Review ~ The Eddie Flynn Series by Steve Cavanagh

One of my favourite crime series ever! From a lawyer's POV, suspense, intrigue, twists aplenty!

Book Description: The Defense ~ Eddie Flynn #1

Eddie Flynn used to be a con artist. Then he became a lawyer. Turned out the two weren't that different.

It's been over a year since Eddie vowed never to set foot in a courtroom again. But now he doesn't have a choice. Olek Volchek, the infamous head of the Russian mafia in New York, has strapped a bomb to Eddie's back and kidnapped his ten-year-old daughter, Amy. Eddie only has forty-eight hours to defend Volchek in an impossible murder trial - and win - if he wants to save his daughter.

Under the scrutiny of the media and the FBI, Eddie must use his razor-sharp wit and every con-artist trick in the book to defend his 'client' and ensure Amy's safety. With the timer on his back ticking away, can Eddie convince the jury of the impossible?

**Featuring an extract from Steve Cavanagh's new thriller, The Plea**

Buy Links:

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2GKH05B

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2ByaqAA

Book Description: The Plea ~ Eddie Flynn #2

When David Child, a major client of a corrupt New York law firm, is arrested for murder, the FBI ask con artist-turned-lawyer Eddie Flynn to persuade him to testify against the firm.

Eddie is not someone who is easily coerced, but when the FBI reveal that they have incriminating files on his wife, he knows he has no choice.

But Eddie is convinced the man is innocent, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. With the FBI putting pressure on him to secure the deal, Eddie must find a way to prove his client's innocence.

But the stakes are high - his wife is in danger. And not just from the FBI . . .

Buy Links:

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2TRhEqs

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2GFy8hC

Book Description: The Liar ~ Eddie Flynn #3

***WINNER OF THE CWA GOLD DAGGER AWARD 2018***

A MISSING GIRL. A DESPERATE FATHER.

A CASE WHICH WILL TEAR THEM APART.

'Plotting that takes the breath away' Ian Rankin

'A fantastic thriller writer' Mark Billingham

* * * * *

WHO IS DEADLIER ...

Leonard Howell's worst nightmare has come true: his daughter Caroline has been kidnapped. He can't rely on the cops, so Howell calls the only man he trusts to get her back.

THE MAN WHO KNOWS THE TRUTH

Eddie Flynn knows what it's like to lose a daughter and vows to bring Caroline home safe. Once a con artist, now a hotshot criminal attorney, Flynn is no stranger to the shady New York underworld.

... OR THE ONE WHO BELIEVES A LIE?

However, as he steps back into his old life, Flynn realizes that the rules of the game have changed - and that he is being played. But who is pulling the strings? And is anyone in this twisted case telling the truth...?

Buy Links:

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2SyhB6k

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2Gqi8Ri (paperback)

Book Description: Th1rt3en ~ Eddie Flynn #4

THE SERIAL KILLER ISN'T ON TRIAL.

HE'S ON THE JURY...

****************

'Books this ingenious don't come along very often.' Michael Connelly

'THIRTEEN is my favourite read of the year.' Sarah Pinborough

'Outstanding.' Lee Child

'Smart and original. This is a belter of a book.' Clare Mackintosh

****************

'To your knowledge, is there anything that would preclude you from serving on this jury?'

Murder wasn't the hard part. It was just the start of the game.

Joshua Kane has been preparing for this moment his whole life. He's done it before. But this is the big one.

This is the murder trial of the century. And Kane has killed to get the best seat in the house.

But there's someone on his tail. Someone who suspects that the killer isn't the man on trial.

Kane knows time is running out - he just needs to get to the conviction without being discovered.

Buy Links:

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2UXDnNK

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2Ifec7H (pre-order)

Our Review:

Reviewed by Donna 

The Defense ~ 4.5 stars

The Plea ~ 4.5 stars

The Liar ~ 4.5 stars

Th1rt3en ~ 5 stars

 I read Twisted by Steve Cavanagh after a recommendation in the group Crime Fiction Addicts and absolutely loved it. This led me to look at other books by this author, and so the Steve Cavanagh marathon began, I could not put this series down. Four books devoured in three days and they weren’t short! Early starts and late nights were the order of the day with my earbuds permanently fixed, and I soon realised I had found another favourite crime author. 

