This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Reviewed by Kira Slaughter
Meet the members of the St George’s Boat Club-
Dan – dark and brooding, he has to work day and night to achieve his dream of rowing in the London Olympics.
Rollo- rich and arrogant, when he’s not rowing, he spends his time seducing women and spending money.
Amy- a brilliant cox who catches the eye of both Dan and Rollo.
In the boat, the men row perfectly together, but on land, they despise each other. So with the addition of Amy to the mix, sporting behaviour is the last thing on their mind.
May the best man win? Not a chance.
From Henley Regatta to the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race, and finally the biggest race of their lives, their determination to settle old scores threatens to capsize everyone’s plans.
When Kate Lace wrote for Little Black Dress I read all of her titles – they were a perfect escapist reading for me. So when I read about her second release under Arrow Books I thought ‘this should be good’. I also have to admit that I had an immature little snigger at the title, but I soon got over that! What? I’m only human! Cox!
Initially I struggled to get into the story and the boat jargon confused me quite a bit. However, deciding to give it the benefit of the doubt, I carried on reading it and found it to be fun and light-hearted. I eventually got used to the boating terms too.The three main characters all brought their own spark to the story; Dan being the underdog, Rollo being the spoilt rich boy and Amy being the girl they’re both attracted to. I immediately liked Dan as a character as I love to root for an underdog to come out fighting. Even though I didn’t want to admit it to myself, I also liked Rollo, even though he is awful to Dan throughout the book and treated him like a personal slave. I never took him too seriously, though, as he was constantly chasing after women despite the fact that he was already in a relationship with someone (if you can call it that, but you’ll find that out as you read the book).
I’m going to hold my hands up and say that I didn’t really warm to the character of Amy, especially after what happens between her and Rollo. I wanted to jump into the book and give her a good shake – she was making some hideous decisions at the cost of someone else. As the book progresses though and her character develops, I found myself liking her, as she comes to realise her past mistakes and tries her best to make things right.
Cox turned out to be an enjoyable read, with some highly interesting characters. If you are a fan of rowing and anything sporty, then this is the perfect read, and is also a great tie in with the Olympics.
7/10