Tag: Legal Drama

An Appearance of Impropriety + Giveaway

As the youngest female judge in LA, Mahalia Jackson has her career goals carefully aligned. But when her mentor tells her she needs to break her shell of professionalism and show a little heart by volunteering for the Junior Jurors program, her plans begin to falter.

Attorney JD Cash heads up the Junior Jurors program, a project born out of his own troubled past. He leverages his position as an attorney to fulfill God’s calling on his life, supporting the orphans and widows of society who have lost beloved husbands and fathers to TransNation’s eighteen-wheeled time bombs roaming America’s freeways.

Mahalia’s rule—never date a lawyer—is a straitjacket that tightens when she presides over the case where JD serves as a young widow’s attorney. But when an earthquake leaves JD and Mahalia in a vulnerable position, her resolve begins to waver and she finds herself opening up to the sad-eyed lawyer. But online, anonymous colleagues and adversaries attempt to destroy Mahalia’s reputation and career.

A legal drama threaded with romance, An Appearance of Impropriety will show readers that real love is worth the risk.

My Review:

I usually don’t read novels with strong legal themes but loved Jayna Breigh’s debut novel so I jumped into this one without any second guessing and it was as brilliant as I knew it would be!

A character-driven legal drama that turned into a compulsive listen. Yes, this was another audio ‘read’ for me and Alyx Monroe might be my dream narrator. The tone of her voice is so soothing and pleasant to listen to and the way she infuses the characters with emotion and humour made me love them all the more!

My fear of not understanding the legal-eeze in ‘An Acceptance of Impropriety’ was unfounded. Somehow Breigh manages to create the thrill of a legal drama in layman’s terms. I never felt lost, in fact, the courtroom scenes were some of the most riveting. JD and Mahalia’s volunteer work with the Junior Jurors program for at-risk youth also helped because I got to learn the court system right along with them.

But there’s also so much more to this story than the legal drama (but, whoa, the drama!) There’s a slow burn romance that builds from misunderstanding. Opposites attract and forbidden love tropes play a part in their complicated relationship as well. JD is a knight in shining armour slaying big corporations on behalf of widows and orphans. I was so invested in his court case! Mahalia is the youngest female judge in LA and she carries that burden of expectation and scrutiny.

I love the way we got to know this hero and heroine through snippets of their backstories at pivotal moments. It helped me understand their thoughts and actions. Watching them struggle to learn from their pasts while finding the courage to create their own unique futures was exhilarating.

A stunning inspirational legal drama/romance that I’m still thinking about days after finishing it.

My thanks to RB Media and Net Galley for providing me with an audio copy of this book.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

US – paperback or ebook copy – winner’s choice

Canada – ebook or audible copy – winner’s choice

International – ebook if you have a US Kindle account

If you would like a chance to win a copy of An Appearance of Impropriety, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday May 2 2026

The Hunted Heir + Giveaway

After a tragic loss, private investigator Nona Taylor swore off romantic entanglements and distanced herself from the world. Once a year, on New Year’s Eve, she attends church to beg God for forgiveness, haunted by the guilt of driving her twin sister to her death.

Attorney DeMarcus Johnson is determined to climb the ladder to partnership by winning high-profile cases at his Los Angeles law firm, harnessing his ADHD hyperfocus to excel. He’s everything Nona knows to steer clear of–an overconfident ex-jock willing to do anything for success.

Their worlds collide when Nona’s pastor receives a mysterious letter claiming he’s the sole heir to a substantial estate. Desperate for answers, Nona infiltrates a lavish charity ball, only to be found out by a suspicious stranger–so she latches onto DeMarcus and concocts a fib about being his fiancée.

Now bound by a false engagement, the pair reluctantly join forces to discover the truth about the inheritance. But when an unseen enemy strikes, they realize the stakes are higher than they thought. Can Nona and DeMarcus overcome their differences to keep the pastor safe, secure DeMarcus’s partnership, and preserve a future for themselves?

My Review:

“My G’Mama used to always tell me, ‘God gives everybody a basket of gifts and a basket of challenges. He wants us to serve him with both.” (p 94)

DeMarcus’s grandmother’s pearls of wisdom really tied this story together for me. She’s rarely on page but her presence is felt through the faith lessons she’s taught her grandchildren. Love that legacy and the clever parallel in the genealogical mystery which is another kind of family legacy. And the way the author weaves the two together along with a feisty ‘fake dating’ romance is sweet perfection.

Nona has plenty of attitude and a whole lot of buried pain which sometimes makes her snippy and unapproachable which adds some spice to their meet-cute. DeMarcus is intrigued, Nona is not…until her quest to help an elderly pastor discover the truth about his past catapults her into DeMarcus’s high-stakes legal world. Oooooohhhh, but do the sparks ever fly! Loved the sparring and the banter and DeMarcus’s gentle determination to turn the ‘fake’ in their relationship into something real. Happy swoony sigh!

I really enjoyed the way the mystery played out. There’s actually two and the intriguing details of Nona’s PI work kept me turning pages. A good balance between the almost leisurely slow-burn romance and the increasing urgency of the investigation.

This is the author’s debut novel and it is brilliant! She is a lawyer and I was afraid the ‘legal-eeze’ might be too confusing for me, but that wasn’t the case at all. Details are kept to simple layman’s terms and never overwhelm the story. I was completely captivated from start to finish!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a paperback copy and is available to any reader, any where — so, yay, another International Giveaway!

If you would like a chance to win a copy of The Hunted Heir,  leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday June 7 2025.