I love legal dramas and add the crime aspect into it, and I had the best dessert with a cherry on top. This was the perfect blend of both with serial killers, suspense and intrigue and one of the most lovable lawyers ever. Eddie Flynn was not your usual lawyer; bad boy turned good with the right guidance from one of the good guys, who is now a senior judge. Eddie was a con-man, and when up in court in front of said Judge Harry Ford, using his gift of the gab, he got himself off the charges The judge was impressed and told Eddie he had the gift and should think about law school. Under the judges’ tutelage, Eddie turned his life around until he became disenchanted with lawyer life. Now forced out of his self-imposed retirement, Eddie returns when a slew of cases come his way. Only defending the innocent, Eddie is tested to his limits over these four books with police and FBI impeding and helping in various guises. 

Eddie was definitely a natural and I loved the way the author put Eddie front and centre in these cases. Going above and beyond, proving his client's innocence, immersing himself into the investigations and solving them before the relative authorities. Eddie’s old con-man life helps in many ways and being able to think like a criminal only aids his case building and solving. 

Each book is different and unique and as this series progresses the plots just get twistier and more developed as Steve Cavanagh hits his stride and the gem that is Th1rt3en is testament to that. The in-court drama is what really brings this book to life as some others I have read centre on what happens outside. However, Steve Cavanagh takes you through the trials, with the opening arguments, cross-examinations and summations and even jury selection at some points. Steve Cavanagh brings the courtroom to life, and you are just as enthralled inside as you are out. 

With fantastic side characters, this series has something for everyone, and there is definitely never a dull moment. Eddie’s moral character and personality are what drives this series, and his stalwart, tenacious attitude both in and out of the courtroom are what cements him as a firm favourite of mine. With plot twists I never saw coming, every single one of these books kept me on my toes, adrenaline pumping. Not once did I guess the twists, each book had my jaw hitting the floor, each book had me second guessing everything. The relationship between Eddie and Judge Harry Ford is perfection and only adds to this series. Fast paced, action packed and taughtly written, this is one series that held me from the first page of the first book to the last page of the last. Now I feel bereft, Eddie Flynn is missing from my life, and I can only hope that Steve Cavanagh writes quick because I need my next Eddie fix.

Review ~ Twisted by Steve Cavanagh

Book Description:

BEFORE YOU READ THIS BOOK

I WANT YOU TO KNOW THREE THINGS:

1. The police are looking to charge me with murder.

2. No one knows who I am. Or how I did it.

3. If you think you've found me. I'm coming for you next.

After you've read this book, you'll know: the truth is far more twisted...

Buy Links:

Amazon UK Kindle: https://amzn.to/2BkAPlb

Amazon UK Audible: https://adbl.co/2SdDPdC

Amazon US: Not available

Our Review:

Reviewed by Donna ~ 5 stars

I am still on my crime thriller kick and to be honest, I cannot get enough them, and this one ticked all my boxes. Set around the literary world, this one had me hooked from first to last page, and I couldn’t put it down. I tend to listen to my thrillers rather than read them, enjoying the narration as the narrators get into character and give that suspenseful edge, and in this case, the narrator did just that. The author does a fantastic job, and the book certainly lives up to its title, the ending I never saw coming and the overall “winner,” if you can call the person that, left a bitter taste. But alas, conniving is the name of the game.

This was definitely a rollercoaster of a ride with some seriously unhinged characters, but it is this that just made this book. In this case insanity bred creativity, and murder created best selling books. JT LeBeau is a best-selling crime author, and as soon as his books are released they go straight to number one and stay there. Superbly talented, written under a pseudonym and no-one knows his true identity, not even his publisher. Anyone that does find out his true identity ends up dead and the main character in his next book.

Steve Cavanagh gently brings the characters to life in the beginning, but when the story really gets into its own, the hits just keep coming. I had to rewind a few times just to make sure I understood what was said which often left the jaw-dropping at the most inopportune times. My brain was running a mile a minute as I tried to piece together the clues and just when you thought you had it sussed, Steve Cavanagh spins it in another direction.

