REVENGE (Lawless #3) by Lexi Blake-Review and Giveaway

REVENGE
Lawless #3
by Lexi Blake
Release Date: June 20, 2017
Genre: adult,contemporary, romantic, suspense

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 20, 2017

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.

••••••••••

REVIEW: REVENGE is the third and( final ?) instalment in Lexi Blake’s contemporary, adult LAWLESS romance suspense series focusing on the Lawless siblings-Riley, Drew, Brandon and Mia. This is eldest sibling/ billionaire businessman and CEO of 4L holdings Drew Lawless, and journalist /investigative reporter Shelby Gates’s story line. REVENGE can be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading the series in order for backstory and cohesion as each installment focuses on revenge and retribution for a twenty year old murder that is beginning to unravel as the truth is revealed. There is a bit of a cross over/spinoff with Blake’s Masters and Mercenaries series with the appearance and ongoing role for Mia Lawless and Navy SEAL Case Taggart (Dominance Never Dies), and the McKay –Taggart Security Service. Shelby Gates was first introduced in the previous story line as she begins a journalistic investigation into the Lawless murders.

SOME BACKGROUND: Twenty years earlier Benedict Lawless and his wife Iris were killed in a house fire intended to kill the entire family-a murder for hire where greed and power were the precipitating factors. The authorities ruled it a murder/suicide but the Lawless siblings are determined to clear their father’s name.

NOTE: SATISFACTION (book 2) ended on a cliffhanger where identities were revealed and the truth was beginning to unfold-a twist to the story line that will have epic repercussions for the entire Lawless clan.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Drew and Shelby) REVENGE continues to focus on revenge. As the eldest sibling, Drew Lawless has focused most of his adult life on proving his father’s innocence while hunting for the person(s) responsible for the destruction of not only his family but his trust in everything and everyone. When investigative journalist Shelby Gates uncovers more information than Drew ever thought possible, our hero makes Shelby an offer she couldn’t refuse-a pretend lovers scenario in which Shelby has complete access to the family’s history and legal documentation in return for a promise that will never come to fruition. What ensues is the building relationship between Shelby and Drew, and the struggle to come to terms with the revelation of the who, what and why and his parent’s murder.

Drew Lawless is a quiet, shy, introvert; a ruthless, master manipulator who is determined to uncover the truth-a truth that will all but destroy what remains of Drew’s faith in friendship, family and love. Secrets and lies will be revealed; heartbreak and betrayal will damage a life-long friendship; the truth will haunt the siblings the rest of their lives. Shelby Gates suspects there is more to the Lawless back story than what has been reported to the public and she is determined to research and expose the truth. Meeting Drew Lawless found our heroine caught between her head and her heart when the discovery of the truth could destroy what is left our hero’s heart.

The relationship between Drew and Shelby is one of immediate attraction but Drew needs to keep Shelby within reach as she slowly uncovers the facts and legitimacy of the Lawless murders. Threats are made; promises made never to be kept; the past comes back with a vengeance in the hopes of destroying what is left of the Lawless clan. The $ex scenes are intimate, intense and seductive but Drew has made no promise for the future, a future he is determined to go forward-alone.

All of the Lawless siblings play secondary and supporting roles, as well as Case Taggart (McKay-Taggart Security), and one of Benedict Lawless’s former partners Bill ‘Hatch’ Hatchard-a man who all but raised the Lawless siblings once he was able to determine their foster care history. I had previously suspected there is a story about Hatch, and his role in the entire family saga-a family he considered closer than blood-and my suspicions have come full circle when the truth is revealed. Again, there is another twist to the story, and perhaps, a final chapter that has yet to be fully addressed.

REVENGE is a story of heartbreak and betrayal; retribution and revenge; secrets, lies and uncovering the truth. The premise is suspenseful, intense and revealing; the characters are dynamic, energetic and broken; the romance is sexy but struggles in the face of reality and what the truth has revealed. REVENGE reads like the final instalment but there is another twist to the sibling family dynamics so we will have to wait and see. REVENGE is a complex story of one family’s struggle to uncover the truth, and the revelation that all was not as it seemed, in the past.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Ruthless
Satisfaction
Revenge

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

ABOUT LEXI BLAKE:

NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog int eh 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.

FACEBOOK / TWITTER / WEBSITE / AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

The Reading Cafe and Lexi Blake’s publisher are offering a finished copy of REVENGE to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

NOTE: If you are having difficulty commenting after logging onto the site, please refresh the page (at the top of your computer).

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. Follow Lexi Blake on Facebook.

4. LIKE us on FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.

5. LIKE us on Twitter for an additional entry.

6. Please FOLLOW us on GOODREADS for an additional entry.

7. Please follow The Reading Cafe on Tumblr

8. Giveaway is open to USA only

9. Giveaway runs from June 20-24 2017