Fight Me, Baby

Vegas, Baby #9

by Fiona Davenport

Angelique Butler didn’t want to prance around in front of a crowd in a bikini, but the situation her brother landed her in had left her no choice. Then the decision was taken out of her hands when Michael “Saint” St. John tossed her over his shoulder and carried her away.

As a champion MMA fighter, Saint was used to taking hard hits, but nothing prepared him for his reaction to Angelique. The gorgeous blonde was meant for his eyes only, and he was more than willing to get the message across to her brother—in and out of the ring.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Sports, Contemporary Romance, Fighters, Novella, Sports Romance

70 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 4, 2020

About the author

The writing duo of Elle Christensen and Rochelle Paige team up under the USA Today bestselling Fiona Davenport pen name to bring you sexy, insta-love stories filled with alpha males.

If you want a quick & dirty read with a guaranteed happily ever after, then give Fiona Davenport a try!

You can connect with Fiona on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Fiona-Davenp....

Professional Inquiries: Fiona is represented by SBR Media. For inquiries regarding foreign rights, audio and other media outlets, please contact Laura@sbrmedia.com.

Reviews

[Carmen Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this writing duo for quick, sweet, hot insta love.

[Rachael*Caribbean*girl*bibliophile]

Spoilers ahead

I'm about ready to fight myself for continuing to read these books lol

Quick, dirty read
Virgin h
No details on H
No OW/OM drama
Instalove/lust


No rating( why do I keep reading these books though seriously😂)

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another beautifully written story by Fiona Davenport.

Wow! Michael is sex on a stick. A total package deal of rich, handsome and caring! He is a champion MMA fighter and when he sees Angelique in the ring he is smitten. Now all he has to do is fix her problems with her brother.

I couldn't stop reading until I finished this sweet love story. Fiona Davenport has knocked it out of the park again. I love her stories and I can't wait to read more! Safe: heroine is a virgin, hero not a manwhore, no cheating, no drama. Cute epilogue with their 2 kids.

[Darlene I read WAY to many books · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

We are back in vegas again i lovethe quick fluff series..!! Pretty insta and some steam. And i got this as an ARC.

We saw a quick glance of this couple in the last vegas book. Saint is a MMA fighter who got slammed when he saw Angelique be the ring girl and went alpha male on her. Now he's fighting her brother and when he does win hes taking her away from her jerkish guy and his problems. Their chemistry is hard and fast so be ready for that. And she didnt run away lol like most of the woman in this series.

No ow/om drama, no cheating, tiny drama, slight secondary charas, sexy times, virgin gal and no manwhore

Recommend-yes
Cover-⭐⭐⭐

Insta/love
Slight push away from h
Older/younger couple
35H/23h
No condom
Safe
Violence
Hea
Epilogue

[Somia · Rating 2 out of 5]

3 Tepid Stars

An insta-love novella that needed way more bite to it. The chemistry between the main characters wasn't really there for me.

When boxer Saint sees Angelique that's it, he knows she's the one. Persuaded by her idiot brother to be a ring girl, Angelique is shocked when champion Saint hauls her over his shoulder.

Angelique's brother Vince was a tool, the type you'd want to punch.

Acquired via KU.

[Fiona Fog · Rating 5 out of 5]

The duo of Fiona D deliver in this Vegas Novella. It's a super quick read that'll leave feeling as though you've gone a few rounds in the ring. But in a totally good way.

If your after a 30min read to lose yourself in then grab this story.

It's over the top, it has Alpha screaming all over it, and it's also so sweet. Insta love from first sight.

[Viv “BookVixen” Gutierrez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a super protective alpha hero who swoops in and saves his soulmate! Just touches every primal feminine instinct I possess!!

And this one delivers!! Heroine is being exploited by her shady brother and hero rushes in to—literally—scoop her into his arms and carry her away. Protective AND a cavaman Neanderthal??!? YASSSSSSS, please!!!

Safe. Hero’s past isn’t mentioned but he’s not a manwhore. Heroine is a virgin and belongs only to her hero. No others, no cheating or abuse of any kind. HEA with epilogue

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great story in this series! Saint is awesome and attentive with Angelique. A little drama,but mostly a steamy, insta-love story. Super sweet epilogues. Completely safe.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh! Saint & his Angelique (aka angel eyes)! He's super alpha, she's super innocent despite growing up rough. It's insta-love, super sweet, and a super quick read. I loooooved these two & especially Saint's protectiveness. Just a very happy read for me!! : )

[Fiction Junkie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great addition. I loved it. Read fast and easy. Very steamy.

