SEDUCING THE DEFENDANT (Conflict of Interest #2) by Chantal Fernando-Review and Book Tour

SEDUCING THE DEFENDANT
Conflict of Interest #2
by Chantal Fernando
Release Date: November 14, 2017
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, romance

Seducing The Defendant

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 14, 2017

Jaxon Bentley is a hardnosed criminal lawyer whose entire life revolves around his work. He’s been asked to represent Scarlett Reyes, a woman accused of murdering her police officer husband in cold blood. All the evidence points to Scarlett being guilty and Jaxon is sure it’s an open and shut case.

But when he meets his client, he can’t help but feel that she’s innocent and that there’s more to the story than meets the eye. With a bit of digging, he uncovers a connection to the notorious Wind Dragons Motorcycle Club and realizes that Scarlett’s case is a complicated and difficult one. It certainly doesn’t help that the two share an immediate and passionate attraction. Will Jaxon be able to prove Scarlett’s innocence or are the two doomed to fail both in court and as a couple?

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REVIEW: SEDUCING THE DEFENDANT is the second instalment in Chantal Fernando’s contemporary, adult CONFLICT OF INTEREST erotic, romance legal series. This is attorney Jaxon Bentley, and heiress Scarlett Reyes’ story line. SEDUCING THE DEFENDANT can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary. There is a slight cross-over with the author’s Wind Dragon MC series.

Told from dual first person points of view (Jaxon and Scarlett) SEDUCING THE DEFENDANT follows the building relationship between high-powered defense attorney Jaxon Bentley, and heiress Scarlett Reyes, a woman wrongfully accused of killing her husband. Two years earlier Scarlett’s police officer husband Derrick Melvin disappeared without a trace but many suspected Scarlett knew something about his apparent demise. Fast forward to present day wherein Derrick’s bullet riddle body is discovered in the waterfront river, and our heroine is immediately arrested and charged with his murder. Enter defense attorney Jaxon Bentley, and the man with whom Scarlett will fall in love. What ensues is the building romance between Scarlett and Jaxon, and the potential fall out when Jaxon’s past comes looking for a second chance, and Derrick’s sins come looking for revenge.

All of the circumstantial evidence points towards our story line heroine but Jaxon begins to suspect something amiss as Derrick Melvin’s past begins to unravel. Hoping to prove his client is innocent Jaxon sets into motion a series of events involving the local Wind Dragon MC that reveals a much darker and sinister background to our heroine’s one-time husband.

The relationship between Jaxon and Scarlett begins as attorney and client but will slowly escalate once the charges against Scarlett have been dropped. The sexual tension is high but Jaxon bides his time under the circumstances, and in the face of potential professional misconduct he will wait until the media circus has cleared. The $ex scenes are erotic, seductive, provocative and intense.

We are re-introduced to Jaxon’s law firm partners Katerina Dawson and Tristan Channing: office intern and law student Callum Hopkins; Jaxon’s best friend Demon; and several members of the Wind Dragon MC including Irish, Valentina Sullivan, Faye Black and MC president Arrow.

SEDUCING THE DEFENDANT is an interesting and entertaining story with little conflict or building angst. The ‘defense’ aspect of the story line is quick to resolve by 28% ; the seduction and growing romance between Jaxon and Scarlett remains the focal point of the remainder of the story but saying that the story line felt disjointed as it jumped between the dual points of view; there was more telling than showing that results in the aimless feel of the building romance; the character development is rather one-dimensional- I had a difficult time relating to, and connecting with the story line couple. The conflict and resolution almost felt anti-climactic and separate from the original story. SEDUCING THE DEFENDANT was a bit of a struggle. I love the author’s WIND DRAGON MC series, and welcomed the one-on-one banter between Jaxon and Demon, as well as Demon and Scar.

Reading Order and Previous reviews
Breaching the Contract
Seducing the Defendant

Copy supplied by the publisher

Reviewed by Sandy

Seducing the Defendant teaser