Loved it! Such an amazing slow-burn romance that was so easy to read. With loveable characters, a great plot and throw in some real life issues (anxiety, family responsibilities, financial stress) that were all written well, and I could not stop turning the pages with this one! Surprised how fast I read this one and how much I enjoyed it! Thanks so much!

I loved it! Isla and Eric and romcom gold. I love how they both can be smart asses to each other and both can take it. And the fact Isla has anxiety and panic attacks and to me was a good representation. And started working on in and started going to therapy in the book was great. We need more of that. And how Eric didn’t want to change for someone else but him self and all he needed was a little push was great. A 5star read. Loved it.

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

This was an amazing book. It was wonderfully written. There was a lot on Vegas, boxing, and a whole bunch more that showed that the author paid attention to the smallest of details. The characters were a lot of fun to read about. I loved the emotion. There was so much of it. I liked that the author talked about more about the mental issues that people faced than just discarding it. I loved the idea of languages and poetry. It was a beautifully written novel.

The story follows Eric and Isla. Isla has watched her deteriorate because of boxing. Her mother left her and her father when she went to college but even before, she wasn’t present much. That has really affected Isla. Boxing hurts her. Now she learns that her father has Parkinson’s. He’s too stubborn to ask for help or tell the public though. He asks her to accompany him on a trip to Las Vegas because he has to train a boxer and needs an alibi if he is feeling unwell. He also tells her that she will be the boxer’s physiotherapist. She doesn’t know if she will be able to cope with the mental issues that come along with being with a boxer. She goes through. There she meets Eric aka Brick Smash. She’s convinced he is a dumb high school dropout who will only act like a neanderthal. She treats him badly and he takes offence. Afterwards, she learns that he is multi-linguist and is extremely smart. They start over as friends slowly growing to be more. But Isla can’t fall in love with a boxer. That’s her main rule.

I wrote this voluntary review in exchange for a review copy.

I absolutely loved this book. For me it’s a very relatable topic as I work as a kinesiologist and have a huge passion for sports, having been a martial artist for 9 years. I really loved the story line, the characters and the accurate portrayal of mental health issues. This is a very cutesy love story complete with beautiful poems and fun flirty banter between the characters but it’s the way they support each other through anxiety, panic attacks, PTSD and therapy that really brings the plot together for me. It’s a true page Turner, having completed it in a day. I would recommend this book over and over

Rating: 3.5/5

I can't resist requesting a book whose synopsis makes me feel so giddy!!

The Knockout Rule was such a fun read! I giggled and teared up and it was wonderful! I loved the dynamics between the two main characters, and I felt like they were both well developed and that they grew throughout the story! I also enjoyed the fact that many big issues didn't deal with the romance, such as the heroine Isla having panic attacks and going to therapy, Isla's father having Parkinson's, the hero coming from an immigrant family and trying to make ends meet, it was all so wonderfully done and I enjoyed these aspects, although I am not an ownvoices reviewer for any of the previously mentioned stuff.

My main issue with this book is the pacing. I felt like things would happen too fast or too slow, and sometimes there would be time jumps that weren't really explained till later in the chapter, which always threw me off. But all in all, I had a fun time reading this book and would definitely recommend it!

Kelly Siskind takes the subject of anxiety and panic attacks, and treats it with care through Isla. I loved that Siskind accurately portrays what it’s like to live with anxiety and panic attacks. While the heart of this story is about Isla and Eric “Brick”, what stuck with me most were the excerpts with poetry. It was beautiful and thought provoking. The Knockout Rule is part of a series, but this can be read as a stand-alone without any confusion. You’ll fall in love with the characters of Isla, Whit, Eric, Heather, and Graham.

𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: ⁣ ⁣
⁣
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Kelly Siskind ⁣
𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: The Knockout Rule⁣
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ⁣3 ⭐️ ⁣
⁣⁣
𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐬: ⁣⁣
•I was invested in the story right from the start. A majority of the book had great pacing that kept me engaged and wanting to keep reading. ⁣
•I thought the banter, the silly jokes, and all of the poems that were exchanged was a really great touch and constantly had me smiling or laughing.⁣
•Their relationship was really sweet since they started out as friends and then it progressed into more. ⁣
⁣⁣
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬: ⁣⁣
•While I love when people are attracted to each other almost immediately, this gave me insta love vibes and I just didn’t connect with it very well. ⁣
•I did NOT like the way the smut was written. Again, super unrealistic and I didn’t enjoy it. I almost found myself wanting to skim it because I disliked it so much. 😂 ⁣
⁣
𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: ⁣⁣
I just wasn’t blown away by this. The pros don’t outweighs the cons and the cons don’t outweigh the pros. I really expected to like it more than I did so I was just a little disappointed. I I am definitely in the minority though because I’ve been seeing a lot of really positive reviews on this one. ⁣
⁣⁣
𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰.

