Narrated by Christian Fox
Trigger Warning: All Chained Up contains a scene of sexual violence which may be triggering for some listeners.
All Chained Up is the first book in Sophie Jordan’s new Devil’s Rock series (based around a prison in the Texas Badlands of the same name). Knox Callaghan has been in Devil’s Rock for just over eight years. He’s serving an 8-15 stretch for manslaughter. His younger brother, North, is serving 7-12 for the same crime. They killed the man who raped their cousin – although his death was unintentional. As felon heroes go, this makes Knox far more palatable to the listener. He’s a good guy who made a mistake and went too far defending his cousin from a scumbag. And, he’s remorseful, thinking about the family of the rapist and his own family and the suffering his actions have caused. He’s guilty of the crime but he’s not a psychopath. Now 28, he’s matured and doesn’t intend to lose control like that ever again.
Briar Davis is the daughter of an abusive man. As soon as she was old enough, she left home to escape the violence her father regularly meted out to her mother. As far as I can tell, Briar’s dad wasn’t physically abusive to Briar and her older sister, Laurel, but they were both subjected to his hair-trigger temper and controlling behaviours. Briar is therefore unimpressed by violence.
Working as a nurse for the local medical practice, Briar is keen to snag a promotion. To make herself a more attractive candidate she volunteers when Dr. Walker asks for a nurse to accompany him one day a week to the prison. The previous doctor retired and the prison has been without a doctor for some time.
Briar and Knox meet on Briar’s first day at Devil’s Rock. Knox has been in a fight, defending his turf – something which is necessary in prison (apparently) so as to not appear weak and invite unwanted attention. I gather it’s the strongest and most badass who stay the safest, but every now and then, one must prove that strength and badassness for the reputation to survive.
Briar is the first young woman Knox has seen for eight years but even so, my impression was that he was attracted to her rather than just “a woman”. This was reinforced by the reaction of some of the other (less desirable) criminals who saw Briar as “pussy” and not much more. When Knox saves Briar from a brutal attack by some of those less desirable criminals, she realises that the attraction she has for Knox isn’t some sick draw to someone like her father. Knox is nothing like her father.
When Knox is paroled, he and Briar cross paths and the attraction which flared in prison is allowed to spark into full flame.
Briar is a little stereotypical in some ways – sexually inexperienced and sexually unawakened – but she finds herself in touch with her body when Knox and she start getting physical and she stands up for herself. In other words, she isn’t a complete Mary Sue.
The barriers to their HEA are obvious: Knox is a convicted killer – this draws alarm and dismay from Briar’s sister and guilt from Knox (Briar deserves better) but surprisingly little angst about it from Briar herself.
I’d have liked Briar and Knox to spend a little more time together and for that to be shown on page. For the most part it was hot sex and then Knox taking a step back from a relationship, rinse, repeat. What was in the book was good, but I’d have liked more of the relationship-building, particularly because the romance itself moves very fast.
The story touches on a number of interesting issues around how a felon, determined to stay out of prison but who is marked as a killer in a small town manages life on the outside. I wouldn’t have minded it going a bit deeper there – but perhaps that would have made the story something else and perhaps the message is simply that there are no easy answers anyway.
There is also a chapter from another character’s perspective plonked into the story. It’s clearly sequel bait and, while it was interesting enough, it jarred a little.
I’ve been spoiled a little by excellent narration from performers like James Langton and Alex Wyndham who portray female characters so very well that it took me a little while to recall that most male narrators don’t have the same ability. Mr. Fox did the more-than-serviceable softening of his voice for Briar and the other female cast, without going into falsetto or anything awful but without the magic of Wyndham or Langton. I forgot for a little while that actually, Mr. Fox was doing just fine.
As to the other aspects of narration, the pacing, tension, emotion and characterisation, Mr. Fox did well. The male cast were fairly well differentiated and he absolutely delivered both the reined and overt violence of Devil’s Rock, particularly the scene where Briar is attacked.
I’d certainly be happy to listen to Christian Fox narrate further romances and even though I grumbled a little about the sequel bait, I am intrigued by Reid’s story and what may come of it. I assume there will be a book for North as well. If Mr. Fox narrates the rest of the series, it wouldn’t be cause for complaint.
I’d have liked just a little more meat on the bones of this story but enjoyed it for what it was: a hot, sexy, contemporary about a bad guy who’s not so bad at all and a good girl who learns that a being a little bad is a very good thing.
[section label=’Audiobook Information’ anchor=’Audiobook Information’]
Kaetrin
AUDIOBOOK INFORMATION
TITLE: All Chained Up
AUTHOR: Sophie Jordan
NARRATED BY: Christian Fox
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
STEAM FACTOR: Glad I had my earbuds in
REVIEWER: Kaetrin [button type=’link’ link=’http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AX3BB4C/?tag=audiogalsnet-20′ size=’btn-lg’ variation=’btn-default’ target=’blank’]Buy All Chained Up by Sophie Jordan on Amazon[/button] [section label=’Excerpt’ anchor=’Excerpt’]The following is an excerpt – below that is an interview with the author about the new series.
