Scan barcode
mackann25's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
justafellowreader's review
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I don’t know what it was about this book, but I really enjoyed it! I have never read a boxing romance before and I just thought it was so fun and different! This book was the perfect mix of light and fluffy but also really great character development!
My highlight of this book was definitely the chemistry between Romeo and Demi! They worked really well together, and I love their banter and how they went from disliking each other to falling head over heels in love! The little things they did for each other was perfect, and I loved watching their relationship grow and seeing both of them learn to be vulnerable and to be truthful about their past! I thought they had good communication which helped with their connection, and is something I love to see in romance books! Romeo and Demi were a perfect grumpy/sunshine couple and I love seeing their different point of views on things but how they still worked really well together!
I also really liked the characters individually and loved hearing more about their past and what made them who they are! I loved learning a bit more about each character and I love the way there was a bit of mystery behind what had happened to the characters and how we learned through reading! The side characters were also amazing and really added to the overall story and the small town vibes!
Overall, this was a really fun sports romance about boxing that keep me hooked the whole time! It had a bit of difficult subjects but I think it was overall well done! It took me a little time to get into initially, but overall I really enjoyed it and I’m excited for the rest of the series!
4.25⭐️
sophieshelves's review against another edition
3.0
The plot was good but it was just way to insta-lovey for me. Like I need the angst and the drama within their relationship not just what’s happening around them
lilyya's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars
they said that the third time’s a charm. it turned out to be true. i have previously read only a couple of books by Laura Pavlov and to say that i did not enjoy them is an euphemism. for a few years now, she held a special spot on my redhibitory-authors-list. but i wanted to give her one last chance with this one because i have seen one too many raving reviews. I'm pleased that I did it because the author's writing has drastically improved. compared to her previous writing style, the scenes were more throughly described and explored in greater detail. i loved how the protagonists were maculated with complex flaws and how their personalities layered with various colors that played a role in building their epic relationship. even the suspense aspect of the narrative was enhanced by brilliantly woven subplots and endearing side personages.
P.S. : love me a good fighter as a mmc
“he kissed me like I was the air he needed to breathe.
he kissed me like this was forever.”
they said that the third time’s a charm. it turned out to be true. i have previously read only a couple of books by Laura Pavlov and to say that i did not enjoy them is an euphemism. for a few years now, she held a special spot on my redhibitory-authors-list. but i wanted to give her one last chance with this one because i have seen one too many raving reviews. I'm pleased that I did it because the author's writing has drastically improved. compared to her previous writing style, the scenes were more throughly described and explored in greater detail. i loved how the protagonists were maculated with complex flaws and how their personalities layered with various colors that played a role in building their epic relationship. even the suspense aspect of the narrative was enhanced by brilliantly woven subplots and endearing side personages.
P.S. : love me a good fighter as a mmc
thewordslinger's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This isn't my favorite Laura Pavlov book. But it isn't a bad book either.
I think my biggest issue is that everything felt very surface level.
They were dropping the L bomb only halfway through the book, and it didn't feel earned. There were time jumps that skipped ahead days or weeks at a time, and that really didn't help the development of the relationship at all. When I'm <i>startled</i> by a love confession, you know you've fucked up and said it too early.
The drama was also sort of glossed over in a way that made me feel gross. The fight was an interesting plot-point, but there were other, darker elements of this story that never really get resolved when they absolutely needed to be addressed.
Slade's addiction/rehab journey isn't fully resolved by the end of the story. He's actually exactly where he was at the start--nothing's changed. I'd have liked to see him make marked improvements. If you're going to bring up such an important, poignant and heavy topic, you need to treat it with respect. Not just leave it with frayed ends.
And perhaps more important (in my opinion) was the issue with Ronny. We're told at the end of the book that Ronny's family is tied up in legal battles trying to keep their rapist fuckboy son out of the big house. While this is typical of rich aholes to find loopholes and to pay their way out of consequences, I was REALLY hoping we'd see him get justice. This is a romance book, damnit, you're really gonna give me the fakest relationship instalove imaginable and NOT put a rich rapist behind bars (or dead in a ditch, somewhere)?? Shame!
