Isla hates boxers. She watched for father refuse to leave the sport even as it tore him apart. Eric is an language loving man who chose boxing to provide for his family. With 6 weeks to work in close quarters together, both end up questioning the assumptions and rules they’ve been living by. I loved The Beat Match and was hoping for an equally good story, but this fell short a bit. The dialog was cheesy and obvious, especially at the beginning. The emotional storyline between Isla and Eric was rushed and awkward at times. There was banter and silly jokes, which I loved, but there was a lack of chemistry a lot of the time. All that said, it’s not a bad book! Eric is incredibly swoony. The conflict is believable. The tension in the physio scenes is great. The ending is sweet. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I love a good Happily ever after! I’ve recently gotten into boxing and selected this book for that reason. Man it didn’t dissapoint! Passion & romance!

This one was cute but just didn't wow me like I had hoped. While I love both of the main characters Isla and Brick and watching them overcome their personal issues together and I love that they got their HEA the plot felt rather slow to me. It just wasn't a gripping story and I found myself distracted several times.

The Knockout Rule by Kelly Siskind was everything I didn't know I wanted. Isla is the daugther of former Heavyweight world Champion, Graham Slade. I am not one for Sports Romances but this one was just right. Eric was so dreamy, and being a translator myself, I never truly thought this could be a sexy trait until I met him lol! Loved the romance and the characters. I will definitely check out Siskind's other books!

TW: illness of loved one, severe anxiety, poverty

A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

I haven't read the other books in the series but the author has said on Goodreads that it can be read as a standalone, and I'm glad I requested this one because it was such a fun read!

I love sports romance, and as soon as I knew that Eric was a boxer, I knew I had to read, and I wasn't disappointed! I loved his character, his passion and compassion, it made me wish he was real! Also fell in love with Isla, loved how she was fierce, hardworking, and such a funny character!

I loved the way Kelly worked through so many topics on this book and how she constructed Isla and Eric's relationship, it was a fun, entertaining read, and I hope you give The Knockout Rule a try, because I highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I liked this book. Again it was not my favorite book by Siskind but I had a fun time reading it. Best for the people who likes love triangles and cute romance.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC review copy of this book. I liked The Knockout Rule a lot better than I thought I would. The romance and chemistry between the characters were well written. I was hooked from page one.

I got the chance to interview the author before this book came out so I was excited to have the opportunity to read this new book of hers. It did NOT disappoint. I was swooning over the characters. I loved Isla’s fight with panic attacks and overcoming her fears. Watching her relationship with her father was beautiful. Her relationship with Eric? Too perfect. Five stars isn’t nearly enough for how much I loved this book. Congratulations, Kelly!!

THE KNOCKOUT RULE by Kelly Siskind is beautiful. Once again, Kelly has managed to bring me out of my reading slump!

🌟 Isla 🌟
• Headstrong
• Independent
• Funny
• Instinctive and self aware
Her struggles with panic attacks broke my heart. Her growth throughout the book was amazing to watch. I wanted to squeal every time she opened up to Eric more and more. Also, their playful banter was a major plus for me!

🌟Eric aka “Brick Smash🌟
• Extremely Intelligent
• Sensitive
• Linguist
• Athletic
Eric’s character was the biggest surprise to me. He is a heavy weight boxer, yet reads and recites poetry and speaks multiple languages despite his “dumb” hulk persona as a boxer. Also, an amazing hugger. Like everyone should get an Eric hug at least once in their lifetime. And I also can’t forget to mention his amazingly adorable dog Whit. I about melted every time he comforted Isla during a panic attack.

This is the fourth book in @kellysiskind ‘s SHOWMEN series! I love all of them, especially NEW ORLEANS RUSH, so if you haven’t read any of her work I highly recommend!

This was a wonderfully romantic slow-burn. Isla and Eric were an amazing couple to read about and the romance was *chef's kiss*. I think this book was a pretty quick read and very easy to get into.

A sweet, solid romance. I'm really not a fan of boxing, so it was hard to picture a boxer as a romantic interest (where other sports would have been more along my lane), but that is such a personal caveat of mine, and nothing to do with the writing itself. I can definitely see that this wouldn't be an issue for most.

