Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Where did you get the book: Bought
Release date: Out now
Truth or dare…
When Lacey Garrity finds her groom in flagrante delicto in the reception hall closet with her bridesmaid, she’s saved by her best friend’s older brother—childhood tormentor, crush, and boxing bad boy Galen Thomas. Galen’s solution is both exciting and dangerous. What better way to forget the mess of her life than go on her honeymoon with a hot guy who can’t promise anything beyond today?
…or TKO?
Galen had been counting on Lacey’s wedding to put her out of reach—and out of his mind—once and for all, but their steamy Puerto Rican escape is testing all his boundaries. Now that Lacey’s embracing her inner bad girl, Galen is tempted to throw in the towel and claim her for himself. But with the biggest fight of his career on the line and an important business merger threatening to derail Lacey’s resolve, their romance might be down for the count before it even begins.
*blurb taken from Goodreads*
I wasn’t aware of this book until Jane from DA tweeted about it. I really need to limit my time on twitter because it’s become the go-to place for book recommendations – and I have way too many as it is.
Down for the Count is a fun and sexy romance that I would happily recommend. The hero and heroine have a great connection, and the witty banter between them added personality to the book.
After Lacey catches her newly wedded husband bonking her best friend a couple of hours after the marriage ceremony, she makes her escape with childhood crush, Galen. Lacey has always had a crush on the sexy boxer, but because he’s Cat’s older brother, he’s never taken much interest in her other than to tease her mercilessly when they were younger. The author did a great job of forging this old connection by making references to the past when they were kids.
Galen takes Lacey back to the family’s cottage home, and it’s where Lacey licks her wounds for the night by partaking in a drinking game with Galen. This scene was so fun because it enabled Lacey and Galen to open up to one another, and for the attraction to become noticeable for both of them. Galen realises that Lacey needs to push past her boundaries, and he tells her they should both go on her honeymoon. Lacey, drunk as a skunk, agrees to Galen’s drunken suggestion.
It’s during their stay in Puerto Rico that Lacey and Galen soon start to develop deeper feelings for one another. They share the same room, and it’s not long before Galen makes a move on Lacey. I liked that whilst this is a sexy romance, Lacey doesn’t dive straight in. She’s still not ready after what happened with Marty, her husband, and because she is married, she doesn’t feel comfortable engaging in any sort of relationship with Galen. But when she hears some news about her marriage, she literally takes a diving jump onto Galen to engage in some smexy times.
Lacey was a sweet heroine. Her reactions to certain situations were naive, but the scenes were funny, especially where they meet this couple in a restaurant and go back to their place, unawares of what the couple had in store.
Galen was a great hero. I loved how he teased Lacey, and brought her out of her shell. He was a mix of naughty and nice, but he was always sexy. There were some scenes where it was mentioned he was a boxer, where he taught Lacey some of his boxing skills. I know nothing about boxing, but it read authentic to me. I would have had an issue between how quick their romance formed after what happened with Lacey’s husband, but I believed in the back history of Lacey’s character in how this was more about what her family wanted, rather than what Lacey wanted. Lacey’s mother was utterly dreadful, and I could understand why Lacey didn’t have the backbone before.
My only issue with the book was Becca. I suppose I found it hard to believe that a best friend would suddenly do that, and rather than Becca being made out to be weak, I wanted more back history to understand why she did what she did and how Lacey would deal with losing a best friend.
The ending was a little predictable with the required separation, and the ending was a little cheesy with Lacey interrupting the press preview Galen was at, but it was a big step for Lacey who had made rigid decisions because of her family for most of her life. What Lacey never budged on, despite her mother’s disapproval, was her friendship with Cat and now her relationship with Galen.
All in all, I really enjoyed Down for the Count and I hope to see Cat have a story of her own. I give it a B+.