[Babel · Rating 4 out of 5]

MMA fighter insta-love at its best.

This short romance is overflowing with alpha-male protectiveness. I enjoyed it a lot because it starts with a huge fighter grabbing a scantily-clad woman from the Octagone to save her from the eyes of the audience. He has decided she is his to protect, love and cherish. And that's exactly what he does in very sweet and sensual ways.

I loved how careful he is with her needs. There's a scene where he gives her a banquet of food and they talk, which is pretty nice. Of course there’s plenty of heat and some retribution against the bad guys in her life. One of my favourite parts is the two epilogues. They are adorable!

[April Symes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super hot 🔥 MMA insta-love romance that brings the funs, heat and feels! One of the best in the series!! Fiona Davenport has written another hit with a novella that brings one overprotective MMA Alpha, young naive ring girl, and their insta-love romance. It's beautiful, action-packed, hot, sweet and swoon-worthy. Saint and Angelique's story make for a great short read.

My Rating: 4.5 stars ********

[Geeky Girl Review Cafe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fighting To The Finish

I love a story with an MMA fighter, add Vegas as the backdrop drop and I'm in!

Absolutely love when the story has a bada** fighter going all soft for the woman of his dreams AND when he goes tough to defend her, major swoon!

This was a great quick read that gave me the pick me up I needed in my day. 💜💙

[Sharon Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series so much that I wish there were 10 more books in it!!!

[Alexandraa XX · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hot safe romantic love story 💘


THE HERO IS POSSESSIVE ALPHA MALE

THE HEROINE IS A VIRGIN
idk about the hero tho. it doesn't really say...
MANY JEALOUS SCENES FROM THE HERO
HOT SMUT SCENES
NO DRAMA WITH OW.
ONLY WITH OM but it was her brother.
NO SEPARATION
NO CHEATING
HAPPY ENDING! Married and cute kids...
LOVE IN FIRST SIGHT

[Ann Omasta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sexy... The perfect Sunday afternoon read!

[Kai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sadr, quick, cute read

[Chalice · Rating 4 out of 5]

The couple: Saint and Angelique

Romance genre: insta-love
Series: Vegas, Baby
Length: 70 pages

Plot: Saint is a well-known MMA fighter who has a fight coming up at the Lennox. At the last minute, his opponent is changed to a guy named Vince, probably due to the influence of organized crime. When he sees the new ring girl at the fight, he falls in love right away, but there's a problem: she's Vince's sister. Vince forced Angelique to take the ring girl job to earn money to pay back his gambling debts. But Saint will take care of Angelique from now on.

Character development: Saint's hilarious - the minute he sees Angelique in that little bikini, he was a goner. I love how he kidnapped her and dropped her off with the other guys. I wish she could have had a confrontation with her brother, though, to achieve closure in that relationship. Otherwise, it was a cute book, and I think my favorite of the series.

[Nana Pickrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was privileged enough to receive an advanced reader copy of this book from the author for a voluntary and honest review.
Wow, what a fabulous, well written story this is. It caught my interest from the beginning, the story line kept me intrigued and I wanted to know what would happen next. I couldn't put it down.

[Denice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fight Me, Baby (Vegas, Baby, #9) ⭐⭐⭐½

HERO - Michael “Saint” St. John. Millionaire and three-time MMA championship winner. Tall and muscular with dark hair and eyes.

HEROINE - Angelique Butler. Ring girl (very briefly). Tall and slender, almost a little too thin, but with just enough curves. Shoulder-length blonde hair and turquoise eyes.

OVERALL THOUGHTS - I liked it, but not enough to say I really liked it. I have some nitpicks and as the ending to this long nine-book series, I was disappointed. In the timeline, this book likely takes place about five years after the previous book, Kiss Me, Baby, and overlaps with the second epilogue of that book.

Angelique Butler is our down-on-her-luck, semi-homeless heroine. She’s got a brother who’s selfish at best, and dangerous to her safety at worst. He’s forced her into becoming a ring girl so that she can make enough money for him to pay off his gambling debt. Fortunately, that gig only lasts about thirty seconds before she’s scooped up by Saint.

Saint is a top MMA fighter who could’ve retired years ago, but has nothing he’d rather focus on other than fighting...until he sees Angelique, that is. When he learns that her brother is the man he’s fighting that night, and that the man guilted his sister into becoming a ring girl, he gets fired up, ready to fight for his woman.

