The Defender - Adrienne Giordano (HI #1502 - June 2014)

By all accounts Penny Hennings was the sort of woman FBI special agent Russell Voight went for. Smart, sexy and with just enough sass to keep him honest. Then she went sticking her nose in undercover FBI business. He knew her legal reputation would skyrocket if she won this case. But every move she makes undoes all the work Russell's put into taking down the city's biggest crooks. And the criminals they're after will do anything to avoid the witness stand--including kill. So it's time to pool their resources and collaborate. Even if working together every day takes them late into the night...and into the line of fire.

I can't say enough about how much I loved this book. We first met Penny in her brother's book, The Prosecutor, when she was trying to clear someone that he was trying to keep in prison. I knew then that I wanted to read her story. This book starts out with a bang, quite literally, and the action never stopped.

Penny is a top notch defender. When one of her clients comes to her because of threats against her life and that of her son, Penny also finds herself in the line of fire. Russ is on the spot to save her and her father, because he had been waiting to meet with her. He needs help from her and her client to put a particularly nasty criminal away. This man is also connected to the death of her client's husband and she has information that will help Russell nail him.

I loved Russell and Penny and the relationship between them. As an agent, Russell really doesn't like defense attorneys, because they work to free the same people he wants behind bars. Five months earlier Penny had decimated Russell and one of his cases on the witness stand. She is petite and beautiful and aggressive in the courtroom, which has earned her the nickname of "Killer Cupcake".  As much as he knows he shouldn't like her, he does. There's just something about her attitude that really speaks to him. He is also very attracted to her, which he acknowledges to himself and to her, though he knows that doing anything about it until the current crisis is over would be a bad idea. I loved just how well he understands her and is able to deal with her in all her moods. He really endeared himself to me when he stood up for her against her horrible oldest brother.

Penny is a real firecracker. She is intense, strong and independent. She will do whatever it takes to win her clients' cases, including going head to head with a certain FBI agent. He's sparked some interesting fantasies in her mind ever since their first encounter five months ago. One of the things she likes best about him is that he can give as good as he gets in an argument with her. When they discover that she and her client are the targets, she has to rely on Russell for his protection, a point that is both good and bad. It's good, because he is definitely motivated to protect his investigation. It's also bad because she discovers just how much Russell gets her, an occurrence that hasn't happened with anyone else. It also means that she has a hard time getting away with anything around him. I loved the fact that she respected him enough to follow his directions, but that all falls apart toward the end when Zac is endangered and she does something really stupid. Fortunately she realizes her mistake before it's too late and things turn out okay. The last chapter shows just how well he understands her and brings them together in a most satisfying way.

The action and suspense throughout the book is nonstop. The bad guy is definitely into mind games as well as his criminal activities and Russell and Penny are kept on their toes. His phone calls to Penny are downright creepy and his ability to know just what they are doing was frustrating to them. The final showdown was really intense and there were moments when I wondered if someone was going to end up really hurt. I really enjoyed seeing the way that Penny dealt with all the restrictions, even when it put her in danger. I loved her interactions with the marshal Brent, and really hope to see him get a story of his own.

My Fair Billionaire - Elizabeth Bevarly (HD #2305 - June 2014)

Henry Higgins she's not

Back in school, stuck-up Ava Brenner may have been Peyton Moss's personal mean girl by day, but different kinds of sparks flew at night. Now the tables have turned, and Peyton's about to make his first billion while Ava's living a bit more humbly--to put it mildly. He needs her to teach him how to pass in high society, if they can manage to put old rivalries to bed. Soon, that's exactly where they end up But will Peyton still want her when he learns about the scandal that sent Ava from riches to rags?

Fantastic book - I loved the parallels to My Fair Lady. Ava was stunned to see Peyton back in Chicago. Back when they were in school he had sworn that he would never come back. She rescues him from a sticky situation and finds out why he is back.

I really liked both Ava and Peyton. Ava had been a true mean girl when she and Peyton had attended an exclusive private school. Her parents were rich and Ava had everything given to her. She was snobby and snotty and made life hell for those she saw as not fitting in. Peyton was a scholarship student from a bad part of Chicago. He was the star of the school hockey team, but other than that was not accepted by the other students. They had a short time when they were assigned to work together on a school project and spent time together. At the end of that project the heat that had been building propelled them into one incredible encounter, which they both called a mistake. At the end of the school year Peyton graduated and left town. Shortly after that Ava's circumstances changed and she was suddenly walking in Peyton's shoes.

