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My Review:Title: Knock Out
Author: Jiffy Kate
Series: Fighting for Love #4
Published by: Smartypants Romance
Format: eARC, Kobo Book
Pages: 482
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Sports Romance
Source: Smartypants Romance
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2022 COYER Fall
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon ✩ IndieBound ✩ Book Depository
My rating:
Blurb:In the blink of an eye, Willow Bernard goes from stocking shelves at the Piggly Wiggly to kicking butt at Viking MMA.
Willow Bernard has taken a lot of hits in her twenty-two years but always manages to come back swinging. Hoping to fly under the radar for a change, she relocates to Green Valley. Her strategy works until one fateful phone call initiates a series of events that shakes up her quiet existence.
Tattooed adventure-seeker Ozzi Erickson goes where the wind takes him. When he blows into Green Valley for his big brother’s wedding—and to figure out his next move—he isn’t prepared for the knock-out punch coming his way.
With Ozzi sticking around the Tennessee mountain town, his brother gives him a temporary assignment as Willow Bernard’s trainer.
His job is to teach her how to fight. But will she have the skills required to protect her heart?
‘Knock Out’ is a full-length contemporary romance and can be read as a standalone. Book #4 in the Fighting for Love series, Green Valley Chronicles, Penny Reid Book Universe.
I received a free copy through Smartypants Romance in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.
4 stars — Am I the only one that loves when the grump is the heroine and the sunshine is the hero??
Willow was actually as badass as everyone told her she was — I really admired her. She was really down to earth, and while she had a lot of things going on with her, you could tell that she was working on those things and trying not to let her past dictate her future too much. I loved seeing the little strides she made along the way to becoming the Willow she was always meant to be. Seeing her find her passion and develop discipline, drive, and focus from it was truly inspiring…not enough to have me kickboxing, but you know. I also loved how we got to see her let herself be vulnerable with different people, and in so many ways it was thanks to the bombshells that are dropped on her near the beginning of the book. Her journey just felt so real, and I was very invested in all of it.
Ozzi was both adorable and frustrating. I will admit that I didn’t quite get where his issues stemmed from, so it was harder to walk with him on his journey. But even saying all that, I felt like he needed to walk that path to be true to himself, and he got to the right place eventually. I wish he’d been able to just see himself in a true way, but that’s not the way it goes for everyone.
I loved them together, and I’m not just talking about the steamy chemistry — though they had that in spades! I really loved seeing them develop a relationship from the ground up, putting down all the right pieces to build it up strong. It was not infallible, but it was sturdy even with missteps. You could just feel how much they grew to care for and trust one another. I loved that.
Hazel was exactly as awesome but realistic as I needed her to be.
It was so great to get time with the whole Viking clan again, it was like icing on the cake of the story.
I honestly don’t know why I haven’t rated it higher — I think it’s just that it took me longer to read, but that was likely due to being sick the whole time. I bet on reread I’ll feel differently. But I go with my gut no matter what!
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