Overall, the development between the couple is easy with little conflict. The brother is an issue that Angelique worries about, but Saint takes the weight of that off her shoulders and deals with him in his own unique way. I did really like the relationship between the two of them. Where the story gets knocked down in my eyes, is in the details, or in some cases, the lack of them.

I don’t love how the brother, Vince, is handled. Angelique claims that his gambling addiction is the worst part about him, but he’s apparently also a drug addict and heavy drinker. As sh*tty as he is, I wanted the characters to at least consider urging or incentivizing Vince into rehab. Growing up, it sounds like he and Angelique had a wonderful relationship that fell apart when he started hanging with the wrong crowd. I wanted him to at least be given the chance to redeem himself, but instead the authors turned him into a one-dimensional villain.

I’m confused about Angelique’s living situation. She tells Saint that her brother blew their rent money the previous month and that she’d been couch surfing ever since, which suggests that she’s basically homeless. However, a few chapters later, Saint drives with her to the apartment, which has an eviction notice on the door, but all their stuff is still inside. If she and her brother had only been put on notice the month prior, and not actually kicked out yet, why has she been couch surfing? She then says that her brother sold everything to pay the rent. I’m not sure if she meant over time, or specifically to cover the rent payment they just missed. If it’s the latter, it still begs the question of why she’s been couch surfing for a month.

There’s a lack of detailed background for both characters. We get a bit more for Angelique than we do with Saint, however, I found myself wondering what happened to her parents. She spoke very briefly about them in the past tense, as if they aren’t around anymore, and I wondered if they’d just abandoned her and brother when they were old enough, or if they’d passed on, or if they simply weren’t a close family. She also has friends that she’s close enough with to sleep on their couches, but we never learn anything about them or meet any of them.

With Saint, we learn that he’s close friends with Knox and has known the guy for probably a decade or more. Pretty much his whole life is fighting. However, we get a brief mention of him owning a horse ranch that we never learn anything more about. Does he have horses there? Is it a functioning ranch? We never learn anything about his past or whether he has any living family.

Finally, with this being the last book in the series, I expected more of a wrap-up than we got. There’s a retirement party for Saint in one of the epilogues that I thought would be the perfect occasion for all the previous couples to make an appearance, maybe get a final snapshot of where everyone is in their lives. But no, instead we get a surprise cameo from characters that aren’t even part of this series. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice surprise because I enjoyed the books they starred in, but it feels like a missed opportunity to do a nice wrap-up for the series.

So yes, I really liked the romance between the Saint and Angelique, but everything outside of that felt lacking...to me, anyway. If the things above don’t bother you, you’ll probably love this book. My hope is that one day they'll bundle the final three books, give each a extra epilogue, and just maybe one of those will feature all the couples and give at least a brief mention of where they are in their lives.

And now, a list of cameos and mentions:

--Drew Lennox appeared on page in the beginning. He’s the hero of Vegas, Baby #1, It’s Vegas, Baby. We get no update on his family.

--Zack Parker appeared on page in the beginning. He’s the hero of Vegas, Baby #8, Kiss Me, Baby. There’s no update on his family, but since the second epilogue of his book overlaps this one, there’s no reason for an update yet.

--Knox and Addilyn Dawson appear on page - Knox, throughout, and Addilyn in one of the epilogues. Their story is told in Vegas, Baby #6, Baby Blues. There’s no update on their family, either.

--Knox’s sisters and their wedding chapel are mentioned, but never appear on page. They’re the heroines of Vegas, Baby #’s 3-5, Rock-a-Bye, Baby, Baby Cakes, and Baby, I Do. No updates on their families.

--Justice and Blair Kendall appear on page in the first epilogue. This makes the book a crossover with the Love series because these are the main couple from His Love. No updates on their family.

--Thatcher and Imogene Kendall are mentioned in the first epilogue, but never appear on page. They’re also from the Love series and their story is called Her Love. No updates on their family.

SAFETY

Age: Angelique - 18-ish, but also maybe 21-ish*; Saint - 35

*Angelique’s age is never mentioned, but we do get some hints. At one point, she says her brother’s behavior began changing when she entered high school. Later she said to Saint that the issues with her brother started three or four years ago. Assuming you have to be at least 18 to get a job as a ring girl, three or four years ago would’ve put her at 14/15, which makes sense. If you need to be 21 to a ring girl, that would have put her at 17 or 18 when her brother started changing, which still adds up. The only hiccup in these scenarios is if whatever happened four years ago is separate to whatever issues they had when she was in high school.

