Valor of Steele — Carrie Thomas

Defeat stings, but victory burns.Trevor Steele has had plenty of professional success, both as heavyweight champion of the American Fighting League (AFL) and in owning his own gym. But now that he's officially retired from fighting, he's finding it tough to reconcile the man he is with the fighter he used to be. Enter a feisty distraction named Navie Fuller, who just so happens to be adjusting to a new life herself. Navie is no stranger to the cage nor the athletes who fight inside it. She was raised to be the beautiful but silent face behind the AFL, and her father - the CEO of the league - doesn't support her aspirations of training for her own fight. Navie has spent her life conforming to her father's demands, putting her dreams on hold to please the man who raised her. Not anymore.Determined to know every side of the business before launching a professional women's league, Navie quits her job with the AFL and leaves her privileged life in California behind, ready to combat her way to the top of a sport she's loved from afar, one uppercut at a time. What she doesn't expect to find is a burning passion for the man who commits to helping her get there. As things heat up inside-and outside-of the cage, Navie's new life is threatened when her father blackmails her, reminding everyone who holds the purse strings and the power in the world of cage fighting. Faced with a battle they're sure to lose, Navie and Trevor must decide if they're willing to risk defeat to prove they have a love worth fighting for.