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!

ATTENTION EVERYONE✨🎊🍾 MEET MY NEW BOOK BOYFRIEND - ERIC KRAMAROV FROM THE KNOCKOUT RULE💍📚🥊

Do you use @netgalley ? I recently joined netgalley and this was one of the first books I got approved for and I'm so glad for that because I loved this book so freaking much. Thankyou @kellysiskind for writing this💗

Isla Slade father, Graham Slade is a boxing legend and she has witnessed too many nightmares after seeing the man she loves the most bruised and battered uncountable times that has made hate the sport and the people who play it. Things are just starting for her and her new physiotherapy clinic is due to inaugurate in 2 months which is extremely excited and both nervous about. Isla's relationship with her father has always been complicated but there's nothing she wouldn't do for him so when he asks her for a favor before his training with Russian Boxer, the infamous "Brick Smash" starts, she finally agrees.

Brick/Eric Kramarov is a heavyweight boxer who's persona has been created in the media as "Brick Smash", the cocky brute that is winning fans quickly. His new gig in 2 months can his and his family's life completely. All he needs is focus and training right now. When he meets his coach's new daughter, who he's never heard of, he doesn't know what to make of her. But after a while when these two see the real sides of each other, things change. But when so much is at stake what are they willing to risk?

I caught a cold and was feeling really sick so I had to skip college today. But the best part? I got to finish this book. I devoured this book in one sitting ngl.

The book was written astoundingly and Eric (Brick) and Isla's story was so mesmerizing that I'm seriously experiencing a major book hangover right now. Both the characters had such emotional backstories and accepted that made the book even more special. Isla is such a strong woman that loves with fierce passion and Eric is well the sweetest, most amazing hero ever and ofc now the king of my heart. Every moment they shared, every time they deciphered poetry, it pulled on my heartstrings and had me wanting more.

The book releases on 24 Feb, 2021 and i can't recommend this book enough💗
#TheKnockoutrule #Kellysiskind #netgalley

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.

This was my first book through @netgalley, and if that wasn’t exciting enough, it’s also an author who wrote one of my all-time faves, New Orleans Rush. DAY. MADE.

The Knockout Rule tells the story of a famous boxer’s daughter, Isla Slade, who has spent her entire life wishing she was anything *but* a famous boxer’s daughter. After developing panic attacks in concordance with her dad’s boxing matches, Isla swears off any connection to the boxing world. That is, of course, until her dad confesses some devastating news. Finding herself flying off to Vegas to be the current heavyweight contender’s new physiotherapist, Isla’s past and present collide. All bets are off now...

One of the first things I noticed about Siskind’s writing is her extremely thorough research. I lived in New Orleans for a year before moving home to Des Moines, and reading New Orleans Rush felt like I had been transported back to the city.

Because Siskind takes such care to develop setting and character profiles, her books have a striking sense of realism that she balances perfectly with a passionate (and steamy) love story — and The Knockout Rule is no exception.

Needless to say, this is a must-read. So go read the previous three books in this series while you wait for this one to come out — it’s worth it!