Access Below The Belt (First To Fight, #1) Picturized By Jeanette Murray Formatted As Hardcover

had read this one before when I first discovered Jeanette Murray and devoured all of her titles then in my library's holdings, I wanted to dive back into the series, but a brief excerpt in the back of one of the Bobcats books proved I'd lost the details and needed a refresher.


I think this book is a solid, but I'm hoping for a little more in the rest of the series as I know she's capable of much stronger writing as evidenced by the Bobcats series.
The characters' motivations make sense and the plot isn't driven by silly misunderstandings, but there was just a little something missing when I hold this up agains her other work.
Below the Belt was a delight to read, an absolute feelgood romance, This is the kind of story I look for in a contemporary romance!

Just when First Lieutenant Brad Costa Marine Corps finally gets his chance at the Marine Corps boxing team, an injury threatens to sideline him.
He isn't going to let a busted knee divert him from his dreams though, Brad just has to keep it hidden from the sharpeyed new athletic trainer until he makes the team, then he can get the injury taken care of, But Marianne Cook is no fool, She's darn good at her job and hopes to make this a stepping stone to training professional athletes one day, She know's something is up with Marine Costa, but he's remaining tightlipped about it, Her frustration with his duplicity doesn't hinder the sparks flying between them from the getgo though, Soon Marianne is getting an upclose and personal look at every inch of Costa's body, but when he still refuses to come clean not only is her heart put on the line but her career as well.


This was such a sweet romance! The storyline of Below the Belt is all about finding love when you least expect it, Both Marianne and Brad are career oriented at the beginning of the book but as their attraction towards one another sizzles, feelings begin to bloom, and the heart becomes involved, those former drives are moved to the back burner inch by inch.
I loved how Marianne and Brad had such a full relationship outside of the bedroom, It made their romance wellrounded and believable, Don't get me wrong, there is some strong sexual chemistry between the two, but there is so much more as well!

Fun secondary characters help move the plot forward at a good clip, adding humor and support to the main characters.
I enjoyed the world of the Marine Corps boxing team as well, it was interesting and I look forward to delving into it more in future installments, as well as seeing more from each of these characters! There was a smidgen of suspense woven into the plot that I'm not sure was really needed except to introduce a secondary character, maybe this will play out more in future books.
All in all, Below the Belt was a enjoyable and entertaining read that I would recommend to contemporary romance fans who like a good dose of sexy military men in their stories.
Read it. Loved it. Can I have the next, please! OMG Below the Belt I so will NOT turn this dirty was so so good, Sexy shirtless Marines. Really. Need I say ANYTHING else!


Full review to come, . . I picked this up on a whim, Stories that feature women in prominent positions in man dominated sports fascinates me,

As the story began, I was thinking with all the young guys trying out for the boxing team, there would be catcalling, ogling and all that nonsense young hot blooded men usually exhibit.
But surprising all were respectful of Marrianne our heroine, I find a story set in the military interesting as I do not read many military romances, Getting an introduction into Marianne's job was fun, I like her dedication to her job and seeing how things go in her job was eye opening, I love the growth of the team as the story went on, Especially Brad from the start to how he was towards the end with his Bad News Bears,

It was refreshing to have a female take charge of her pleasure like Marianne did in the first sex scene, It actually made me admire her boldness and balls, Also props to Brad for letting her do her thing and not being demanding, Usually women just let the man pleasure them, Seeing her know what she wanted was nice, I have to say some parts of the writing was not my favourite but I found myself enjoying other parts, The romance was sweet but the way Marianne freaked out when Brad was trying to talk to her was a nono, It irritated me. I think this is a decent book and it is worth a read, This one was very average and forgettable, Not much conflict, h/H actually talk but I found this dull, Maybe it was just my mood, Below the Belt was just an okay read for me, This was a contemporary romance that lacked in the romance department for sure, It started off really strong for me and I had high hopes at the beginning, When the two main characters started getting together, it kind of fell apart for me, I didn't feel any kind of chemistry between Marianne and Brad intimately or emotionally, When you are reading a romance, the chemistry is something you can't wait for and it absolutely cannot be lacking at all,

I enjoyed where the storyline was going with the whole, Brad just in this for himself and then grows up and starts acting like a team player, but in the end that felt forced as well.
In the end the story felt unresolved, The underlying suspense factor came and went with no resolution, I'm not sure if she plans on bringing that issue over to the rest of the series, but it seems like it could have been executed better,

The main reason I continued with this story was because of Marianne, What a kick ass character! I loved her wittiness and her banter with just about everyone in this book, Her sense of humor cracked me up and I felt like this is a chick I could definitely be friends with, It's too bad her hero couldn't get to her level, There was a secondary character in Below the Belt that I loved who also overshadowed the male lead in the book, Maybe if the author decided to write his story, I would try again,

Gifted copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review My Thoughts:

Below the Belt is the first book that I've read by Jeanette Murray.
I was drawn in by the sexy book cover, and the book summary, I love reading about Marines, There is something so sexy about a man in uniform, and I think Marines are some of the sexiest men,

