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MMA Middleweight World Champion, Jackson "Jax" Malone has just entered the fight of his life. Known for his viciousness in the cage, and his playboy ways out of it, Jax is arrested and charged with a brutal rape. The thought of spending decades in prison is one of the few things that actually scares the shit out of this cocky fighter.

Newly admitted attorney Page Davenport is willing to do anything it takes to get out from under her father's thumb and finally prove herself in his law firm. Anything except represent the infamous miscreant, Jackson "The Mauler" Malone. Despite her protests, Page is powerless to avoid becoming the sacrificial lamb, the token female, who will be the face of the violent, angry Neanderthal's defense team.

Jax is a bad boy with a temper, doing whatever the hell he wants in life while flipping the bird at all his haters. Page is the prim and proper rich debutante her parents want her to be. They've been pulling her strings, telling her what to do, where to go to school, what to wear, and even who she should marry.

Page and Jax struggle to work together, engaging in a knockdown drag-out fight for dominance. When they finally stop taking swings at each other, they're both surprised to realize that sometimes first impressions are completely wrong. In fact, opposites really do seem to attract. However, there are lines that attorneys and their clients can never cross, if Page wants to keep her license to practice law.

Will Page risk it all and submit to the cocky fighter? Or will Jax's temper and jealousy prove too much for her to take on outside of the courtroom?

Either way, one thing is for sure - neither Page nor Jax are going down without a fight. In the end, the secret for them to find heaven may be to battle their way through hell first.

This 72K word book has a HEA with no cliffhanger.

393 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 7, 2015

843 people are currently reading
2403 people want to read

About the author

Lane Hart

188 books1,771 followers
Lane Hart is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She lives in North Carolina with her husband, D.B. West, and their two children. She loves all things beach related, especially sea turtles, and is a huge fan of the Carolina Panthers.

Connect with Lane:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WritingfromHart
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lanehartbooks
Website: https://www.authorlanehart.com/
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/lane-...

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5 stars
1,620 (46%)
4 stars
1,184 (34%)
3 stars
490 (14%)
2 stars
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36 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 420 reviews
Profile Image for Ashleyjo.
826 reviews522 followers
August 8, 2015
Very few books have the power to surprise me and even fewer can manage to change my initial impression of a character. This book did both.

Plot

Is there some astoundingly romantic, suspenseful, creative, or special plot here? No. Did I find a new Bff or book boyfriend? No. There's not a lot of angst, suspense, mystery, or shock and awe here, but the story didn't need it.

What I did find was a simple little romance between an MMA fighter and his lawyer that's set to the backdrop of some serious, but straightforward, legal woes.

Basically, it's an easy feel-good kind of read.

Negatives: I felt that some elements lacked believability. What lawyer, for example, goes on a mini-vacation with her client and his family? Ehh:/ There were also a couple of lose ends. Condomgate, for example, was left really open; considering his level of manwhore ways, there's A LOT of potential baby Jaxs!

Characters

Jax?

Well, his intro is a feminist's worse nightmare.

He says that his four day jail stay is the longest he's ever been without f'ing someone, anyone. Yet, he hurls the word "slut" around like it's a he/she pronoun.

Initial impression...Misogynistic hypocrite.

He's arrogant and narcissistic enough to go into a lawyer meeting and expect demand his lawyers to believe his innocence just because he says so . He is pissed because he assumes from her demeanor that she's judging him. Yet, he has the nerve to repeatedly judge her as a prude, uptight, elitist, bitchy, judgmental, ice princess just because she doesn't automatically buy that he's innocent.

Again, Misogynistic hypocrite, perhaps?

All his usage of "sluts" and "bitches" immediately had me raising my hell2theNO flag:/

Clearly, I should hate this dude, as should the female MC, but damn if he doesn't go and surprise us at around 25% with two very simple phone calls that proves he's the real deal of alpha men.

