Veena’s review of Ruthless (Lawless, Book 1) by Lexi Blake
Romantic Suspense published by Berkley 09 Aug 16
The Lawless siblings exist for revenge. From the time their happy childhood was destroyed with their parent’s murder, they’ve spent the intervening years preparing for payback. They’re now ready and are taking their first step with their first target, Ellie Stratton, daughter of the man who ordered the hit on their parents. Riley Lawless will insert himself into Ellie’s company, undermining all her efforts in order to bring the company down. Unfortunately, fate has a way to upset the best-laid plans when Riley finds that Ellie is far from the heir to her father they’ve pictured. Will Riley chose revenge or love when called upon the make the choice?
Ellie has been alone all her life, and, despite giving the appearance of living a life of luxury, she has definitely paid her dues and is now holding on with all she has to preserve the company and the loyal employees who have given their lifeblood to keep it afloat. She is surrounded by sharks, except for a single, lone friend. So when Riley comes on board and offers her his brand of friendship, she grasps it with open arms, never imagining his hidden motives.
Poor Riley, he had it all mapped out like a computer program, only to find that life rarely fits into a preconceived pattern. Very soon the pretend romance has blossomed into a full-blown romance and he’s willing to battle Ellie’s dragons and keep her safe. Unfortunately, of course, he’ll be the one to deal her the most devastating blow when he’s unmasked in front of the entire board and his unwitting presence creates the very scenario that he wished to avoid. Riley is caught between the devil and the deep with his siblings and their life-long dreams on one end and a happily ever after with the only woman he might love on the other end.
This is a short, sweet story with a few surprises that I, for one, just never saw coming. I enjoyed the portraits of all the Lawless sibling and I certainly hope the author will give us stories about all of them. The one that intrigues me the most is Brandon with his strange mix of innocence and fascination with hookers and soft women. I understand his story is next, so I am intrigued and looking forward to seeing how this brother handles himself under fire.
Grade: B
Summary:
The first in a sexy contemporary romance series featuring the Lawless siblings—from New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake.The Lawless siblings are bound by vengeance. Riley, Drew, Brandon, and Mia believe the CEO of StratCast orchestrated their parents’ murder twenty years ago to steal their father’s software program. And there’s only one way Riley can find some solid evidence…
Heir to the StratCast legacy, Ellie Stratton hires a new attorney to handle a delicate business matter—and she’s shocked by her attraction to him. Over the course of a few weeks, Riley becomes her lover, her friend, her everything. But when her life is threatened, Ellie discovers that Riley is more obsessed with settling an old score than in the love she thought they were building. And Riley must choose between a revenge he’s prepared for all his life and the woman he’s sure he can’t live without
Other books in this series:
