In The Red Zone by Crista McHugh – a Review

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Description:
All-Star linebacker Frank Kelly is as well-known for his off-the-field hits as he is for his on-field ones. When a dance club brawl ends with him in handcuffs again, he’s rescued by a well-connected woman who can get the charges dropped in exchange for a small favor. If he’ll agree to play the part of a doting boyfriend for two months, she’ll keep him out of the slammer and help restore his reputation.

Kiana Dyer may be the daughter of a Hall of Fame football player, but the charity organization she took over when he died isn’t getting the media attention she’d hoped for. A staged romance with Frank Kelly is just the ticket she needs to get in the spotlight. As the lines between fake and real start to blur, she begins to wonder if bailing him out was the best call she’s ever made. Just when everything seems to be falling perfectly in place, scandal surrounds her charity, and she’s the one left scrambling to clear her name.

Review:

In The Red Zone by Crista McHugh begins with Frank Kelly and his friend Tre at a club, when in walks a woman who grabs his attention immediately. He saunters across the floor and hits on her, only to find out that she is his friend Tre’s sister. And Kiana is well aware of his reputation as a womanizer as well as a fighter. Yes, Frank gets in trouble………..a lot, so he reigns in his ego and asks her to dance and promises to be a gentleman. But when he finally gets her on the dance floor only to have an entourage approach them and start to berate and manhandle Kiana, all bets are off and he sees red. A fight ensues and shots are fired and Frank once again finds himself in handcuffs and hauled off to jail. Who bails him out? Kiana. And, she makes him an offer that he can’t refuse. Frank idolized Kiana’s father, and he’s attracted to Kiana as well, so when she asks for help for her charitable organization, he sees it as a win win.

The more time he spends with Kiana, the more he knows she’s not like the other women he’s been with, so he calls his oldest brother, Adam, for advice. Of course, Adam immediately thinks Frank’s in trouble (did I mention he gets in trouble a lot?? LOL!) but soon discerns that Frank seems to be taken with this lady, which surprises him. When they hang up, Frank decides he’s all in and will do what he can to help her foundation, and to help her see him as something more than his reputation. Once things get rolling, revelations are made and hearts are in play. And, when scandal Kiana’s charity, Frank will move heaven and earth to move them out of the red zone.

Crista McHugh has ONCE AGAIN written a wonderful story with two characters that are relatable, refreshing and will have you turning the pages so fast that the story will be over before you know it. I knew that Frank’s book would be awesome, and it totally was. Even though he had that bad boy reputation, you just had to know going in that he would redeem himself in a big way. And, boy, did he! I loved Kiana as well. She is strong and independent despite a childhood that would have left most balled up in a corner sobbing. There was one HUGE problem with this book though. It’s the sixth book, about the sixth brother, which means there’s only one more. I just can’t believe that the next book, Gideon’s, will be the seventh. I’ve said it a million times. If you’re not reading Crista’s books, you’re sorely missing out on some of the best reads ever!!! Not one wasted word will be found in anything she writes. Well done, Crista McHugh, very very well done!

Reviewed by Vickie

Copy provided by Author