If you saw me crying two chapters into this book, look away. This is by far my favorite book out of the Showmen series. We follow Isla Slade who is the daughter of a boxing legend. Growing up with boxing as the main focal point in her childhood, has caused Isla to have a bad taste for the sport. Leading into her adult life she tries to stray away from everything boxing. Until her dad asks for her help on his upcoming coaching job. Circumstances arise where Isla can’t say no, and she is thrown back into the world of boxing.

The chemistry between our two main leads is so fresh. I adore that they have the same interest and tend to balance the other out. I love the journey the took to get to where they are at. **spoiler** My only issue is that the “I love you”s come so fast. I wish we could have breathed in the relationship a bit more, and saved the big reveal for the end.

This book touches on a lot of topics from mental health, struggling immigrant families, and concurring your fears. I think this book, as well as the other books in the Showmen series, hit it out of the park. Kelly Siskind does it again, 10/10!

****Arc was provided in exchange for an honest review******The Knockout Rule was just that, a knockout! Following Eric and Isla's story was fun but did seem a little rushed in the short time they spent together in Vegas. I really enjoyed the layers to the characters especially Eric, who had his boxing and family personas (who doesn't love a man thats good with kids I ask you). The ending was predictable, but with romance novels that is often the case and I am always glad to see a happy ending, but if that is not your thing, you have been warned. I would have liked to hear a little more about Isla's business and found myself very invested in her boss lady success. My favorite part of the book was the addition of poetry throughout to help tell Isla and Erics story was my favorite part and I would get excited whenever I saw those short lines coming on the page.

Growing up with an adoring father for a boxing legend isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. It looks more like hospital visits, bloody noses, and cracked ribs.
Isla Slade now works as a physiotherapist, helping athletes heal their bodies. Except for boxers.

This book was a cute one. It is kinda a slow burn.
But quickly picked up as I kept reading.
The characters were amazing. I loved them all.
You couldn't help but feel to be right there with them.
Overall quick cute. Good read.

Isla Slade was raised by her father, a heavyweight boxing champion, after her mother left them. Knowing that every fight could lead to her losing her only parent caused her to have severe panic attacks. She is determined never to live that fear again so when she starts her own therapy studio, she accepts all athletes except boxers. But when her dad asks a favor to be a therapist for his boxing client Brick Smash, she feels she can't refuse. At first believing his public image of a dumb jock, she soon learns he's anything but. He only began boxing to earn enough money to support his mother and sister. As they spend more time together Isla realizes that Brick aka Erik is everything she wants. But how can they be together when the thought of him getting hurt in the ring causes her panic attacks to return?
I love Erik's intelligent and sensitive character behind the dumb jock exterior. The chemistry between him and Isla really worked.
Thank you to Kelly Siskind and CD books for the opportunity to read this book. I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

★★★★★

A swoonworthy slow-burn romance. Cyrano de Bergerac meets Olivia Dade’s Spoiler Alert.

Eric Kramarovsky, aka Brick Kramarov, aka Brick Smask is a 27-year-old boxer who is forced to maintain his boxing persona. The problem is, he is tired of hiding who he really is. Sick of pretending to be a dumb brute. Eric is a Jewish immigrant from Russia who grew up in the States. By the way, I wonder what’s his real first name. There’s no way his mother actually named him Eric… unless she is a stan of some actor named Eric. Otherwise, it’s highly unlikely. Anyway. Eric loves linguistics and studying foreign languages. He speaks Russian, English, French, Hebrew, Spanish, Latin, Japanese and Italian (Japanese is his favorite language). He recites poetry… in multiple languages…. sometimes during sex. He named his bulldog Walt Whitman. Did I mention that he is super hot? Blonde, grey eyes, six foot six, size magnum, abs and all… and he is a cunni-linguist (lol, nice phrase, Kelly Siskind!). Moreover, he is kind, compassionate, sensitive and smart. Eric loves his family so much that he is willing sacrifice everything in order to take care of them. They come first. Always. Also, he loves children. He adores his niece and nephew and even soothes random crying babies. So yeah. To sum it up, Eric is a man I could fall in love with. He’s…. kinda perfect. Perhaps, too perfect?