His character reminds me of an onion. Chopped raw, he's entirely too potent for romance lovers to sit down and snack on. However, with just the right cooking, he becomes a semi-sweet caramelized onion.
As the storyline progresses, he continued to be an onion (ie remain true to his core character) but he loses the potent rawness that's not conducive to romance.

Page...

She's leaves quite the opposite first impression with her strong, no-shit attitude.

But, then she surprises me by being about as smart as a bag of rocks.

I hate when the MCs meet in a book and still sleep with other people, which Page does in this book.

Page has a fiancé, an asshole finance, but still a finance. Cheating is cheating, & I don't like cheaters.

She's a little too Pollyanna in thought processes about non-legal matters. She's a little to easy to forgive. She's a little to desperate and unsure of herself at times. She makes a lot of irrational, knee-jerk decisions that's aren't really congruent with being a prissy, prim lawyer.

She's the weak link for this book IMHO.

Writing Style

Grammatically, it's fairly well written. The story, dual POV transitions, and dialogue all flow smoothly and quickly. I like the author's visuals and the way she phrases things and presents scenes...

He runs his tongue over his bottom lip like I'm a brand new flavor of Ben & Jerry's. One that he can't wait to dip his...spoon into the cream, gorge himself on until he scrapes the very bottom of the carton, and then lick the sticky container completely clean with his tongue.


We're not used to having any ladies join us for dinner... One of my sons is a whore and the other is celibate. Between the two I may never have daughter-in-laws or non-bastard grandchildren.


Bottom Line

2 1/2 pass the time stars.

I'd recommend to romance readers looking for light, easy, and simple storyline that has good writing. Just do be aware that this book does contain triggers for cheating, rape, and an abuse scene.
Profile Image for Bj.
1,219 reviews254 followers
January 8, 2017
4 "Skirting the Rules for Love" Stars for the story & 5 stars for the narration!

Jax is a sexy romance that brings to the forefront the ethical dilemma that arises when an attorney and his or her client become interested in one another for more than just legal representation. Furthermore, Jax also drives home the message that appearances can often be deceiving bringing us a story that reminds us that when judging a character you should always look beneath the surface, not just base your impression based on societal stereotypes or biases.

A few words of caution are in order though. As I know cheating is sometimes a trigger for romance readers, this story does involve cheating (even if the character that is being cheated on is definitely one that readers will not feel sorry for). Additionally, a number of the interactions between the hero and heroine most definitely violate legal ethical rules, and therefore would be unlikely to happen in the real world (for example, I can't imagine an attorney would go on vacation with a client with a pending case). Nonetheless this is romance fiction which frequently includes events that are unlikely to happen in the real world--and in my book that's ok, because most readers read to escape the real world for a little while and for entertainment and sometimes dramatic, nonplausible events are the most entertaining.

Page Davenport is a newly admitted attorney who in addition to proving her worth the normal way that every young associate must do, also has to prove her worth to her family, who have always seen her as second best. But Page is up to the challenge, and when the other attorneys at the firm she works for (which include her father and brother) are too busy for a criminal case involving an alleged rape by an MMA Middleweight World Champion (Jackson "Jax" Malone), Page jumps at the chance to prove her worth, even if she suspects she might be in a little over her head.

Jax, in turn, is not troubled by having this young, beautiful attorney defending him in this fight which could mean the difference between an acquittal and many years in jail. However, what does trouble him is her insistence that she can't entertain their mutual attraction due to ethical rules (rules which, by the way, may mean she loses her license to practice law even before her career has really begun). But when Page's existing relationship with the perfect man on paper (a man with White House ambitions) turns violent, it's Jax who is there for her. Under these circumstances, will Jax and Page be able to resist their mutual attraction? Moreover, can Page adequately defend Jax and ensure he's not convicted?

Having listened to and thoroughly enjoyed Aaron Shedlock's sexy, baritone renditions in the past, I knew I was in for a treat from a narration perspective from the start. And boy does Mr. Shedlock deliver! Nailing the voice of a cocky, MMA fighter to a T while at the same time being able to heighten his voice sufficiently to convincingly portray Page, Mr. Shedlock does a fantastic job of rendering distinguishable genuine voices for each of the characters in this story.

