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Behind the Bench: Enemies to Lovers Villain Gets The Girl Romance (Gray Council Book 2)
He's been watching her for five years. She's been protecting his secrets. Now he's the only thing standing between her and prison.
When investigative journalist Sienna Hunter is framed for drug trafficking, she has two face twenty years in prison or accept help from the one man she should fear most.
Cole Barrett isn't just a defense attorney—he's one of the masked vigilantes she witnessed taking justice into their own hands five years ago. The same man who's been visiting her in darkness ever since. And now he's offering her a deal she can't refuse.
Move into his penthouse. Work for the Gray Council. Help them remove predators the system won't touch. In exchange, he'll make her charges disappear and ensure her dangerous ex never threatens her again.
But Cole doesn't just want her compliance. The contract she signs covers far more than legal representation—it gives him control over every aspect of her life for the next six months. Where she goes. Who she sees. How she submits to his rules behind closed doors.
As Sienna sinks deeper into Cole's world of vigilante justice and intense possession, bodies start accumulating. Her ex dies in a suspicious accident. A colleague who gets too close to the truth self-destructs spectacularly. A detective circles closer to a pattern she can't quite prove.
And Sienna discovers the most dangerous truth of She's not just surviving in Cole's world—she's becoming essential to it, using her skills to rewrite reality one carefully crafted story at a time.
BEHIND THE BENCH is the second book in the Gray Council series. This dark romance features an obsessive defense attorney, an investigative journalist who crosses every moral line, vigilante justice, forced proximity, and a guaranteed HEA. While each Gray Council book features a different couple and can be read as a standalone romance, reading in order enhances the experience as the war between the Council and Syndicate unfolds across all five books.
enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, obsessive hero, morally gray protagonists, vigilante justice, touch her and die, journalist heroine, lawyer hero
The Gray Council Where the villain always gets the girl.
Some truths are worth killing for.
When investigative journalist Sienna Hunter is framed for drug trafficking, she has two face twenty years in prison or accept help from the one man she should fear most.
Cole Barrett isn't just a defense attorney—he's one of the masked vigilantes she witnessed taking justice into their own hands five years ago. The same man who's been visiting her in darkness ever since. And now he's offering her a deal she can't refuse.
Move into his penthouse. Work for the Gray Council. Help them remove predators the system won't touch. In exchange, he'll make her charges disappear and ensure her dangerous ex never threatens her again.
But Cole doesn't just want her compliance. The contract she signs covers far more than legal representation—it gives him control over every aspect of her life for the next six months. Where she goes. Who she sees. How she submits to his rules behind closed doors.
As Sienna sinks deeper into Cole's world of vigilante justice and intense possession, bodies start accumulating. Her ex dies in a suspicious accident. A colleague who gets too close to the truth self-destructs spectacularly. A detective circles closer to a pattern she can't quite prove.
And Sienna discovers the most dangerous truth of She's not just surviving in Cole's world—she's becoming essential to it, using her skills to rewrite reality one carefully crafted story at a time.
BEHIND THE BENCH is the second book in the Gray Council series. This dark romance features an obsessive defense attorney, an investigative journalist who crosses every moral line, vigilante justice, forced proximity, and a guaranteed HEA. While each Gray Council book features a different couple and can be read as a standalone romance, reading in order enhances the experience as the war between the Council and Syndicate unfolds across all five books.
enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, obsessive hero, morally gray protagonists, vigilante justice, touch her and die, journalist heroine, lawyer hero
The Gray Council Where the villain always gets the girl.
Some truths are worth killing for.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 19, 2025
2 people are currently reading
2 people want to read
About the author
Sable Sinclair
8 books5 followersSable Sinclair writes dark romance where obsession meets devotion and love comes with a warning label. Her stories feature morally gray men who blur the line between protector and predator, heroines who find strength in surrender, and scorching heat that pushes every boundary. If you crave possessive alphas, twisted psychology, and happily-ever-afters earned through delicious darkness, you've found your next addiction.
