Tag: Lawless Series

Summer Reading Challenge Review: Satisfaction by Lexi Blake

Posted September 14, 2018 by Holly in Reviews | 2 Comments

Summer Reading Challenge Review: Satisfaction by Lexi BlakeReviewer: Holly
Satisfaction (Lawless, #2) by Lexi Blake
Series: Lawless #2
Also in this series: Ruthless, Satisfaction, Satisfaction (Lawless #2), Revenge, Revenge
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: January 3, 2017
Format: Print
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 384
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
one-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

The sizzling second novel in a sexy new contemporary romance series featuring the Lawless siblings—from New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake.


Brandon Lawless is a man on a mission: obtain the information that will clear his father’s name. He’s willing to do whatever it takes—even seduce his enemy’s personal assistant, the beautiful and innocent Carly Hendricks. But with her beguiling smile and captivating intelligence, Brandon soon realizes he doesn’t want to deceive Carly, he wants to win her over—both in the boardroom and the bedroom.   Then a twisted crime leaves Carly vulnerable and Brandon finds himself reeling. The stakes of his mission are now life or death—Carly’s life. And Brandon realizes he’s lost his heart to an amazing woman and his plan must succeed, because the stakes are no longer just revenge, but a once in a lifetime love.

Satisfaction is the second book in Lexi Blake’s Lawless series. The series features four siblings who are on a quest to avenge their parents’ death and clear their father’s name.

Twenty years ago their father was accused of murdering their mother, then killing himself after setting fire to the house while the kids were inside it. Drew Lawless, the eldest, was able to get his siblings out, but he couldn’t save his parents. He knows his father didn’t kill himself or their mother, and he’s spent 20 years working to get in a place to prove his father’s innocence, and exact revenge on his four partners, who Drew believes murdered him and set him up. Bran, the youngest brother, got placed into foster care. Unlike his sister, Mia, who was adopted, Bran got shuffled around from place to place. Before Drew could get to him, something tragic happened and a girl lost her life. Bran holds himself responsible and, since then, has played knight-in-shining armor to down on their luck women – mostly strippers.

Drew’s latest focus is Patricia Cain, a formidable executive who runs a home and garden type magazine and cooking show. Drew’s plan is simple – seduce Patricia’s assistant, Carly, so they can get access to her home where her private files are stored. Only Bran has other ideas. After his sister-in-law was used, Bran wants to bring Carly in on their plan instead of pretending to be interested in her. He takes Drew’s place and tells Carly the whole story, hoping she’ll be willing to help.

Carly is stuck working for Patricia. Two years ago her now ex-husband embezzled a million dollars from Patricia’s company. He also set her younger sister up as a patsy. Patricia has been blackmailing Carly ever since. Because Carly isn’t just her personal assistant, she’s also the creative genius behind all of Patricia’s recipes. Carly can’t quit without Patricia having her sister arrested, but she can help the Lawless family get the proof they need to convict her.

Unfortunately, her ex-husband ran up some debt with the mafia before he went to prison, and they’re trying to collect from her. They make a deal – Carly will help Bran get access to Patricia if he’ll help her deal with her current situation. As they try to find proof of Patricia’s culpability and clear his father’s name, while trying to keep Carly safe, they also have to battle their attraction for one another. Carly isn’t interested in another relationship after she got so royally screwed the last time and Bran knows he isn’t worthy of more than a short term affair.

The first couple chapters of the book really pulled me in. Drew had set it up so he and Carly were matched on a dating site and Bran took his place at their first date. He was upfront and honest with her about why he was there, and I really liked how quick he was to bring her into the family fold. Unfortunately, it fell apart shortly after that. The suspense plot was weak, and both Carly and Bran made so many rookie mistakes it was like watching my six-year-old investigate a twenty year old murder. That wasn’t even the worst part, though. It was how immature, insecure and emotionally stunted they both were.

Bran doesn’t feel like he belongs with the family. He isn’t worthy to be a Lawless or have a relationship with his siblings – or anyone else for that matter – because of something that happened to him in one of the foster homes he was in. Despite everyone telling him they love him and want him around, he spends the entire book feeling sorry for himself and like no one wants him.

“He would never do that and you know it.” Because he felt guilty. They all did. Bran had gotten the short end of a shitty stick, and his siblings all felt bad about it. It was why they put up with him.

The.Entire.Effing.Book.

“Don’t worry about it, Bran. It’s going to be okay.” No, it wasn’t. Eventually everyone would get sick of putting up with his shit and he would be on his own again.

He’s either lashing out at everyone, getting into fist fights to “work out his anger” or feeling sad that no one wants him. He’s not 12, y’all. He’s a grown ass, 30-something man.

If that wasn’t bad enough, Carly was just as insecure and whiny. Her go-to was how everyone took advantage of her. Every time Bran looked at her, it was because she was fat and ugly and he was just pretending. Conversely, every time he didn’t look at her (or pay attention to her), it was because she was fat and ugly and he was just pretending.

“Did you think flirting with the fat chick was a public service? Is that how you view it?”

She does things like push him away, the try to kiss him. When he rolls away she throws a massive hissy fit because he doesn’t want her anymore.

“I tried to get you to make love to me and I got hurt when you pretty much jumped away as soon as you could.”

Uh..you kissed him once after you told him to leave you alone. That isn’t exactly trying to get him to make love to you.

“You haven’t touched me in a week. I get it. The physical part isn’t something you want anymore. Maybe you never did.”

She’s an adult, ffs. Yet she keeps jumping to all these conclusions and saying all this stupid shit. I swear I wanted to karate chop her in the throat.

And let’s not even get me started on how she kept thinking about him as a puppy. “Puppy needs some affection.” “Puppy needed to be domesticated.” WTAF?!?! Like he’s not a person?

The suspense plot surrounding the parents was predictable and, as I mentioned above, very poorly handled. They thought they were being sneaky and clever, but trust me. They weren’t. The plot twist at the end came as no surprise to me. I saw it coming from a mile away.

I’m low key curious about Drew and Shelby, a reporter Carly befriended who is also trying to take down Patricia Cain. But I have a feeling their story would frustrate me even more than this one did.

I’ll be honest, if I hadn’t committed to finishing the book for our Summer Reading Challenge, I would have DNF’d it less than halfway through.

1.5 out of 5 (the .5 because I liked some of the secondary characters)

Lawless

one-half-stars

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Review: Revenge by Lexi Blake

Posted June 20, 2017 by Rowena in Reviews | 2 Comments

Review: Revenge by Lexi BlakeReviewer: Rowena
Revenge by Lexi Blake
Series: Lawless #3
Also in this series: Ruthless, Satisfaction, Satisfaction (Lawless #2), Revenge, Satisfaction (Lawless, #2)
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: June 20th 2017
Pages: 352
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Passion and danger collide in the latest contemporary romance featuring the Lawless siblings—from New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake.

When Drew Lawless discovers a fatal flaw in his plan to avenge his parents’ deaths, he turns to the one woman he'd promised he wouldn't touch. He offers her a deal, one that will bring her into his investigation, his life, and his bed.

Investigative reporter Shelby Gates never dreamed how twisted the case would become—or how fascinated she would be with Drew. Every day they spend together binds them. And every night brings her closer to realizing he might be the man for her.

As Drew's feelings for Shelby grow, so does the danger. From the streets of Dallas to Austin’s high-tech business world, Drew and Shelby play a game begun twenty years before—a game they will win, or die trying.

Revenge is the third book in the Lawless series and it follows the eldest of the Lawless siblings, Andrew. Andrew Lawless is a super geek with vengeance in his heart. Nothing will stop him from protecting his siblings and when a new threat (introduced in the last book, Satisfaction) arises, he sets about trying to take the bad guy down.