I loved the changes that Ava had gone through and how she came out the other side. Spending her senior year at a different school in a different state as one of those scholarship students she had despised opened her eyes to a whole new world. Instead of going to an exclusive college, she worked her way through community college, earning a business degree. Then she put that degree to use, opening a store that carries high-end fashions that ordinary women can rent when they have need of them. She had seen the need and filled it. She is also one of her own best customers. She has become a much kinder and more sympathetic person.

Peyton left town and put his ambition to work for him. He is now the owner of a multimillion dollar business. But he is also still very rough around the edges and is ruthless in his business dealings. The members of his board of directors have told him that he needs to come to terms with his past and learn how to handle himself in the world he's now part of. But facing those memories sent him on a drinking binge that brought him together with Ava.

I loved the scene in the bar as she talked him down out of his obnoxious behavior then took him away. His confusion the next morning was fun to see. Seeing Ava reminded him of all his old insecurities and he was pretty obnoxious in his comments to her. He told her why he was there, then left, not expecting to see her again and glad to get away from the memories and the feelings that were still there.

It was fun seeing him show up at her store, basically begging for her help. He needs lessons on how to behave and the "Henry Higgins" he had hired just wasn't working out. I loved seeing their exchange as he tried to talk her into helping and she was trying to resist. Once she said yes and the lessons started it was great. The parallels to My Fair Lady were so much fun. It was funny watching her try to get him to stop cussing, especially since he admitted to himself that half the fun was watching her get all worked up. The scene in the matchmaker's office was hysterical, especially with the input that Ava had. It was also fun to see how much Ava was enjoying being with Peyton, even though she had started out just wanting to make amends for how terrible she'd been to him in the past.

The interactions between the two them during the lessons was wonderful. They really got into challenging each other over everything, but not in a nasty way. I loved seeing how their opinions about each other changed as they really got to know each other. The culminating scene at the ball was absolutely one of the best I have ever read. Ava and Peyton had finally grown into the people they were meant to be. The epilogue was a terrific wrap up.

Caroselli's Accidental Heir - Michelle Celmer (HD #2302 - May 2014)

Series: Caroselli Inheritance (Book 3)

Stop the wedding -- she's pregnant!

When Lucy Bates caught herself falling too hard for Chicago businessman Tony Caroselli, she ran. How could she measure up to his wealthy family's standards? But now she's pregnant and back to tell the truth…only to see Tony marrying another woman before her very eyes!

Lucy always had impeccable timing -- especially interrupting a wedding Tony never wanted. And if she produces a male heir, Tony stands to inherit a fortune. Plus, the real payoff is having Lucy back where she belongs -- with him. But when she finds out about his inheritance, will she feel like a pawn and run again?

My favorite book of the series. It all started when the Caroselli grandfather, Nonno, was afraid that his grandsons would never marry and have kids. So he decided to motivate them by offering millions to the first one to marry and provide an heir. In the first two books Rob and Nick made their runs for the prize, but end up choosing love over money (of course) after learning what is most important. In this book, Tony and Lucy had been together, sort of, for about a year when Lucy suddenly left with no explanation. She and Tony had had a friends with benefits thing going on but kept it private between the two of them. Tony is sad and misses her but never went after her because she had made it clear that there would never be anything more between them. He had never been much interested in relationships either until his grandfather's challenge. But Tony has plans for his future and that money would be useful, so he enters into a business arrangement with another woman, which is where this book starts.

Lucy had left Chicago because she realized that she had fallen in love with Tony. Because of her horrible childhood she knew that she was not a suitable candidate for a wife and thought it would be better to leave. She knew she was pregnant and that he would insist on marriage and she didn't want to ruin his life. But when she receives a letter telling her of his upcoming marriage she knows she has to tell him of the baby before he marries. She didn't expect to show up just as the wedding began. 

Tony was actually relieved at Lucy's appearance. He had realized almost immediately that marrying that other woman was going to be a huge mistake, but he couldn't figure out how to get out of it. Lucy's arrival took care of the problem for him. He had missed her so much that all he wanted to do was hang on to her. She had been the only person that he ever felt he could talk to about what he really wanted out of his life. He couldn't believe that she was planning to leave again once she told him. I loved seeing him work to get her to agree to stay and let him take care of her. 