Mr. Shedlock's pacing is also perfectly suited towards maximum enjoyment by the listener. From his adjustment of the speed to adequately convey the mood of the scene to his ability to import emotion into his voice, everything about Mr. Shedlock's narration is tailored towards allowing the listener to sit back and enjoy the story.

All in all, while the story line is Jax is somewhat predictable, it is a fun, sexy listen with some angst to keep a romance listener entertained. Moreover, if you're going to give this title a try, I highly recommend that you listen to it as Mr. Shedlock's sexy rendition makes the story that much more alluring.

Source: Review copy provided for review purposes.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
2,512 reviews86 followers
January 5, 2018
4.5 stars

I loved it. MMA fighter Jax is accused of a crime and newbie lawyer Page is assigned to his case. Yes, Jax was a man whore but that was before Page. There was a great trial, hot sex, some seriously cheesy moments and everything else I might say would be a spoiler... Loved both their brothers and can't wait to read Jude's HEA.
Profile Image for Tpagirl Loves Romance.
1,672 reviews185 followers
March 25, 2020
Jax was the first book in the Cocky Cage Fighter series by Lane Hart.

Jackson “Jax” Malone was a famous MMA fighter, The Mauler, who was the reigning Middle Weight Champion for the last five years. He had just been arrested for a sexual assault crime he didn’t commit.

Page Davenport was a new attorney working in her father’s firm and was assigned Jax’s case as her first criminal case. She was anything but thrilled and immediately pegged him guilty.

The storyline had a suspenseful vibe while Page was navigating around the details of the case. Hart also took us through the mechanics of Page’s background and life while simultaneously introducing us to Jax’s family, which will be the focus for the next book of the series.

Overall, it was a quick and enjoyable read. As the story progressed, I ultimately enjoyed both characters. Page was a little weak, but approach it as a lighthearted and somewhat unrealistic read and it will be enjoyable. For that, I rated it 3.5 stars, which rounds up to 4 stars on this review site. The flirty, fun and celibate Jude, Jax’s totally opposite brother, is up next.
Profile Image for Carvanz.
2,379 reviews897 followers
November 7, 2017
Page has always followed the path her parents set out for her. Now when she’s finally working at her father’s law practice she’s anxious to be let loose to show she can handle herself. However, when she learns she’s being thrown into the fire with a criminal case defending a rapist, she tries to figure a way to get out of it. Meeting Jax, she’s attracted to him but reminds herself he’s a violent criminal.

Jax has issues with anger. In order to help control his urges he took up cage fighting and soon rose to the top of his field where he reins. The position provides plenty of one night stands and he doesn’t hesitate to take advantage of them but he’s never forced a woman to do anything she didn’t want to do. If his new lawyer can’t get him off, he’s going to jail for a long time.

While Jax can be crude and rude, I ultimately loved him. Once he met Page he never strayed despite the fact that she was engaged to someone else. His body urges him to give in but he wants to protect Page from the possibility of losing her license if they have an affair. But Page doesn’t play fair and she is set on being with him.

I loved Jax and his family and the fact that they instantly accepted Page into their fold. Sometimes the flirting between her and Jude felt like they were almost, if not, crossing a line. The fact that she fantasized about Jax while having sex with her fiancée was unappealing to me and I would’ve rather not read that at all, but I’m particular about my H/h not being with anyone once they meet. Other than that, I really enjoyed this book and I’m glad I finally had the chance to read it.

Dual POV
Safety – see review
Possible triggers
Profile Image for Beeg Panda.
1,605 reviews571 followers
April 3, 2021
SPOILERY

AT 43%
I'm 43% done with Jax: CANNOT believe I have to read this piece of garbage just because I want to read the next generation books🤯

I’ve never used the term slimeball in relation to a female before, but here she is: the one person whom this hero has to rely on to keep him from a possible 26 year prison sentence for an offence he didn’t commit. It’s hard to swallow the fact that a woman wrote this book.

