in the balance. With the title rematch sneaking up, he can't afford distractions. And Alicia knows that crossing professional boundaries could cost them both more than they are willing to risk.

Cain must decide what he truly is fighting for. Does he reclaim his title, or does he take a chance on the one woman who makes him believe there's life beyond the ring.

Filled with emotional tension, sizzling chemistry, and a hard-earned journey toward redemption, Hard Knocks is a steamy MMA romance by M.A. Darke and Matt Mememaro full of second chances, healing old wounds, and discovering some victories are worth more than a title belt.