3.75 stars---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.
NOTE: ***Includes the connected books Ivan (Her Russian Protector #1) and Alexei (Her Russian Protector #8) as a FREE BONUS***
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 Russian 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.
IVAN (Her Russian Protector #1)
REVIEW: 4 stars—
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.
ALEXEI (Her Russian Protector #8)
REVIEW: 3.5 stars----
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.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Learn more
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
![Zel: Markovic MMA by [Roxie Rivera]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51XhAwnoZQL._SY346_.jpg)
Follow the Author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Top reviews from other countries
april suzannah mitchell
Awesome worth the read strongly recommend
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 16, 2019