Drews got a plan to bring the bad guy down without including his siblings. They’re happy and moving on with their lives so he feels that keeping them out of everything is for their own good. His plan brings Shelby Gates into his life and she changes everything. She was hired to do a job by Drew and that job included pretending to be his girlfriend. Drew, Drew, Drew…you know fake relationships never work out the way that they’re supposed to.

So the plan is to do as much undercover research on their target as possible and the only way that Drew can keep Shelby safe is by moving her into his home and watching over her himself, even though including her, puts her life in danger. None of that matters to Drew Lawless because he’s so focused on keeping his family safe that everyone else is collateral damage.

Drew was a punk ass jerk face for his original plan. He’s always been a freaking jerk but the amount of love he had for his family kind of mitigated my frustration with him. At his core, he’s a good guy but he didn’t know how to act around people. He could only focus on the problem at hand, not understanding all of the shit he was stirring everywhere else. He’s intentions were good and his heart was in the right place but he did some shady shit to get things done.

Shelby is probably my favorite heroine in this series. She is strong and independent but she was also caring. She cared and she loved deeply. She was also loyal to a fault because even when Drew didn’t deserve her loyalty, he had it.

Seeing these two come together and then be split apart and then come together again was fun. I loved that Drew’s outlook on certain things changed but he didn’t change too much that he was a stranger. I loved that Shelby fell in love with asshole Drew and made him want to be a better person for her and the family. Their romance was hot and sweet and everything that a romance should be. They were great characters apart who went through fire for each other. Their story wasn’t an easy story but it was action packed and fun to read.

It was good to see the Lawless siblings and meet a very unexpected and new character that I hope to see more of in a future book. I really liked the way that this story wrapped up and I loved seeing Drew meet his match in Shelby. She didn’t let him get away with being a shithead and he became such an awesome hero in the end. I always liked him, despite him being a total dick but it was good to see his character really grow and change. There’s a lot going on in this book, lots of stuff that blew up Drew’s world but I loved seeing the family gather round and help bring the bad guy down. I love that stuff.

Overall, this was a great addition to this series and Lexi Blake did a great job of wrapping things up. I was a happy camper and I definitely recommend this one.

Grade: 4.25 out of 5

Lawless

four-stars

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Review: Revenge by Lexi Blake

Posted June 19, 2017 by Casee in Reviews | 2 Comments

Review: Revenge by Lexi BlakeReviewer: Casee
Revenge by Lexi Blake
Series: Lawless #3
Also in this series: Ruthless, Satisfaction, Satisfaction (Lawless #2), Revenge, Satisfaction (Lawless, #2)

Publication Date: June 20th 2017
Pages: 368
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Passion and danger collide in the latest contemporary romance featuring the Lawless siblings--from New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake.

When Drew Lawless discovers a fatal flaw in his plan to avenge his parents' deaths, he turns to the one woman he promised he wouldn't touch. He offers her a deal, one that will bring her into his investigation, his life, and his bed.

Investigative reporter Shelby Gates never dreamed how twisted the case would become--or how fascinated she would be with Drew. Every day they spend together binds them. And every night brings her closer to realizing he might be the man for her.

As Drew's feelings for Shelby grow, so does the danger. From the streets of Dallas to Austin's high-tech business world, Drew and Shelby play a game begun twenty years before--a game they will win, or die trying.

Drew Lawless. Hot geek. Total nerd. Hotness. Secret keeper. Falls for a reporter of all people. Rowena said she knew he would fall for a reporter. Me? I had no clue, but I’m clueless most of the time.

When he was fourteen years old, Drew saved his siblings from certain death. His parents were murdered then he and his brothers and sister were locked in their childhood home after someone started a fire. Drew got everyone out and made it his mission in life to get revenge on the people responsible for killing his parents and almost killing his siblings. It was only at the end of Satisfaction that he realized that he would be going after his own mother.

