Unwrapping a Review of ALL CHAINED UP, a Devil's Rock novel by Sophie Jordan

Already a fan of Sophie Jordan’s historical romances so when I heard she was writing a contemporary romance with convict heroes, I was a bit hesitant because of the trope but wow, did she surprise me with ALL CHAINED UP.

***copy purchased for my own personal reading but sharing my honest and unscripted review

Blurb for ALL CHAINED UP:

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

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Briar Davis is a nurse who has volunteered to assist in the med clinic at the local prison. Her sister warned her that it could be dangerous and she has to admit that feeling nervous is an understatement especially when one particular inmate is brought in after a fight. Knox Callaghan is everything her sister warned her about, and yet Briar can’t keep her eyes off him.

Knox Callaghan just wants to finish out his sentence, keep himself and his brother alive until then, and if it means a few broken ribs and another stint in the hole, so be it. He didn’t expect a sweet innocent nurse who smells of peaches to derail it all. When he finds out that a couple of the inmates are determined to hijack the med clinic and have their go at the sweet new meat as they refer to Briar, he deliberately gets injured to get into the mix before it’s too late. It also wins him his freedom and when he meets up with Nurse Davis on the outside, his libido and hers pulls them together in a magnetic, addicting way that derails both of them.

Knox Callaghan is hot, hot, hot but honestly, there were times I wanted to kick him in the backside and tell him to get his act together. Fortunately, someone does that later so I feel better. Then there’s Briar Davis and well, I wanted to put extra locks on her door and tell her to get a life but in the end, I was happy. Once these two were together, they simply burned up the pages and kept me glued to them.

All of the characters were substantial and well created, although there were times when I found the writing a bit lacking…a lot of he did this, and he did that…she did this, and she did that…but honestly, the heat melted away my editorial objections. I do like the way that Sophie introduced a teaser for the next book…no, I’m not saying a word. This is one you’ll have to read and experience yourselves. And in saying that…I highly recommend ALL CHAINED UP by Sophie Jordan and don’t say…convicts, no way…try it, you might just like it. There’s something to be said for a rough and tough Alpha Male who has interesting ideas about what to do with ice cream.

Happy Reading Everyone!

ALL CHAINED UP, a Devil’s Rock novel by Sophie Jordan, Avon Romance, available now in print and ebook formats at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobobooks.