Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Book Review: Set Free by Kelly Collins


Set Free 


AUTHOR:Kelly Collins

GENRE:Contemporary romance with an 18+ warning


One ex-convict, one detective, one ranch, one hell of a ride.





When twenty-four-year-old Mickey Mercer walked out of the Denver Women’s Correctional Facility she had two things on her mind: the friends she left behind and the rough road ahead.

She had a failing ranch, a rundown home, and an angry ex-boyfriend determined to crush her. That was until a stranger appointed himself her personal savior.

Detective McKinley’s job was to protect and serve. His life was consumed by work until he found Mickey walking down a dusty road. She was a mess and in trouble, and there was nothing sexier than trouble. Mickey was everything he wanted, but nothing he needed. That was the lie he told himself.


Set Free is a story about love, hope, and redemption. Sometimes, people aren’t what they seem. Sometimes, they’re better.






I resigned myself to hoofing it up the road. Step by step, I distanced myself from the prison. The farther I got, the better I felt. My meager steps turned into long strides. My rounded shoulders straightened. With each step, the dirt I kicked up buried my past.

Twenty minutes later, the prison faded from view. The road ahead twisted and turned with nothing in sight. Leaving the confines of the Denver Women’s Correctional Facility, I didn’t expect my lack of resources to confine me in a new type of hell.

The sun sat high in the sky and I was well on my way to sunburnt limbs. Leaning against a signpost on the side of the road, my eyes searched for cars leaving the prison. Maybe someone would be kind enough to give me a ride.

The hot breeze rattled the sign above my head. When I looked up, I laughed. It said Correctional facility area. Do not pick up hitchhikers. I continued on the dusty path, knowing that the universe had just flipped me off.



Amazon– US ~ Amazon– UK



My Rating:



Favorite Quotes:


“She attacked the burden of putting her house back together with the determination of a toothless man committed to eating a steak.”

“Could it be possible Kerrick McKinley like me?  If so, I felt grateful for his lack of good judgement.”

“I want to kiss you in front of the world and let every ogling man know you’re off limits, especially Roland.  You may think of him like a brother, but I see him look at you and I don’t like it.  If he’s a brother, then he’s an incestuous little bastard.”

“Look at me…. I want to see the passion in your eyes.  I want to look into your soul and know that I’ve touched it deeply.”

“I realized I was offered an encore performance in my life, and I intended to earn a standing ovation for my future efforts.”

My Review:


An impulsive ex-con with a history of poor choices is not an uncommon choice for a main character, but it is when the ex-con is a woman.  I was intrigued by the story line of Set Free and enjoyed the odd juxtaposition of the characters.  I always enjoy Ms. Collins clever humor and amusing metaphors.  She has a knack for steamy romances with an underlying and unexpected sweetness to her interesting yet deeply flawed characters.  They are typically common, relevant, complicated, and captivating.  I find her writing to be smart and insightful, as well as entertaining.  The protagonists in this story were instantly attracted yet wary of each other, but their passion, chemistry, and years of forced celibacy were a combustible combination that was too hard to fight back.  More please.

Empress DJ







Kelly Collins writes with the intention of keeping the love alive.

Always a romantic, she is inspired by real time events mixed with a dose of fiction. She encourages her readers to reach the happily ever after and bask in the afterglow of the perfectly imperfect love.

Kelly lives in Colorado with her husband of twenty-five years. She loves hockey, shiny objects and has a passion for lemon drop martinis.

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