June 21, 2017

BLOG TOUR REVIEW & EXCERPT: Revenge (Lawless #3)


The Lawless series is now complete with REVENGE, and what an incredible story it turned out to be. Check out my review of Revenge and an excerpt from the book!

Revenge (Lawless #3), by Lexi Blake
Publish Date:
June 20, 2017
Publisher: Berkley Romance
Format: e-ARC, provided by the publisher and Inkslinger PR
Genre: adult suspense romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating: 4 STARS


(Synopsis) When Drew Lawless discovers a fatal flaw in his plan to avenge his parents’ deaths, he turns to the one woman he'd promised he wouldn't touch. He offers her a deal, one that will bring her into his investigation, his life, and his bed. 


Investigative reporter Shelby Gates never dreamed how twisted the case would become—or how fascinated she would be with Drew. Every day they spend together binds them. And every night brings her closer to realizing he might be the man for her.

As Drew's feelings for Shelby grow, so does the danger. From the streets of Dallas to Austin’s high-tech business world, Drew and Shelby play a game begun twenty years before—a game they will win, or die trying.

We've been leading up to the conclusion and resolution of the Lawless siblings' story for three books now. Each book has brought about a new surprise and a new twist that has led up to this. And it's fitting that Drew - the glue that has held his family together all these years - is the one who has held out the longest in their fight for... revenge. 

Drew and Shelby have clashed in previous books due to her profession as an investigative reporter and her penchant to dig up the secrets about his family that he'd rather stay buried. Now, Drew has decided he needs her to do her investigative thing to help him finish things once and for all, but to get her to agree to help him requires him to lie, lie, lie. And he wants her to lie a little too. 

If Drew wants to keep his investigating in the dark from his siblings, he needs Shelby's presence in his life to be explained in some other way. Why not pretend they're dating? Because that has never gone wrong before (reference Riley's attempts to do the same thing in Ruthless). 

My feelings about Drew were very conflicted. He genuinely likes Shelby. He's hoping to keep her as his after everything is all said and done, but he acknowledges that his underhanded techniques may turn her against him for good. But, Drew is so singularly focused on bringing down the person who killed his dad, he's willing to take the risk. It's infuriating because Shelby quickly grows to trust him, and Drew keeps hiding things from her. 

Although a huge surprise and game changer was revealed at the end of Satisfaction (Lawless #2), there's still room for more of them. The hits keep coming, and when everything is finally revealed, it's a crazy picture. Drew's quest for justice and revenge leaves some debris in his wake, and as one would expect, his house of cards he built around Shelby come crashing down because of it. 

There were parts of Revenge that were a little slower than I would've liked, but those parts were short and sparse. As in the other books in this series, Revenge is told in dual POV and comes complete with lots of heat and heart. I'm sad to say goodbye to the Lawless siblings, but the epilogue in Revenge made it a little easier to do so. It's been a crazy, dangerous, awesome trip.  

Shelby brushed her lips against his, her whole body seeming to come to life. His lips were soft, his hands tight. He was enveloping her and she was completely defenseless against him.

She wrapped her arms around him as the kiss deepened, and suddenly she didn’t want to play it safe anymore. She’d been in her shell for so long and she wanted to come out of it, wanted to feel again. She dragged her tongue over his lower lip, and it seemed to awaken the beast in Drew.

He took over, the kiss going from sweet to carnal in an instant. His mouth opened, tongue sliding over hers and dominating with strength and a sensuality she’d never come across before. He kissed her long and hard, his hands molding to the curves of her body. Over and over again his tongue danced with hers. Never before had a kiss seemed so effortless. It was like they’d been kissing forever.

For a man who claimed he was socially awkward, he sure could kiss like a god.

It was getting out of hand, but she didn’t care. Nothing mattered except getting more of him. She could feel his cock under her, hardening, lengthening, getting ready for what it was meant to do. He could ease her back against the table, pull off her jeans and panties. It would be incendiary, like a rocket going off, an explosion she couldn’t contain. She could feel herself getting soft and wet and ready for him, as though her body had recognized its natural mate and wasn’t taking no for an answer.

“See, I told you we have chemistry.” His words rumbled along her lips.

She couldn’t argue with him. The world around them seemed hazy and unreal. There was nothing except his touch and scent and the sight of his eyes looking at her like he could eat her up. She knew she should stop him, knew it was getting out of control, but she couldn’t find the will. It had been so damn long since she wanted something she could actually have.

She wanted him.

Shelby let her fingers sink into his hair, drawing him back down. Breakfast could wait. She needed more of him.

NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog int eh world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance and urban fantasy that she found the stories of her heart. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome, or foursome may seem.

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