Body of Law, Volume 1
by Amanda Lance
RELEASE DAY BLITZ
December 4, 2014
This routine is
killing me.
Day in and day out,
it’s; the same thing: go to work, bed a whore, get a criminal off on a
technicality— pretty standard for one of Chicago’s most established criminal
defense attorneys. Yet I’m almost positive that if I don’t find something to
get me out of this rut I’ll go as crazy as the murders I defend.
And when Violet
Donovan walks in, the smart-mouthed intern who is anything but routine, I’m sure
those pouty lips and fuck-me eyes are just what I need to get my cock and love
for the law twitching again.
Too bad she also
happens to be the daughter of the man who once tried to mentor me.
Too bad she’s
completely off limits.
I have to start by saying I had a hard
time writing this review but it wasn't because I didn't like the book.
Let me explain what I like and then I’ll try to explain what makes me a little
crazy.
I love books that
get me emotionally involved in the characters and I found that happens in this
book. Violet is a smart, determined and an incredibly strong young
woman. I like a strong heroine and this character I like a lot.
Violet is about to embark on an internship
in a prestigious legal firm. It wasn't what she wanted for her life but
it is a law firm that will look good on her resume. She is one of only
five interns and all of them, except Violet, want a place in the criminal law
division.
The men in this law firm are full of
themselves. They are very successful, highly paid criminal lawyers.
The partners and associates that are introduced in the beginning are Quinn
Morgan, Roger Gardner and Sebastian Scott. These men are players,
egotistical and misogynistic. For me their attitudes is
something you might see on a Mad Men episode.
“Stop.” Quinn
Morgan held up a single finger, but still didn't look up from the
phone. In the otherwise silent room, I could hear the muted sounds of the
Candy Crush theme music. “From this point on, none of you will speak
unless spoken to. I’d hit you upside the head with a rolled up newspaper and
rub your nose in shit, but HR says we can’t do that anymore…”
Sebastian is assigned to be Violet’s
mentor. He gets this responsibility as a punishment for his performance
in court. Sebastian is angry and Violet is thrilled. You see she
knows Sebastian as one of her father’s students and Violet has been drawn to
him since she was a young teenager. Unfortunately the Sebastian she meets
her first day at work isn't the Sebastian she remembers.
Sebastian is condescending and rude.
Violet has spine and doesn't let it bother her and she plays his game. As
much as Sebastian tries to be the rich, scumbag lawyer Violet sees hints of the
old Sebastian hidden under his hardened veneer and tries to pull more of that
personality out of him.
Sebastian looked me up and down in the
fashion I was becoming accustomed to. And though I should have found it
degrading, I found it more humorous than anything else.
From the first page I was immediately
drawn into the story. I like how chapters switch from Violet’s point of
view to Sebastian’s point of view. When this is done well (and it is
here) it allows the reader to get into the main characters’ heads and see what
they see and feel what they feel. I like that because it answers
questions.
I love this book like crazy. How can
you not it is serious, fun and the banter among the key characters in
fun. So why am I hesitant to review the book? Let me explain.
It is following this new trend of short novella serials. I hate this
trend. Don’t get me wrong I like a novella that tells a complete story
and gives me something to read on an afternoon when I don’t have time to begin
a full novel. What I don’t like are this short stories that just pull the
reader in and quickly end with the promise of another segment a few weeks or
months down the road. Give me the whole story or make the novella stand
on its own. Sometimes things happen and I don’t get back to the
story for forget about it altogether. Frustrating!!! It is because
I am so frustrated with a cliffhanger ending after only 15,000 to 16,000
words. It is a silly thing to do and just makes me angry. And
then calling it volume 1 this isn't a volume it's hardly an essay.
If I weren't so angry, and if the story
has a reasonable ending, this would be a sold 5 Stars instead I’m giving it 4
stars and hoping that I don’t forget to look for volume 2 in January.
*Received an ARCs for an honest review.
~*~ABOUT AMANDA LANCE~*~
A native of New
Jersey and lifelong nerd, Amanda Lance recently completed her Master in Liberal
Arts at Thomas Edison State College after her BA in English Literature and AFA
in creative writing. As an avid reader of all genres, some of her favorite
authors include Hemingway, Marquis de Sade, Stevenson, Bukowski and Radcliffe.
When she isn’t
writing or reading, Amanda can found indulging in film noir or hiking with her
other half and their extremely spoiled dog. She is obsessively working on her
next book and trying to tame her caffeine addiction.
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