Fun fact: I’m fluent in English, Russian, and Hebrew. I read books in Spanish and I’ve studied Japanese… My point is: I really enjoyed reading the scenes where Eric says something in one of these languages. Especially, Hebrew and Russian. By the way, I loved Russian endearment “milaya”! It made me smile. Also, I must admit that the author did her research well. I could understand all the passages in Russian and Hebrew (unfortunately, my Japanese isn’t that good… yet) and I was very impressed. It was such a nice touch. One of my favourite parts was the scene where Eric explains what made him realize how important language is. I’m an immigrant, and I could really relate to what he said. Actually, that’s one of the reasons why I became a polyglot. I immigrated as a kid and I couldn’t understand what the teachers were saying. Not a word. I felt helpless. Powerless. Incapable of speaking up for myself. So yeah. I respect Eric’s yearning to learn and I share his love of words.

Isla Slade is a 27-year-old physiotherapist. She prefers reading poetry over binging Netflix and she hates boxing because her father, Swinging Graham Slade, is a heavyweight champ. She grew up watching him get beaten up. She watched all his matches and she worries so much about her father’s health that she suffers from panic attacks. She agrees to help Brick only because her father finalyl admitted that two years ago he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. He needs her help. So she comes to Vegas. Like her father, Isla is determined to handle her problems on her own because she’s too proud to ask for help. To proud to display any weakness. Isla is a great character. I could totally understand her reasons. But to be absolutely honest with you, I liked her less than Eric. She can be very inconsiderate. Even selfish. For example, she asks her father to tell the press about his Parkinson’s with an emphasis on how detrimental boxing is. She couldn’t care less about his pride. Or about the fact that he loves boxing so much that he has no regrets and doesn’t want to say anything negative about his beloved sport. Isla puts her feelings first. Another example, she cancels physio with Eric because having a dinner with her friend is more important for her than helping him to prepare for a match that means the world to him. That’s very unprofessional. She is also rude and judgmental. On the one hand, I could udnerstand where she was coming from. On the other hand, sometimes her behaviour was immature.

I love her friendship with Heather. It’s wonderful when female characters support each other. However, I find boob shots gross. Also, it bothered me that Heather practically forced Isla to drink some disgusting liquer because she thinks that it will make her feel better. She did it twice. I understand that her intentions were good. However, forcing someone to drink alcohol is never acceptable. It’s not okay. Also, Isla told her numerous times that she hates this particular drink because it tastes downright disgusting. I don’t like the message that alcohol will make you feel better. There are others ways to deal with stress, anxiety, and sadness. With that being said, why couldn’t Heather let her friend drink wine or beer or whatever? Something that she actually enjoys consuming. Was it supposed to be funny?

There are four explicit sex scenes.

All in all, it’s a great novel. I added it to my list of “Best Romance Books”.

E-galley was provided by NetGalley for an honest review. Thank you so much for providing me with an ARC!

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a sweet, slow burn romance that left you feeling fuzzy inside after reading it. Brick and Isa both are coming from the boxing world but want different things for themselves. They both love poetry and their interactions are without pretense and games. They get to know and appreciate each other despite their misgivings about the future.

My only complaint is that the romance is a bit over down with the excessive poetic lines and cheesy jokes. Brick comes off at times as too preachy and psychoanalysis everything she says. But overall its a novel worth reading if you like low intensity romance.

Amazing amazing amazing book!

Did I mention it was amazing? I can't stress how much I love this book, how much I wanted to shed myself of everything else in life and just keep reading. The characters were the best, the story was fantastic, the chemistry was off the charts. Everything about this book is a winner.

This is part of a series and I went into this not reading the rest of the series but it was great as a stand alone as well. I'll definitely have to check out the rest of the books though! If they are even half as good as this masterpiece, I'm satisfied.

Need a fun, steamy and heartfelt read? You better pick this one up! You won't be disappointed, that's a guarantee.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for the earc!