Twisted was certainly an entertaining read, sick and twisted with plenty of suspense and intrigue and a fast-paced plot that won’t let you get off the ride. My earbuds were permanently cemented into my ears until the last dulcet tone of the narrator had wormed its way into my psyche and the jigsaw pieces that had been missing throughout, finally slotted into place. Trust no-one, trust nothing you read and you’re good to go. I will definitely be reading more from this author, and if this is anything to go by, I am in for a treat.

Review ~ Birthday Suit by Lauren Blakely

Book Description:

There is no rule in the Man Code as unbreakable as this: no matter how beautiful, smart, clever, and witty she is, do not—under any circumstances—fall in love with your best friend’s woman. 

Yeah. So there’s that. Look, it’s not like I didn’t know I screwed up by falling for her. 

Also, for the record, unrequited love sucks big time.

And, I might have cut myself some slack by now, given everything that went down in the last few years, but Lulu just walked back into my life in a big way.

***

There are three things I've never been able to resist—my friends, my family, and chocolate.

Leo Hennessy? He was nowhere on that list. He's been a true friend—a friend who walked through hell and back with me.

Now, I'm stepping into my new future. I didn't expect it to include a riddle-filled, race-against-the-clock scavenger hunt across New York City.

With Leo.

Suddenly, I'm looking at this man with new eyes...

But my life spun out because of a man once before, and I can’t risk my fresh start, no matter what the temptation. And Leo is most definitely a temptation of the sexiest, sweetest, and most dangerous variety. 

More irresistibly delicious than chocolate...

Buy Links:

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2RCIEgw

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2VSbbgi

Our Review:

Reviewed by Donna ~ 4 stars

“…there is no organ more susceptible to trickery, subterfuge, or sabotage than the heart. Embrace it, treat it as something precious, and be very wary of it.”

Lauren Blakely never fails to deliver and Birthday Suit is no exception. This was a great friends to lovers read with a touch of the forbidden romance thrown in. Lauren Blakely’s characters are always relatable, and these two will capture your heart from the very beginning. Mancode is always written in stone, and our hero took a step back when he realised the woman that he was falling for was more interested in his best friend. Over a decade of unrequited love seriously hurts, but when circumstances and fate throw these two together once again, can they think of their future rather than their past?

Sometimes timing sucks, and it never sucked harder for Leo. The girl that he had been crushing on and chatting to on the regular meets his best friend for the first time, and the sparks fly. The trio become the three amigos and standing on the sidelines while your best friend gets the girl of your dreams was no mean feat. It hurt, and hurt bad. Being both their best friend for over a decade only ingrains that hurt and makes it fester. Leo was such a great friend to both of them, always there, reliable and only had their best interests at heart even if that meant his own fell by the wayside.

“I took my own vow that day. No matter what, I had to get over her. There were no runners-up in love.”

LuLu has had it tough and now leaving NYC and moving to California she gets the job of her dreams. A master chocolatier, a flair for recipes that tingle every taste bud, LuLu is in her element and being reunited with her best friend, Leo was the icing on the proverbial cake. Having been single for a while, LuLu isn’t blind, and when she sees Leo for the first time, thoughts she had never had come to the forefront, when had she become so blind?

Lauren Blakely touches on all your emotions in this book as Leo and LuLu carefully navigate their feelings and try to shake off their past. A past that keeps pulling Leo back. When the woman of your dreams is presented before you, you feel like all your Christmases have come at once, but there is always that niggling doubt with Leo. Leo faces the biggest battle of his life… heart vs. conscience.

“You’re a dream chaser. A go-getter. Have you found your dreams?”

“Most of them. Some slipped away though.”

Leo was swoon-worthy with a capital S, and I dare anyone not to fall for his heart of gold and his effortless charm. LuLu was a character that had learned from her mistakes and to see her take her life back by the horns was fantastic. With some great secondary characters there was nothing I didn’t love, and by the end, I didn’t want to leave these two. Such a cute read.

Release Day Blitz & Review ~ We Shouldn't by Vi Keeland

A Standalone Contemporary Romance 

#1 New York Times Bestselling Author Vi Keeland

Book Description:

Bennett Fox walked into my life on one hell of a crappy Monday morning.

I was late for the first day at my new job—a job I’d now have to compete for even though I’d already worked eight years to earn it, because of an unexpected merger. 
While I lugged my belongings up to my new office, a meter maid wrote me a parking summons.

