ZEL: Markovic MMA #1 by Roxie Rivera-a review

ZEL: MARKOVIC MMA by Roxie Rivera-a review

Zel

99¢ ebook deal: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 7, 2016

To escape a debt owed to the mob mixed martial artist Zel Tesla agrees to one final match with one of his league’s most notorious fighters. If he wins, he’ll clear the debts he incurred trying to save his young son’s life and earn his freedom.

But one chance encounter with a luscious burlesque performer in Vegas threatens all those carefully laid plans…

Ten years ago, Sara Contreras fled Houston with the help of her mobbed-up friends. Since barely escaping with her life, she’s built a multi-million dollar empire, but she’s always looking over her shoulder, wondering if the dark, dangerous secret she left behind in Houston is going to catch up with her.

When Sara’s past threatens everything Zel has worked so hard to achieve, she has to make a painful choice. She can sacrifice her love for Zel and let him go—or she can fight for him, facing the secret that nearly buried her back in Houston and the loan shark who owns them both.

***Includes the connected books Ivan (Her Russian Protector #1) and Alexei (Her Russian Protector #8) as a FREE BONUS***

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REVIEW: ZEL is the first installment and novella in Roxie Rivera’s adult, contemporary MARKOVIC MMA erotic romance series-a spin off from Her Russian Protector series.. This is MMA fighter Zel Tesla, and exotic dancer Sara Contreras’s story line. ZEL runs parallel to, and overlaps some of the time line of ALEXEI (Book #8) in Roxie’s HER RUSSIAN PROTECTOR series.

Told from several third person points of view ZEL focuses on Zel’s upcoming championship fight with a man who has already killed one of his former opponents. Meeting exotic dancer Sara Contreras, just days before the championship match, finds our hero distracted and thinking about a future with a woman he barely knows. When Sara’s past comes back looking for revenge, our heroine knows that for Zel to keep his head in the match, she must walk away before both of them find themselves deeper in debt to the mob.

The secondary and supporting characters include several of the couples from Rivera’s HER RUSSIAN PROTECTOR series including Ivan and Erin Markovic(Ivan #1);Nikolai and Vivian (Nikolai #4); Alexei and Shay (Alexei #8) as well as Sara’ s sister Lucy. Sara’s connection to the mob comes in the form of an ex-husband, and a step brother who wants what he deserves. Besian returns and we see a different side to the Albanian mobster.

ZEL is a fast paced story of insta-love; of one man’s many heartbreaks, and one woman’s need to save the man with whom she is falling in love. The premise is entertaining and revealing; the characters are animated and intense; the romance is a quick build to a happily ever after. ZEL is the first book in Rivera’s MARKOVIC MMA spin off series, and I am looking forward to many more.

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Reviewed by Sandy

***Includes the connected books Ivan (Her Russian Protector #1) and Alexei (Her Russian Protector #8) as a FREE BONUS***

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IvanIVAN (Her Russian Protector #1)

REVIEW:  IVAN is the first storyline in Roxie Rivera’s contemporary/romance/suspense series Her Russian Protector. IVAN is a short introductory story, basically 80 pages in length that prefaces a number of friends and members formerly involved with the Russian Mob.

The storyline premise focuses on Erin and Ivan. Erin needs to find her drug-addicted sister before it is too late. She knows Ivan’s reputation as a no nonsense man with connections. Making her way into his fight club, Erin will soon discover she has also made her way into Ivan’s heart.

Ivan is our hero: a man who admits he is not perfect but a man whose primary passion is Erin. Hoping to find her sister, Ivan and his fellow Russians uncover a connection that goes deeper than a simple addiction.

IVAN is a story about one woman’s love for her sister and her many attempts to save her from self-destruction. There is an immediate connection between Ivan and Erin-one that is protective without being too alpha; loving without obsession; romantic without control. Ivan is a man who has fallen for a stranger the moment she walks into his life.

If you like a quick and easy read-one with love, romance, sex and several sexy Russians waiting for their story to be told, IVAN is your first stop in HER RUSSIAN PROTECTOR series by Roxie Rivera.

