For my first read of Lexi Blake this definitely wet my appetite for this authors story telling. What I liked about it was that it drew me in from the start. She grabbed my attention and had me wanting to find out where she was taking us with these characters. There is a mix of likable, unlikable and some mysterious characters that kept things moving in the story.

Win, the female lead was one of those likable characters. She did make some bad choices that put her in a bad place and the story begins at her healing. What grew of that was a woman who overcame and matured into a lovely young woman who dealt with problems in a reasonable manor. I loved that she wasn't prone to jumping to conclusions or acting out. She's a heroine you can genuinely like and wish the best for.

Henry, the male lead of the story is a bit more of a mix of likable and unlikeable. He's made his own bad choices in life and what came out of it was a man who was also more mature but still held onto some bitterness that made him judge unfairly. I liked him but then he had moments where I didn't like him. He never crossed a line that was unforgivable, but for me it kept him from becoming a character that I truly loved.

There were plenty of side characters that added to the intrigue of the story. Some may surprise you, some are predictable and some you will love and want to find their books to read about them. Since this is my first read, I'm assuming here but I got the feeling a few of these characters do actually have their own books. I will be researching that.

As for the story itself, there was good mix of drama to the story if a tad unrealistic. Only these things can happen to the uber rich in a book. Maybe that is why it pulled me right into the story and had me wanting to see how it all ended. Some of it was predictable and some unpredictable. I like that I didn't guess every single clue.

Now I'm off to see if those delicious bodyguards and their wives have their own books! ARC provided by NetGalley.

Serious issues mixed with some intrigue, sexiness, and love? Yeah, it’s all in here and it’s all done exactly right. Loved seeing the Lawless connection too!

Both Win and Henry have good reasons not to fully give themselves over to the strong feelings they have for each other, but the chemistry is undeniable and fate just keeps pushing them together. The slow moments between them are even better than the sexy times. You can see their connection developing as a natural thing.
It's a solid read with good characters and a very good mystery moving the story.
In fact, I was more interested in solving the whodunit and following along with the revelations that came up surrounding it than with the romance. Not that the romance is lacking, it's just that Blake created a case that actually kept me guessing and trying to figure out all the twists and turns.
Definitely worth the read.

Order of Protection
Lexi Blake
Henry Garrison went back to the house he grew up in and had happy memories to sell it. It is very difficult for him. He meets Win Hughes on the beach after she falls and realizes she is different from the women he was used to. Both share secrets, Henry, that he is an alcoholic, and Win who she really is. During a party in New York, her best friend Brie is found murdered and Win is accused of it. It is then Henry finds out who she really is. Hating rich actresses because of his ex wife, he walks away from Win even though she was the best thing that ever happened to him. After she is arrested, he still feels protective of her and has his team work on her defense and finding the actual killer.
I enjoyed this book. This is Henry’s story whom we met in the first book of the Lawless series. There is also the connection of the youngest Lawless, Noah, working for Henry’s firm. Henry has to make a decision. Will he choose Win over everything else or will continue with his empty life? There are some twists and turns throughout this story that makes it a real page turner. I recommend this book to anyone who likes suspense.

Order of Protection
By Lexi Blake
Henry Gibson is a very expensive defense attorney that we met in the Lawless Brothers series. In this series, Henry is battling his own personal demons. After a bitter divorce where his reputation was dragged through the mud, Henry took solace in the bottom of a bottle. He lost everything. Now working in his own firm along with a former pro football player and the youngest Lawless brother, Henry is trying to rebuild his clientele. He goes back to his childhood home at the beach to clean it out and sell it, and there he meets a woman jogging on the beach. Win Hughes and Henry begin a relationship without any strings attached. But Win has secrets. During a gala in NYC, Win’s best friend is murdered, and all fingers point towards her. She is charged with the murder and needs someone to defend her. Once Henry finds out who she really is, he feels betrayed and never wants to see her again. Her case can bring notoriety to his firm, so they agree to take it. A they begin to investigate the murder, they try to figure out who wants to frame Win and why.
This is the first book in a new series by Lexi Blake and I was not disappointed. There are many twists and turns within the story. Secrets hidden for years finally come to the surface as the team begins to investigate the murder, including who Win Hughes actually is. This story has a great deal of suspense as the story of Win’s background begins to unfurl. I loved how Win helped Henry realize that he was capable of trusting and loving someone without being betrayed. Both are very strong characters. I look forward to seeing more of Noah Lawless and David, Henry’s partners. I look forward to the rest of the books in this series.

My first by this author, and I did enjoy it. I think there are some issues with certain points in the novel, but I was able to just overlook some of the OTT drama and stuff and just enjoy. I will say Henry got on my damn nerves with his back and forth bullshit. David is a good friend. As was Margarita, and even Noah. I didn't read the blurb real well so I wasn't entirely sure what was going to happen.

Spoiler

I think that first time that Brie spoke to Win out on the beach, I wanted to believe there was some good in her. NOPE. There was none. God she was awful. Just really everyone around her was just ten kinds of terrible. No loss on the deaths there.

Will read more from this author.