Drew brings in investigative reporter Shelby Gates. It was Shelby that uncovered that the woman they all thought died in the fire was his mother was in fact the woman his father was having an affair with. Drew is determined to keep the fact that his mother is alive from his siblings and is going to use Shelby to do it. By pretending to be his girlfriend, Drew is certain they can pull anything off. Drew promises to let her write a tell-all book, but never intends to let it see the light of day.

Shelby has been attracted to Drew since she first met him. There is a vulnerability about him that only she seems to see. She’s attracted to the geekiness that surrounds him and totally turned on by his sexiness. It’s a contrast that she can’t turn away from. In addition to all that, he needs her.

Drew and Shelby are perfect for each other. I adored them together. Shelby keeps Drew human. He so often goes into robot mode when he’s not dealing with his family. She also reminds him that he has needs too. He can’t give and give, he has to take as well. And she makes him realize that he can be selfish when it comes to her. But, oh boy. When he shuts down, he shuts down hard. Even Shelby has a hard time facing a closed-off Drew. Drew is used to betrayal and when he thinks someone betrays him, well, run.

I really loved the abrupt change in the story where the mom was alive. I thought it added a fresh new edge to the series. There was more blood (literally) added in this book and I thought it was a good way to go. My favorite book in this series is still Satisfaction, but Drew Lawless could never disappoint.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5.

Lawless

four-stars

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Sunday Spotlight: Revenge by Lexi Blake

Posted June 18, 2017 by Casee in Features, Giveaways | 2 Comments

Sunday Spotlight is a feature we began in 2016. This year we’re spotlighting our favorite books, old and new. We’ll be  raving about the books we love and being total fangirls. You’ve been warned. 🙂

Sunday Spotlight

I have been a fan of Lexi Blake since I first read Ruthless. I have since glommed her Masters and Mercenaries series and read all the Lawless books. A few weeks ago I spotlighted Satisfaction in anticipation of Revenge. This book is fantastic. It lived up to all my expectations! Drew Lawless is fiercely protective, downright mean when he has to be, surprisingly vulnerable and sweet and when it comes to Shelby, he is almost an open book. If you haven’t read this series you need to get on it.

Revenge by Lexi Blake
Series: Lawless Series
Also in this Series: Ruthless, Satisfaction, Satisfaction
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: June 20, 2017
Publisher: Berkley

When Drew Lawless discovers a fatal flaw in his plan to avenge his parents’ deaths, he turns to the one woman he’d promised he wouldn’t touch. He offers her a deal, one that will bring her into his investigation, his life, and his bed. Investigative reporter Shelby Gates never dreamed how twisted the case would become—or how fascinated she would be with Drew. Every day they spend together binds them. As their feelings for each other grow, so does the danger. From the streets of Dallas to Austin’s high-tech business world, Drew and Shelby play a game begun twenty years before—a game they will win, or die trying.

Order the Book:

AMAZON || BARNES AND NOBLE || KOBO

Excerpt

“Did you actually tell Carly I’m sex on a stick?”

That bastard. “I also said you were Satan incarnate.”

Drew shrugged. “I’ve been called worse.”

“How could you read my e-mails? You said you didn’t suspect me.”

“I didn’t. Reading your e-mails had nothing to do with suspecting you and everything to do with the fact that my mother knows things about you I don’t and it makes me want to hurt her.” He turned back to the window. “She left that photograph for one of us. She planted it there because she thought me or Riley or Bran or Mia would be the next to open that box. She practically signed it. I wanted to see something sweet. If you’d had nude pictures of yourself on that system, I would have looked at them, too. I would have done it to make myself feel better. That’s the kind of person I am. You should think about that.”

Yes, he was all that and so much more. The one thing he didn’t seem to do was lie, and it wouldn’t have taken much for him to see the e-mails since she’d marked them plainly. The message line of the one he’d referenced was Drew Lawless Is an Asshole. She probably would have read that one, too.

And the book had been on her screen when she handed over the laptop. She cringed at the thought of the scene she’d been on. The superhot nerd had been dirty talking her upright reporter heroine.

