1 Last Shot

An Opposites Attract Sports Romance (The Fight Game, Book 4)

De: Nikki Castle

Narrado por: Gideon Frost, CJ Bloom

He's running from his past.

She's searching for a new future.

Their journeys are about to collide.

When an injury overturns her ballet career, Isabella decides to move to a new city so she can start fresh and discover who she is without dance. The last person she expects to meet is the angry MMA fighter living next door.

Kane has spent his entire life putting up walls to keep people out, and he's never had any problem doing it—until Isabella. Because the second the sweet ballerina appears in his life, it becomes apparent that his short fuse and brazen rudeness are not going to be enough to keep her away. And suddenly, that doesn't seem like the worst thing in the world.

While Isabella searches for a new identity for herself, Kane has to decide if he's willing to take a chance on someone for the first time in his life.

Can Kane and Isabella help each other to find their new paths in life? Or will Kane's ugly past keep them from their happy ending?

1 Last Shot is the fourth novel in the Fight Game series but can be listened to as a standalone.

©2023, 2024 Nikki Castle (P)2024 Audio Sorceress and Nikki Castle

Love This Series!

I was really looking forward to this installment in the fight game series. I’m a sucker for a dancer and the broken boy tropes. I enjoyed this story and would definitely recommend it. I wish we got to see a little more about Isabella’s injury or history with dance, but it didn’t impact my enjoyment of the story.

I loved the male narrator’s voice for Kane. I thought it was a perfect fit. His voices for the other males in the story were a little weird, but distinct which I find more important overall. The female narrator sounded off to me however. I think she sounded too old? But overall, I would listen to this audiobook again for sure.

Loved this audiobook!

Isabella is new to town and looking for a fresh start. After a brutal injury, she’s taking time away from being a star ballerina. She’s looking to find herself and what she enjoys. Kane is a hardened fighter that doesn’t really interact with anyone. He’s come from a hard life and is trying to work his way up in the fighting world. What he doesn’t expect is to have a new neighbor that comes with a trust fund.

Wow, this book might be my fave of the series. Kane and Isabella just hit different. There’s something about when a character doesn’t let anyone in besides them. And boy does Isabella told Kane’s world on its axis. What starts as a fun way to rile her up turns into so much more. His motivation to protect her at all costs. I loved watching their friendship and relationship grow throughout the book. Plus who doesn’t love Oscar. I also love that Isabella can get Kane to agree to things like goat yoga. That had be cracking up picturing this big macho man and a goat. Nikki also does a wonderful job of writing a character that evokes such a visceral emotion. Man did I feel for Kane and hate the situation he came from. I was so happy to see him finally stand up to his mom. It was also no nice watching Kane learn to let others in.

Hats off to the narrators. They both did such an amazing job! Once I started the audiobook, I didn’t want to stop. Both narrators were perfect for how I imagined the characters sounding.

This Series Just Gets Better

1 Last Shot is book 4 in The Fight Game Series by Nikki Castle. Once again I was mesmerized by Nikki’s writing!
When Isabella sustains a career ending injury, she is ready to leave New York to find who she is without ballet. When she moved to Philadelphia she definitely didn’t see herself falling for her angry and distant neighbor, Kane. Isabella saw something in Kane that others didn’t though.
We were introduced to Kane in the previous books, he is the new guy at the gym that refuses to form a connection with any of the other fighters. Kane is using MMA as his coping mechanism to battle the demons from his past. Kane has never wanted to let someone close to him due to his troubled past, but Isabella is determined to show him that he is worthy of so much more than he gives himself credit for. Will Kane be able to overcome his past for a future with Isabella?

I loved this book! I have been intrigued by Kane since he was first introduced, it was clear there was a story behind his broody ways and I was ready to find out what it was. His past was raw and emotional, it made his anger justifiable. I loved Isabella’s persistence in opening Kane up and gaining his trust. Their relationship development was beautiful and such a treat to listen to. Plus there was no shortage of spice in this book!
The audiobook was exceptional! 1 Last Shot is narrated in duet by Gideon Frost and CJ Bloom. Gideon also narrated 5 Rounds, book one of the series and his performance as Kane was completely unlike it was in 5 Rounds which is a testament to his vocal range. CJ did a lovely job capturing Isabella’s innocence and her kindness. There is such a gentleness to her voice that was perfect for voicing Isabella.