She’d ticketed a long line of cars—except for the Audi parked in front of me, which happened to be the same make and model as mine.

Annoyed, I decided to regift my ticket to the car that had evaded a fine. Chances were, the owner would pay it and be none the wiser.
Except, I accidentally broke the windshield wiper while slipping the ticket onto the car’s window.

Seriously, my day couldn’t get any worse.

Things started to perk up when I ran into a gorgeous man in the elevator. We had one of those brief moments that only happened in movies.

You know the deal…your body lights up, fireworks go off, and the air around you crackles with electricity.

His heated stare left me flush when I stepped off the elevator.

Maybe things here wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Or so I thought.

Until I walked into my new boss’s office and met my competition.

The gorgeous man from the elevator was now my nemesis. His heated stare wasn’t because of any mutual attraction. It was because he’d seen me vandalize his car. And now he couldn’t wait to annihilate his rival.

There’s a fine line between love and hate—and we shouldn’t cross it.

We shouldn’t—but straddling that line could be so much fun.

 

Buy Links:

Amazon UK:  https://amzn.to/2HlPpOJ

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2RGbtsn

iBooks ➜ http://smarturl.it/hmp0xb 

Amazon paperback ➜ http://amzn.to/2sgA0oP 

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Google Play ➜ http://smarturl.it/f6prjg 

Audio ➜ http://smarturl.it/e2gv12 

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Do you like texts better than email? Receive text notices of Vi’s new releases by texting the word BOOKS to 77948 You will ONLY receive a text when a new book goes live - no other messages at all!

Our Review:

Reviewed by Donna ~ 4.5 stars

***ARC received for an honest review***

“I didn’t see you coming, Texas. Didn’t see you coming.”

Vi Keeland merges two of my favourite tropes with a delicious office romance inter-laced with a hilarious at times enemies to lovers. The banter between these two was fantastic and a great catalyst to a slow burn from hate to like to love. This book though has a good dose of the feels, and it is this emotion together with the character connection that really cemented this book as another winner. Vi Keeland has this knack of delivering relatable, swoon-worthy characters that embed themselves into your heart and soul and Annalise and Bennett are no different. My heart definitely melted into a puddle of goo with these two.

“By day we fight like enemies, by night we fuck like warriors.”

Annalise has just come out of an eight-year relationship and is rather jaded with love, the complete opposite to her usual hopeless romantic. Add to the fact that the ad company that she has worked so hard for is merging with another and her job is on the line, her life is nothing but crises. Going head to head with Bennett is not what she anticipated and with the loser being transferred to Texas, she is not going to go down without a fight.

“You know that old saying…keep your friends close and fuck the shit out of your enemies.”

Bennett was incredibly handsome, smart and successful in his job, a job he had done for a long time. Finding out that this is now on the line, Bennett prepares himself for the biggest fight of his career and it doesn’t help that his nemesis is a little spit-fire and drop dead gorgeous. Bennett has to dig deep in more ways than one, but nothing could have prepared him for the hellion that shows us a totally different side to him.

“Beast syndrome is when a man constantly roars at you to scare you away. Perhaps he was less than magnanimous in his early days, which he thinks defines who he’s forever banished to be. So he tries to keep people from getting too close. But he’s not really the villain he thinks he is, and every once in a while, a peek of the prince underneath shines through.”

At times I was laughing, others sighing, the rest swooning—the perfect recipe for a contemporary romance. As I said above, the banter was perfect, the move from hate to love intoxicating, the chemistry was hot, hot, hot, the character connection on point and add a dose of emotion and it is perfect. Vi Keeland drew me into this story hook, line and sinker and the characters didn’t let me go until the end. Seeing the other side of Bennett and really understanding his back story was the biggest highlight and only endeared him to me even more. There is something for everyone in this book, and I can see this being another winner. Bring on the next one Vi Keeland.

About the Author:

Vi Keeland

Vi Keeland is a #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author. With millions of books sold, her titles have appeared in over a hundred Bestseller lists and are currently translated in two dozen languages. She resides in New York with her husband and their three children where she is living out her own happily ever after with the boy she met at age six. Sign up for Vi’s mailing list now and be the first one notified when books go live! ➜ https://www.subscribepage.com/i6h3o5 

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