In His Corner is a low-angst contemporary romance about a grumpy chef and the ex-con who goes to work at his restaurant. It’s well-written and steamy, and I like the author’s voice and style, but the romance is rushed and lacks a certain spark.

Top chef Hayden Quinn has worked hard every hour of every day to turn his restaurant into a thriving business and he runs his kitchen with an iron hand. He’s tough, abrasive and doesn’t suffer fools, and his staff respect and fear him in equal measure. His brother Darien is a probation officer, and when he asks Hayden to take on one of his new parolees, Hayden’s immediate instinct is to say no. He’s put absolutely everything he is into the business, and the last thing he needs is some ex-con around screwing it all up, but ends up agreeing to take the guy on. He’ll just get rid of him at the first opportunity.

Levi Gutierrez is twenty-three and served two years in prison for stealing cars. Now he’s out, he’s determined to keep his nose clean and stay out of trouble so that he can be there for his elderly grandmother, who had to move into a nursing home while he was inside. Levi arrives at the posh restaurant to start the job his parole officer has set him up with, and while the boss is as much of an arsehole as his brother had said he’d be, Levi gets to work and tries not to attract too much attention.

Except… he does. Attract attention, that is. The minute Hayden sets eyes on Levi he knows he’s going to be trouble with a capital T, his dark curls, handsome face and long, lean body waking up Hayden’s long-dormant libido in no uncertain terms. Levi’s done time and Hayden doesn’t trust him not to do something that will get him sent back inside, but his body doesn’t care about any of that, or that he’s an employee. He’ll have to settle for lusting after the bad boy like a bad cliché.

A couple of weeks later, Levi and Hayden start hooking-up on the regular despite their employer/employee status. The sex is hot and satisfying; it’s been a long time for both of them and Hayden’s office walls and desk see more action in the following few weeks than they ever have. But after few more weeks, Levi realises he’s not okay with being merely a convenient place for his boss to stick his dick when he feels the urge. He’s not asking for a trip down the aisle, but is a bit of conversation and having Hayden actually take an interest in him as a person too much to ask?

I confess that I didn’t like Hayden much for the first third of the book. It makes sense that he’d be protective of his business, but he’s so prejudiced against Levi because of his past and treats him like crap, even after they start having sex. And herein lies a bigger problem – while Levi initiates their first sexual encounter, there’s a massive power imbalance which isn’t really addressed, and I also found it difficult to believe that Levi would risk his job and his future just for the sake of a quick fuck. This isn’t helped by the fact that it feels as though Levi’s attraction to Hayden comes out of nowhere, because there’s no inkling of that attraction before they have sex. Sure, Levi thinks Hayden is hot, but that’s all we get on the page.

Thankfully, things start to change when the hurt/comfort aspect of the story kicks in, allowing Hayden to show a more caring side, to own up to his mistakes and try to do better by Levi. But his change of heart happens so fast – one minute he’s adamant he’s not interested in anything other than sex with Levi, the next he’s looking after him when he’s sick and talking about their being together for real. I liked that he’s big enough to own up to his mistakes and admit that he wants Levi for more than his body, and their relationship does take a much more positive turn from here on in – I just felt that something was missing, that their connection wasn’t quite there yet. And then Levi’s past comes calling and it’s going to take a real leap of faith on Hayden’s part if they’re going to make it as a couple.

I enjoyed the book for the most part. I liked the brotherly banter between Hayden and Darien and I liked seeing the development of the connection between Hayden and Levi, but I can’t deny that they feel somewhat underdeveloped as characters, and Hayden’s 180 happens very (too) quickly. And the threat posed when Levi’s past rears its ugly head is telegraphed a mile off. It’s a hard one for me to rate, because the similarities between it and Garrett Leigh’s Redemption (which I reviewed earlier this year) are very obvious, and sadly, In His Corner suffers by the comparison.

I struggled to assign a final grade, because while I’m sure that this novel will appeal to those looking for a very sexy (it’s probably the steamiest book I’ve ready by this author so far), mostly angst-free contemporary romance, I’d have liked more depth to the characters and relationship. I really enjoy H.L. Day’s work and will certainly be keeping an eye out for whatever she writes next, but In His Corner didn’t work for me quite as well as I’d hoped.