Title: Dirty Rich One Night Stand
Author: Lisa Renee Jones
Publisher/Year: Julie Patra Publishing 10.18.17
Length: 260 Pages
Series: Dirty Rich #1
Overview
i was on the hunt for something new to read and thankfully one of my favorite authors had a series that i wasn’t fully aware of. The joys of reading ‘The Bastard’ and seeing ‘other books by the same author’. This first installment of what is somewhat a standalone book / series is a great intro.
We have Cat who is an independent SMART woman, a girl who graduated from Harvard Law but who decided that it’s not in her to follow the family’s path to be an attorney – instead she’s a writer of a successful NYT bestseller crime story and the owner of a column that reports on criminal trials. This is where the meat of our story comes from
Enter Reese, Mr Asshole, Mr Hotness, and the man who cut in line of our dear Cat while she was waiting for her morning coffee. Reese is a successful attorney – graduate of Yale law, and a point that Cat won’t let him miss. He’s the defense attorney for a man who’s being put on trial for the murder of a woman who was pregnant, and Reese doesn’t lose.
The journey from there is one of trying to see where there will be crossed paths, where there will conflict. Both Cat and Reese have walls, they have been burned in the past by lovers, they have been burned in the past based on their professional choices, and there’s never been an opportunity for those to align with a good resolution. As a reader, we can only hope that it happens, but that’s all for the movies right?
As the trial plays out, Cat reports on what she sees – while playing a bit of a ‘cat and mouse’ game (pardon the pun) with Reese since he knows that he’s intrigued by her but not sure what that means. Cats commentary of the trial continues to be objective but we see skews here and there for what she’s feeling and before long we see that the skew takes it form in real life. The chemistry between our mains can’t be held at bay and that’s how the story really takes shape.
is it a conflict of interest for them to be together? can’t say that we know for sure. Reese feels wholeheartedly that his client is innocent, and Cat seems to have her column leaning in the same vein, but the question begs who did it and will Reese find that person before it’s too late.
True to the form of Ms Renee Jones, we get such a great romance, such passion and heat that if there wasn’t a plot line tied up in a murder trial, we would be fully engrossed and engaged. There are moments when you know that you have to get back on track for the trial but the relationship that develops between Cat and Reese keeps us from thinking about things in a sane way.
The twist comes 2x in this story. once in the form of the trial outcome and one in the form of how Cat’s family does business. I think there’s a clarity to the point that there’s no love lost since no one is willing to accept what Cat does outside of practicing law, but i think the unexpected happens, and it has major impact to Cat’s life, her livelihood and the life that she wanted to build with Reese. All has been washed down the drain.
So many questions come from this first installment at times when i thought we had resolution. Are happy endings real. are they meant for everyone or is it something that’s a dream and never actually going to pan out. Are our families our downfall and what comes of it when families are blended or combined? What’s innocent and what’s guilt and what happens when there are such blurred lines that you’re forced to make a decision without all the information?
I’m surprised where this story took us since it’s not 100% down a path that our author has taken us before, but it’s a path that keeps me wanting to read more – even if the next book it’s tied as a series. so on that note, so many questions, and i can’t wait to read more. Enjoy!