Reviewed by Sandy

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AlexeiALEXEI (Her Russian Protector #8)

REVIEW:

ALEXEI is the eighth full length installment in Roxie Rivera’s contemporary, adult HER RUSSIAN PROTECTOR romance series. This is former Russian enforcer/businessman Alexei Sarnov, and leather designer/cleaning lady Shay Sandoval’s storyline. ALEXEI falls somewhere in the timeline between Nikolai Vol 2 and the novella Lion’s First Roar, and has been released prior to book number 7-Kostya.

ALEXEI revisits some of the previous story line characters including Nikolai and Viv, Detective Eric Santos, Russian enforcer Boychenko, Albanian mobster Besian, and several others -byway of mention only. We are introduced to Russian newcomer and bodyguard Stas, and Shay’s BFF Kylee-whose past is mired in betrayal and loss. Many familiar names and characters are woven throughout the story.

ALEXEI is an entertaining story line with colorful characters but I felt less than invested in Shay’s happily ever after. Perhaps it was the heroine’s constant disregard for her own safety, and the safety of the man with whom she had fallen in love that left me questioning any hope for their future. I had so much hope for ALEXEI’s story but sadly this will not rank as one of my favorite Russian Protector story lines.

Reviewed by Sandy

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Her Russian Protector Series Book Tour and Giveaway with Roxie Rivera

Her Russian Protector Series Book Tour and Giveaway with Roxie Rivera

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Her Russian Protector Series by Roxie Rivera

series spotlight

 

IvanIVAN

Click HERE for our review of IVAN by Roxie Rivera

Release Date: February 24, 2013

Her Russian Protector, #1

Desperate to find her sister, Erin goes to the only man in Houston who can help her:  Ivan Markovic. The intimidating, tattooed Russian operates one of the most elite mixed-martial arts training centers in the world but it’s his shadowy past and reputed connections with Houston’s underworld that interest her most.

 

To find her sister, she’ll need the help of her big, scary Russian protector—but asking for help from a man like Ivan carries a steep price, one that might just include her heart.

Available at: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Barnes and Noble | KOBO | All Romance Ebooks | AppleSmashwords |  

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DimitriDIMITRI

Release Date:  April 2, 2013

Her Russian Protector, #2

Refusing to lose her brother to the violent Hermanos street gang, Benny turns to Dimitri, the dead sexy Russian who lives in the apartment above her family’s bakery. He’s the only man tough enough to get through to Johnny and save him from a life in prison—or worse.There’s nothing Dimitri won’t do for Benny, even if it means dealing with her troublemaking brother. He quickly realizes that it’s not just Johnny and his thug friends that pose a threat to Benny. A shady real estate developer needs to buy her bakery to secure a multi-million dollar deal and he’ll stop at nothing to make her sell.

Threatened from all sides, Benny finds safety in Dimitri’s strong arms — and in his bed. Her big, sexy Russian has no intention of ever letting her go—and he’ll brave the fires of hell before he lets anyone harm her.

Reader’s Note: Dimitri is an incredibly passionate man with a dominant streak—and Benny is only too happy to indulge his need for a little…restraint.

Available at: Amazon.com |Amazon.caBarnes & Noble | All Romance eBooks | Kobo  | Smashwords

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YuriYURI

Click HERE for our review of

Release Date:  May 17, 2013

Her Russian Protector, Book 3

While clawing her way out of Houston’s worst neighborhood, Lena vowed to never let any man have power over her. After a lifetime of broken promises from her criminal father and a mother who abandoned her, Lena believes that love makes you vulnerable. She’s never been tempted to test that belief…until Yuri.

Sexy as sin and with a dark reputation, Russian billionaire Yuri Novakovsky survived a miserable childhood of poverty and neglect to ascend the pinnacle of success. He enjoys the perks of his massive wealth without much thought to the consequences…until Lena.

When Lena’s father and cousin blunder into an international art theft operation, Yuri seizes his chance to be her protector. But when past misdeeds catch up with him and threaten Lena’s safety, Yuri puts her love and trust in him to the test.

He’ll prove he’s the man she needs—a man she can trust and depend upon—one sensual, wicked kiss at a time.

