Gio (5th Street #2) - Review

Gio (5th Street #2)

By: Elizabeth Reyes

Published: May 21, 2012

261 pages

Source: Personal Kindle Library

(Goodreads / Amazon FREE!)

Summary:

When tragedy strikes in the ring, Giovanni Bravo falls into a deep depression, walking away from his dream of boxing to train instead. He agrees to a two month get-away, helping train Felix Sanchez, his high school best friend and now welterweight champ of the world. Once at Felix’s lavish boxing complex, he’s reunited with Bianca Rubio, someone he remembers only as the girl with the innocent doe eyes back in high school. Her refreshing, cheerful demeanor not only takes Gio’s mind off his troubled conscience, he finds himself falling for her fast and hard. The problem—Bianca is Felix’s girlfriend.

Having a sexy, famous boyfriend has its perks, but they come with a price. Bianca not only has to deal with the ongoing tabloid rumors about her boyfriend hooking with other women, but also his constant absence when he is on the road. So now that Felix will be in town for two whole months to train for his next big bout, Bianca is thrilled. He’s even asked her to move into his cabin while he's there. But when he leaves for days at a time to promote his fight, Bianca spends time getting to know Felix’s gorgeous new trainer and good friend, Gio. Increasingly drawn to his sweet smile and smoldering green eyes, she finds herself saying and doing things she normally wouldn’t.

As it becomes more and more difficult for each to resist the other, Gio crosses the line between them. He hopes that one kiss will alleviate the overwhelming temptation and clear both their systems, but it does just the opposite. Their temptation suddenly becomes an obsession--an obsession that quickly forces Gio to realize this is more than just lust. He's fallen hard and to his delight so has she. Now he's forced to make the hardest decision of his life. Risk losing his long time friend or walk away from the only girl he's ever loved. 

Adult Contemporary romance

MY REVIEW:
This series is about a group of guys who are boxers from a town near Los Angeles, CA. The first book, Noah, I read and reviewed in February of 2013 and enjoyed it very much! Gio is Noah's best friend. After a tragic boxing accident, Gio decides he's done with boxing. And after sinking into depression, his high school friend, and fellow boxer champion, Felix, offers for him to come train with him for a couple of months. Once there he finds himself alone with Felix's girlfriend, Bianca, a lot due to Felix being stuck in various places for promotions or just because he claims he can't get a flight out.

Bianca was a classmate of theirs in school, and what she doesn't know is that Gio always had a thing for her back then and never acted on it. At the time he wasn't looking for a relationship and she was a relationship kind of girl. Felix isn't exactly a stand up guy when it comes to women. In fact, Bianca thinks their relationship is a lot more serious than he thinks, considering he has a tendency to have girls in every city he fights in. He does see Bianca as different, as someone he could see himself settling down with. And boy is she naive. Felix is seen in tabloids all the time with different women and he always has a story to spin. Not everything is bad, but enough is questionable that she should get a clue.

Cheating isn't necessarily a deal breaker for me in books. However, I don't really like to read about married people cheating. Given that this was a dating situation it didn't make me cringe - as much. This was like a train wreck waiting to happen - and one you can't look away from. Why? Because secrets ALWAYS come out. Especially when there's paparazzi hiding around trying to get the latest scoop of the welterweight world champion. My biggest irritation with stories like this, is the ridiculousness of two adults seemingly having no self-control, of not waiting until you are no longer in one relationship before moving on, even if who you are moving on to is someone you've really fallen hard for and you realize your feelings for the new person is nothing like what you thought you had. Make a clean break. Don't burn bridges. Don't destroy friendships. Show some respect and restraint. Rant over.

Favorite Quotes:
He loved everything about her. Her laugh - her smile - the way she made him so impossibly happy by doing nothing more than laughing.

She was his magic pill: the one thing that brought light into his darkness.

Final Rating - 3.5 stars