Sexual History: Angelique is a virgin. Saint’s history is never mentioned, but I don’t believe he was a virgin. At one point he says that he’s never felt hunger or passion as deep as he feels for Angelique.

Condoms: Not used with Angelique. I assume he used them in the past.

Heat Level: Hot - 3/5 ...barely, though.

Push/Pull: Not really. Angelique is understandably miffed when Saint just carries her out of the ring, but it fizzles quickly.

Separation: No

Cheating: No

OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: Nothing romantic, just some issues with the brother. Those issues never affect Saint and Angelique’s relationship, though.

Sex scene with OW/OM: No

Abuse: No

Possible Pet Peeves/Triggers: Yes Mentions of drug and alcohol abuse, as well as gambling addiction - off page, side character.

HEA/HFN: HEA There are two epilogues. The first seems to be about a year or so later. They married the day after he proposed before heading to Hawaii on a month-long honeymoon. He then continued to fight professionally because Angelique wanted to travel. At some point she found out she was pregnant and Saint decided to retire. After winning his final championship, they throw a retirement party. Four of the guests are a complete surprise - Justice and Blair Kendall from His Love and Thatcher and Imogene from Her Love. The former couple appear on page, but the latter couple are only mentioned to soon be in attendance. Apparently Saint and Justice are old friends and business associates. Anyway, at the party Angelique, who is eight months pregnant, goes into labor and gives birth to a baby boy.

The second epilogue is four years later. Baby Marcus is now four, and he’s got himself a two year old sister, Aria. It’s just a slice of life scene with Saint trying to convince Angelique to let Marcus start karate lessons. The scene closes with the information that the couple went on to have two more children.

[Vfc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saint (Michael St. John) is the highest paid MMA fighter in the UFC and in the midst of preparing for a fight when he is told that his opponent has been beaten on the streets and an unknown is the replacement.

Irritated with the news, he’s livid when he sees Angelique, walking into the boxing arena wearing an almost-there bikini. He storms into the ring, takes his robe and envelops it over her, he then fireman-style, throws her over his shoulder and places her with Knox.

Saint is then made to understand that the weasel that he’s fighting, is Angelique's brother. Vince demanded Angelique be a ring girl as he needed the money to pay a bookie.

Vince, has always thought of her as...an object, a tool he could use when he needs her. Embroiling her in another of his schemes, he told her that if she doesn’t help him the people after him will soon come after her as well.

His opponent Sam was jumped by a bunch of thugs. Vince is deeply in debt to a known bookie and a drug and human trafficking dealer.
Sam was taken out for Vince to win the purse. But he lost and is on the run.

Saint won the championship right after they were married and had taken her on an extended honeymoon to Hawaii. He was reluctant to fight another season, not wanting to be away from her. When they discovered Angelique was pregnant, they agreed that he would finish out the season and then retire for good.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story. It was a very entertaining story and I enjoyed Saint and Angelique's relationship. The characters were relatable.

*****Blurb
Angelique Butler didn’t want to prance around in front of a crowd in a bikini, but the situation her brother landed her in had left her no choice. Then the decision was taken out of her hands when Michael “Saint” St. John tossed her over his shoulder and carried her away.

As a champion MMA fighter, Saint was used to taking hard hits, but nothing prepared him for his reaction to Angelique. The gorgeous blonde was meant for his eyes only, and he was more than willing to get the message across to her brother—in and out of the ring.
*****

I loved so much about this story. Saint was all-in as soon as he saw Angelique. He was supportive, protective, and determined to make sure that she knew she was his. I felt that Angelique was brave for taking a chance with the guy that was fighting her brother. Their happy ever after made me smile. I recommend reading this book!

[kittielovesbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Angelique wanted to be able to help her wayward brother, but this was not the way she had imagined. Prancing around the MMA ring wearing a skimpy bikini was not her idea of fun but she had to do it. The thing is that she was not in the ring for more than a few minutes before she was tossed over a shoulder and carried to the stands.

Saint thought that he was ready for anything that was thrown his way during the championship MMA game. What he wasn’t prepared for was the intense reaction he had when he saw her. Good thing that he is used to fighting because he knows that he will do whatever it takes to keep his Angel Eyes.

Fiona Davenport does it again! I loved reading Saint and Angelique’s story and it was made all the better with appearances by former Fiona Davenport alphas and their women. This one will definitely give you the one, two punch!