***YURI is a full-length novel, clocking in at 90,000 words and 300+ pages.***

Available at:  Amazon.comAmazon.caBarnes and Noble | All Romance eBooks | Smashwords.

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NikolaiNIKOLAI

Her Russian Protector, Book 4

Release Date:  June 24, 2013

After a brush with death as a juvenile delinquent, Vivian swore she’d never stray across that line again—but there’s just one problem with her plan to stay on the right side of the law. She’s completely, irrevocably and unabashedly in love with Nikolai, the Russian mob boss who saved her life.

From the moment Vivian appeared in his life on that tragic April night, Nikolai felt himself inextricably bonded to her. She’s the bright light in his dark world and the only thing that keeps him from sliding deeper into a life of crime and violence—a mobbed-up life he can’t escape no matter how hard he tries.

After Vivian is ripped from his arms in a brazen blitz attack, Nikolai will stop at nothing to get her back—but rescuing her and keeping her safe in his arms isn’t enough. Suddenly, Nikolai’s only chance to keep her safe is to do the one thing he vowed never to do—he’ll drag her deeper into his shadowy world and bind her to him forever.

Because their tangled pasts are about to collide and the shockwave threatens to bring Houston’s criminal underbelly to its knees…

Reader Advisory:  This story contains scenes of violence against women and frank descriptions of trafficking.

Coming June 24:  Amazon | B&N | Kobo | All Romance eBooks | Smashwords.

*This is not available for pre-order*

About the Author

ALL ABOUT ROXIE:

When I’m not chasing after my wild preschooler, I like to write super sexy romances and scorching hot erotica. I live in Texas with a husband who could easily snag a job as an extra on History Channel’s new Viking series, a sweet but rowdy three-year-old with Tetralogy of Fallot, and Bosley, our Great Dane with major mommy issues.

I also have another dirty-book writing alter egoLolita Lopez, who writes deliciously steamy tales for Ellora’s Cave, Forever Yours/Grand Central, Mischief/Harper Collins UK, Siren Publishing and Cleis Press.

Connect with Roxie:  Website | Facebook | Goodreads

blog tour schedule

YURI & NIKOLAI Tour Schedule
June 17 – June 30

6/17- Books, Books & More Books (series spotlight & review)
http://booksbooksmorebooks.blogspot.com/
6/17- Reading Between The Wines (guest post)
http://www.readingbetweenthewinesbookclub.com/
6/18- Nina’s Literary Escape (series spotlight)
http://ninasliteraryescape.blogspot.com/
6/18 Flirting with Romance (interview)
http://flirtingwithromance.blogspot.com/
6/20- The Reading Café (series spotlight & review)
http://thereadingcafe.com/
6/20- United by Books (interview)
http://unitedbybooks.blogspot.com/
6/21- Book Monster Reviews (guest post)
http://www.bookmonsterreviews.com/
6/22- Night Owl Reviews (series spotlight & review)
http://www.nightowlreviews.com/v5/Blog/Articles/Roxie-Riveras-Her-Russian-Protectors-Series-Continues/
6/23- Romance Junkies (series spotlight & review)
http://www.romancejunkies.com/rjblog/
6/24- My Reading Obsession (series spotlight & review)
http://4myreadingobsession.blogspot.com/
6/25- Offbeat Vagabond (series spotlight & review)
http://offbeatvagabond.blogspot.com/
6/26- Cocktails and Books (series spotlight)
http://www.cocktailsandbooks.com/
6/27- Salacious Reads (series spotlight)
http://www.salaciousreads.com/
6/27- Riverina Romantics (guest post)
http://riverinaromantics.blogspot.com/
6/29- Book Lovin Mamas (guest post)
http://booklovinmamas.blogspot.com//

 rafflecopter giveaway

Roxie is giving away the following prizes on her tour:

GRAND PRIZE:  US/CANADA ONLY

Signed set of all four HER RUSSIAN PROTECTOR print books in a tote with swag

RUNNERS UP: US/CANADA ONLY

TWO (2) runners-up will receive a signed copy of IVAN and swag..

NOTE: The Reading Cafe is NOT responsible for the rafflecopter giveaway. If you have any questions, please contact the tour promoter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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