This book started very slow, but interesting. I liked the idea of Henry Garrison as I started reading about him. A man who rose to the heights of fame and fortune, married to a Hollywood actress, then hit bottom. His arrogance and pride, excess spending, alcoholism, and a wife who was a piranha, all conspired and took him down. He got so deep he lost everything and had to sell his most prized possession: the house his grandparents left him in Martha’s Vineyard. He used to be a successful criminal lawyer, nicknamed the Monster of Manhattan. Now he relies on the charity of a previous client to fund his new firm, and had to accept two partners to help him get out of the hole he dug himself into. He seemed the kind of yummy character with lots of meat, lots of issues to work with and the author did a great job with him.

Win Hughes only wants to be a normal person and to live a normal life, working on the charity foundation her parents had started before she was born. However, she was Taylor Winston-Hughes, a billionaire heiress who has recently returned from rehab. She was anorexic, due to getting involved in the wrong crowd and lost herself in the crazy world she was thrust into. Her life-long friend Brie is the one who got her into a reality show that robbed Win of her will and self-control.

One thing I liked in this book was that the author related alcoholism and anorexia: both illnesses have to do with control. In anorexia, Win took control over the only aspect of her life she had at the time. Alcoholism came to Henry because he was so into control that he needed the drink to lose the control and be able to let go, to just be.

Henry and Win met in the beach and had an idyllic two weeks together before they both went back to reality, each left to their separate lives. Henry didn’t learn the real identity of his lover until she was accused of murder and his firm retained as her defense counsel. To say he felt betrayed by Win, especially after his ex-wife’s antics, was too little. He was incensed but he took the case because it could be his means to make it back into the Manhattan scene.

From here the story kept gathering speed and force and more intrigue. Henry had a hard time dealing with his anger, his disappointment and his growing attraction to Win. Win was already lost in love with Henry. First she was needy and weepy, then she transitioned into the self-assured and intelligent woman Henry first met. Henry went back to being the Monster of Manhattan, but this time with feeling and more honesty. He was not all about the money now, he now cared about his client. He and Win and his partners and associated staff all worked hard to unravel the very gnarled story of a whodunit, all fueled by the lust for money.

It was a great read, a nicely complicated couple, a story that gathered speed and complexity as the plot develops and very intriguing. Kept me glued to the story until finished. Totally recommend!

Order of Protection

***received an arc in exchange for an honest review***

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Get ready for another suspenseful book from Lexi Blake. She brings together two people who are looking for comfort for one night and instead they get so much more. Win is trying to get her life together after almost losing it and Henry is scraping together his after his divorce. When they meet they understand one another in ways no one else has and they both let the other one in when they said they wouldn’t. Lexi Blake will take them on a ride neither one of them was ready for and will they find each other in the end?

Henry is closing up his life that he had at his grandparents house. After not being able to afford two places, it’s bittersweet to let it go. But when Win shows up on his doorstep during a storm, she helps make his last few memories there amazing. But two weeks later it’s back to reality.

Win is taking sometime before she starts school in a few weeks. After her struggle with an eating disorder and trying to get away from her old life she is ready to move on. And when she meets Henry she feels like he is just what she needs. But after the two weeks together it’s back to reality and even though he said he would contact her he never does.

Win’s life is about to special out of control though and Henry is the only one who can help her. When her best friend is found dead and Win is found with her she is accused of murder. And the person who can help her is Henry, but he is about to get the surprise of his life because she never fully told him who she is and when he finds out he lashes out.

Will Henry be able to get over the hurt and help out Win? Or is it too much for him to once again overcome? And is Win out of harms way?

Order of Protection

***received an arc in exchange for an honest review***

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Get ready for another suspenseful book from Lexi Blake. She brings together two people who are looking for comfort for one night and instead they get so much more. Win is trying to get her life together after almost losing it and Henry is scraping together his after his divorce. When they meet they understand one another in ways no one else has and they both let the other one in when they said they wouldn’t. Lexi Blake will take them on a ride neither one of them was ready for and will they find each other in the end?

Henry is closing up his life that he had at his grandparents house. After not being able to afford two places, it’s bittersweet to let it go. But when Win shows up on his doorstep during a storm, she helps make his last few memories there amazing. But two weeks later it’s back to reality.

Win is taking sometime before she starts school in a few weeks. After her struggle with an eating disorder and trying to get away from her old life she is ready to move on. And when she meets Henry she feels like he is just what she needs. But after the two weeks together it’s back to reality and even though he said he would contact her he never does.

Win’s life is about to special out of control though and Henry is the only one who can help her. When her best friend is found dead and Win is found with her she is accused of murder. And the person who can help her is Henry, but he is about to get the surprise of his life because she never fully told him who she is and when he finds out he lashes out.

Will Henry be able to get over the hurt and help out Win? Or is it too much for him to once again overcome? And is Win out of harms way?

This was a story full of action and suspense, wrapped up in a story full of heart and angst and I loved it all! I enjoyed the twists the story took. While I spent a lot of the story, frustrated with the characters, I grew to love them and definitely wanted to see how everything worked out for them. I thought they had good chemistry. I liked the little bits of humor interjected. I also loved seeing characters that we have gotten to know previously. That was a lot of fun. Lexi is definitely one of my one-click authors and I absolutely love her writing. I never tire of her characters or storylines and I can't wait for more from her.