Yeah, she might have a few fantasies about the man. She’d started the damn book two years before, and her hero had been a big, gorgeous, dark-haired lawyer who’d morphed over the last few months into a blond tech god. She might have her own issues to work through. He was lonely. She was lonely. They were working on a case together. Would it be so wrong to offer each other comfort? It wasn’t a grand passion like Carly and Bran had, but it could be nice all the same. “If I had the crap kicked out of me, how would you comfort me?” Shelby asked quietly.

“What makes you think I’m capable of comforting anyone?”

“I’m an optimist at heart,” she admitted. “Are you saying you’re not capable of giving comfort?”

“I don’t know. I guess I’m saying I’m not very good at it.”

“Try. Think about it. I’ve gone through what you did today.”

He got up and crossed to the bar. He poured himself another drink. “I don’t know. I could offer to buy you something.”

“I don’t need anything.”

“Everyone needs something,” he insisted.

“What I need you can’t buy.”

He slumped back down in his seat. “Then I’m not sure I’m your man. Unless you want me to write you some code. I seriously doubt that would fix things.”

“What would your sister do?”

“She would say something mushy and give you a hug or some . . . Do you want a hug?” He said it like it was a completely foreign idea. And not a particularly welcome one. “I’m not a big hugger.”

“So you don’t believe in physical affection as a way of comforting your partner.”

“I guess I haven’t had the kind of partner who would find that comforting.”

She stood up. It was obvious that talk wasn’t going to get Drew out of his dark place. He needed something way more. While he might not recognize his need, she did, and she was completely unable to stop herself from fulfilling it. She stood and moved toward him.

She held out a hand and he reached for it, realization dawning in his eyes as he pulled her down on his lap. He set his drink aside as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

“Ah, now I understand. You were asking me how I would comfort you, but you were really asking how you could comfort me,” he said with a sigh. “I told you I was slow when it came to the social stuff. Let me start over. I would kiss you, Shelby. I would kiss you long and hard. I would kiss you until you forgot about everything but me.”

What do you think? Honestly, how can you not want to run out and pick up this book?

Lawless Series

Giveaway: We’re giving one lucky winner their choice of one of our Sunday Spotlight books. Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter for one of this month’s features.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Are you as excited for this release as we are? Let us know how excited you are and what other books you’re looking forward to this year!

About the Author

Lexi Blake
WEBSITE || FACEBOOK || TWITTER || PINTEREST

NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog in the world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance and urban fantasy that she found the stories of her heart. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome, or foursome may seem.

Her first novel, Their Virgin Captive: Masters of Ménage, Book 1, was a collaboration with New York Times bestselling author Shayla Black. There are five more books available in the series: Their Virgin’s Secret, Their Virgin Concubine, Their Virgin Princess, Their Virgin Hostage, and Their Virgin Secretary. The next book in the series, Their Virgin Mistress, is releasing this April.

In addition to the Masters of Ménage series, she is the author of the Masters and Mercenaries series. There are eight full-length novels and four novellas available now, with more coming in 2015.

In 2013, Lexi also began releasing her urban fantasy series, Thieves. The first five are available now, with Ripper, a spin-off to the series, coming in 2015.

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Sunday Spotlight: Satisfaction by Lexi Blake

Posted June 4, 2017 by Holly in Features, Giveaways | 0 Comments

Sunday Spotlight is a feature we began in 2016. This year we’re spotlighting our favorite books, old and new. We’ll be  raving about the books we love and being total fangirls. You’ve been warned. 🙂

Sunday Spotlight

I’ve read all three books in this series and Satisfaction is my favorite. Bran is so damaged, but wants to be better for Carly. It’s a romance with a little bit of a mystery to it, which is just how I like my books lately. You can read my review of Satisfaction here and Rowena’s here.