ARC provided for honest review on Netgalley
This book was a pleasant surprise, not my usual style of romance but the sweet, misunderstood boxer was well written and endearing. This was my first time reading this author but I will be checking out her other work.

I need to start saying that I've read every Kelly Siskind book there is, so reading this awesome book before the release is an incredible honor and I am eternally grateful! She never disappoints me and always gives me all the emotions I could possibly feel in each page. She always manages to write a deliciously painful, yet so satisfying slow burn and The Knockout Rule is probably the best example of this!

As always, Kelly gives us two complex characters with heartbreaking and impactful backstories that make the perfect and most explosive couple. Eric and Isla chemistry, intellectual and physical attraction, patience and understanding for one another and true, sacrificial love make their story one for the ages!

I am inspired by Isla's strength and passion. As a person that has battled with Generalize Anxiety Disorder since she was sixteen years old ─And being the fear for her loved ones her biggest trigger as well─ I was able to empathize with her and feel her despair and physical pain as she had to endure her father's situation, especially when he showed reluctance and opposed to get help. This made me understood and connect with her reasons as to why she was resisting her attraction towards Eric. As I got to know her better, it felt refreshing to see her finding someone with whom she could share her passions, fears and desires with in Eric. I admired her will to love herself and put her well being and her mental health in the first place, even if it was difficult for her.

Eric is the ultimate book boyfriend! His intelligence, his soft, generous, funny and loyal heart were so tangible in the pages, they made me fall in love with every single gesture he had towards Isla. From the beautiful poems she inspired in him to the sacrifices he made in order for her to be happy. It was heartbreaking to see his boxing persona; the beautiful prose had so invested that every time he became Brick, I was able to feel the pain he was feeling because he was completely denying who he really was and what he really wanted. The fact that he was doing it as a sacrifice made me root for his happy ending. I loved how easily he fell in love with Isla, their differences and similarities were written so on point that it was evident how perfectly they complemented each other, even if in the end they had to make difficult decisions and figure out how to conquer the difficult obstacles.

The rest of the cast added the perfect element of intrigue and fun to the story. Preston story line was a lot fun to read, I loved how wonderful friend he proved to be for both Isla and Eric. Isla's dad was a little difficult for me to understand at the beginning, but in the end I think he redeemed himself and was finally able to put his daughter's needs in the first place, rather than what he thought she needed. Eric's family was adorable and I loved how he opened the door for them to also be vulnerable and showed them how he really felt and what his heart really needed.

This book is a poetic, provoking and head-over-heels romantic journey. The physical and intellectual connection these two made was so incredibly touching and their happy ending had me in tears. I can't wait to get this paperback in my shelf and read it over and over again as I've read the rest of this series in the past.

Kelly, I've always read everything you write without even reading the blurb first!

It’s fun, heartwarming, and sexy.

Isla is a sports physiotherapist who grew up watching her father’s career, boxing, destroy his body. Hating everything about the sport, Isla refuses to work with boxers. That is until her father drops a bomb on her. He is sick and needs her to come with him to Vegas, to be the physiotherapist for his boxer the weeks leading up to a big match, as well as his excuse if his secret illness gets him down.

Reluctantly she agrees, only so she can be close to her father. That is when she meets her new client, the big, muscular, sexy Eric, AKA Brick Smash. After a rocky first impression, sparks fly, and eventually so do the clothes. YES!


I really enjoyed The Knockout rule and will definitely be recommending it to my fellow contemporary romance and rom-com lovers!

I voluntarily read and reviewed and advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you so much to Xpresso Book Tours for providing me an arc of this book via Netgalley!
I was so excited when I found out my request for this book was approved, mainly because of the cover and, of course, the description. I expected to like it, but I definitely didn´t expect to love it as much as I did! We're still in January and I'm already sure this is one of my favorite books of 2021.
That being said, mark the 24th of February on your calendar, and read this book!!

I LOVED this book so much. I have read all of the author’s previous books, and readily admit that I wasn’t in love with the past two. This one more than made up for it. Eric was... sigh. The perfect hero?? Seriously- I LOVED him. Everything about him worked for me. Isla was a strong heroine. I really liked the boxing aspect as well. Kelly hits it out of the park with this one( no pun intended ). 5 stars. Thank you to netgalley for the ARC.