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Lawyered

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Discovering that you don’t have everything you thought you wanted is a surprise. Getting a promotion, finding new friends, learning you are attracted to women….

Nia Toyomoto has worked hard all her life to prove she was the best; she graduated early from high school, college, and got the dream job in Manhattan. Becoming a partner at the tender age of thirty she thought she had it all until the law firm made demands about her personal appearance and a few other things that made her change her life for the promotion. Then she realizes having everything isn’t all that it is cracked up to be without someone to share it with…

A successful lawyer in the big city, choices have to made, sacrifices and surprises await this beautiful and talented woman….does she make the right ones though?

381 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 10, 2014

13 people are currently reading
70 people want to read

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K'Anne Meinel

313 books121 followers

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5 stars
41 (36%)
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32 (28%)
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19 (16%)
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14 (12%)
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6 (5%)
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
Profile Image for Jem.
408 reviews304 followers
August 28, 2015
Do not judge a book by its cover. Nowhere is that adage more true than in this book. The cover suggests a sexy, sophisticated romance between lawyers. What we get is a rambling tale of self-discovery, unromantic missteps, some mundane and some 'explosive' legal cases, an unlikely attraction, some mystery/suspense amid the romance, and adventures in domesticity.

Nia is a high-powered Manhattan attorney who just made partner in her 'super prestigious' law firm. But her partnership has strings attached--she must spruce up her appearance and upgrade her apartment(!). So we spend about 4 or 5 chapters going through her makeover, including an extended search for the perfect apartment, lol. But her social and sex life is zilch. So she goes through a process of self-discovery that, lets just say, I'd rather not read about in such detail. But this goes on for several more chapters. At this point, I was assuming that Nia had found her 'only one' because of the repeated mutual professions of love--BUT--it was so unsexy I kept thinking this mustn't be it? Not to mention that it is totally inappropriate.

The second half of the book fared better because I actually had something to root for. The romance starts up too abruptly though. There is some hint of this pairing in the first half of the book, but the character disappears completely from the narrative for so many chapters that I had practically eliminated her from the candidates. And yet Nia ends up with her, even though a few chapters back, she was professing her love for someone else. After they get together, things finally start to pick up as a real story gets going. The romance then proceeds at a more natural pace. We are treated to some drama and suspense so the book becomes a fairly interesting page turner instead of a sleeping aid.

I don't normally pay too much attention to writing flaws when I get caught up in an absorbing plot. But the first half was so slow-going that my brain kept noticing the overuse of superlatives (esp. anything related to Nia, e.g. incredible, amazing, etc.), way too much telling rather than showing, crazy head-hopping, never-ending run-on sentences, wrong word usages, even a non-existent word (dishambles--i had to google that to be sure :)), and, this takes the cake--using 'council' to refer to a lawyer.

The erotic scenes are hit and miss. I admire the author's choice to be realistic but sometimes it just ended up being too clinical. At other times, it's just TMI. There are some good scenes though.

The legal cases aren't very interesting. The only one that intrigued me ended with an explosion but was never explained or even investigated. What gives???

Was there anything I liked about the book? Yes. The author had Nia down pat. Her portrayal was consistent and believable. I like her unapologetic, in-your-face nature. She accepts that she's no saint because well, she's a lawyer. :D She knows her limitations--hence the lengths she goes to keep her personal life off the company radar. But she knows when to fight back. And how to talk and manipulate her way out of some really sticky situations. The corporate dealings are some of the better scenes in the book. Actually, the last few chapters are the best, as Nia really shines when she takes charge. I also like her interactions with Stewart, the senior partner. And then of course, there is her relationship with . The contrast in their personas (mousy vs. Type-A) was interesting. But I felt the romance needed to simmer more before boiling over--it just started too abruptly. I did like the changing dynamics of their relationship as time passed. I also liked how the author showed how love and respect from others can dramatically change one's personality.