I'm all for women showing their interest in men they're attracted to.
We should be able to make the first move without judgement, I reckon.

But this female drunkenly comes on to the hero; he rejects her because she's engaged and she's his attorney. He clearly says DON'T and her reply is that "no-one has to know". He feels so cornered because he really is EXTREMELY interested in her, that he lies and tells her he's not interested. He says this for all the right reasons. Reasons SHE should have thought of, but which obviously hasn't even crossed her mind.

So, she sulks and starts on his brother (to whom she's been attracted since she met a few days before) to rile up the hero. She admits to herself that she screwed up but still acts like the childish unpleasant entitled brat that she is.

If the roles were reversed, he would be called out for sexual harassment, unprofessionalism, abuse of position of power, etc. But in this case, he’s the vulnerable one and she's in the position of power as she's the one person who can help to keep him out of prison for the next 26 years.

I can go on and on and I'm only at the 43% mark.

She makes the worst decisions:
- she only decides to try his case when she hears about workplace bets going on, about how long it will take before she buggers up the case big time,etc.
- she cheats on her bf by coming on to the H.
- she endures the abusive tendencies of her bf, for God knows what reason
- she continuously places herself and the H in situations that could compromise his defence

I really really hope the author's intention is to have the h open her eyes to the gross way she's behaving and to show us how she grows as a person, a professional and a woman who respects men’s boundaries. Because if men can grow from being slimeballs then women should be able to as well. But they must recognize the error of their ways in the first place, and we must be able to see that on page.

UPDATE:
her stupid decisions are never addressed
he forgives her for all the OTHER stupid shite she does after the 43% mark
he's such a moody broken hero; mostly he's an asshole, but he adores her - I like him so much, when I really shouldn't
she's a twit but in the latter part of the book she's satisfyingly miserable, so I'm not as disgusted by her at the end
They have their HEA, which is all I wanted for him




Profile Image for Talltree.
2,081 reviews25 followers
no-dnf-zzz-avoid
July 13, 2015
Uber-manho H, apparently H slept with 3000 women in past 11 years(!!!)
I just can't even...


Not for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Aղցela W..
4,517 reviews318 followers
November 20, 2016
Spoiler Ahead MMA Middleweight World Champion, Jackson "Jax" Malone has just entered the fight of his life. Known for his viciousness in the cage, and his playboy ways out of it, Jax is arrested and charged with a brutal rape. Page Davenport is willing to do anything it takes to get out from under her father's thumb and finally prove herself in his law firm. Almost anything when she is the token female on the defense team that is representing Jackson. These two are complete opposites. Jax is a bad boy in a bloody sport and needs angerment. Page is a rich debutante whose parents control her life. I didn't really connect with these character's like I wanted to and Jax was a total ass at times. This was my first time reading this author. This book was well written with no errors in grammar or spelling. This was my first time reading this author and I am looking forward to reading more of herthert work.
Profile Image for Pam Nelson.
3,798 reviews124 followers
November 9, 2016
4 Jax Stars

Hot and Cocky totally describes this book, it was a perfect book to read after having read a very angsty kind of book brought me right back in to the land of hot hero’s ;)

Jax and Page together make magic. I love how Page isn't sure about him in the beginning but Jax being Jax grows on her, but what was fun to listen to was how Page grew on Jax.

I love the dynamic between both Jax’s brother with not only Jax but with Page, and Page’s brother with Page and the other brothers. I hope that wasn't too confusing.


Fabulous narration, I am a fan of Aaron Shedlock. So having him in my ears…delicious!

*You don't have to like my review but its 100% my opinion, and I am allowed to have it.*
Profile Image for ⚜️XAR the Bookwyrm.
2,341 reviews17 followers
February 19, 2017
To be honest, I thought I wouldn't enjoy this book at all, despite the fact that I read the preview of it and was engrossed throughout it. This book really snuck up on me! The characters were well written, and each of them were kick butt and take names in their own separate ways. I liked watching their relationship grow into a true romance! Jax's brother Jude made a particular impression on me, and I was happy to learn that he's the focus of the next book! My main complaint was that the book was a bit short and it felt like some plot aspects were being glossed over at times. All things considered, while this is a bit of an unassuming freebie read, it is a great book overall and worth picking up and the time spent reading it!
Profile Image for Maya.
858 reviews498 followers
August 5, 2015
BASICS

Love triangle?
Cheating?
HEA?
Any Descriptive Sex w/OW/OM/Ex?
Would I read more by this author/or in this series? Maybe, but not for now.
Rating: 3 stars


Review

I have mixed feelings about this one. At the beginning I did not like to read about all the stuff that happened with OW and h's fiancé. The other half of the book was much better (when H/h get together), there you can start to really connect with those two characters and their building relationship. Really liked the epilogue, tho'. I loved H's brother and can't wait for his story that comes out next. :D
Profile Image for book_luv_r.
1,426 reviews
July 12, 2015
Even though I only gave this book 3 stars, I actually enjoyed it very much. The writing was really good, with a slow buildup of sexual tension. I would've rated this much higher but there were too many cheesy moments. Jax was very hot and came across like you would expect from a MMA Fighter. My problem lies with Page, his supposed high powered attorney. She comes across as a brainless twit, with zero morals. She should've been a paralegal or an assistant investigator at best. No lawyer defending a man for rape charges would act the way she did. She cheats on her fiance without any remorse, which could have been written differently. I kept thinking in my head throughout the story that she had only "one job" to do and failed miserably. I'm looking forward to Logan's story. I hope she makes his love interest have more of a backbone...
Profile Image for Cyndi Marie ☆★Audiobook Addict★☆.
1,621 reviews159 followers
July 19, 2019
🎧 Audio Review 🎧

What a good book! It was hot and cocky and all around a fun book to listen too! Jax starts off being a cocky jerk, Page starts off acting like a clueless new lawyer with no backbone at all but then they both change! He becomes a sweet and sex guy who just wants everyone to believe him and Page finally go for what she wants no matter what her family thinks. Their relationship is snarky but hot. They had great sexual tension.

The narration was great! Aaron Shedlock did a fantastic job. I probably would have loved this Audiobook more if it had dual narration but since it didn't, Aaron was the way to go!
Profile Image for Teri.
1,801 reviews
December 13, 2019
1 star? maybe 2 ? i don't know, I'll go 2 because I think...well, I liked the idea --falsely accused MMA fighter and his lawyer, okay, I can get down with that. But I found these characters not only incredibly unlikable, they also...didn't seem consistent. Some change I can understand, but they both seemed to do or say things that seem out of character.
I liked Jude later in the book, but when we first met him---ewww.
I think Page was kind of pathetic and not very smart. She was with a guy that she didn't like that treated her like shit and then she is cheating on him but first pissed that Jax wouldn't sleep with her while she was engaged. Then like a damn teenager she decided to try and make him jealous.
Jax says horrible things and is just straight up gross. Also, a guy that is constantly talking about how badass he is, well, that's not badass.
Just so many things were off about this.
Lawyer goes vacationing with her client and his brother and father.
Client's brother carries throws grown ass woman over his shoulder and carries her out of her law office.
Shitty people--fiance, Logan--yes at first he totally sucked, page's father. The whole thing with Jax's mom...was that even necessary?
I did like that
Actually after more thought I’m dropping to one star. When i finished i had forgotten some of the comments about rape and sexual assault that were rather appalling. I’ve now remembered. Ugh.
Profile Image for Nance.
1,602 reviews115 followers
October 30, 2017
Totally enjoyed this book! Who doesn't love a good MMA romance especially when the fighter was one gorgeous mountain of a man! Jackson Malone doesn't take no s**t from no one, but when he finds himself arrested and accused of a crime he didn't commit, he needs the best lawyer money can buy. Unfortunately, when he sees who will represent him, he has his doubts. Page Davenport is young and wet behind the ears. She's never defended a criminal case before, and she's pretty sure that she won't be able to help this egotistical jerk. But, as she gets to know Jax, she believes in him and knows that he's telling the truth.

