{Review} In Kelly's Corner by Roxie Rivera

Title: In Kelly's Corner
Author: Roxie Rivera
Release Date: September 27, 2013
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance, Sports Romance, Romantic Suspense

After a stalker breaks into her home, internet entrepreneur Bee Langston decides Kelly Connolly is the only man who can help her—but seeking help from the former Marine isn’t easy, especially after she made a spectacular fool of herself trying to kiss the sinfully sexy bodyguard.

When Kelly spots Bee weaving her way through the Houston nightspot where he’s working security, all those feelings he’s desperately tried to deny for his best friend’s sister come flooding to the surface. He’ll do anything to keep her safe, even if means getting up close and personal with the one woman he simply can’t have.

Soon, Bee’s stalker isn’t his only problem. His gambling addict father is tangled in a mess of debts to two of Houston’s toughest loan sharks. With the family gym on the line, there’s only one way for Kelly to make everything right. He agrees to fight for the Albanian mob in an underground bare-knuckle fighting tournament.

But winning the tournament and saving his family’s legacy comes at a high price—one that just might cost Bee her life.

Review

Bree Langston is an internet genius, making her way to making millions toward a promising and secure career and future. Everything is nearly set. That is until she found herself a stalker who plays dirty, determined to take her in a downward spiral before she reaches the top. Not only is her business at stake, but so is her life. Bree seeks out protection from the threats of her stalker in form of Kelly Connolly--the one she pined for for years and the only one she truly trusts. Kelly was Bree's brothers best friend, they both fought alongside each other in the marines (before her brother was killed in the war), and he is now working at a security firm, so Bree knows he's the man for the job to protect her.

Kelly, unbeknownst to Bree, has been in love with his best friend's sister and had shared a kiss that tied their connection even more, so when Bree comes to him shaking in fear and in need of his protection, he's rocked to his core with the feelings that he thought were long gone and his fierce need to keep her safe. All those years he's had feelings for Bree, he fought against for the sake of not wanting to betray his best friend (even after his untimely death) by pursuing a relationship with her, so he rejected her then. No matter how many times she had been rejected and years spent apart, it never severed their feelings for each other. It's still there and burning as ever.

They've had history before the story began, and we get to see it (and them) grow more since they reunite (although through some distressful circumstances). Since they've already had feelings before the book started, the romance between them may seem a little fast-paced. And the sexual chemistry is hard-hitting and intensely all-consuming. Kelly protects as fiercely as he loves. But with so much passion as these two have, there will be strain and tension as well. There's back and forth due to their internal battles of what they feel is wrong, and what they feel is right and true. But it was nice and quite frustrating at times to see them break down their walls and go with their feelings. But that doesn't come easy, or course, and with the situations they find themselves in, comes the question whether or not certain characters even make it out alive. And if they do, where will they stand at the end?

We meet the rest of the Connolly boys, Kelly's brothers Jack and Finn that become essential and take on big roles in the story as well as Kelly and Bree's lives. I cannot wait to read their stories (which are out now)!

There are subplots present throughout the story to shake up their already tangled up lives. The stalker is unrelenting and unforgiving and is getting more and more sinister in his vendetta, Kelly's father soon ropes them into bad and dangerous situations, a pay off in form of getting into a ring, family battles, and dealing with an Albanian mob. They've stirred up quite a myriad of unfortunate events in a short amount of time. Good thing the Connolley's and Bree have an alpha-male of a man Kelly on their side to gain their safety back.

There is a plethora of elements that make up this romantic suspense -- sabotage, intrigue, twists and turns, angst, action, mobs, debts, family battles, tension, suspense, angles, trepidation, lies, unhealthy addictions, hot sex, passion, broken trust, and fighting in the ring, safety and heart all wrapped into an enthralling package, so readers are hardly have time to be idle or bored.

Lust Factor