Cocky Contender

A Hero Club Novel

By: JM Kelley, Hero Club

Narrated by: Morae Brehon, Lance Greenfield

I’ve been throwing punches since I was old enough to remember.

They call me The Lion: a sexy, tattooed beast in the cage.

I gave it all up after my brother’s accident. Now I’m trying to figure a way to save my family’s legacy and at the same time mend my broken heart.

I’ve been in love with my friend Soraya since the ninth grade. Too bad she’s in love with someone else. I even have a broken jaw to prove it.

My life is a mess. Until a smoking-hot little firecracker with a zesty attitude walks into my gym and turns everything upside down.

She’s got secrets, someone she’s hiding from, and I’m going to find out who.

I won’t let her run anymore. I’ll show her she’s worth the fight.

I must pull off the biggest win of my life. I’m ready to battle in and out of the octagon for her.

I’m ready to save my family’s livelihood and win the woman of my dreams. I’m ready to battle for my destiny.

Don’t think you know how this fight is going to turn out.

©2020 J.M. Kelley and Cocky Hero Club, Inc. (P)2020 Audible, Inc.

WTF.... did not see that!

The story had me all the way until the last chapter... it would have been AMAZING if the ending was different.. it didn’t make any sense n so far fetched...
Otherwise it was a great sports romance n Lance was excellent

Good addition

This was cute and funny at times. A good addition to the series. The narrators did the job well.

A good look at Domestic Violence survival

I think the Heroine probably should have had a more forceful reaction to her abuser after what he did, but the abuser was spot on. He was controlling and manipulative. He didn't keep his word and always used force to get what he wanted. He really needed a different ending though. He got off way to easy for my liking. I am pretty bias for being a D.V. survivor myself, but I need to see his ass handed to him. That would have been a more satisfying ending for me. The lead characters were very laid back. That might be because of their background in fighting as neither seemed to be too scared of anything. I was actually surprised the Heroine was so trusting though. I still have a hard time trusting people friends recommend and I am 10 years out. Still, the story was sweet. I loved his family and the Hero was adorably lovable. I was disappointed with the female narrators male accent. It made the Hero sound like a dumb brute instead of a fighter from Brooklyn. I could have gotten used to his voice being just a normal male voice with no accent before THAT accent. Total turn off when you know the character is not a dumb brute. Strong softy, yes!

very good

Loved it !! this story. the narrator is so fantastic it's like your really there!! good overall

Marco and Mila

A sultry, seductive, and alluring journey to go on with Marco and Mila. I absolutely enjoyed this story.
Narration was fantastic!

The Female Narrator

Good story. The one thing that really bothered me enough to write a review was the female narrator. When voicing one of the characters she went from a southern accent to an Italian accent back to a southern accent all in the span of 2 minutes and 34 seconds and all for the same character. It only happens once and the story itself is still a good one.

Bad narration

Ok so full disclosure I haven’t given up yet I’m only on chapter 6 and I never understood the hate towards a narrator with that being said not a fan of female narrator especially her male voice and lets get real no man talks marriage within moments of meeting a chick

A Great Read and an Even Better Listen

I've read several books by JM Kelley and have enjoyed each and every one, so I went into Cocky Contender with high hopes and I was not disappointed. Marco and Mila's story is a knockout. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story focused on family, friends, and a couple not looking for an HEA but unexpectedly finding just that. Not that the journey to their HEA is smooth because it is far from it.
HOLY WOW. The audio for this book is fantastic. I swear I was transported to Brooklyn by Lance Greenfield and Morae Brehon. Mr. Greenfield gives Marco a sexy, swoony voice with just the right NY accent to bring the hot fighter to life. He truly captures the character's sexy swagger and conveys his emotions with a voice that could melt butter. He also does an excellent job of differentiating between the other characters in the story. Ms. Brehon's narration of Mila is spot on, giving the listener all the emotions running through the character. Her vocal range is excellent and her male voices and accent are perfect for the book. I'll be looking for books narrated by both of these narrators in the future
Mila is on the run from her past and through a mutual friend ends up applying for a job at Marco's boxing gym. Marco's just realized that said mutual friend, who he's loved since high school, really isn't interested in him. Sparks fly between the couple immediately. Mila is hardly a shy retiring girl, she's a fierce spitfire and goes toe to toe often with Marco throughout the story. Though she tries to fight her attraction to him, thinking her job is only a means to an end and she'll soon be on her way, she finds the sexy, sweet fighter hard to resist.
Marco is fighting to save his future and his family's legacy, the gym they've run for years, from being sold. He is instantly attracted to the beautiful Mila, and uses his cocky self-assurance and panty-melting smile to try to break down her defenses. However, because of her past she has built those walls high. She knows her past is looking for her and she's ready to flee at a moment's notice, unless she's given a reason to stay and fight.
I love how Ms. Kelley developed this couple, their instant attraction and the push and pull between them is executed well. Their story is well-paced and while Marco has had his way with the ladies in the past, he meets his equal in Mila. She makes him work to scale her walls and it's a challenge he takes on willingly. Ms. Kelley also weaves Marco's family and friends into the story to give it a more realistic feel. I definitely recommend grabbing a cup of your favorite beverage and snuggling in with this cocky contender.

Almost...

I love this story. it had me up until the last 2 chapters. I so saw this going in a thousand different ways other than the way it went. The way Chance and Picksey was thrown in the story was so random and unnecessary without proper explaining was weird. the story builds you up to think Louis is really going to pay but that really fell flat for me. lastly Marco truly was awesome but the end for me didn't give him Justice. it is still a great book to listen to. there should also be a order on how to listen to series but with that said I have listened to quit a few of them and the different authors take on some of the reappearing main characters should add up and they don't.

Overall Angel

This was an overall pretty good short story. Marco and Mila were a prety good match together. my only complaint was when the female narrator had to act the males voice......not good.