Seducing the Defendant by Chantal Fernando

Title: Seducing the Defendant 

Series: Conflict of Interest 

Author: Chantal Fernando

Publisher: Gallery Books

Release Date: November 14, 2017

New York Times bestselling author Chantal Fernando returns to her latest, steamy Conflict of Interest series with this electrifying tale of murder, justice, and intense attraction.

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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This is book 2 in the Conflict of Interest series.

The main character Jaxon Bentley was introduced in the first book. We know he took some time off and he's back and ready to work. His next case involves a widow Scarlett Reyes who has been accused of murdering her husband, who was a cop. Jaxon doesn't know if the woman is telling the truth but he's good at his job and he likes to win.

After deeper investigation, he realizes Darren was not a good man. He not only was cheating on Scarlett but he was a dirty cop. He's sure Scarlett is innocent but proving it's another matter.

Scarlett came back from Europe when she was accused of killing Darren. She's still trying to find herself after being abused by her husband for many years. She wishes she could make plans for her future but not knowing if she's going to remain free or if she's going to prison makes her put the brakes on her decisions, including sexy lawyers who make her heart beat faster. 

It was easy to like Jaxon since I knew him from the first book. He was smart, resourceful and his connection to Demon gave him a shade of grey. Jaxon was ready to do whatever it took to keep Scarlett safe. Also, he helped her find herself and he gave her enough breathing space for her to make her own decision and choices. 

Scarlett deserved happiness after so much unfairness. It was great seeing her develop a backbone and open up to Jaxon and then creating new connections and friendships. Those friendships were all so different but in a way, they made sense. 

The best part was being able to see the characters from the Wind Dragons Motorcycle Club series popping in. Demon in particular. He was amazing! 

There's a twist I didn't see coming. It was intense. I can tell you, I didn't agree with the choice Chantal Fernando made. Why did she do it?

Overall, Seducing the Defendant was another good addition to the Conflict of Interest series.

3.5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Gallery via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wild Ride (Wind Dragons MC) by Chantal Fernando

Title: Wild Ride
Series: Wind Dragons MC Novella
Author: Chantal Fernando

Publisher: Pocket Star Ebook

ISBN: 9781501139659

Ebook

Talon has a complicated relationship with the Wind Dragons Motorcycle Club. He's the president of their rival club, the Wild Men, but he's also related to one of their members-who hates him. He could handle that, but he's also got problems in his own club; someone is leaking information and disrupting their business, but Talon can't find the mole. So the last thing he needs is even more complication in the form of a beautiful single mother who's bolder than half the bikers on his squad. But he can't take his eyes - or his hands - off of her...

Tia's always been a little reckless, up for a good time wherever she found it, but she's also a great mom to her young son. So even though she thinks Talon is basically sex on a stick, when she releases she wants to be more to him than just a club groupie, she has to take things a bit slow. Plus, a momentary attraction, no matter how smoking hot, isn't worth risking her son's happiness in any way. Is there any chance that Talon might be up for a more permanent arrangement? Or has Tia leapt before looking once again?

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OH MY LANTA. THAT WAS ONE HOT NOVELLA. 

Even though this was a novella, Chantal managed to incorporate humor, romance, friendship, and mystery through out this story. I was really impressed with how natural everything felt! Nothing felt slow paced or boring. 

Usually novellas that have romance fall victim to insta-love, however, this novella did not. The couple was introduced in a previous book, which made the connection between Tia and Talon more believable. I loved seeing Tia and Talon interact. I thought their personalities suited each other so well. The chemistry between them was out of this world! This was one steamy novella.

I really liked learning more about Talon and Tia. I thought they were such interesting characters! I honestly wish this would have been a full-length novel, because I wanted more of Tia and Talon! I could read about them forever. 

This novella set up some interesting story lines that I am really excited to see play out in future books. If you are looking for a sexy MC novella, I would definitely recommend this novella to you! I would recommend reading the rest of the Wind Dragons series before picking up this novella. You won't regret starting this awesome series and novella!

4 / 5 Fangs

*This novella was given to me in exchange for a honest review. * 

If you ask me what's a perfect way to write a novella, I would give you Wild Ride as an example.

Chantal Fernando clues us in into who the main characters were going to be in Rake's Redemption. We knew it was bound to happen after Tia met Talon. They shared a look and in this novella, we learned they shared a smoking hot kiss too. Afterward, neither could stop thinking about the other one but Tia was not going to take the next step, after all, she was the one who kissed him in the first place. 

On the other hand, Talon is dealing with his own club drama, The Wild Men MC. His club is not squeaky clean and he believes someone in his club is a mole. The last thing he wants to bring to the club is Tia and her son Rhett until he knows it's safe. 

Kudos to Chantal Fernando for making a novella feel like a full book. I loved that their relationship took it's time to develop. Weeks passed before they would have a new interaction, making their story much more believable. 

I also like Anna and Bailey's attitude. They were there to support their friend despite being part of the rival club, The Wind Dragons. I do agree that Rake needs to stop being immature and realized his attitude doesn't help. Anna is always going to have a relationship with Talon. Talon cares for her as a sister and he won't let anything bad happen to her.

Last but not least, I liked that we get a lot of suspense and intrigue. We get a hint of who's the next couple to fall in love is and we know the drama is far from over. 

I have nothing but good things to say about this book. I'm definitely enjoying the ride. 

Cliffhanger: No

4.5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.