Below the Belt
-
- $3.99
-
- $3.99
Publisher Description
FIRST IN A NEW SERIES!
There's more than one way to win in the debut of the First to Fight series...
Athletic trainer Marianne Cook is ready to do whatever it takes to turn the men of the Marine Corps boxing team into fighting machines. After all, her ultimate goal is to land a job training professional athletes. But when she notices a certain hard-bodied marine trying to hide an injury, Marianne realizes that she’ll have to use covert tactics to get him talking.
First Lieutenant Brad Costa has waited years for the chance to fight for a spot on the Marine Corps boxing team, knowing he has to push twice as hard to get half as far as his younger counterparts. Brad tries to downplay his injuries to the attractive trainer who has his dreams in her hands, but Marianne isn’t buying it. Maybe it’s time to deploy some targeted flattery.
As Brad and Marianne’s attraction turns red-hot, there’s more than one person having a hard time keeping their eyes on the prize…
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Murray (Loving Him off the Field) focuses on the romantic destinies of the men of the Marine Corps Boxing Team, as she launches a series for fans of uniforms, discipline, and athletic prowess. First Lt. Brad Costa, a little older than the other boxing team hopefuls, dreams of making the team to honor his father's memory. Unfortunately, he injures his knee early on and must hide it if he wants to make the cut. Marianne Cook, the sexy, indomitable athletic trainer, suspects something's wrong, but that doesn't stop the two from engaging in a sizzling love affair that soon blossoms into a sweetly genuine relationship. But if Brad comes clean about his injury, he may lose the woman of his dreams and the chance of a lifetime. The core romance is strengthened by a playful sense of humor and real chemistry between the characters, as well as steamy bedroom scenes. A colorfully memorable supporting cast helps flesh things out. However, for a book ostensibly about boxing Marines, there's very little pugilism or military flavor.
Customer Reviews
Review: First To Fight 1: Below The Belt
Below the Belt by Jeanette Murray is the first book in her First To Fight series. It is based on a marine boxing team and their coaches and athletic trainers that are part of that team.
Being on the Marine Corps boxing team is all Brad Costa can ever remember wanting. He wants to honor his fathers memory and this is how he plans to do it. When an injury happens on the second day of tryouts/training he decides to keep it to himself and struggle through rather than show weakness and get booted off the team. This means keeping it hidden from not only his potential teammates and fellow trainees and the coaches, but also from the gorgeous athletic trainer with eagle eyes.
Marianne Cook wants a healthy team - the macho factor of the Marine Corps boxing team makes this nearly impossible to get them to open up about injuries and pain. She detects something going on with Brad's knee but he keeps deflecting. In fact, he deflects so much they end up having dinner together. What he didn't expect was to fall for her and what she didn't expect was to put her career at risk because feelings got in the way.
Loved this story - it was well-paced, steamy, and painted a great picture of the boxing world on base and all that goes into it before any matches even begin.