2.5 stars for the first half, 4.0 for the 2nd half = 3.25 stars overall


P.S. This book reminded me of a romantic fanfic about lawyers--one of my favorites. Its a sweet, slow-burn romance with some angst toward the end. Best of all, its FREE. It comes in 3 parts: 1. Undeniable
2. Considerable Appeal
3. Intuition
Profile Image for Musa.
256 reviews7 followers
August 10, 2014
Great story, the first half is largely evolved around Nia's office life and the changes she's going through after being made partner. I enjoyed this part quite a lot, and there is a fair amount of truth there as well, in terms of the changes you're expected, though not always explicitly stated when you move up to the corporate ladder.

Second half of the story is more romance focused, and between the relationship of Nia and Colleen and the ordeals that Colleen is going through. This part is super sweet (and hot), at times I hope Colleen has more confidence on herself and less idolization of Nia, but all in all I have enjoyed the story a lot.

I do agree with some other reviews that this book needs some serious proof reading. I'm less bothered about the grammar, but typos does irritate me when it kicks me back into the reality as my brain re-process and digests. At times I wonder if there will be free online resources where readers can just chip in where the typos are for the author to re-edit it, after all we are in a digital age and crowd sourcing can be so powerful.
Profile Image for Heinerway.
767 reviews98 followers
August 30, 2015
I didn't like this book very much. Sorry. The story is naive and full of stereotypes, and the writing has too much telling and not showing. So... 2 - 2.5 stars.

As a matter of fact, I think the cover art is based on a sentence in the book: "She slipped her hand into Nia’s suit, and gently caressed her breast suggestively; Nia’s gasp of delight thrilled her, knowing she could affect her this way." I will deny I chose the book because of the cover ;)
Profile Image for Justina Johnson.
385 reviews25 followers
August 3, 2014
Lawyers...love them, hate them, need them, or despise them. Well, I find attorneys fascinating and along with police and doctors, they seem to be able grab my attention and captivate me. However, in this book, we have a truly outstanding example of a top-notch powerhouse rainmaker. Right out of Harvard she is offered a position with a noted legal firm. Stunningly, she is the youngest woman to become a partner in this Wall Street business of note. Then there are a delightful number of story threads paralleling, intertwining, and building upon each other to add mystery, spice, and tension in addition to the brilliant courtroom scenes where our youthful litigator crushes the competition. Unless stories involving lawyers are particularly off-putting, this is a winner. Superb!

Nadia Toyomoto, often call Nia, inherited most of her physical traits from her German-American mother, so she does not look Asian like her Japanese father which often surprises the people she meets. She flew through her academic years. She is offered a partnership when she is only thirty, however, it comes with some peculiar requirements and extraordinary perks. She is more than a bit incensed about what they demand yet dazzled at some of what they are offering. She finally chooses to accept their terms and proceeds to once again to wow everyone. Her professional life is phenomenally intriguing. Her personal life is uncommonly graphic and engrossing. For example and smack in the middle of things, Nia goes on an in-depth personal exploration of her sexuality. She does eventually link up with a frustrated but cautious married woman whose first name is Justine and I just loved that! Whatever Nia was involved in I found just riveting. What a blast it would be to meet and/or work with such a dynamic individual. Fantastic!

Colleen Hodsworth is a bit of a legend at Chase-Dunham in that she has served as Nia Toyomoto's legal assistant for years. No one has ever lasted that long. She handles everything admirably and Nia perfectly. Curious that she did not expect to accompany Nia to her new corner office now that she is a partner, but Nia told her she definitely wants Colleen to accompany her. Moreover an astonishing story thread that links Colleen and Nia takes both of them to some amazing levels. The relationship completely transforms both Colleen and Nia. Oh the sparks do fly. Fantabulous!

I did not anticipate all the engaging things that happen in conjunction with either Chase-Dunham or Nia/Colleen, including murder, mayhem, numerous fascinating legal matters, undercover operations, all manner of sexual situations, prejudice, and positively gratifying friendship connections. This is a cornucopia of situations and people that simply astounded me. I give this book kudos and a standing ovation.

Dazzlingly satisfying!


