Author: Lexi BlakeSeries: Courting Justice #1
Audience: +18
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: June 5th 2018
My Rating: 4.5 Cups
Source: InkSlinger PR
Blurb (from Goodreads):
To high-end defense attorney Henry Garrison, Win Hughes is a woman he met during one of the most trying times of his life. She’s soft and warm, and he finds solace in their brief relationship. But Win has a secret. She’s actually Taylor Winston-Hughes—born to one of the wealthiest families in the country, orphaned as a child by a tragic accident. Win moves in the wealthiest circles, but her lavish lifestyle hides her pain.*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.
When her best friend is murdered in the midst of a glittering New York gala, Win’s charged with the crime, and the only person in the world she wants to see is Henry.
Henry is shocked at the true identity of his lover, but he can’t reject the case. This case could take his new firm into the stratosphere. Still, he’s not getting burned by Win again. And yet every turn brings them closer together.
As the case takes a wild turn and Win's entire life is upended, she must look to the people she's closest to in order to find a killer. And Henry must decide between making his case and saving the woman he loves…
**Disclaimer: This book contains mature content. As a result, my review may contain references to content intended for mature audiences only.
Yet another fantastic read from Lexi Blake, full of mystery, drama, suspense, romance, danger, and hot sex.
Order Of Protection is the first book in a new series by Lexi Blake and let me tell you, what a great way to start a new series. At the heart of this story is second chances, and I absolutely love the powerful message the story sends. Both Henry and Win are people struggling to not let their demons win, and they are so strong. I absolutely love the way they each talked about their struggles, Win with anorexia, and Henry with alcoholism. They each deserve better, they each are fighting for their lives, they each are fighting to make their lives better. I absolutely loved them.
Win is a young woman struggling to see her own worth and accept her own beauty. Life in Hollywood destroyed her, and while she managed to get out of it, she is still struggling with her need to please everyone. I loved her sass and her take-no-bullshit attitude towards Henry. There was a really powerful scene when she talked about her issues with self image and her eating disorder, and I am so glad it was there, because it showed just how far Win really got from the popular girl on the reality show that she was before the story started
Henry was an angry, defeated man when he is introduced to us. He's been sober for six months, but there's so much anger inside him, most of it aimed at himself. He might be angry at his ex, but he really is angry with himself. And not just angry, he's ashamed. I can imagine that losing control the way he did must have been really scary once he managed to realize what was going on. I wasn't really happy with how he dealt with finding out who Win was, but I understood it. He wasn't just angry at her, he was also scared he would fall off the wagon, and I kind of got his need to lash out. He also talks a little bit about his addiction, and again it was a really powerful scene.
The story is really fast paced and there's a lot of mystery and intrigue weaved in the story-line. A lot of questions are asked, and a lot of them find answers towards the end of the book. The villain turns out to be someone I didn't expect. I was shocked by the ending, though I guess I probably should have expected something like that from Blake. The sex was hot, the romance was sweet, and the pacing was just perfect.
I had a lot of fun reading this book, and being introduced to Henry, David, Noah and Margarita. I cannot wait to see what happens next in the series. All in all, Order Of Protection is a great series starter and I am excited for more.
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Henry glanced up at the clock. Two thirty p.m. Somehow he’d expected Win to show up bright and early this morning. He’d woken up and made a pot of coffee, and he’d gone over all the ways he would explain to her that this was a bad idea.
Because it was still a bad idea.
Alicia might have given in to Noah and Drew Lawless’s blackmail, but she would be back at some point. Then there was the fact that he dealt with unsavory clients on a daily basis. He took on high-profile cases and often got dragged through the mud along with the client.
There were plenty of people out there who hated him. Loathed him and despised the very fact that he existed and cheered if he failed. He was used to it. Sweet little Win was not and would be horrified.
So he was going to tell her how amazing their night together was and then turn her down gently.
Except she hadn’t shown up and that bugged the hell out of him.
She’d been the one to claim she would be here despite the fact that he’d told her not to come. She’d told him she didn’t care what he thought.
It was perverse, but if he’d had her number, he might have called and said a few things about setting expectations and then not meeting them.
He started another pot of coffee. This was completely foolish. She’d put some distance between the two of them and realized how little they had in common. At least one of them had some sense.
The scent of French roast hit the air and he realized he was pro-crastinating. He was putting off the moment when he had to step back into the city and face the music. He would have to work his ass off to find anyone who wanted to hire a lawyer with his tarnished reputation. It didn’t matter that his addiction issues had never cost a client a dime. The perception would be there, and perception was over half the battle in life.
He should pack up tonight and leave it all to the agent. It’s what he should have done yesterday, but he’d enjoyed spending time with David, showing him places on the island and telling him stories.
It was time to go home now. Time to forget about pretending to be someone he couldn’t afford to be anymore. Time to put away thoughts of quiet and peace and get back to being the Monster of Manhattan. That was the only way he was going to survive.
The Monster of Manhattan didn’t give in to urges. He plowed through all problems with a single-minded, ruthless intent. The Monster didn’t need attention, though he tended to get it. Attention didn’t matter to the Monster. Money mattered. Power mattered.
He would get them both back.
The Monster certainly didn’t need some do-gooder in his bed. He would select a woman, rationally discuss his needs with her, and pay her for her services, whether they be as a plus-one to gatherings or as a body in bed. That was how he would view it. Transactional.
Transactional was safe.
So he was going to stop being such a whiny asshole and be grateful that Win had some sense.
A knock broke through the quiet of the house.
He practically ran for the door.
He opened it and there was Win, standing in the soft light of the afternoon, her hair up in a ponytail. She was wearing denim shorts and a blousy, feminine shirt. She had a bag of groceries in one hand and what looked like a duffel in the other.
“I know you said I shouldn’t come back, but you’re wrong and I’m going to give you all my reasons why.”
He didn’t care. She was here. He walked straight up to her and cupped that pretty face in his hands and kissed her for all he was worth.
Fuck transactional. He wanted something real for once in his damn life.
When he came back up, he was rewarded with a soft look in her eyes, her lips curving into a small smile.
“No arguing with me?”
He did have some problems they should discuss. “You’re late.”
Her smile went brilliant. “I had some things to clear up. I thought if you didn’t mind, I might stay with you for a few nights.”
He took the bag of groceries out of her hand and led her inside. “I think that sounds like a great idea.”
“This is way easier than I thought it would be,” she admitted. “Have you had lunch? I could whip up some sandwiches and we could have a picnic.”
He stashed the grocery bag in the fridge. She set down her duffel, and that made it much easier to scoop her up and into his arms. “I know exactly what I want for lunch.”
Her eyes went wide, but she didn’t struggle at all. Her arms went around his shoulders as he carried her to the big bedroom.
It had been cozy in his old room, but he needed more space if she was going to live here with him for a few weeks.
He stopped at the edge of the big bed he’d had brought in after he’d inherited the place. It was the only room he’d redone, with the thought of spending long weekends with his friends up here. He never had managed the time, but now he was happy he’d spent the cash to do it because he could share it with her.
The last few weeks of being Henry before going back to the real world.
He set her down on the bed and pulled his shirt over his head. He wasn’t playing around this time. That was for later. It had been entirely too long since he’d had her.
He needed her.
He knew it was something he should question, even be slightly afraid of, but he didn’t care in the moment. All that mattered was she was here and he could put off any thoughts of letting her go for a few days. He could sink into her.
She was his reward for every crappy thing he’d been through in the last couple of years.
