Below the Belt

4.5 stars. I was absolutely blown away on the character development alone. This is a rock solid story with great pacing and with characters that literally leap off the page. Nothing feels formulaic...other than you KNOW there will be a happy ending. My only complaint was the actual sex scenes were pretty tame. The sexual tension leading up to them were spot on but when you got the handful sex scenes they was sort of generic-vanilla. They could have been taken from any of the other HQ lines...they didn't sizzle or turn up a notch from the other lines....which again is what I'm looking for on a Blaze line...BUT this is still a darn good book. Story-wise it's probably one of the best one on the line. Bravo Ms. Mayberry.

Sometimes I pick up these Blaze books just because I know it will be a quick read and the loves scenes are usually pretty good. To me they're not usually the greatest books written in the world and they're just too thin to get into any good character development. However, this book was pretty darned good. It was nice to read about a different subject such as boxing and a good twist that it was both the hero and the heroine involved and not just the man. I was surprised by how much I liked it. If you're going to pick up one of these blaze books I would highly recommend this one.

Cooper 'the fist' Fitzgerald is scouting for boxing talent. The former heavy-weight-champion-turned-trainer recently opened his own gym and is looking to snag a big name to attract more members. During one of his forays he meets Jamie, a female boxer. She's got no trainer and wants Cooper to take on the job. He makes some chauvinist comments about how women shouldn't be boxers and declines her request. Livid, Jamie sets out to prove him wrong. She's going to keep her promise to her grandfather and make Cooper eat his words. Very good Blaze. A highly enjoyable & unique plot with well drawn characters who sizzle with sexual tension. I particularly liked the subject of boxing, which I've never read before in a romance. Mayberry portrayed it very realistically (holding no punches -literally). The reader gets to read about behind the scenes boxing including the mental preparation of the fighter. That was interesting. To read something other than the routine and mundane subject of millionaire businessmen which seem so prevalent in Blaze. It goes almost without saying that this book is a knockout on the steamy meter. Cooper is gorgeous and ripped and Jamie is a very muscular women. Surprisingly I didn't mind her manliness. Mayberry writes well and it shows. Her book Anything For You (Harlequin Blaze) (about best-friends-turned-lovers) is one of my keepers. I recommend Below The Belt as well. My only quibble -I may not be a boxing expert but I don't think that fighters after a bout (all bloody and bruised) would be in the mood for anything else other than rest and relaxation. But who knows? Maybe they are on endorphin overload. ;)