NOTE: This book was provided by the author for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Profile Image for Love Bytes Reviews.
2,529 reviews38 followers
January 14, 2015
3 star review by Roberta

I’m always interested in same sex stories and I was so happy to see that we’ve added some f/f books to our review lists. I’ve gotten more and more interested in these f/f books and was really excited to read another one for the blog. I really liked the premise of this book. I liked the idea of a woman who comes into her own and finds herself, that being said…

Nia Toyomota is hotshot lawyer who is ruthless and very determined to win. Nia is becoming even more of a legend in her field as she takes no chances when it comes to winning. Nia is given the opportunity to become a partner in her law firm only if she accepts a few conditions, Nia’s not a fool, so she takes the conditions and becomes a swan from her plain duckling.

Nia’s journey from duckling to swan is rather sweet and nice. She’s a mixture of Japanese and German and is really rather beautiful. She changes the way she looks and allows her inner swan to match her outer swan. I really liked that part, seeing Nia change and allow her beauty to shine through.

Nia’s journey to become a lesbian is written very nicely and done so smoothly that you can see and almost feel the change in her. The way that she feels unsatisfied with sleeping with men. The way that she has issues having an orgasm. There was a bit of sex in this book, however, it wasn’t done gratuitously, it was done in a way that highlighted Nia’s changes in her life. You got to see her move from sex for sex’s sake unto intimacy with the one that she loved.

There was a bit of mystery that was happening in this book and I will say that I figured it out, even without the author giving many clues about who it was. I will say that I totally understood this part of the story and could totally get behind it.

I will say that this book started off pretty slow and the pace kinda dragged along. I kept getting sidetracked with this story as the author kept adding subplots into this story. There were some continuity issues that happened in this story that had me a bit lost at times. I also felt that this book was so long. 320 pages is usually something that I would totally be involved in, however, this story just dragged along. It made it hard to finish.

I will say that the book wasn’t bad, it just dragged on and there were things happening in the story that really just bogged it down. I had such high hopes for this story as I really am into f/f books and I wanted to really like it.

A copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review. Please visit www.lovebytesreviews.com to see this and many more reviews, author interviews, guestposts and giveaways!
30 reviews1 follower
August 7, 2014
This needs a skilled editor

This needs a skilled editor

Good drama and pacing, but soooo many grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that it bogs down. The idolization of the main character wears thin as does the repetition of so many insignificant details. It'll be great when properly edited.
Profile Image for Joanna Darrell.
57 reviews2 followers
October 1, 2014
This book was recommended to me by one of my friends from the excellent “My Lesbian book club” on Facebook and having previously enjoyed “love of my LIFE”, I eagerly downloaded the book to my kindle and set aside a weekend to catch up with this latest addition to her works.

The first thing that strikes you about the book is the cover. Although some may find it provocative, I like it when the cover of a book hints of the forthcoming story. The intimacy of touch and the trace of a gasp on the well dressed woman’s face while the other woman whispers in her ear summarise the book perfectly……….

The book quite neatly divides into three distinct parts. In the first, we learn about Nia’s life and world. It’s easy to get absorbed in the detail and care that K’Anne has paid to Nia’s character, which passes easily for the reader and keeps your interest peaked for what is to follow. There are nice touches here, particularly around the concessions that Nia makes in order to pursue her career, the need for a mentor, the importance of networking etc. Mirroring real life, we explore and learn how Nia reacts and adapts by these situations, in particular, how she maintains her privacy around her personal life. All of which give the reader an appreciation of what Nia’s life is like, setting the scene for what follows.

The second part is all about Nia’s exploration of herself, her sexuality (and the Big ‘O’) and ultimately the emotions, care and simple act of being that comes from a relationship with the one we love. Here, the story is more romance focussed and there’s less business, which some people reading this genre of book will appreciate more. As with the first part, Nia’s experiences mirror real life, with each relationship adding another facet to her understanding of what she is looking for from “the one”. There are also a number of interesting plot lines at work here with explosions, consequences of past relationships as well as development of the Colleen character for what is to the ending.

For me, the final part was about living your life with your perfect partner no matter what life throws at you as well as enriching your life with more than just the material things. Here the book explores personal and professional integrity and how these are tested in two specific scenarios. As we might expect from Nia after learning about her in part one and then understanding her in part two, she stands tall in the face of the various challenges she faces. I won’t spoil the ending for you, but it’s about the “changing of the old guard” and looking forward to a positive future.