I had to laugh-out-loud many times with Page's ability to try to not curse. She said some pretty funny stuff. And, Jax, had no filter whatsoever. Totally spoke his mind! They just seemed to have such great chemistry just talking and in the bedroom. I really loved the side characters! Jax's brother, Jude, was hilarious! Can't wait to read his book next. This book was sexy and comical with a great romance portrayed! Ms. Lane does not disappoint...
Profile Image for Sara Oxton.
3,790 reviews17 followers
June 30, 2017
Jax by Lane Hart a sublime five-star read. This is the first book in the cocky cage fighter series, and what a first book, it really does kick off with a bang (Topped off with muscular legs attached to a majorly hot body)
MMA middleweight world champion Jackson ‘Jax’ Malone is a man in a pickle, when he is at the top of his game never having a loss, he gets arrested and charged with a brutal rape and he faces the chance that he may face his biggest loss imaginable. The loss of his freedom, for a lot of years. On the surface he is a violent, angry Neanderthal that looks guilty, but underneath there’s more to Jax that meets the surface, and I am not just talking about the rock-hard abs and face of a dirty angel.
Page Davenport has always been told what to do, from a young age she has been told, marry a rich man or follow the family business and become a lawyer. Page has always been one to follow the rules, and when her Daddy tells her that she will be representing MMA champ Jackson ‘The Mauler’ Malone on his brutal rape charge, and how she will be just the thing the jury needs a token female looking pretty.
There are lines that mustn’t be crossed between lawyer and client, but that won’t be a problem as she thinks he’s guilty and wouldn’t go near him alone, would she?
The characters in this book are great, I adore Jax’s little brother Jude and his Dad, I can’t wait to hear more from them, Lane Hart does a great job as you fall in love with some of the characters and want to throat punch some as well (But I will leave who as a surprise).
Profile Image for Nikki Long.
151 reviews10 followers
March 10, 2025
Page a new attorney at her fathers law firm- is assigned to the case of mma fighter Jackson Malone who has been charged with rape and strangulation. Page’s father thinks it’s best that a female represents Jackson. A fast paced story, that I throughly enjoyed.
Profile Image for Julie.
1,688 reviews20 followers
September 19, 2016
MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS - Jackson is a total player & it grossed me out a bit - at one point when he is facing serious jail time for allegations of rape & abuse, his beautiful lawyer Page asks him how many women he's slept with. OK so Jackson has an incredibly hot body, he's a top MMA fighter & risks losing his career & his reputation. The thought of spending 30 years in jail for screwing a girl who basically threw herself on his penis? That is crazy! But he admits to Page that he screwed probably 4-5 women during the week, every week. The math makes me very disturbed!! It doesn't stop Page from falling head over heels & deeply in lust with Jax, and likewise he finds a classy woman who is worth his time. I really did like the story but didn't Jax make his own bed? In the end he realizes that that hard lesson. He calls women b**ches a lot and it bothered me, he has very little respect for women. In the end I see his point, his groupies line up to take whatever crumb he happens to throw their way, totally easy & if this is all he sees no wonder he figures all women are this way. Jax & Page do have a great thing together & it was a pretty decent story.
Profile Image for Heidi Dover.
1,525 reviews6 followers
March 23, 2016
This was a no for me for a few reasons. First, I did not like or feel for the characters at all. All acted like a bunch of 12-year-olds who had been raised by wolves, and knuckleheaded ones at that. Second, let's not even get into the total lack of believability or any remote sort of reality in relation to her being a lawyer. That was waaaay badly done - she not only acted like no lawyer ever, no newbie lawyer would ever in any realm of even remote believabilty would be put into that situation, no matter the sad try at an explanation (and then even that explanation was ignored - hello, what happened to the actual experienced lawyer in the firm sitting second chair in, well, any of the appearances? UGH). Then what set my teeth right off the bat is the referral to any woman who looked at him sideways being called a bitch, slut, cunt, etc etc by both male AND female MCs (and this despite the fact that for some unknown reason the female MC substitutes her curses - along the "son of a biscuit" lines, whhyyyy?) Good holy moly, the slut shaming and, hello, take a look at yourselves, you judgey mcjudgersons. And, thinking of that, also setting me on edge right away was how absolutely set in stone judgmental she was when she first even just heard of him. He was a woman battering rapist in her mind even before he walked into the conference room. Pretty sure this was supposed to show how scary he was, but it just made the female MC an immature judgey little girl who should never be sitting in the seat of a lawyer. Which brings me back to my first point--well, been there. Also, this had that kinda immature, less-polished, whatever voice that irritates me - likely a personal peeve, but there were editing issues, too. And gems like "Only two very thin pieces of fabric keep us from finding out how well his enormous key will fit into my throbbing lock." Or "It's like he's finally speaking the native tongue of my pussy." Right? Yeah. And so I did skim through to the end, only to find the eye-rolly ending.
Profile Image for Coco.V.
50k reviews129 followers
Want to read
December 26, 2017
💝 FREE on Amazon today (12/26/2017)! 💝