*I received Fight Me, Baby as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

First things first; I love the cover of this book!
Fight me, baby is book nine in the Vegas baby series. This story is short, fast paced and an enjoyable read. I read this book in one sitting and was satisfied throughout. I found the writing style easy to follow, the characters loveable and the storyline enjoyable. Michael is an MMA fighter about to fight his latest fight. When he sees Angelique as the new ring girl, he wants her. Angelique’s life is far from easy. When she meet Michael sparks fly and she finally has a home.
The chemistry between Angelique and Michael is clear to see and I loved them together. I thought that they made a cute couple. I loved how possessive and protective Michael was of Angelique.
I really liked the ending and the epilogue for this story.
The storyline for this book is easy to follow and it is an enjoyable read. I cannot wait for more books from this series.

[Cherie Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my.....compared to Knox, I think Saint is just as alpha if not more! Saint is preparing for a fight when he is told that his opponent had been beaten on the streets and a nobody punk was the replacement. Already mad with this news, he gets 100 times more irate when he sees a beautiful young woman walking into the boxing arena wearing a tiny bikini. It took about 10 seconds for Saint to see Angelique has his, so he storms into the ring, takes his robe and puts it on her, and throws her over his shoulder and out of the arena. What Saint doesn't know is that his new opponent, is Angelique's brother. He had demanded she be a ring girl because he needed money to pay a bookie. Obviously there is some drama with the brother, because there is no way Saint would let anyone have a claim on his woman but him. Sad to see this series come to an end but I soooo loved it!!!!

[GiveMeAllTheBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

When MMA champion Saint sees Angelique in the ring before his match, it’s love at first sight, although she’s a little slower to accept it, expecting him to get tired of her like everyone else in her life. Of course, he hangs on tight to his angel.

I liked Angelique—she was in more desperate circumstances than the rest of the Vegas series heroines, yet she didn’t put up a false tough girl front. Saint was so gentle with her, and in spite of the crazy fast insta-love, he wasn’t as pushy with her as some of the other guys. Still sizzling! And we get a crossover with the Love series characters!

So this is the end of the Vegas stories? *Crying face* Keep the books coming, ladies! I’ll be here waiting! I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Amazeballs Book Addicts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this one. It's been a little bit since I read a Fiona Davenport book and this one reminded of who much I love them. Michael (Saint) is an MMA fighter. He's sexy and has a lot of money but still fights because he enjoys it. At one of his fights, he see Angelique. He know right from seeing her that he has to have her. This was this part where he says, "Hold this for me." and it made me laugh. I really liked Michael, he's the perfect. Angelique is sweet and a little shy. I really liked her too. She's trying to help her brother when she meet Michael. Michael comes into her life just at the right time. He's there to help her but also they have amazing connection. These two were great together.

[Booked Every Night · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book by the writing duo. I love this series and all the characters.

Angelique is in over her head with her troublesome brother and he has her in another mess trying to bail him out. This time the stakes are higher because he has told her that if she doesn’t help him the people after him will come after her too. So here she is, signed up to be the ring girl for her brother’s UFC fight. Little did the know that her life would be changed forever.

Saint (Michael) is the top UFC fighter. He is set for another match in Las Vegas when he sees Angelique. As soon as he sees her his alpha, possessive protrusion instincts kick in and it is game over. He won’t let anyone or anything harm her.

This duo writes great stories, possessive alpha males and sweet but tough heroines.

[Wild Flower 🌸 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Everything happened in seconds 🌞 met her, immediately without introductions or even talking to her went all man cave on her and carried her on his shoulder and before approaching her decided that she was his “THING”, fought with her nasty brother which I think the only reasonable thing he did with the fine manner, took her his home, made love, made her breakfast and told her “finally” that she is his, went and beaten her brother again and threatened him to never go close to her, moved her his home, immediately and I am not saying 2 days later it is literally just the second day of their interaction, they exchanged I Love you’s, proposed to her, she agreed to get married the 3rd day they got married.

And that’s the book for you 🙂

[Kristianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know how but every book in this series is better than the last. And the series is so good I don’t know how that’s possible! This one far exceeded expectations. Sometimes good fighter romances can be over the top but this one was so perfect. While Saint was over the top in love with Angelique he was also very calm and collected not running off to fight everyone just because. I love how adorably naive Angelique was that Saint was just “giving her a place to stay”. Boy did she not realize how devoted and obsessed he was! These two make the most amazing couple and I really enjoyed this book!