Knock Out Love Review

One look at the beautiful man working in the produce section has her sneaking out of her house and lying to her husband.

One smile from him has her buying push-up bras and dancing stupidly in the aisles.

One kiss makes her question what true love is.

One night with CASH VALENTINE reveals she isn't the only one hiding secret desires.

What if the love you've always wanted, dreamed possible, and craved was right there for the taking? What if you could have everything you've always wanted, if only you didn't belong to another?

24-year-old CASH VALENTINE has always followed his heart. And now, he can't get the woman he met in the check-out lane out of his head. What started as flirtatious conversation with a muse, turned quickly into stolen moments with the love of his life. But what happens when the love of your life belongs to another man? And what if that man owns everything your family has worked for?

What would you risk for your true love?
With the new adult market being flooded with contemporary romances featuring damaged characters, what do you read if you want something that little bit different?  The answer is Knock Out Love by debut author Pella Grace, a fantastic little gem of a book that has come from nowhere and has quickly become my new favourite.

Lila is an unhappy woman and a wife that has been taken for granted for far too long.  She has done EVERYTHING to please her husband while he has ignored and neglected her.  She is angry at him and feels unfulfilled, and so when someone comes along who notices her, you can’t really blame her for paying attention.

I will state at this point that I am by no means condoning the act of cheating on a partner BUT not everything in life is black and white and I can understand what happened and exactly why Lila pursued Cash. I can identify with her much more than I’m comfortable to admit and let’s just say that if I were her, I wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to be with the right person if that situation presented itself.  I can hear the naysayers screaming at the top of their lungs “why doesn’t Lila just leave her husband?” and all I can say is that I don’t believe it’s as easy as that.  Personally, I do think she still has feelings for her husband and let’s not forget that it’s not easy to leave behind everything that’s comfortable and familiar.   On the other hand, her husband is no match for Cash Valentine who is intelligent, witty, attentive, and way too wise for his years.  Where in the supermarket can I get me one of these?!

"I want to knock her love out. I want to pull it from her chest while it’s beating fervently and be slapped for doing so.”

Cash has got to be one of the most fantastic book boyfriends I’ve come across so far and you know what I love most about him? HIS MIND.  How many times can you say that about a book boyfriend nowadays?  He wasn’t a bad boy, he’s not built like a brick shit house and I’m sure he’d rather look at the sky and paint pretty pictures than beat someone up (although he’s not afraid to stand up to Lila's husband when the need presents itself).  Cash is full of life and has a certain charm about him that means I’m willing to forgive his little obsession with Mariah Carey, although secretly I do think it’s adorably funny. 

I really liked the fact that Cash helps Lila to rediscover herself although she is by no means a weak character. She’s not emotionally all over the place, she doesn’t complain all the time unnecessarily and she doesn’t start acting like a twenty four year old just because she meets Cash.  Sure, she’s still got it baby and she’s got tons of fun and life left in her, but she’s still a woman in her thirties and that’s reflected in some of her actions and the way she thinks about things.

Knock Love Out is a fantastic debut novel that is intelligently written and has a unique writing style that I really enjoyed but what I liked most about the book was the message - just because you found love once; it doesn’t mean you can’t find it again and basically, age is just a number.  Who cares that Lila is the older woman?  Intellectually speaking, Cash and Lila are on the same page and pretty perfect for each other. On that note, I do wonder just how many women will be haunting the produce section of their local supermarkets after reading the book though ;)

If you’re after a contemporary romance that doesn’t rely on alpha males and damaged characters, doesn’t leave you hanging for the next book (as it’s a standalone) and is both poignant and laugh out loud funny at the same time, then this is DEFINITELY the book for you.  I am super impressed with Knock Out Love and I can’t wait to read more books from this brilliant author.  Bottom line, I LOVED IT and it was worth every penny.

Knock Love Out was published on 28th June, 2013.  To find out more about Pella Grace and her books, please click here to visit her website.