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Black Ops Confidential #1
I Am Justice
This book is OUT OF PRINT. However, if you want to read a revised and revamped version of this story read Hidden Justice. Hidden Justice has additional chapters and is additionally told in first person and present tense.
This bad-ass band of sisters plays for keeps.
She's ready to start a war
Justice Parish takes down bad guys. Rescued from the streets by the world-renowned Parish family, she joined their covert sisterhood of vigilante assassins. Her next target: a sex-trafficking ring in the war-torn Middle East. She just needs to get close enough to take them down...
He just wants peace
Sandesh Ross left Special Forces to found a humanitarian group to aid war-torn countries. But saving the world isn't cheap. Enter Parish Industries and limitless funding, with one catch— their hot, prickly PR specialist', Justice Parish. Their chemistry is instant and off-the-charts. But when Justice is injured and her cover blown, Sandesh has to figure out if he can reconcile their missions. With danger dogging their every move, their white-hot passion can change the world— if it doesn't destroy them first.
This bad-ass band of sisters plays for keeps.
She's ready to start a war
Justice Parish takes down bad guys. Rescued from the streets by the world-renowned Parish family, she joined their covert sisterhood of vigilante assassins. Her next target: a sex-trafficking ring in the war-torn Middle East. She just needs to get close enough to take them down...
He just wants peace
Sandesh Ross left Special Forces to found a humanitarian group to aid war-torn countries. But saving the world isn't cheap. Enter Parish Industries and limitless funding, with one catch— their hot, prickly PR specialist', Justice Parish. Their chemistry is instant and off-the-charts. But when Justice is injured and her cover blown, Sandesh has to figure out if he can reconcile their missions. With danger dogging their every move, their white-hot passion can change the world— if it doesn't destroy them first.
359 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 2018
147 people are currently reading
2651 people want to read
About the author
Diana Muñoz Stewart
13 books322 followersDiana Muñoz Stewart is a bestselling author who writes romantic suspense and contemporary romance with a focus on diverse characters, action, adventure, family, and love. Her work has been praised as high-octane, edgy, sexy, and fast-paced.
Diana’s work has been a BookPage Top 15 Romance, a Night Owl Top Pick, an Amazon Book of the Month, an Amazon Editor’s pick, a Pages From The Heart Winner, a Book Page Top Pick, Golden Heart® Finalist, Daphne du Maurier Finalist, A Gateway to the Best Winner, and has reached #1 category bestseller on Amazon multiple times.
Diana lives in an often chaotic and always welcoming home that—depending on the day—can hold a husband, kids, extended family, friends, and a canine or two. A believer in the power of words to heal and connect, Diana has written multiple spotlight pieces on the strong, diverse women changing the world. Sign up for her newsletter to receive the latest information on her new releases: https://dianamunozstewart.com/newslet...
Diana lives in an often chaotic and always welcoming home that—depending on the day—can hold a husband, kids, extended family, friends, and a canine or two. A believer in the power of words to heal and connect, Diana has written multiple spotlight pieces on the strong, diverse women changing the world. Sign up for her newsletter to receive the latest information on her new releases: https://dianamunozstewart.com/newslet...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 130 reviews
May 2, 2018
This is a fast-paced romantic thriller.
Justice belongs to a powerful organization that focuses on eliminating sex-trafficking rings. She is an undercover, trained assassin on a mission.
Sandesh is an ex-special forces devoted to advancing his charitable foundation. He starts working with the Justice's family organization and soon their lives become entangled.
The story is action packed. I found the characters to be likeable but too compulsive at times. The romance was developed too fast too soon. Generally, I prefer romances to grow at a lower pace or what some people call a "slow burn".
The story is told from alternating points of view and dealt with dark matters such as rape, sex trafficking, and torture.
I recommend the book to readers of romantic suspense.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via Netgalley
Justice belongs to a powerful organization that focuses on eliminating sex-trafficking rings. She is an undercover, trained assassin on a mission.
Sandesh is an ex-special forces devoted to advancing his charitable foundation. He starts working with the Justice's family organization and soon their lives become entangled.
The story is action packed. I found the characters to be likeable but too compulsive at times. The romance was developed too fast too soon. Generally, I prefer romances to grow at a lower pace or what some people call a "slow burn".
The story is told from alternating points of view and dealt with dark matters such as rape, sex trafficking, and torture.
