A fast-paced contemporary romance that sizzles from the New York Times bestselling author of Order of Protection where passion for the law isn’t the only thing heating up the courtroom.Isla Shayne knows she’s in over her head. As former all-star linebacker Trey Adams’s personal lawyer, she’s used to handling his business dealings and private financial matters, not murder charges. She needs to … murder charges. She needs to find an experienced criminal attorney who speaks her client’s language. David Cormack of Garrison, Cormack and Lawless is exactly what she needs in the courtroom–and the only man she wants in the bedroom.
For David, taking on the Adams case means diving back into a world he thought he’d left behind and colliding head on with tragic possibilities he’s in no mood to face. There’s a reason professional football is in his past and no matter how close Isla gets to the truth he intends to leave it there.
But long days working on the case together lead to hot nights in each other’s arms. As their feelings grow, the case takes a deadly twist that could change the game between the two lovers forever.
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This book was pretty intense, a breathtaking crime love story.
From the first pages, you got a feeling how you have to hold your guts, a lot of digging, secrets and emotions.
I felt very connected with the characters, David wasn’t my choice at first, but as the book goes on, I fell in love with him.
The intensity in this love story is another thing that hooked me in, so captivating from beginning to end.
Isla is a sweet darling, caring, loving and but can show her claw when needed; she fought for David with all her nails.
I’m a sucker for alpha characters, and David is one of those, but he has a pretty sensible side of him that drove me in.
This book got me anxious, and I couldn’t wait to solve the mystery but and enjoy all the love stories, Portia broke my heart in tinny millions of pieces.
I highly recommend this fantastic book.
5 Mystery Stars
Great characters and great suspense equals great read
Book 2 in the Courting Justice series, while there are characters carrying over from the previous book (and there’s the McKay-Taggert tie-in I’ve come to expect with this author), I feel you could easily read this as a standalone.
I loved the first book in the series and I got pulled into the story here right from the start. I adored how protective David felt toward Isla and how much they had in common, plus all that chemistry, whew! I also loved the banter David had going on with his partners and other secondary characters, who all added to the story.
Plenty of suspense and plot twists, plus just the right amount of steam all lightened by moments of lol humor kept me completely engaged and I didn’t want to put the book down. Not only were the characters and plot on point, I also found the background topic of CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) timely and interesting.
Great characters and great suspense plus heat and humor added up to a great read for me and a great addition to the series. 5 stars
B2B Kelly
I was excited to see David’s story come to life and I enjoyed this story even more than the first one. While this is the second book in the Courting Justice, you don’t necessarily need to read the first book before diving into this one. David and Isla were so much more relatable than the characters in the first book, and I enjoyed their story so much.
I learned after reading just one of Lexi’s books, that she weaves captivating and original stories. This one was no different. I loved that she was able to add a degenerative mental disorder and it’s devastating effects into an already unique story.
I loved the suspense in this story! I was captivated from the get go and couldn’t wait to find out what happened. I was trying to piece together all the bread crumbs left throughout this story. Once everything was revealed, I was able to see from the beginning where all the clues were carefully placed.
Grateful to have received a complimentary ARC copy to honestly review.
A deliciously sexy suspenseful romance!!! Oh Lexi Blake, you have done it again with your latest release, Evidence of Desire. Without a doubt, this book is off the richter scales when it comes to heat, passion, intensity, and conflict of interest. With her strong bold characters, Blake pulls in her readers in with this story of David and Isla. With many layers and her intricate prose, Blake will have you totally smitten and blushing like crazy and all at the same time keep you on your toes with her added layer of suspense. So if you are looking for a romance that weaves excitement and intensity then look no further than this sizzling read.
5 Stars
Evidence of Desire is the all new riveting novel by Lexi Blake. It is the second book in the Courting Justice series, but it can be read as a stand-alone. This book!!!! I honestly got sucked into the story from the very beginning, and I did not want to put it down! Full of mystery, suspense, and Ms. Blake’s amazing writing skills, Evidence of Desire was PHENOMENAL!
I don’t want to give away any spoilers so I am going to make this short and sweet. Hired to protect a famous ex-pro footballer, David Cormack has his hands full. Not only will this be a high profile case with trying to prove Trey Adams’ innocence, the gorgeous family attorney Isla Shayne, is proving to be an unwanted distraction. Their attraction is palpable but with the case at hand and both of their pasts, it’s nearly impossible to start a relationship. Will they be able to not only prove Trey’s innocence, find the real killer, and fall in love?
I loved this story so much! It was so captivating and emotional, and addicting! I loved having to try and figure out who did it and the reasoning behind it. Ms. Blake wrote an excellent novel with characters that were unforgettable!
Good lord, give me a sec to get my heart back in rhythm after finishing up Evidence of Desire. Man, that was some suspenseful romantic suspense right there . . .
In trying to keep Trey Adams out of jail, Isla Shayne hires David Cormack, who’s known as one of the best defense attorney’s in the US. He’s ruthless and thorough and will fight to defend his clients at all costs. But he’s also one of the most amazing and handsome man Isla have ever met.
David’s desire is to just do his job. Work is his focus—always has been. And nothing and no one will get in the way. Until Isla. Isla is everything David never truly knew he wanted in a woman. She’s smart, sexy and perfect for him.
But solving the murder and keeping Trey out of jail takes precedent over feelings—even those between Isla and David, well, until they just can’t keep those feelings to themselves anymore. Which makes David even more determined to find the true killer and keep Trey out of jail.
I couldn’t get enough of the romance blooming between Isla and David. They were in denial for quite some time—and then they just couldn’t deny it anymore. Even when David tried to put up his walls to “protect” Isla, she wouldn’t let him build them—she smashed each one down. And I couldn’t help but root for her to finally convince David to take a chance on their love.
I can’t wait for more in this fun, sexy, smart Courting Justice series. So looking forward to Noah’s story!
I didn’t know that this is the second part of a series, however I was not lost and I really enjoyed this book so I will go back and get the first one since I liked this one. So we meet Isla who walks into a tragedy and she hires David and his associates to represent one of her clients. David and Isla were attracted to each other from the get both thinking that it was not the best time for that attraction but as they spend time together they can’t help it and I really liked and wanted these two together. We also get Portia and Trey’s story which was beautiful even though it ended so horribly. We get a cast of characters that has you either liking or hating them showing what a good job the author portrayed. We have suspense, love, heartbreak and justice so grab a copy my friends and Enjoy!
Rcvd and ARC at no cost to author..(netgalley) Voluntarily reviewed with my own thoughts and opinions.
Every time I think to myself that Lexi Blake couldn’t surprise me more than she has done in the past I am proven wrong. Evidence of Desire not only had me on the edge of my seat, ignoring the world around me, I mean who really needs things like food and sleep right, but it also got me out of a book funk that I was in. The suspense, the mystery, the romance, these are just a few of the things that I loved about this book. Another thing I loved was the characters, David and Isla not only had chemistry they had something extra that made them special.
I won’t go and spoil this one for you because trust me you want that suspense filled feeling while reading this one. I will say this, play on closing yourself off from the rest of the world because you will not want to put Evidence of Desire down for any reason once you start it. This book needs to be at the top of your TBR shelf for sure!
Whew…this is a book that will have you second guessing everything and everyone you meet in this book. All the twists and turns will leave you anxiously awaiting what happens next. I loved the characters and how strong they were facing all the challenges that came up plus I really loved how their concerns were real life problems and not irrational fears.
David is loving his life at the moment and starting his own firms with friends is something he has been ready for, but when a new case has him rethinking his personal life, he knows that he has some decisions to make but this case strikes close to home and he can’t decide what is best.
Ilsa has spent her life taking care of others and now when everyone she loves is a suspect, she doesn’t know who to trust. Will they be able to figure it out before everything around them falls apart?
A captivating suspense that’ll keep you guessing until the very end! This is the second book in the Courting Justice series by Lexi Blake and man does she deliver. With multiple romances and a thrilling ride, you absolutely can’t go wrong with this book. The characters have wonderful depth and development throughout the story and you find yourself consumed by David and Isla.
Yet another page turner from Lexi Blake. Isla may be a brilliant attorney, but she is thrown into a tailspin when she meets David Cormack. In order to prove her client not guilty of a heinous crime, and to untangle the web she’s gotten herself into professionally and personally. David has kept his distance from any real romance for so long he doesn’t know what hits him when he encounters Isla, The result, page turning fireworks that kept me up all night. You don’t want to miss it!
**This novel could be read as a stand alone, but it’s better to have read the first book in the Courting Justice series if you want the other character backgrounds.
Evidence of Desire is the perfect title for the second book in Lexi Blake’s Courting Justice series because its implications to the plot as well as its characters involved in the court case center around an influx of overwhelming emotions – ones that can lead to both positive and negative outcomes for more people than just the accused.
The murder case that finds its way to former NFL player now criminal defense attorney, David Cormack, is one that could open old wounds and send him spiraling because what the defendant, Trey Adams, is accused of as well as Adams’ psychological frame of mind and repercussions of a professional football career hit extremely close to home and illicit a set of feelings that he’s forced away for quite some time.
Amidst the suspenseful court case and its evidence is a romantic connection that cannot be repressed, and despite David’s fears and the baggage he carries due to his past, he more than falls for Isla Shayne. She’s an unexpected force in his life and while her ties originated with David’s client, the relationship that seems to be developing between them, despite David’s hesitancies, just might prove to be essential to David’s growth and acceptance as he struggles to conquer his demons and find a way to have something more with Isla.
In true Lexi Blake fashion, there are a bevy of twists and turns throughout the course of Isla and David’s story, which given the context and the content of the case and what David and his client are up against, isn’t surprising, but the way everything plays out is quite unexpected and I loved working through the facts, uncovering further evidence, and wrapping my head around all that is described in order to come to some kind of conclusion, which was definitely not easy!
When I finished the story, it was beyond clear to me just how much research Lexi Blake did in order to provide a clear view of a murder case; she did not approach the circumstances of her storyline haphazardly. To make things believable, sufficient details and a complete overview of the ins and outs of the case must be meticulously explored, and Blake more than did justice to this aspect of Evidence of Desire.
Lexi Blake’s romantic suspense stories are some of my favorites to read because she seamlessly weaves these two facets throughout her story lines, and it never feels forced or disjointed because there’s always a reason for the events to play out the way they do and an understanding of the emotions that are involved as well as the impact on personal relationships due to the extremeness of the circumstances that surround them.
David and Isla’s story is an overwhelming and intense journey that blends what’s developing between them and the case that brought them together into a cohesive and well-developed plot, and I can’t wait for more Lexi Blake stories from this trope!
4.5 Poison Apples
4 stars. This was a good book. Evidence of Desire is David and Isla’s story. We met David in the first book in the series, Order of Protection. He is a criminal lawyer in Henry’s firm. He is a former NFL player as well, which makes him extra qualified for the new case he is hired for. Another former NFL player, Trey Adams, who has CTE from too many concussions, is accused of murdering his wife, Portia. Isla is the Adams’ family lawyer. She works closely with the family and helps the with their wills and trusts, etc. She is like a member of the family and she is the one who hires David to represent Trey. When they two meet, they have an immediate connection that only grows over the course of the case, which they work together to solve, and they fall in love.
The story was really good and interesting. I really liked David and Isla a lot. She was sweet and caring. David was too, as well as strong and layered. They both felt very real with understandable insecurities and fears. Both knew pretty quickly that each other was “the one”; they just had to be brave enough to go for it. I definitely felt their love and connection. There is a good mystery here and I enjoyed guessing who had killed Portia and why. I did think the book was a little heavy on the suspense and angst, but I still really enjoyed it. The writing was excellent and the characters had great depth.
Overall, I really enjoyed Isla and David’s relationship development and seeing them fall in love. I look forward to more from this fun series and Ms. Blake!
Holy sexy lawyers, Batman! Evidence of Desire had me guessing who the bad guy was until the very end and the chemistry just sizzled throughout the whole thing. It was totally amazing!
Isla is in way over her head when one of her closest clients gets charged with murder. When David steps up, she is not only grateful to have someone of his experience, but also realizes that she’s incredibly attracted to the criminal lawyer.
While the case gets more and more complicated, David and Isla’s chemistry flourishes, and soon their attraction is impossible to fight. But with danger following Isla and David’s issues from his past, all the chemistry in the world won’t be enough to make them work.
I really loved both Isla and David. She was sweet and nice but had sass and an iron will. I loved how she went for what she wanted, even when David was putting up a bit of a fight. David was dreamy. Sexy, bossy and charming and he was absolutely impossible to resist.
With a great pace, mystery and suspense galore, Evidence of Desire had lots of sexy fun that was scorching hot. I enjoyed it from start to finish and can’t wait to read more from this series!
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book*
WOW! This book had me on the edge of my seat. A suspect who doesn’t know where he is, an ADA who is a royal PITA, danger, heat, nosy reporters, upset family, what else could you want? I loved this book and did not put it down. Stayed up way to late reading but it just drew me in and I had to know who really did it.
Isla is a sweetheart, but don’t let that fool you. She is strong and protective of those she loves. She has had some crap thrown her way but is bouncing back and standing her ground. She has to when she wants the stubborn former football player turned lawyer, David. David worries daily that he will eventually develop the same disease the suspect has, CTE. So he has a serious issue thinking that he needs to let her go. We know how well that works!
The husband is always the first suspect. Especially when he is found holding his wife in her own blood. Things are not always as they seem and Isla is going to prove it and who better to help her than a former football player. Things get really messy… I mean really messy (no spoilers… dang that is so hard!). However the instant attraction and heat between these two is just wow. They have to work together to prove Trey is innocent and to piece together the clues as to who really did it. The trick is, can they survive?
Every lawyer dreams of having the ‘perfect’ clients and creating a practice that anyone would envy. For Isla – clients bring a string of business deals, contracts, and in some cases they add a personal connection to her life. When football star Trey Adams is accused of murdering his wife, Isla knows that her familial connection to this family will hinder the ability to prove her client not guilty. Portia’s death wasn’t just about a robbery gone back, the crime scene hints at a hatred for the beloved matriarch of the Adams family.
Hiring the best criminal attorney is at the forefront of Isla’s agenda. David Cormack’s reputation for winning cases precedes him, but what really matters is his former connection to football. There is no one out there that can understand Trey’s medical condition better than David. With CTE a major factor revolving around the case, there is the possibility that no one will be able to save the former football star from such a damning case.
Taking on a high profile case is nothing new for David. What troubles him about this case is the possibility of seeing his future through the life of Trey Adams. A football career carries with it more than a touchdown during the game, something that David reflects upon daily. Now the high powered attorney finds himself trying to look past a possible future, and figure out why he is drawn to the attorney that is embroiled in the middle of a case that clearly affects her on a personal level.
Lexi Blake’s latest release is hitting your reader with a plot line that is definitely current in the sports industry. CTE is the disease that riddles Trey Adams. A unknown and still puzzling injury that many athletes are facing. Adding to the drama is a murder that is sure to keep you guessing while entertaining you with a romance between two formidable characters.
Evidence of Desire is a wonderful addition to the Courting Justice series, and definitely was a treat to me when bringing some of my other Blake favorites back into action (Lawless). Neither Isla nor David is ‘weak’ in character and the strength and charisma the two exhibits add to the plot of this romance. I have to admit, I can’t wait to see what unravels for Noah Lawless in the series!! Things can only heat up from here!!
It’s no secret that I am in love with Lexi Blake’s writing. She always manages to captivate me and tell fascinating stories. She often includes incredibly delicate topics in her novels, and Evidence of Desire was a prime example of that. She weaved the devastating threads of degenerative mental disorders into an already enthralling suspense novel, making it feel more poignant than so many other novels in the same genre. This may be one of my favorite Lexi Blake stories, and I can’t wait to see what else she has in store for us in this world.
Evidence of Desire is simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming, watching David’s fears manifested through his case was devastating. Watching Portia, Isla, and David’s mother show him that love wasn’t as fragile and mercurial as he’d previously experienced was EVERYTHING. I continually found myself completely consumed by both Isla and David’s love story, and Portia and Trey’s. Any time I can get my hands on a book that gives me a two-fer on romance, I’m in.
The suspense in Evidence of Desire was captivating and had me trying to piece together all the evidence until nearly the last second. All the clues were there, little nuggets of information that seemed unimportant at the time, but once everything came to light, I was able to finally take a step back and see the big picture Ms. Blake had been carefully weaving from the beginning. It was a wild and fascinating ride from beginning to end.
Evidence of Desire is the second book in Lexi Blake’s Courting Justice series. These books can be read as standalones. Characters from the first novel carry over into this book, and we also get a visit from some of our favorite Masters and Mercenaries, too. Evidence of Desire is written in limited third-person perspective, alternating between following Isla and David’s thoughts.
No one does romantic suspense like Lexi Blake, and Evidence of Desire is a stunning story with twists and turns on every page, amazing suspense and a gorgeous romance all wrapped within its pages.
When Isla’s client and long time friend is found covered in blood and clutching his dead wife, she knows he needs more help than she can offer as his personal lawyer. From the moment criminal defense attorney David Cormack walks in the room, he commands the space and takes control of the situation and brings an unexpected feeling of security to Isla, who’s entire world was just turned upside down.
For Isla, winning this case mean supporting those she cares for as family, even when there are secrets being exposed she had no idea she’d be faced with. For David, taking on this case brings him back into a world he’s left behind as well as forces him to confront his personal fears about his future. The more time Isla and David spend together, the hotter their passions burn. But, there are forces waiting in the wings to tear them apart, including a killer who may not be through yet and the overwhelming fear of a disease that would leave David’s future in peril.
I absolutely adored everything about this book from the story to the cast of characters. Lexi Blake did an amazing job of creating characters that feel very real with their thoughts and emotions. David’s fears of having CTE from his time as a professional athlete are heartbreaking as we see just how it affects every aspect of his life. It’s such a contrast to the alpha and protective man he is as well as his domineering role as a lawyer. Isla is a total and complete bada$$ in her loyalty, faith and passion for those she holds dear. Even in the face of fear and danger she continually puts others first and proves her character again and again.
Evidence of Desire kept me guessing as to the outcome of the trial as well as who the real bad guy was until the very end. This is one book that PassionFlix needs to grab and make into a movie right away, because it’s a tale that will leave readers emotionally engaged and utterly entranced. 5 stars!
Evidence of Desire is a smart and sexy contemporary story of mystery and romance. Criminal defense attorney David Cormack takes on a case that cuts close to home but it doesn’t stop him from falling for business attorney Isla Shayne. I loved Isla. She is smart, strong and goes for what she wants. Watching these two solve a crime and fall in love was truly enjoyable. Though this is part of a series it can be read stand alone.
5 Stars
Lexi Blake has completely blown me away with her newest romantic suspense. We are brought back to the law firm of Garrison, Cormack and Lawless, and man oh man is it a suspenseful and intriguing visit! This story has it all, loyalty, love, family, heartbreak, intensity and sexiness from beginning to end. Ms. Blake has outdone herself with this novel in my opinion. She had brought a current medical issue that is part of the sports world and built this amazing story that will keep you guessing and wondering who did what, who knew what, and who is not who they appear to be? I loved every plot twist, every hint, every piece of the puzzle through the book. I also fell in love with Isla and David, and of course loved meeting some new friends and getting to know some old ones even better. You will not be disappointed in the second book of the Courting Justice Novels, so do yourself a favor and pick it up today!
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