This was such a great romance. I really enjoyed reading this story, it was not your typical sports romance, It focused more on building a relationship on mutual interest and passions and being there in times of need, instead of just the physical lust at first sight. Don’t get me wrong there was plenty of that too. This story is about Isla, who is getting ready for the grand opening of her new business as a Physiotherapist, which opens in seven weeks. Suddenly, her Father, a famous retired Boxer, barges in and announces that not only does he have a major medical condition he has been hiding from her the last two years but needs her help to keep it that way. His symptoms are getting worse and one of his fighters has a big match in seven week and he needs her to travel with them. Isla hates everything to do with boxers because of the toll it has taken on her mental state and the health of her father, but she will do this for him. This is where she meets Brick, who she thinks is nothing more than a caveman, but she soon realizes that she made a big mistake. As soon as Isla let’s some of her past judgment go, a friendship develops between her and Brick, which turns into something more but can she get over him being a boxer.
This book was really well rounded. The relationship between the two main characters was excellent, the author did an amazing job at making sure that you really felt that they belonged together, between their love of poetry and language, supporting each other in a time of crisis. I liked how they had great communication between them. There was great humor in the book and it was used to lighten up a book that was leaning more to heavier topics. I would have liked to see a little more of it but that is something I definitely prefer in my romance stories. I enjoyed the authors take on one of the character's past difficulties and how it was handled , it was not just thrown out there but a major plot point as well as Brick struggled not only financially trying to take care of his family but health scares and things that we have all one way the other. The only reasons that this book did not turn out to be a five star for me, like I mentioned previously I would have liked a bit more comedic relief just because this story focuses on heavier topics and there were a couple points of dialogue that I found cringe and really wished were not there. Overall I would definitely recommend this book, not only is it a great romance and being there for each other but it does touch on some important topics.
Trigger warning: Panic attacks, blood, hospitalization, and violence
I received this advanced ebook, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This book was absolutely adorable! I have loved Siskind's Showmen series so far and this on is my favorite of the bunch. The plot was original and the characters were lovable! I cannot wait to recommend this book.

i honestly don't know if it's me, the world and how it's making me feel about books, or the book itself. i *loved* new orleans rush. the next two in the series were good and enjoyable and i really liked them. they were all 4 or 5 star books. this one though? it was a very quick read, there were cute parts, but i never clicked with it. in fact, when the MCs profess their love to each other, i all but rolled my eyes. i don't understand why, because the writing feels the same and i should like it as much as the other books, but, i don't know. that's what makes me think it's me, not the book.
i'm not a huge fan of boxers in romance books, so maybe that's it. i didn't love the preston/love triangle aspect. i also wasn't super into the poetry and them quoting it to each other. i didn't particularly like either main character... heather was my favourite character - she needs her own book!
anyway. i don't know. whatever the reason, it just didn't work for me. bummer, i wanted to love it.
i am all about reading series in order even when you don't *have* to. i'd say for sure this could be read as a standalone.
i waffled between 2 and 3, but 2 seems so harsh because i do feel like it might be a bit me? i don't know. i wouldn't hesitate to read another book by this author, that's how much i loved the others i read.

When you’ve watched your father, a famous boxer, get knocked around the mat a few too many times, and now deal with the aftermath of choosing to be hit repeatedly as a career, the last thing you want to do is fall for a boxer. However, that’s exactly what happens to Isla. When she works with her father to help train a boxer before his heavy weight match, she never expects to fall for the big, hurting, dumb boxer who yells “brick smash” in broken English. But there’s so much more to Brick, or Eric, than he lets on. And as she learns more about him it gets harder to ignore.

Super predictable and lovely story. I really enjoyed the writing style of Siskind, and I will definitely add her to my ever growing TBR list. I really liked both Isla and Eric and loved that there was more to the story than just a simple boy meets girl.

First book by this author and it was a KNOCKOUT! Pun intended. I love the character development in this book. I was fully vested and was interested in seeing how their relationship developed. Highly recommend.

thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

this was an enjoyable read as i hoped!! although it does have NA syndrome where there is just a lot of miscommunication between the characters and it got me bored at some parts of the book. although i did like the writing and the characters were okay, i would’ve just liked MORE from this story.

I was really looking forward to this book. The blurb was right up my alley.
While I enjoyed the slow burn of Isla and Eric's romance, I found Preston very creepy. And the whole love triangle aspect was completely superfluous. A total waste of paper.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC for this book in exchange for my honest review.

Super happy that I got to read this book, I love a good sports romance, while I was upset to find out this was the fourth in the series, overall I really enjoyed it and was glad to read it.

I adore Kelly Siskind's books. They're always so sweet and heartwarming. I also love sports romances though this one is a bit different as it revolves around boxing. With her father being a boxing legend and now a coach, Isla has grown up with the sport. Seeing the damage done to her father and how his boxing affected her growing up, she has sworn herself off from dating boxers.

Working as a physiotherapist, Isla is happy to treat all athletes. But when her father asks for her assistance with one of his star boxers and Isla is thrown back into the sport, she knows she is going to struggle to keep her head above water. Especially when the men in the boxing world are so charming.....

This slow burn romance was amazing! The characters were so well written, each having their own flaws. The book had just the right amount of steam and a unique setting. I'm now excited to go back and read book three of this series (how did I miss it!?).