I recommend the book to readers of romantic suspense.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via Netgalley
December 29, 2021
This is a Romantic Suspense Thriller, and it is the 1st book in the Black Ops Confidential series. This book is a fast moving action and romance book. This book was filled with action, and it was fast pace. I enjoyed the strong female character in this book, and I love a book with a strong female character as the main character. I really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters in this book. This book is heavy on the mystery/thriller and action parts, but I feel the romance parts was really good. I won a copy of this book for a goodreads giveaway, but this review is 100% my opinion.
May 11, 2018
This is different than the covers I’m usually drawn to. But she looks like a woman who can take care of herself and I can appreciate that. I love reading about strong women! At its heart, I Am Justice is a book about a strong woman.
Justice, the heroine, is a skilled fighter with unrivaled courage and determination. Her goals in life involve ridding the world of sex traffickers. Obviously, a noble cause to dedicate your life too. She meets Sandesh essentially as a means to an end – he is an ex-soldier who runs a charity with the goal of helping people who are victims of sex trafficking.
There is a surprising amount of action in this book. Justice escapes from a tricky situation, with help from Sandesh. Because of the adrenalin and heightened emotions, their flirtatious relationship blossoms into something more. They share secrets and build an unconditional trust in each other. Which is important because for them trusting anyone else would be too risky. It’s clear given the situation that someone close to Justice has betrayed her and Sandesh takes it upon himself to keep her safe. Through this all, they are working together to rid the world of one, vile man.
There was plenty of action and drama in the book. However, I would have liked to see more drama between Justice and Sandesh. Relationships aren’t all butterflies and rainbows. The two of them have many reasons to distrust each other, to be angry at each other, but there is never an issue. I feel like an argument or two would have made them much more relatable. Nonetheless, I loved both.
This book is full of tension and suspense. I never knew what to expect next. Oh, there are also several sexy scenes throughout the story which kept things interesting. The steamy bits weren’t central to the plot, but I thought they were well done.
I loved getting to know all the different characters Justice considered her family. But at times it felt overwhelming to remember who everyone was and how they were related to the story.
One thing I didn’t like, and the reason I had to give this book four stars, was the inclusion of villain’s perspective. Firstly because I refuse to have empathy for anyone involved in human trafficking. The last thing I want is for him to seem human. Second, it made little sense. It felt like I was reading the ramblings of a mentally ill person. When he spoke of his brother, it sounded as though he was speaking of a lover. It was confusing and I don’t think it added much to the story.
Overall, I Am Justice is a well written and engaging tale. The author did a great job of walking the line between suspense and romance. I would recommend this to anyone looking for an exciting weekend read.
Justice, the heroine, is a skilled fighter with unrivaled courage and determination. Her goals in life involve ridding the world of sex traffickers. Obviously, a noble cause to dedicate your life too. She meets Sandesh essentially as a means to an end – he is an ex-soldier who runs a charity with the goal of helping people who are victims of sex trafficking.
There is a surprising amount of action in this book. Justice escapes from a tricky situation, with help from Sandesh. Because of the adrenalin and heightened emotions, their flirtatious relationship blossoms into something more. They share secrets and build an unconditional trust in each other. Which is important because for them trusting anyone else would be too risky. It’s clear given the situation that someone close to Justice has betrayed her and Sandesh takes it upon himself to keep her safe. Through this all, they are working together to rid the world of one, vile man.
There was plenty of action and drama in the book. However, I would have liked to see more drama between Justice and Sandesh. Relationships aren’t all butterflies and rainbows. The two of them have many reasons to distrust each other, to be angry at each other, but there is never an issue. I feel like an argument or two would have made them much more relatable. Nonetheless, I loved both.
This book is full of tension and suspense. I never knew what to expect next. Oh, there are also several sexy scenes throughout the story which kept things interesting. The steamy bits weren’t central to the plot, but I thought they were well done.
I loved getting to know all the different characters Justice considered her family. But at times it felt overwhelming to remember who everyone was and how they were related to the story.
One thing I didn’t like, and the reason I had to give this book four stars, was the inclusion of villain’s perspective. Firstly because I refuse to have empathy for anyone involved in human trafficking. The last thing I want is for him to seem human. Second, it made little sense. It felt like I was reading the ramblings of a mentally ill person. When he spoke of his brother, it sounded as though he was speaking of a lover. It was confusing and I don’t think it added much to the story.