I found Tony to be absolutely adorable. He wasn't arrogant or conniving, in fact he was pretty darn clueless. He has a terrible habit of putting his foot in his mouth because he doesn't always think before he speaks. But his heart is definitely in the right place and it shows with everything he tries to do for Lucy. Tony also gets frustrated with his big Italian family because he feels like they are always interfering in his life. I loved seeing first his mother, then his grandfather, take Lucy to their hearts, especially because they and the rest of the family had hated that other woman. Tony was so afraid of driving Lucy away, because of their earlier friendship only pact, that he never told her how much his feelings for her had changed.

Lucy was a young woman with terrible self-esteem issues. Her mother is a self-centered drug and alcohol addict that made Lucy's life miserable. Because of it, Lucy feels that she is nowhere near worthy enough to have any expectation of a life with Tony. She was so in love with him that she couldn't stand the idea of bringing trouble to him, which is why she left. But guilt brought her back so that she could tell him about the baby. She couldn't believe he wasn't angry with her. Those same guilty feelings made her agree to stay in Chicago so he could look after her, but she still cared too much about him to say yes to marrying him. He had made it clear before that he didn't do relationships and she didn't want to be an obligation. 

I loved Tony's family. Lucy was so sure that they would all hate her that she was completely surprised when his mom showed up that first morning and was so nice to her. It was really great to see Sarah tell her about her own experiences as a newlywed. I also liked the way that she fussed at Tony about his own actions. I also adored Nonno and how sweet he was to Lucy. There were some really fun moments during family get togethers.

The conclusion of the story was wonderful. There had been some drama when Lucy found out about the money, but it was pretty quickly resolved. I loved the way that Tony resolved Lucy's fears. There were also a couple of very interesting twists to the end that had me grinning.

The Prosecutor - Adrienne Giordano (HI #1483 - Mar 2014)

Chicago assistant state's attorney Zac Hennings just got handed a political hot potato: keeping the convicted murderer in a high-profile case behind bars. He's up against his most formidable -- and alluring -- adversary. First-year law student Emma Sinclair is passionately fighting to free her brother. But she needs the take-no-prisoners prosecutor's help.

Caught between attraction and letting a killer go free, Zac walks a tightrope. Until evidence surfaces that the real culprit's still out there. With his career and Emma's life on the line, Zac races to right a terrible wrong. Refusing to back down, he'll bring a cunning lawbreaker to justice -- or die trying.

Very good book with good blend of suspense and romance.  Zac is a state's attorney who has been given the job of reviewing a case to make sure that a convicted murderer stays in prison.  Emma is the sister of the convicted man, convinced he is innocent and determined to prove it.  When new evidence surfaces she finds an attorney willing to take on the case, who just happens to be Zac's sister.

Emma has been fighting this battle for a long time and she finally feels like she's getting somewhere.  She's thrilled with the new lawyer and her determination to prove Brian innocent. I loved her attention to detail.  Meeting Zac, the man who's determined to keep Brian in prison, gives her an unexpected jolt of attraction.  But she's also impressed by the way he insists he will go after the truth.  

Zac is handed this case and told to make it go away.  The state's attorney's office doesn't want any scandal cropping up in regards to the case.  Having his sister working the opposite side of the problem makes him realize that this isn't going to be an easy fix.  The more he finds out about the investigation that was done, the more problems he sees. He gets pressure from his boss to prove Brian guilty, but he refuses to be intimidated. He has to work with Emma as the two sides share information to get to the truth of what happened.  

There is an instant and strong attraction between Emma and Zac.  Both of them know that they shouldn't do anything about it while the investigation is going on as it could severely jeopardize the case. But they don't seem to be able to stay away from each other. I loved the chemistry between them both on the physical and mental sides.  Zac also gets very protective of Emma as she receives several threats telling her to back off.  I loved seeing the way he took care of her while still respecting her abilities.

I loved the suspense of watching as the evidence piles up that shows Brian is innocent.  Zac doesn't want to believe that the investigation was so badly handled, but he can't deny the truth.  There are some very interesting twists and turns on the way to finding out who is responsible.  I have to say that it was so well done that I didn't figure it out until the end and even then there were a couple surprises.  The ending was immensely satisfying.

There are some really fun parts in among the intense search for the truth behind the murder.  Zac the prosecutor and his sister Penny the defense lawyer have a truly fun relationship.  Both are extremely competitive and have no trouble showing it.  Penny has a talent for pushing Zac's buttons, but she also knows that he is honorable enough to do the right thing.  Zac is completely aware of his sister's actions, and also knows that she is honest about what she finds.  I loved seeing the way she really jerks his chain about being with Emma.