Blurb:
MMA Middleweight World Champion, Jackson "Jax" Malone has just entered the fight of his life. Known for his viciousness in the cage, and his playboy ways out of it, Jax is arrested and charged with a brutal rape. The thought of spending decades in prison is one of the few things that actually scares the shit out of this cocky fighter.

Newly admitted attorney Page Davenport is willing to do anything it takes to get out from under her father's thumb and finally prove herself in his law firm. Anything except represent the infamous miscreant, Jackson "The Mauler" Malone. Despite her protests, Page is powerless to avoid becoming the sacrificial lamb, the token female, who will be the face of the violent, angry Neanderthal's defense team.

Jax is a bad boy with a temper, doing whatever the hell he wants in life while flipping the bird at all his haters. Page is the prim and proper rich debutante her parents want her to be. They've been pulling her strings, telling her what to do, where to go to school, what to wear, and even who she should marry.

Page and Jax struggle to work together, engaging in a knockdown drag-out fight for dominance. When they finally stop taking swings at each other, they're both surprised to realize that sometimes first impressions are completely wrong. In fact, opposites really do seem to attract. However, there are lines that attorneys and their clients can never cross, if Page wants to keep her license to practice law.

Will Page risk it all and submit to the cocky fighter? Or will Jax's temper and jealousy prove too much for her to take on outside of the courtroom?

Either way, one thing is for sure - neither Page nor Jax are going down without a fight. In the end, the secret for them to find heaven may be to battle their way through hell first.

This 72K word book has a HEA with no cliffhanger.
Profile Image for Jan .
2,156 reviews45 followers
June 17, 2018
Jax, a COCKY cage fighter. I really do love these types of story's, manwhore meets girl who turns his whoring little world upside down and he sees the error of his ways.

Jax is definitely a manwhore with a big COCKY attitude to match, he's the undefeated champion with girls falling over themselves to be with him until he is wrongly accused of rape by an attention and money grabbing fan/stalker.

Page is newly a qualified lawyer and had always felt belittled by her brother and father who are both lawyers so when she is given Jax's case she wants to prove to them that she can do it.

Jax and Page instantly rub each other up the wrong way with assumptions about each other causing the wrong kind of sparks. Jax assumes Page is a spoiled princess while Page takes some convincing over Jax's innocence because of his reputation.

Jax is definitely innocent and Page is nothing like a spoiled princess, so once the battle lines have faded the attraction begins to simmer and the two are on a mission to prove Jax's innocence.

A fast paced read with lots of chemistry in the mix. Great characters, loved Jax's brother too who brought humour into the plot and I immediately purchased Jude after I finished Jax's story.