Before I finished, I wanted to end by saying a couple of things about the editing and the spelling which a number of people have drawn attention to in other book reviews. Sure, there are a couple of typos and the books editing and vanacular might not suit everyone, but for me personally, it didn’t stop me enjoying it and, please, don’t let it stop you.
233 reviews5 followers
August 17, 2018
👍great.

I love this author can she spin a tail .Great book loved the characters and story line it's a slow burn romance wish I like. There were a couple of complete surprises
so loved that no spoilers hate that. So if you fancy a great book with a really well written story this is the book for you.
Profile Image for Nic.
69 reviews7 followers
October 18, 2024
The cover had me in when I first saw it. I greatly enjoyed this book.
K'Anne writes in a more detailed style.
I was doubtful of the "Danielle Steele of the Sapphic World" hailing I saw on a self promotion she did.
K'Anne's style of writing is very
similar and I absolutely understand the context now. This is the 3rd book of hers I have read. It's my 2nd Favourite so far.
Main Character is flawed, she's successful bc of her own drive, determination and grit. But, like all of us, she's flawed and doubts and hides. I love the full person you begin to want to defend and the person you want to be calling out for ridiculous ice queen behaviors that make me cringe. But, you will still like her bc she's human.
I like the more developed stories w relationships and the occasional glimpse into a friend's thinking during an interaction. Bc, people are maddening to understand and sometimes we scratch our heads in "why/how are these people even friends!?" Read it, you'll see.
Profile Image for NWil.
85 reviews1 follower
December 10, 2025
In a sense, this is an epic melodrama. We follow Nia through period of her life spanning a few years. We watch her discover herself as she’s thrust into this elevated role in her career. That discovery leads her to love but it’s also not straightforward and the stakes have to be well managed. I loved Nia so much. I related so much to this character. A professional woman who has spent much of her life striving to attain her career goals. When she finally reaches it, she discovers what life can be about outside of career.

I also liked all the side characters, including her friends and her clients. The romance between the two MCs was very nicely and realistically done given their jobs and their lives.

This book lived all the way up to my expectations and I highly recommend it.
369 reviews2 followers
January 19, 2022
Fabulous

This is the second time I've read this book the first time was about 6 yrs ago and it definitely got better with time. It's quite a complex book but underneath is a beautiful love story about to completely different people from polar opposite of society.
2 reviews
January 24, 2016
To me, this book is a coming out book of sorts, and a self exploration book, but presented so very, very differently than most. Nia, a successful young lawyer who has concentrated solely on her career, for the first time allows herself to love another woman, but in doing so begins to discover herself. Due to a promotion, she is forced to stop hiding behind her heavy eye glasses and frumpy-ish clothes, and start dressing as the beautiful woman she really is, and in turn, starts to love herself, trust herself, and believe in herself, not just as a lawyer, but as a person. Life for her like all people is not peaches and cream, and she learns to deal with adversity along the way, yet you keep leaning forward in your chair constantly, cheering for Nia with every page!

I looked at other ratings given to this book before writing this review, and I understand that not every book is for every person. Some found it to be tedious. But it shows me they don't understand the sometimes painful and emotional process that goes along with revealing to your co-workers, friends, family - the world - that you're gay.

I did find it curious that one reader, and I hate to call people out, but I feel the need to, Candy Lambert, gave it 1 star, and for this reason: I often see what other books people have rated, whether they have given a high or a low rating. Why is it then, that Ms. Lambert gave this book a 1 star, read three other books of Ms. Meinel's, and gave each a 1 star? If you don't like her books, why would you keep paying for and reading her books, then continue to berate them? What is your reasoning? It brings to mind what my parents taught me even as a young child. If you don't have something nice to say about somebody, don't say anything at all. Ms. Lambert, if you don't like Ms. Meinel's books, please just stop reading them and spoiling things for the rest of us. Thank you very much, and have a nice day.
22 reviews1 follower
May 13, 2018
Eh

I enjoy a great love story like the next one, but this was dragged out uneccessarily for too many pages. I'm all in for a first time lesbian romance but this was exhaustingly depressing. This book was a big disappointment. If I could I would have given no stars.
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