Reasonable Doubt: Beyond the Law

by Sable Noire

Justice isn't always served in courtrooms.

Catherine Bellefort doesn't fit the profile of a dirty prosecutor. She believes in the system of law, follows every rule, and genuinely seems to care about justice.

But statistics don't lie. Nobody wins every case unless they're fixing the game.

Jordan Mason's assignment seems straightforward. Protect federal prosecutor Catherine Bellefort from the crime boss's revenge.

But Jordan's real orders are more complex—determine if Catherine's impossible perfect record comes from corruption, and if so, ensure the problem disappears.

Permanently.

Playing married in a small town should be a simple cover.

But as Jordan investigates Catherine's methods while protecting her life, the lines between duty and desire blur.

Jordan finds herself falling for a woman she might have to destroy—while Catherine discovers that her perfect record was built on lies she never knew she was telling.

Because in Jordan's shadow world, the most dangerous criminals sometimes wear badges, and justice isn't always served in courtrooms.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary

278 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 19, 2025

Reviews

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

don’t know why the author is trying to make this some sort of crazy psychological assessment with phases because this works well as a stand alone and i think it’ll get too complicated and far fetched. the phase two epilogue was already far fetched and came out of left field.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Sable Noire's debut book, Reasonable Doubt. The plot was interesting, and although this part of the story is wrapped up we're definitely left with more to come. The next part hinted at seems like it might be a bit out there, but I'm still intrigued and will check it out when it comes around.

I liked both Catherine and Jordan as characters and they definitely had chemistry, but they spent the vast majority of the book in the house by themselves. I really wanted to see more interaction with the townspeople and less of them housebound, which started to feel a bit repetitive, although that's my only real complaint about the book. I give it 3.5 stars rounded up.

I received a free ARC from Booksprout, but my review is unbiased and left voluntarily.

[Candace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is tough to rate. It’s a mosh of two genres: pretend-intimacy turning into real intimacy and suspense-thriller. The romance is remarkably well-done. Usually, in this kind of book, the romance is so inevitable as to be a foregone conclusion. Here, the author put in the real kind of yearning and doubt that people actually go through. The sex scenes were well-enough done, too. If the author had left it at that, this book would be a solid four stars. The problem is the suspense-thriller part. And here, we have to pause to say:

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== SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! ==
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1. The book description does NOT jibe with the actual plot of the book.
2. The book’s plot gets wilder, whackier, and less believable the further it goes.
3. Why would a dedicated prosecutor be so willing to break-and-enter into someone’s home to steal information. Psychologically, it makes no sense.
4. At the very end there’s an extra epilogue that sets the whole thing completely off the rails.
5. The author uses straight quotation marks, rather than curly ones throughout the book. (Basic typesetting no-no.)
6. If the protagonist began by believing that she was straight, why did she never question this before she was basically in bed with this woman? We got no internal dialogue about who she thought she was and who she was becoming. And she seemed to think it was perfectly normal for her, a straight woman, to be paired off in a lesbian marriage as a cover story. WTF?

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed "Reasonable Doubt Beyond: The Law". The book captured my attention from the very beginning and maintained it throughout.

Catherine, a U.S. prosecuting attorney, receives a threat against her life, which forces her into witness protection. She is taken to a small town with Jordan, a federal marshal who is assigned to pose as her wife. However, not everything seems above board. I found it fascinating to see how Catherine and Jordan rationalized their actions. At times, their relationship felt confusing and did not always seem genuine. Most of the action occurred toward the end of the book, and I wished there had been more interaction between them and the townspeople, as they barely left the house.

I did like how the book ended, and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

I received an arc

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what an ending!!!

Catherine, a US prosecuting attorney, goes into witness protection after receiving immediate threats against her life. She has to pose as the wife of Jordan, a federal marshal. I loved the developing energy between them as their relationship progressed. The writing was very intriguing and went from thrilling to tender and back again at warped speed! Wow! I really enjoyed this book from beginning to end, but... what an ending!!! I look forward to reading another from this talented writer!

[Christine E Carcary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great adventure

A US Marshall and a high profile lawyer in protective custody stuck together in a small town. It's an interesting adventure from a writer new to me, there's 2 books in this series so far and promise of more, Catherine and Jordan are exciting characters and definitely opposites attract, interesting crime story and exciting cartel chases ensue keeping the pages turning. Most enjoyable.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the story and the ending made me think of that series The Wilds with Rachel Griffiths. I was hoping if Sable Noire was going to continue with this series, that she would continue with Jordan and Catherine as a couple. I see the next book has Jordan protecting a man and that is not one I would be interested in reading. I'm here for the lesbian stories.

[Joann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

The story of Jordan and Catherine was awesome. They met under duress but learned to work together. It seems like someone is working behind the scenes to keep them working together ❤️.

[Erica · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was sitting at a 2.5/3 for most of the book because I was bored and kind of forcing myself through it a bit. That last part, “Phase Two” knocked it down to 2 because what the hell.

I guess this is supposed to be a series, but I will not be continuing.

[Rebecca Gaddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

fascinating

On the run and being run are two very different things but are artfully weaved together in this complex story of law & lawlessness. Well done cudos to the author. Left me wanting more and resolution.

[Sandy Souder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good

Love the energy better the two women. You can feel it develop. Set up to protect and defend, falling in love wasn't part of the plan.

Lo e the ending!!

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!!

Sincerely could not set this book down. Loved the characters and can't wait to see the next phase. Such a fun thrilling story.

[Jackie Dailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

enjoyable

This is anew author to me.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
I’m hoping there is a second part as it’s left on a bit of a cliff hanger.
I’d recommend reading

[Donna Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hot prosecuter and protector. Who is handling who.? Wll done Sable Noir. I hope there is more to come

[Sabra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book. An intriguing story with suspense, love, and plenty of drama. Catherine and Jordan took a while to connect, but it was nice when they finally did. The ending was a big surprise, and I can’t wait for the sequel. A really good debut novel by this author.