I thoroughly enjoyed it, Jax grabbed me from the very beginning but thought it ended to quick with everything summarised or coming together all at once in the epilogue.

listened in audio which was brilliantly narrated.

I would definitely read more books in the series or by this author.

http://www.bbbf-sizzlereads-bestbookb...
2,812 reviews57 followers
July 17, 2016
I haven't read a lot of the MMA romance genre. If more are like Jax; I will definitely be reading more. They say never judge a book by its cover, but I chose to purchase Jax because of the series title, Cocky Cage Fighters. Jax lives up to the title. On more than one occasion I blurted out OMG. He is full of himself. He is definitely a cocky bastard. Jax is an undefeated MMA Cage Fighter, fighting for his life and honor after being charged with rape. Page Davenport is supposed to be just the face of his defense team because she is licensed in New Jersey. She is not happy to be put in the position. She doesn't think much of of Jax except that he is guilty thug. That doesn't stop her from working tirelessly on the case. She refuses to prove the law firm and her dad of Davenport and Davenport correct. Jax stands by Page, refusing to work with another after hearing about the betting pools. Jax is by her side for much of the investigation changing his opinion of the princess. First impressions aren't always accurate. For Jax and Page it couldn't be truer. Opposites do attract. They just have to jab, duck, and go down kicking. Their growing relationship was a great read. Two steps forward. Sometime three steps back. Did I mention Page could lose her license if she has a relationship with a client.
Profile Image for Jennifer Lessard.
475 reviews23 followers
July 8, 2015
OMG, where do I begin....First of I wasn't sure I was going to really like this book to much. It starts out with Jackson "Jax" Malone, Middleweight Champion of the World in MMA fighting and he is definitely a "manwhore" and a male chauvinist. But as I continued to read I truly became engrossed in this story, so much so that I woke up in the middle of the night to continue reading. I come to find out that there are many, many layers to Jax, and I give all the credit for that to Ms. Hart because of her amazing and creative writing and how she has this story unfold right before our eyes. I has all the things that make a 5 star read for me. It has passion, love, drama, humor, suspense and plenty of action(in more ways than one). The story line flows extremely well, and I love the character development in the story because it has left me completely ecstatic and definitely anxious for Jude's story. I already know who I want Jude to end up with! Thank you so much Ms. Hart!!
Profile Image for Cyn.
24 reviews
December 8, 2015
I gave this book a 5 stars, bc I could not put it down!!

I do not want to say too much , bc I do not want give the story away! It was so sexy, fun, goofy, loving all balled into one book!

JAX is a MMA fighter who gets in trouble with law for a serious crime. Page is his attorney and works her butt off without any recognition from her family to save him!
I disagree with one of the reviews that Page is a brainless twit; actually her family never trusted her with anything , bc she was a woman in the lawyer field. She works her way up and shows them she can fight and win!
JAX is her biggest supporter through this and he absolutely adores and loves her! His family shows her love, unlike her family.

It is a very good romantic story and I can NOT wait for JAX's brothers book, Jude!

Well done Lane Hart!
Profile Image for Janet Hammons.
2,049 reviews8 followers
July 18, 2015
5 stars

Holy carp. This book was amazing. A must read for sure. Page is a great attorney but no one in her family believes in her cause she is a girl. Until Jackson Malone is arrested and falsely accused of charges he did not commit. The two of them strike up a relationship that is against the attorney/client rules and she almost gets herself in hot water but her brother realizing that Page is amazing comes to her rescue. Jackson or Jax is a big bad ass MMA championship fighter. Him and Page can't control their attraction for each other. This is a MMA romance that is suspenseful and has an amazing story line. A must read.
Profile Image for The Romance Book Disciple (Samantha).
2,116 reviews361 followers
December 30, 2018
I have mixed feelings. 1, Page cheats on her fiancee. He is a douchecanoe of the highest magnitude, but still, not cool. 2. Jax is kind of a whiny man child at times.

However, I was engrossed in the story enough to finish it in one sitting...
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