The perfect pairing for Isabella & Kane. KO!

Thank you for the ALC, Nikki!

Gideon Frost & CJ Bloom in duet narration is exactly what this book deserved. Talk about bringing characters to life!! You can feel the edge of Kane through Gideon’s authoritative and articulate depiction. How he was able to peel back the layers just through his energy and cadence. I loved Kane through and through the first time, I’ll never get over him now. CJ’s captivating warmth and understanding throughout grounded this couple and made the connection even more powerful. The perfect pairing for Isabella and Kane.

Original review:

Thank you Nikki and The Author Agency for the ARC.

"Or maybe you were tired of surviving,"
"Maybe you wanted to learn how to live, instead."

Already a Kane fan because he says what rarely any other fighter does. Fighting is not fun. Nor is training. Kane has experienced some dark times; most if not all of his childhood actually. Heavy trauma. He’s a survivor but also incredibly broken. He pushes people away before they can get to know him or care about him, but Isabella won’t give up. She can read him like a book. Being with Isabella is more than just a calming, it allows Kane to just be. No worries. No stress. He can breathe and be in the present. For her entire life, dance was Isabella’s identity but now she can figure out who she is beyond the dancer and experience everything she was missing out on. The inevitable pull from that first glance. The forced proximity. 1 Last Shot is absolutely my favorite of the series and I loved them all. But this one just stands out. I feel like it has so much depth and growth. I couldn’t put it down. I thought about it when I was forced to. I didn’t want it to end and now that it has, I miss it. Seeing the pain wash away from Kane as he experiences friendship, love and what it means to have a family for the first time, melted me. I can’t forget Oscar. I’m a sucker for a fur friend. Everything about this book just makes me happy. Seeing a life that began in such despair thrive, is everything. It’s powerful and makes me emotional. I love Kane and Isabella and I hope you do to.

"People always just see the ballet dancer." "A travesty," "They're missing the best parts of you."

"You could be the greatest dancer that ever lived, and I'd still think the rest of you was more valuable."

“And yet, when I look over at Isabella, I feel… peace. I feel peace in a way that I've never experienced before.”

"Since the day I first saw you, I've been thinking about what it would look like to dirty up this perfection."

"I want to deserve you,"

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔥🔥🔥

The best yet! I love Kane & Isabella!

I cannot recommend this series enough! Second time reading this and I just loveee Kane & Isabella - absolute perfection together! The narrators did an incredible job emulating them and I was all up in my feels when Kane gets emotional and opens up about his past to Isabella🥹 The duet format is so good, especially during the spicy scenes and omg the motorcycle and barre scenes were SO STEAMY, I had to fan myself listening!😮‍💨 And good lord this narrator saying “Princess”…I MELT. No notes, this is such a good audiobook!

Beautiful MMA and dancer romance

1 Last Shot is the fourth book in the Fight Game Series, and one of my favorites so far. I loved the ballet dancer and MMA fighter combo in this romance. This book was a little more emotional than some of the others in this series, but I really appreciated that about this romance. Kane is broken and is very withdrawn and gruff. He doesn’t talk to anyone, but he opens up to Isabella as they form a friendship and eventually a romantic relationship. I also really liked Isabella and how she never gave up on Kane. She was always there to support him, but without letting him walk all over her. They had a great relationship dynamic.

I listed to this book on audio, and it was perfection. The narrators did a great job portraying these characters. I felt like I was in the story. I would highly recommend the audiobook.

Loved this one!

Somehow, these books just get better and better. I just knew when we got a glimpse of Kane and Isabella in the last book I was going to be hooked.