Sunday Spotlight: Satisfaction by Lexi BlakeSatisfaction by Lexi Blake
Series: Lawless #2
Also in this series: Ruthless, Satisfaction, Satisfaction (Lawless #2), Revenge, Revenge, Satisfaction (Lawless, #2)

Publication Date: January 3rd 2017
Pages: 384
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
Series Rating: four-stars

The sizzling second novel in a sexy new contemporary romance series featuring the Lawless siblings from "New York Times "bestselling author Lexi Blake. Brandon Lawless is a man on a mission: obtain the information that will clear his father s name. He s willing to do whatever it takes even seduce his enemy s personal assistant, the beautiful and innocent Carly Hendricks. But with her beguiling smile and captivating intelligence, Brandon soon realizes he doesn t want to deceive Carly, he wants to win her over both in the boardroom and the bedroom. Then a twisted crime leaves Carly vulnerable and Brandon finds himself reeling. The stakes of his mission are now life or death Carly s life. And Brandon realizes he s lost his heart to an amazing woman and his plan must succeed, because the stakes are no longer just revenge, but a once in a lifetime love."

Order the Book:

AMAZON || BARNES AND NOBLE || KOBO

Memorable Quotes

Carly won’t stand for Bran’s family making him feel bad. I loved that about her.

“You two should be ashamed of yourselves”.

Drew’s eyes went wide, but Hatch grinned.

“For what? You’re going to have to be more specific because I have a lot to be ashamed of, darlin’,” Hatch said, obviously amused.

Carly wagged a finger Hatch’s way, “You shouldn’t tease him. You might make him self-conscious and I happen to think he’s an excellent lover. He’s absolute the best I’ve ever had and he should be proud that he managed to make someone as delicate and ladylike as me scream that way. I won’t have you shaming him into a lesser performance. Am I understood?”

This is where I was first introduced to Ian Taggart. Oh how I love that man. He is who he is and everyone else can go to hell. Except his wife, Charlotte.

“How do you like your tea?”

“With a healthy splash of Scotch, and by healthy I mean skip the tea and bring a Scotch or beer. Seriously, I don’t drink tea, and this show of wealth, while impressive, doesn’t answer my question,” Taggart replied.

Bran just does it for me. He’s willing to do anything to keep Carly, even face his past.

“You said you were leaving.”

He stopped in close, towering over her, but the look on his face was soft. “I know I’d screwed up, Carly, and we had to make it look good for Patricia. I know I lost it and I apologize for how extreme it got, but you need to understand that I will not let anyone hurt you no matter what it costs me. I meant what I said. I love you.

The words warmed her, but they weren’t enough. “We can’t go on like this.”

He cupped her faec, tilting it up so she looked into his eyes. “I will see any therapist you want me to see. I will work on this. I’m going to do it with or without you. If you can’t be with me now, I’ll still go because I want to be the man you need me to be. I love you. You’re it for me and I’m going to talk to you about something that’s hard for me to talk about.”

Sniff.

Lawless

Giveaway: We’re giving one lucky winner their choice of one of our Sunday Spotlight books. Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter for one of this month’s features.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Are you as excited for this release as we are? Let us know how excited you are and what other books you’re looking forward to this year!

About the Author

Lexi Blake
WEBSITE || FACEBOOK || TWITTER || PINTEREST

NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog in the world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance and urban fantasy that she found the stories of her heart. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome, or foursome may seem.

Her first novel, Their Virgin Captive: Masters of Ménage, Book 1, was a collaboration with New York Times bestselling author Shayla Black. There are five more books available in the series: Their Virgin’s Secret, Their Virgin Concubine, Their Virgin Princess, Their Virgin Hostage, and Their Virgin Secretary. The next book in the series, Their Virgin Mistress, is releasing this April.

In addition to the Masters of Ménage series, she is the author of the Masters and Mercenaries series. There are eight full-length novels and four novellas available now, with more coming in 2015.

In 2013, Lexi also began releasing her urban fantasy series, Thieves. The first five are available now, with Ripper, a spin-off to the series, coming in 2015.

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