A review by laurenjodi
All Chained Up by Sophie Jordan
3.0
All Chained Up
3 Stars
Reluctantly volunteering at the local maximum-security prison known as the Devil's Rock, nurse Briar Davis knows she is in over her head with the inmates. One in particular, Knox Callaghan, raises all the red flags with his intense stare and taciturn nature. But when he risks his life to protect Briar and is granted parole, Briar cannot deny their connection. Now all she has to do is convince Knox that he is worthy of being loved.
For some reason, I expected this to be a romantic-suspense novel, but aside from a couple of intense action scenes at the prison, this is a straightforward contemporary romance.
Despite an excellent premise and engaging characters, there is actually very little plot in this book. The story starts out well with Knox and Briar's interactions in the prison and the intensity of their chemistry is enhanced by the enclosed setting and forbidden nature of their attraction. However, once the action shifts to outside the prison walls, everything changes, and their relationship develops rather awkwardly and is primarily a series of sex scenes with some angsty conversations in between.
Both Briar and Knox have compelling backstories, and there is a great deal of potential in their relationship. Briar is a sweet heroine, and her loyalty and courage in the face of dangerous circumstances are admirable. Unfortunately, all of this is undermined by the focus on Knox's anger management issues and his belief that he is unworthy of being in Briar's life - both of which feel forced. Moreover, the shift in his behavior at the end is sudden, and it is difficult to believe that he would to show that he is now in control of his violent tendencies.
Finally, a note on the writing. In general, the writing is well-paced and flows smoothly. However, there are a couple of editing issues, such as two different characters named Tyler, the confusion (perhaps typo) for DVD and DVR, and a truly egregious sentence "even though he had no idea what flavor Cherry Garica was" - umm, I'm taking a leap here and going to say ... cherry!
Overall, this is an OK read, and I am interested enough in the secondary characters to continue with the series.
3 Stars
Reluctantly volunteering at the local maximum-security prison known as the Devil's Rock, nurse Briar Davis knows she is in over her head with the inmates. One in particular, Knox Callaghan, raises all the red flags with his intense stare and taciturn nature. But when he risks his life to protect Briar and is granted parole, Briar cannot deny their connection. Now all she has to do is convince Knox that he is worthy of being loved.
For some reason, I expected this to be a romantic-suspense novel, but aside from a couple of intense action scenes at the prison, this is a straightforward contemporary romance.
Despite an excellent premise and engaging characters, there is actually very little plot in this book. The story starts out well with Knox and Briar's interactions in the prison and the intensity of their chemistry is enhanced by the enclosed setting and forbidden nature of their attraction. However, once the action shifts to outside the prison walls, everything changes, and their relationship develops rather awkwardly and is primarily a series of sex scenes with some angsty conversations in between.
Both Briar and Knox have compelling backstories, and there is a great deal of potential in their relationship. Briar is a sweet heroine, and her loyalty and courage in the face of dangerous circumstances are admirable. Unfortunately, all of this is undermined by the focus on Knox's anger management issues and his belief that he is unworthy of being in Briar's life - both of which feel forced. Moreover, the shift in his behavior at the end is sudden, and it is difficult to believe that he would
Spoiler
accept a beatingFinally, a note on the writing. In general, the writing is well-paced and flows smoothly. However, there are a couple of editing issues, such as two different characters named Tyler, the confusion (perhaps typo) for DVD and DVR, and a truly egregious sentence "even though he had no idea what flavor Cherry Garica was" - umm, I'm taking a leap here and going to say ... cherry!
Overall, this is an OK read, and I am interested enough in the secondary characters to continue with the series.