Review: A Knockout story with Handsome Hero Kellen!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 5, 2014
***SPOILERS***4  Stars“Knockout” is a truly unique take on a fighter, bad boy novel.  Kellen Coulter has grown up poor and has had a rough upbringing.  He’s a boxer but he also gets into street fights venting his anger that has been a part of his life for as long as he can remember. After being charged with Assault his attorney, Dan Monroe, takes him under his wing because he sees something of himself in Kellen.  Dan had grown up “on the wrong side of the tracks” himself but he worked his way up in life and through college and became a success and he wants to help young boys in similar situations.  So Dan has taken Kellen’s case pro Bono.  He believes that with help Kellen can stay out of trouble and make something of his life.Kellen begins to spend a lot of time at the Monroe household.  He quits getting into trouble with street fights and sticks to his passion, boxing…and he’s very good at it.  Dan and his wife Karen treat Kellen like a son.  The first time Kellen comes to see Dan; Dan isn’t home so Kellen ends up talking with Jenna, Dan’s 13 year old daughter.  They hit it off and end up talking for a while…both comfortable with each other’s company which is unusual for both of them.  But then Kellen meets Laney, Jenna’s older and stunning sister and he becomes attracted to her in a much different way.Kellen doesn’t act on his attraction to Laney because he doesn’t feel like he’s good enough for her.  But after spending a year hanging out with the Monroe family almost daily he finally asks Dan if he can take Laney out.This is the point in the book where things become complicated.  Although Kellen begins dating Laney he is still best friends with Jenna and Jenna is the only person he feels understands him.  Jenna also tries to hide her true feelings for Kellen.  She knows she’s too young to be with Kellen but it still hurts to see him with her sister who Jenna considers to be the ultimate beauty while she thinks of herself as being okay looking but certainly not able to compete with her gorgeous sister.One thing author Tracey Ward does throughout the book is jump ahead through time periods that would be unimportant to this story.  For example, she may go from present day to 3 months later.  I love that she does this because, as the reader, we don’t have to waste time reading filler to get to the time periods that are significant to the storyline.As time goes on Kellen who had been doing well with his life begins to become moody and depressed.  But we don’t really know why.  Ms. Ward keeps us in suspense as to why Kellen has changed when on the outside it appears that everything should be going well.  Kellen has finished college, has a great job and is engaged to Laney.  But there are some things going on behind the scenes that we don’t know about and we are left pondering what is going on.While following the life of Kellen we are also following Jenna’s life.  Jenna goes in a direction with her life that upsets her mom but her dad is happy for her and so is Kellen.  Jenna doesn’t fit into the high class social norm of the rich. She’s independent and real.Now that Jenna is an adult and out on her own she is still best friends with Kellen and I often wondered why Kellen was with Laney instead of Jenna.  But then again how do you break off an engagement with one sister so you can be with the other?  Quite simply…you can’t.But something major happens in Kellen’s life and he begins to re-evaluate everything he’s doing.  Will he finally realize that he doesn’t belong with Laney?  And even if he does realize he doesn’t belong with Laney will he do anything about it?“Knockout” is about learning lessons in life and deciding what to do once those lessons are learned.  Do you make hard decisions or take the easy way out?This is a standalone book…which I LOVE!!!  It also has a HEA.  I highly recommend this book to anybody who likes contemporary romance that is character driven.