If there had been more <i>depth</i> to this story, this could easily have been a 5 star read. I did enjoy the boxing match and the training lead-up to it. I liked the FMC and the MMC. And I liked them together. I enjoyed the friend-group too. And Cutler (AKA Beefcake) was a riot. We had all the elements necessary for a great story--I just don't think things were mixed well or cooked long enough.
I think my biggest issue is that everything felt very surface level.
They were dropping the L bomb only halfway through the book, and it didn't feel earned. There were time jumps that skipped ahead days or weeks at a time, and that really didn't help the development of the relationship at all. When I'm <i>startled</i> by a love confession, you know you've fucked up and said it too early.
The drama was also sort of glossed over in a way that made me feel gross. The fight was an interesting plot-point, but there were other, darker elements of this story that never really get resolved when they absolutely needed to be addressed.
Slade's addiction/rehab journey isn't fully resolved by the end of the story. He's actually exactly where he was at the start--nothing's changed. I'd have liked to see him make marked improvements. If you're going to bring up such an important, poignant and heavy topic, you need to treat it with respect. Not just leave it with frayed ends.
And perhaps more important (in my opinion) was the issue with Ronny. We're told at the end of the book that Ronny's family is tied up in legal battles trying to keep their rapist fuckboy son out of the big house. While this is typical of rich aholes to find loopholes and to pay their way out of consequences, I was REALLY hoping we'd see him get justice. This is a romance book, damnit, you're really gonna give me the fakest relationship instalove imaginable and NOT put a rich rapist behind bars (or dead in a ditch, somewhere)?? Shame!
If there had been more <i>depth</i> to this story, this could easily have been a 5 star read. I did enjoy the boxing match and the training lead-up to it. I liked the FMC and the MMC. And I liked them together. I enjoyed the friend-group too. And Cutler (AKA Beefcake) was a riot. We had all the elements necessary for a great story--I just don't think things were mixed well or cooked long enough.
whendevreads's review against another edition
4.0
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. At first, it was a little hard to get into because I found the dialogue a little stilted & awkward but I am so glad I pushed through because it quickly got so much better.
I am a sucker for any sports romances, but especially stories where the MMC is a boxer. I’m not sure what it is but I love a boxer. I have seen the first 2 or 3 Rocky movies and I loooove Creed. Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not going to sit and watch boxing on television like with Conor McGregor or whoever the current professional boxers are. But there is something so attractive about a boxer.
This was definitely the case with Romeo Knight. First of all, what a boxer name, I mean come on. Even if he didn’t have “Golden Boy” as his nickname, he was set up with his real name. He is one of my favorite MMCs from a KU book in quite a while. He’s not clingy or super overprotective, he lets the FMC fight her own battles and decide things on her own time. He is the king of communication, honestly, which is such a green flag.
I am so happy I found this one on KU and I’m anxiously waiting the second book in this series. I am going to have to go back to her other series to read Lincoln’s story!
I am a sucker for any sports romances, but especially stories where the MMC is a boxer. I’m not sure what it is but I love a boxer. I have seen the first 2 or 3 Rocky movies and I loooove Creed. Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not going to sit and watch boxing on television like with Conor McGregor or whoever the current professional boxers are. But there is something so attractive about a boxer.
This was definitely the case with Romeo Knight. First of all, what a boxer name, I mean come on. Even if he didn’t have “Golden Boy” as his nickname, he was set up with his real name. He is one of my favorite MMCs from a KU book in quite a while. He’s not clingy or super overprotective, he lets the FMC fight her own battles and decide things on her own time. He is the king of communication, honestly, which is such a green flag.
I am so happy I found this one on KU and I’m anxiously waiting the second book in this series. I am going to have to go back to her other series to read Lincoln’s story!
ever_after1020's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0