Hustler

A quick, enjoyable, very sexy read.

Asher Dean’s a criminal defense attorney, the best there is. Cynical, arrogant, convinced he can do no wrong? Absolutely! He revels in his abilities, and does he ever have abilities! He’s the most sought-after attorney at his firm. He’s handsome, rich, and women fall all over him. Cora Maguire’s a law student at USC. Her father was a plaintiff’s attorney. Her Uncle Edward is an old-school defense attorney who firmly believes in the Fourth Amendment and the adversarial approach. She loves law school, and she cherishes her dream of becoming an international human rights attorney. When her Uncle Edward offers her a summer internship at his law firm, it seems like a no-brainer. But when she meets her soon-to-be mentor, she’s thrown for a loop. It’s none other than Asher Dean, the very antithesis of what she aspires to be! He may be hot, rich, and as successful as they come, but really? Could there be a worse match-up ever conceived? Certainly not in Cora’s mind! He may be hot. She may feel an instant attraction to him. But there’s no way she’s getting involved with any attorney, especially not Asher Dean! To top things off, on her first day as Asher’s intern, a very public, tabloid-like murder case lands on Asher’s desk and, of course, right in Cora’s lap. This isn’t what she signed up for! As Cora fights Asher’s busywork and conceited attempts to school her in criminal defense law, she’s also fighting a battle with herself…over her attraction to Asher. She knows it’s not smart or right. But she can’t seem to help herself. Asher’s “love ’em and leave ’em” ways are well-known. And she’s far too young and driven to get involved with anyone. So why does she have such trouble focusing on anything but Asher? And Asher? He blows hot and cold…calculating, callous, and demanding one minute; hot-blooded, sensuous, and seducing the next. As the case heats up, nothing is as it seems. Who really committed the murder? Is the defendant truly guilty as Asher believes? Or could others have motives? With his cynical attitude about defendants, does his client even matter to Asher? And Cora starts leaning away from her idealistic views of the law. Why? What of the attraction between Cora and Asher? Where can this possibly lead? Cora’s only there for the summer. Asher’s not about to change his ways for a mere intern, is he? With so much uncertainty in the mix, how can anyone predict the outcome…of either the trial or what lies between Cora and Asher?

Charlotte Byrd is a new author for me. This was a quick read and a good story. I liked the characters but felt they were a bit underdeveloped. The relationship between Asher and Cora composes nearly the entire theme of the story. For me, the only other aspect to draw the reader in is the murder case, which made the plot feel somewhat one-dimensional. Overall, I did like the story. The ending seems to be a cliffhanger, so perhaps Ms. Byrd is planning a sequel? If so, I think it would be very interesting to see more development of Asher’s and Cora’s characters with perhaps their relationship a bit more well-defined. The uncertainty of the ending intrigued me the most. I was initially drawn to this story because I’m very interested in another series Ms. Byrd has written so perhaps this particular book wasn’t the best choice for me to begin with. But, again, it’s a good book, and I did enjoy it. For that reason, I give Punitive Damages three stars.

One final note. Please be an informed reader and consumer! This is an ADULT book. It contains explicit language and sexual scenes. If you don’t enjoy this genre, think hard before buying any book you know you won’t enjoy. There are book synopses and reviews available on Goodreads and Amazon. Use these resources. DON’T LEAVE A NEGATIVE REVIEW WHEN YOU KNOW YOU WON’T ENJOY THE BOOK. It’s not fair to the author. She works extremely hard to provide a quality work product. If you know you’ll object to the book’s subject matter before you buy it, you’re doing yourself and the author an extreme disservice.

Thanks for reading my review and happy reading!