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 … 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?more
Jaxon needs to be by boyfriend!!!! Chantal Fernando really did such a good job with this story. Jaxon and Scarlett are just a match made in heaven, both are perfect for each other! I loved how they just cared for each other and wanted each other to be happy!
Jaxon is a powerful attorney. Winning is what he does. Scarlett husband is dead and she is the number one suspect.
Jaxon can’t help but slowly finding feelings for Scarlett, and vice versa.
All Scarlett has known from her late husband is pain and hurt, being in Jaxon’s presence has shown her what kindness and care really looks like. I loved seeing this relationship grow to be more.
I could not put down this story with each page I just grew to love all the characters so much more! Scarlett became so much more confident and had a sweet personality! She also had an amazing sense of humour and I loved her for Jaxon.
This book was awesome and I would recommend to everyone and I will definitely be doing a re read very soon!
4 Stars
I’m a huge fan of Chantal Fernando’s books in particular her Wind Dragons MC series, so I was incredibly eager to read Seducing the Defendant when I discovered the link between the two series’. Seducing the Defendant is the second title in the Conflict of Interest series, and revolves around Jaxon, a criminal defense attorney and Scarlett, a woman accused of murdering her husband.
The path for this pair is not an easy one full of intrigue, mystery, suspense and an element of danger. Forbidden to act on their mutual attraction due to it being a conflict of interest, the sexual tension builds between this pair as they embark on a friendship prior to becoming lovers.
Jaxon has a reputation in the courtroom, and he loves a challenge. He’s an intelligent, sexy, alpha who doesn’t back down in the courtroom, but outside of it he’s incredibly sweet, kind and sensitive. I found Jaxon’s character to be incredibly endearing and appealing.
Scarlett is a damaged individual who has had a difficult past, and she struggles to trust men. She’s quite a vulnerable character, but has an inner strength that shines the further you progress into her tale. She’s a sweet, gentle, kind character, and even though I struggled to connect with her character, I did quite enjoy seeing her develop over the course of the story line.
I thoroughly enjoyed the cameo appearance of several characters who have appeared in the Wind Dragons MC series. The secondary characters were quite fun and entertaining, and I enjoyed seeing more of Tristan and Kat who appeared in the first title Breaching the Contract. I will be eagerly looking forward to Hunter’s story.
I found the ending to be quite abrupt after an event that is really quite heartbreaking.
Overall Seducing the Defendant is a sweet, sexy, emotion filled romance that I enjoyed with quite a few twists and turns that I didn’t anticipate. I will be looking forward to the remaining titles in this series in the new year.
The beginning of this book was awesome!! Then the middle I kept thinking is she really going to just give us sexy scenes and falling in love? Then the end Chantal throws us a curve ball, then she rips our hearts out and stomps all over it. My eyes are still leaking. Fantastic read!
***I received an ebook copy from the publisher at no cost***
I loved the first book in this series and this one was just as good. It was awesome to get to see Jaxson and Scarletts story unfold.
I like books that are told from multiple points of view, and this one is. It helped me connect more with each of the characters and I felt like it gave me better insight into what each of them was thinking at any given time. Jaxson is the classic alpha male, but not disgustingly so. He’s sexy and he likes to be in control, but he’s willing to relinquish that and he’s all about the give and take that comes with any relationship.
I love books that have a forbidden aspect to them and this one definitely did. Attorney and client … hello, hotness!
The characters in the Conflict of Interest series are all great. Fernando does a good job of developing her characters and making them relatable, and taking them on journeys throughout the course of the books. It was awesome to see where Jaxson and Scarlett both were at the end of the novel compared to when it began.
If you like suspenseful, sexy stories, give this one (and the first in the series) a try!
Five stars to this book!
Seducing the Defendant is the second installment of the Conflict of Interest Series but it can be read as a standalone.
Scarlett Reyes is accused of murdering her cop husband so she needs the best of the best as her defense attorney. So it’s no surprise that she goes after Jaxson Bentley. He is the best, after all. Little did Scarlett know that Jaxson would evoke feelings from her. Feelings that shouldn’t be there. But there’s just something about him that she can’t shake.
From the moment Jaxson met Scarlett, he knew he wanted to help her. Just like her, he fights against his feelings but once the trail is over, things start to progress. Their passion and feelings for each other grow but so does the danger that awaits them in the background.
I want to start off by saying that I did enjoy this book. I really liked the way that Scarlett comes out of her shell and starts to be the woman that she used to be. Carefree, fun and flirty. I enjoyed Jaxson and think he has a big heart. But for some reason, I couldn’t fully connect to them.
I think I was caught in a Catch 22 moment. Once the Wind Dragon’s became part of the story, I felt myself gravitating more to them then focusing on Jaxon and Scarlett because I like that series so much. I was dying to get a little more of them so it distracted me from what I probably should have been focusing on. At the same time, I think that element of the story and adding them is what kept the plot moving and interesting. So I was a bit conflicted.
Again, I enjoyed the book and I look forward to the next one. Fernando is now one of my go to authors so don’t let my conflicting thoughts keep you from reading. I think many people will be able to devour it and if you are new to this author then now is the perfect time to start!
**I received a copy of Seducing the Defendant from Net Galley in exchange for a voluntary and honest review* ”
Seducing the Defendant is the second book in the series by Chantal Fernando I haven’t read the first book but it was easy to read as a standalone. However having read several of her Wind Dragon MC books , since they are incorporated into the story, I knew that this was going to be very good.
Jaxon is still feeling from the death of his sister who died because of her abusive husband. He feels he should’ve been able to help her escape. So when his partner Tristan calls him back to their law office, he knows that he’ll do anything help her out because his sister would want him too. When he turns to his childhood friend Demon who is a undercover cop deep within the Wind Dragons has information that will prove to be very useful.
Scarlett Reyes is being accused of killing her husband whose body was recently found after being missing for 3 years. But what people don’t know is that didn’t do it and was in Paris caring for her aunt. Plus there are those within the police department who will do anything to keep quiet of their drug running side business. What she doesn’t count on is the attraction between Jax and that somehow she’ll find out about her late husband’s mistress. You’ll find out soon of how the Wind Dragon MC is connected thru the story. There is a climatic ending that will leave an opening to Hunter’s book which is next.
The second book in the Conflict of Interest series was good, we have all the cast of characters from the first book. This story is Jaxson and Scarlett and they are quite hot together. The story has love, healing and a bit of suspense, it went a bit long but then we get hit hard at the end with an I didn’t see that coming moment. Angsty, sexy and Alphas. Good Read.
3.25 stars–SEDUCING THE DEFENDANT is the second instalment in Chantal Fernando’s contemporary, adult CONFLICT OF INTEREST erotic, romance legal series. This is attorney Jaxon Bentley, and heiress Scarlett Reyes’ story line. SEDUCING THE DEFENDANT can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary. There is a slight cross-over with the author’s Wind Dragon MC series.
Told from dual first person points of view (Jaxon and Scarlett) SEDUCING THE DEFENDANT follows the building relationship between high-powered defense attorney Jaxon Bentley, and heiress Scarlett Reyes, a woman wrongfully accused of killing her husband. Two years earlier Scarlett’s police officer husband Derrick Melvin disappeared without a trace but many suspected Scarlett knew something about his apparent demise. Fast forward to present day wherein Derrick’s bullet riddle body is discovered in the waterfront river, and our heroine is immediately arrested and charged with his murder. Enter defense attorney Jaxon Bentley, and the man with whom Scarlett will fall in love. What ensues is the building romance between Scarlett and Jaxon, and the potential fall out when Jaxon’s past comes looking for a second chance, and Derrick’s sins come looking for revenge.
All of the circumstantial evidence points towards our story line heroine but Jaxon begins to suspect something amiss as Derrick Melvin’s past begins to unravel. Hoping to prove his client is innocent Jaxon sets into motion a series of events involving the local Wind Dragon MC that reveals a much darker and sinister background to our heroine’s one-time husband.
The relationship between Jaxon and Scarlett begins as attorney and client but will slowly escalate once the charges against Scarlett have been dropped. The sexual tension is high but Jaxon bides his time under the circumstances, and in the face of potential professional misconduct he will wait until the media circus has cleared. The $ex scenes are erotic, seductive, provocative and intense.
We are re-introduced to Jaxon’s law firm partners Katerina Dawson and Tristan Channing: office intern and law student Callum Hopkins; Jaxon’s best friend Demon; and several members of the Wind Dragon MC including Irish, Valentina Sullivan, Faye Black and MC president Arrow.
SEDUCING THE DEFENDANT is an interesting and entertaining story with little conflict or building angst. The ‘defense’ aspect of the story line is quick to resolve by 28% ; the seduction and growing romance between Jaxon and Scarlett remains the focal point of the remainder of the story but saying that the story line felt disjointed as it jumped between the dual points of view; there was more telling than showing that results in the aimless feel of the building romance; the character development is rather one-dimensional- I had a difficult time relating to, and connecting with the story line couple. The conflict and resolution almost felt anti-climactic and separate from the original story. SEDUCING THE DEFENDANT was a bit of a struggle. I love the author’s WIND DRAGON MC series, and welcomed the one-on-one banter between Jaxon and Demon, as well as Demon and Scar.
After reading the blurb on this one, I expected more on Scarlett’s case and Jaxon fighting the attraction, but this one is more about the romance and Scarlett’s transformation. This is an emotional read with both, Jaxon and Scarlett, having their own things to deal with. We also have the added suspense of who actually killed Scarlett’s husband and the connections to the Wind Dragons MC. Having not read the Wind Dragons series, I’m not sure if the characters mentioned were an integral part of that series, but I had no problem following the story.
Jaxon and Scarlett didn’t have that same fiery chemistry as I found in Tristan and Kat’s book, but their story is just as good. Jaxon is tender and patient with Scarlett as she finds herself again and they do have good chemistry.
Overall, Jaxon and Scarlett’s story is a well-written, emotional tale that kept me turning pages.
New York Times bestselling author Chantal Fernando has once again knocked me off my feet! Seducing the Defendant is the second installment in the Conflict of Interest series. This series about hot bada** lawyers started off with lots of heat in Breaching the Contract and continues to feed flames with Jaxon and Scarlett’s story.
Jaxon Bentley is a hardcore criminal lawyer in a very successful firm. After coming back from a leave of absence due to personal matters, Jaxon is given a case that hits close to home. Scarlett Reyes is being accused of killing her husband, a police officer. She comes to Jaxon’s firm seeking guidance. Scarlett has secrets and she keeps them to herself. That is until the time comes that she needs to reveal them to help her case.
Before the trial can begin, Scarlett finds herself in trouble with a local motorcycle gang. One that she didn’t even know she had ties to, but thanks to her late husband she’s about to get more than she bargained for. Drugs, lies, and deceit follow sweet, innocent Scarlett. Jaxon knows she’s innocent and does everything in his power to prove it. With the help of the deceased’s corrupt mistress who has ties to the gang, Scarlett finds her freedom as well as her revenge.
Crooked cops, abuse, and a man that wants to stop history from repeating itself make for a hell of an exciting read. What starts as a war ends in a truce. This novel will keep you turning the page to find out what happens next. I highly recommend and give this book FIVE solid stars.