The Clinch

By: Nicole Disney

Narrated by: Keira Grace

Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

Eden Bauer grew up in a rough part of New York with an unsafe home life and took refuge in the neighborhood Tae Kwon Do dojang. When the master of the dojang offered to train Eden as a live-in student, he started her on a journey that would eventually lead her to become the UFC featherweight champion of the world.

Eden loves competing and coaching the underprivileged kids of her community, but just as she’s getting comfortable with her champion title, a new martial artist from a legendary family comes roaring onto the scene with a dynasty on her shoulders. Brooklyn Shaw is a loud, cocky, aggressive Brazilian jiujitsu genius who’s also unfortunately pretty dreamy.

Brooklyn and Eden’s rivalry attracts worldwide attention, but as they spend time together, Eden sees past Brooklyn’s showmanship to who she really is. They ought to be perfect for one another, but can either really fall in love with the person standing in the way of her dreams?

©2021 Nicole Disney (P)2022 Bold Strokes Books Inc

Fantastic

A boxing fan from way back, I have never liked MMA fighting. It always looked like street brawling to me as opposed to the art of boxing. This story changed my opinion and gave me hours of pleasurable listening. Great storytelling and equally good narration.

A New Favorite!

This book! ….I haven’t been this invested in a story in a long while. This book has everything, heart, excitement, passion.
The author skillfully described the fight scenes in such a way, it felt like watching it. I was on the edge of my seat every time!
The tension between the characters was palpable …and the sexy parts…steamy!
I loved everything about this book, the emotion, the action, the suspense *chef’s kiss*
Superb narration and beautifully executed story, it had my emotions all over the place.
I’ve never listened to a book twice, but I will definitely be repeating this one a few times…it’s just so good!!

Yes!

This was an awesome story. I don't follow UFC closely but I used to be pretty hard into practicing MMA when I was less old and rickety than I am now, so this was a really awesome book for me.
I really appreciated the resolution.
In most singular POV books, I complain that I wish it was told from multiple POVs, but not in this one. I think it was done exactly like it needed to be.
I like the narrator as well, I've listened to quite a few books she's worked on and always liked her well enough, but I actually thought she was the perfect choice for this novel. She sort of has a sports reporter tone to her voice occasionally, and it just fits perfectly with this narrative.
This is the first book she's done that I've listened to in which she has so many male characters to voice, and she really does a fantastic job with them, I can easily tell them apart.

Great ride

This is one of those few books that was fully encompassing, one that you don’t want to end, one that you won’t want to stop listening to, and unless you find a really amazing book to read after it- that next book will most likely not add up.
I have not read a book this good that I was fully immersed in since I r ad Auroras Angel. Awesome book, wonderful narration, and I cannot wait for more from this author.

Winner

I was attentive to every detail. Loved the realism of the competition, the training. I loved the authors understanding of the sport of mixed martial arts, what it takes to be Champion. In this case the Champion was a woman. The context was so realistic it could have been a real sports announcer describing the fights. The push and pull between the main characters as they navigated their attraction and feelings was plausible within their context. I loved how the author delt with judgement and prejudice, the struggle of Brook to come into her own and all she could be on many levels. Outstanding.

Definitely going on my favorites list !!!

Definitely going on my favorites list!!!… Has everything I like in a story including passion and edge!.. And, the narrator was a perfect match!

UFC/MMA Fan Not Required

As a fan of UFC and MMA, I really liked having Dana White and Joe Rogan as characters in the story (minor characters, but they are there, and it's great!). If you're a fan, you know who they are!

The story is a unique combination of fiction and non-fiction that lets the reader into the mysterious world of MMA. Eden and Brooklyn are perfect MCs, One is an experienced fighter who has been navigating MMA for years and is the youngest woman ever to win the Featherweight Championship, and still holds the belt four years later. Eden is a meditating zen who teaches do jong, and tries to operate from a place of serenity.

The other is a young woman who has made a name for herself in the sport and is undefeated. Brooklyn operates with the reputation as a hot-head, a brute, and a brawler. She is coached and mentored by her homophobic, strict father and 3 adoring, but no-holds punches brothers. She wants just one thing: to win the Featherweight belt to bring honor to her family.

The two meet and.....

But that's not all. The twist ending had me enthralled and truly curious about an aspect of MMA that I've never thought about before.

With all of this MMA speak, I can honestly say that you will enjoy this story without knowing anything about fighting. The backgrounds, differences and commonalities of Brooklyn and Eden make for a very meaty and juicy story all on its own. It has all of the trials, all of the tribulations, and all of the feels.

The audio performance was very good, though I did feel that the narrator spoke very quickly, even without describing the fight scenes. There was also a cadence to the voice which had almost all sentences ending with a slightly drawn out lilt on the last word, It was discomforting at first, but I was able to overlook it as the story progressed.

A very enjoyable story, a good listen, and more than worth your credit or cash!

GET THIS AUDIOBOOK!

I absolutely loved this book. I listen to many audiobooks, so when I say this book is a must listen, I mean it. It's always nice to find a lesbian sports romance and this one went beyond my expectations. The main characters meet as rivals in the MMA ring and things go from "I'm going to kick your ass" to "I never knew she was so sweet" etc. This is a slow burn that will put a smile on your face. The fight scenes were spot on and I can't ruin any surprises, but ... the whole story is just so good! will listen to again

Excellent Book

I look forward to more from this author. I finished in 2 days. Keep them coming!

What a great book!

I read “The Clinch” by Nicole Disney in print a few months ago and enjoyed it so much that I just picked up the audio version too. I don’t even like mixed martial arts and fighting sports, but I absolutely loved this book.

The author’s bio says that she has worked as a martial arts instructor and her love of the sport is really apparent here.

The fight and training scenes are written so methodically that it makes you feel like you are in the ring with them. Those sections flow like a choreography. The writing also has such a high level of intensity - whether it’s the description of the training, the fight scenes, or even the steamy ones.

The narrator Kiera Grace also does a great job - you can just feel the emotion and excitement during all of the intense and adrenaline packed scenes.

“The Clinch” is surprisingly a page turner, with great characters, sharp banter, important social commentary, and a very exciting and emotional ending.

It’s such a good book!