A tatted up “bad boy” and a “princess” ballerina, I mean come on, they are literally the perfect match. I have such a soft spot for bad boys that learn to grow and accept the love that everyone around them is trying to give. Isabella was perfection, she was kind, understanding and accepting.

The chemistry between these two was off the charts, chapter 28 had me sweating!!!! 🔥

The narrators bring so much life and depth to these characters it’s crazy!

Sports Romance✔️
Opposites Attract✔️
MMA Fighter/ Ballet Dancer✔️

Another must from Nikki Castle listen!!

1 Last Shot as a book is amazing, and the audio puts it on another level. Nikki Castle creates characters who are complex and hearing their story makes it so much fun! The story of Kane and Isabella is brought to life by Gideon Frost and CJ Bloom. Gideon Frost as Kane brought his history and emotions to the surface and made me want to hug him. CJ Bloom truly was the character of Isabella. You could imagine her being a gentle, hardworking ballerina, who also wouldn’t stand down to Kane’s tough persona. Isabella helped Kane heal his broken inner child, and Kane helped Isabella realize her full potential. This audiobook was perfection!

grumpy x sunshine mma romance

5/5 Stars 3/5 Spice

Tropes:
Fighter Romance
Broken Boy
Opposites Attract
Grumpy x Sunshine
Trauma Rep
Faithful Companion 🐶

🎧 Narration: dear gideon frost please marry me, kthx. honestly i can't imagine a better narrator for kane. he was absolutely perfect. the way he pulled off the gruff manners of kane but also had me feeling all the feels during his soft moments. *swoon* i simply will never be over it. & cj bloom balanced him so well. perfect casting. her performance was fantastic. i loved this book so much to begin with but the audio reread made it even better. definitely recommend the audio!

honestly this book was one of my most highly anticipated releases of 2023 & it did not disappoint. kane is the perfect broken boy. troubled, angry & emotionally unavailable- until he finds isabella. 🫠🫠 perfection. the way he protects her & becomes the man she needs. & isabella & her vulnerable side just melted me. she just saw him as he was & met him there & CHOSE him 🥹🥹 it was everything. i could read this one 100 more times. it was just so damn good.

grumpiest cinnamon roll falls HARD

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧
🌶🌶🌶.5

DUET narration by Gideon Frost & CJ Bloom

The way Gideon growls "Isabella" makes me want to change my name and should be enough to sell you on the audio version. 🥵🥵🥵 He absolutely NAILED Kane. NGL I was a little nervous with a repeat narrator but holy moly did he embody Kane. And obviously CJ Bloom is 🔥 she's one of my fav female narrators and she made the perfect Isabella.

This book is a very different vibe than the rest of the series and Nikki nailed the broken boy vibe and the quiet strength of his little ballerina. Without being too wordy...just know Kanes character and journey was utter PERFECTION. He's the grumpiest grump but SO sweet and soft for her. The thoughtful gifts, protecting her, teaching her things *SWOON*

Isabella was phenomenal. She could have easily gone down a very unlikable lane but she was so mature with how she handled Kane (and her own issues) and has an amazing energy that is evident in all her actions.

Kane's fighting journey was beautiful. I LOVED how he grew an healed and how that affected his fighting game. I am someone who enjoys LOTS of sports in her sports romance and I LOVE how in depth we get into the fighting strategies and training.

And obviously the spice needs a call out because goddamn does Nikki write next level spice. The variety is unmatched... the different combos of acts and locations kept each scene unique and I am a SUCKER for the quiet grump who unleashes 🔥🔥🔥🔥 dirty talk when he finally opens his mouth. Also the tensionnnn 😮‍💨😮‍💨

Last but not least... the group scenes 😍😍 there weren't a ton because let's face it Kane was kind of a loaner but what was there was 👨‍🍳💋 the gym found family is by far one of my favorite things about this series

Read if you like:
- MMA Romance
- Ballerina FMC
- The grumpiest cinnamon roll
- Neighbors
- He hates everyone but her
- Shes unaffected by his attitude
- Furry Friend 🐶
- Duet Narration