When she's not crafting tales of beautiful depravity or researching things that would alarm her FBI agent, Sable can be found collecting masked book boyfriends, defending fictional villains, and pretending her search history doesn't require a therapist.
When she's not crafting tales of beautiful depravity or researching things that would alarm her FBI agent, Sable can be found collecting masked book boyfriends, defending fictional villains, and pretending her search history doesn't require a therapist.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 19, 2025
**BETA READ**
I absolutely love Cole and Sienna's story. You know when you're the person to make 1000 decisions in a day and you want to come home to someone who just makes all the decisions.. Well, that's Cole. Cole is protective, obsessive and shows his love in acts of service.
Cole is a bit unhinged BUT he does it out of love. :) I promise.
Sienna is a strong, independent woman who just needs a bit of support as she writes the story of her career. With not many people to trust and no family to lean on Cole seems to be the best option. You're in for a treat where high heat and body counts are going to rise as Sienna gets closer to breaking her story.
Thank you to the House of King publishing and the author for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
I absolutely love Cole and Sienna's story. You know when you're the person to make 1000 decisions in a day and you want to come home to someone who just makes all the decisions.. Well, that's Cole. Cole is protective, obsessive and shows his love in acts of service.
Cole is a bit unhinged BUT he does it out of love. :) I promise.
Sienna is a strong, independent woman who just needs a bit of support as she writes the story of her career. With not many people to trust and no family to lean on Cole seems to be the best option. You're in for a treat where high heat and body counts are going to rise as Sienna gets closer to breaking her story.
Thank you to the House of King publishing and the author for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
November 13, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
BETA REVIEW — Cole & Sienna Are Everything
I absolutely loved Cole and Sienna’s story. This book hits that perfect fantasy for anyone who spends their whole day making decisions and just wants someone who says, “I’ve got it. Let me handle everything.”
Because that’s Cole — protective, obsessive in the most devoted way, and the king of acts-of-service love.
Yes, he’s a little unhinged… but it’s the kind of unhinged that feels like safety, loyalty, and “I would burn the world down for you.” And honestly? I ate it up.
Sienna is a strong, capable woman trying to write the biggest story of her career, but with no family support and very few people she can trust, Cole ends up being the one solid place she can land. Their dynamic is electric — equal parts tension, heat, danger, and deep emotional pull.
As Sienna digs deeper into her investigation and the stakes rise, so do the body counts… and the chemistry. This story blends high heat, high danger, and high obsession in the best way. You’re in for a wild ride.
Thank you to House of King Publishing and the author for the early beta read. I loved every second of this and can’t wait for readers to fall for Cole and Sienna just as hard as I did.
BETA REVIEW — Cole & Sienna Are Everything
I absolutely loved Cole and Sienna’s story. This book hits that perfect fantasy for anyone who spends their whole day making decisions and just wants someone who says, “I’ve got it. Let me handle everything.”
Because that’s Cole — protective, obsessive in the most devoted way, and the king of acts-of-service love.
Yes, he’s a little unhinged… but it’s the kind of unhinged that feels like safety, loyalty, and “I would burn the world down for you.” And honestly? I ate it up.
Sienna is a strong, capable woman trying to write the biggest story of her career, but with no family support and very few people she can trust, Cole ends up being the one solid place she can land. Their dynamic is electric — equal parts tension, heat, danger, and deep emotional pull.
As Sienna digs deeper into her investigation and the stakes rise, so do the body counts… and the chemistry. This story blends high heat, high danger, and high obsession in the best way. You’re in for a wild ride.
Thank you to House of King Publishing and the author for the early beta read. I loved every second of this and can’t wait for readers to fall for Cole and Sienna just as hard as I did.
November 23, 2025
Cole and Sienna were drawn together since the first time they saw one another. After 5 years of some *light* stalking and some *ahem* bad luck in love Cole can’t wait any longer and takes action to make Sienna his. In ALL ways and that may be just what Sienna needed to know her true purpose in life.
Like the first book in the series this one will take you on a wild ride but in the best way possible.
Like the first book in the series this one will take you on a wild ride but in the best way possible.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews