Review: All Chained Up

All Chained Up
Sophie Jordan
Contemporary Romance
Devil's Rock/Book 1
Avon/March 29, 2016

There are bad boys and then there are the men of Devil’s Rock . . .

Some men come with a built-in warning label. Knox Callaghan is one of them. Danger radiates from every lean, muscled inch of him, and his deep blue eyes seem to see right through to Briar Davis’s most secret fantasies. But there’s one major problem: Briar is a nurse volunteering at the local prison, and Knox is an inmate who should be off-limits in every way.

Knox feels it too—a shocking animal magnetism that drives him to risk his own life to protect Briar’s. Paroled at last, he tries to resist her. She’s too innocent, too sweet, and she has no idea what Knox is capable of. But a single touch can lead to a kiss—and a taste . . . until the only crime is denying what feels so right . . .

“When the prison doors are open, the real dragon will fly out.”—Ho Chi Minh

~This review is for the audio book, narrated by Christian Fox whose smooth voice made this a pleasure to listen to. 

Sophie Jordan not writes historical romances, new adult and contemporary romances. She also writes paranormal romances under the name Sharie Kohler. I've only read her new adult and contemporary romance but will need to try her historical and PNR since I have had such good luck with her writings.

It's the old question of can a "bad boy" be redeemed? Whether the hero is truly a bad boy or someone who made a terrible mistake, it's the heroine's belief in him, which in turn strengthens his belief in himself, which makes for the basis of the story.

For Knox Callaghan, the driving force in his life is keeping himself and his younger brother North, safe. Not an easy feat when you're locked up with some of the worst criminals around. So when Knox is injured and sent to the prison infirmary, he can't help but enjoy the company of beautiful nurse Briar Davis. From the beginning, it was obvious Knox wasn't a bad guy. He's done some things he wouldn't have considered doing prior to being imprisoned but his new situation makes him do whatever it takes his brother and himself alive.

I liked Knox for his protectiveness, his sense of right and his ability to see when he's wrong and admit it. He does have a short temper when it comes to men coming on to Briar. To be fair, Briar needed to stand up for herself more instead of putting up with an asshole making the moves on her when she doesn't want it.

Briar was a bit of a pushover. Like I mentioned, she worried too much about what other's thought. She let her neighbor, her sister and sometimes even Knox push her around. It was a relief when she held her ground and even pushed back a little. She doesn't have much experience with men so had Knox been harder around the edges, with out the sense of gallantry when it came to women, they might not have worked as well.

The secondary characters, mainly Knox's brother North, and Reid Allister another inmate, are given enough page time to get the reader interested in their upcoming stories. Reid's is next with North's set for publication early next year. I will admit interest in both with Reid's story given some set-up in All Chained Up. The premise is one I don't remember ever reading so it's certainly captured my curiosity!

Rating: B

Devil's Rock Series ~

All Chained Up
Hell Breaks Loose (July 26, 2016)
All Fired Up (February 2017)