Below the Belt is a sweet, lighthearted and humorous romance about athletic trainer, Marianne Cook, and sexy Marine Boxer, Brad Costa, Marianne is soley focused on her career goals, and has no time for romance or much of a social life, She has a passion and love for her career, and has high hopes of becoming an athletic trainer in the NBA one day, She considers her job working with the Marine Corps Boxing Team to be temporary, and will be moving on soon,

Brad isyears old and has finally made the tryouts for the Marine Corps Boxing Team, It has been his dream for so long, and now that he's finally been given the opportunity, he will not let anything stand in his way, Brad is one of the oldest marines in the training camp, and finds himself challenged by a painful bodily injury, However, he needs to suck it up, and hide it, or risk being cut from the team, While both Marianne and Brad are soley focused on their career goals, they haven't factored in a major game changer meeting one another and falling in love, . .

Below the Belt had a lot of humor infused within it's pages, Marianne made me laugh a lot, as did Tressler, one of the marine boxer trainees, It was a fun, lighthearted, feel good type read, The pacing was slow but steady, and the character's were welldeveloped, One of my favorite aspects of the story was the bonding that took place between the marine trainees, I really enjoyed getting to know these characters, and felt like they were my friends, The romance between Marianne and Brad was slowbuilding, The love scenes weren't very detailed, in my opinion, and the story focused more on their emotional connection, I would have liked to be more swept away in the romance, It was very sweet, but I would have enjoyed more passion and intensity in the romance,

My Rating:

I give, Below the Belt, by Jeanette Murray,,Sweet Romance, Male Bonding, Sexy Marine Filled Stars!


To Read More Book s, Visit A Bookish Escape at sitelink abookishescape. com So funny. Okay, the cover got my attention but the premise had me picking it up to read, I really like sports mixed up with romance, Then add a trainer and an athlete together Gotta love that,

This is my second book by this author and I was expected to like it and I did, The characters make it. Brad is a go it alone kinda guy and he's driven, A little injury isn't going to stop him from his dreams, But when the coach changes things up a bit, he's forced to look at the situation from more than just his own perspective and there's a hot trainer to take into account as well.


Marianne takes her job seriously and getting involved with one of her athletes is so not part of her plan, Bad Marianne. But who can resist the sexy Marine even if he's hiding his knee injury from her, She just needs to try a different approach to get him to fess up, Yeah, about that

The story is adorable actually, He's trying to hide his injury and she's trying to find it, Makes for some fun times, I love her mom's flirting and condom finding ways, I, also, love the other secondary characters especially Higgs, I was very excited to see he's getting his own book next,

There is this one subplot line that doesn't wrap up in this one, I'm assuming as I read the blurb for book two that it's going to carry on with book two, I hope so anyway.

If you enjoy the sport in romance kinda story and some good clean kinda sexy scenes, then this one is certainly a good one, Found a new author who floats my boat, Her H/h were both likeable and acted/talked their age, Like adults. Loved that in H/h,
Gonna start a JM books marathon now, Brad Costa is finally about to fulfill one of his dreams as he has just arrived at Marine Corps Boxing Camp, But the competition to make the team is fierce and as one of oldest, he has to

be untouchable, And he is not there to make friends,

Trainer Marianne Cook is at home with sweaty men in a training room and does not expect to be intrigued by any of them, She has her own goals and this is a stepping stone in her career,

Neither of them had a relationship on their radar, Brad is trying not to let the observant trainer in on the fact that he is nursing a new knee injury, But trying to distract her only makes them realize they actually like each other, They should not let anything happen due to their working relationship, but they cannot seem to resist the temptation,

He'd never felt this pull before with a woman, Never realized that there would be a single person on the planet that would call to him without saying a word,

"The kaboom factor, . . You're the gas, she's the flame, You get anywhere near each other and, . . Kaboom. "

And getting involved could definitely cause some issueshe's trying to keep a secret and the sneaking around in an undisclosed relationship could affect both of their places in the camp.
Neither want to jeopardize their spots or each other, so it is all a tangled up mess,

I really began to like Brad as we got to see under his tough, guarded outer shell, Underneath it all he was passionate, caring, and had a good heart, She made him take things less seriously, She was smart, funny, and nurturing, Together they had an easy going, flirty rapport and hot chemistry, They were really good together both outside and inside the bedroom, I liked that they were more mature and actually had real conversations, But his hiding and lying to her takes a toll on him, And she knows he is hiding something but is afraid to push him to far,

He'd started the journey toward the team risking only his chance to box, Now he was risking his heart too,

I liked the building camaraderie of the team especially Higgs and Sweeney, As the older guys, they inadvertently became role models and leaders for the wilder younger ones, The team antics and dynamics had me laughing at times, Her friend Kara was a fun and sassy sidekick, And the new PR girl Reagan was both tenacious and timid at the same time, Some of the story lines are still ongoing and I am looking forward to Higgs's story in Against the Ropes,

This was a sweet, funny, and not too angsty, There was a bit of a mystery/suspense story under the surface as well, It was an engaging read with likable characters and enough issues to make it interesting, It showed that sometimes team, friendships, and even love required dedication and sometimes sacrifices,

I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review, .