Overall, I Am Justice is a well written and engaging tale. The author did a great job of walking the line between suspense and romance. I would recommend this to anyone looking for an exciting weekend read.
January 18, 2018
Justice Parish is one of the many adopted daughters of the very wealthy Parish family. A “sisterhood of vigilante assassins”. She and her siblings target those who oppress the weak and impoverished victims of war and other atrocities. Justice's next job is to kill the two brothers who are setting up a sex-trafficking operation in the Middle East. To fulfill her mission she needs a foolproof cover to get close enough to the brothers to complete her job. There is where Sandesh Ross come in. Sandesh runs a Humanitarian group of ex-soldiers operating in the Middle East to give aid to victims in war-torn countries. Sandesh is in need of cash to continue his goals and the Parish family is more than willing to help him out if he is willing to hire Justice as he PR rep. and allow her to accompany him when he goes to Jordon.
I Am Justice by Diana Munoz Stewart is an exciting, fast-paced adventure story with both passionate romance and continuous action-packed chapters. This is a book well worth reading I did and I really enjoyed it.
I received a free copy of this ARC from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this fair and balanced review.
I Am Justice by Diana Munoz Stewart is an exciting, fast-paced adventure story with both passionate romance and continuous action-packed chapters. This is a book well worth reading I did and I really enjoyed it.
I received a free copy of this ARC from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this fair and balanced review.
January 19, 2018
I would highlight this book as an Avengers meets the Expendables meets the legend of the Amazonians, in a no-holds-bar explosion celebrating female strength and conviction.
This book was such a surprise. Not only did it have a diverse cast of completely different and equally incredible women, it also conveyed the struggles of deep emotional pain and the pressure of psychological trauma and loss. It can be quite easy to ignore the emotional nuances with action-filled novels, but 'I Am Justice' does not disappoint in this regard. More so, the emotional pain gives credence to character strength and conviction to act and do better for themselves or for the women of the world. 'I am Justice' is an excellent, fiery and feisty novel that marks the beginning of a brand new series called 'Band of Sisters' teeming with courageous female protagonists that will no doubt, be as fast-paced, thrilling and romantic as 'I am Justice'.
The novel itself is set in contemporary 21st century, with the main protagonist, Justice Parish, an adopted daughter of the extraordinarily wealth Parish family. To the outside world, she is the formidable and snarky PR executive for the Parish's Mantua Academy for Girls and Parish Industries, but she, alongside her mother Mukta Parish the matriarch of the Parish family, and her adopted siblings, work to rid the world of human and sex traffickers, as a female-led "secret society of vigilantes" (p. 19), the 'League of Warrior Women'. I enjoyed reading Justice's character, in the beginning, she is so wrought with pain and trauma and a righteous-fuelled anger, that to kill the men responsible for her sister, Hope's, death, she will then be free of her suffering. However, the reader witness extreme character development, where Justice begins to understand that there is more to her life than anger and death. In the midst of the swashbuckling action, there is a trembling sense of overwhelming emotion that comes with crippling trauma. The beauty of Justice is that she then uses her trauma to fight harder and realise her life is worth more.
Through the actions of her mother Mukta and Leland Day, the Parish Industries' Cheif of Security, Justice then meets Sandesh Julian Ross, a mouth-watering ex-Special Forces soldier who founded an organisation called the 'International Peace Team' who only employes ex-soldiers to give aid to victims of war and disaster through partnering with international peace organisations around the world, in this case, Selma's Gems on the Syrian-Jordan border in the Middle East. In order to kill the two brothers, Walid and Aamir of the Brothers Grim, head of a sex trafficking ring, Justice will need to go undercover without Sandesh knowing, and fulfil the requirements of her mission. Adding in a major subplot concerned with a traitor in the League, and a beautiful romance between Sandesh and Justice, the overall storyline of the novel is well-written and thrilling. Although there were some aspects of how the use of the hijab, abaya and niqab were used in this book came across sometimes as a 'costume' for the non-Muslim woman to wear for her undercover op, it was a small aspect and a tiny moment in the overall book.
I enjoy strong female protagonists, I think we need more strong women in books, and I Am Justice does not disappoint in this regard. It is a cacophony of independent, intelligent, strong and brave women - a true testament and celebration of female strength.
NOTE: I was able to receive a free copy of this ARC thanks to NetGalley, for a balanced and honest review. Review will be published on my blog: www.writerpending.wordpress.com
This book was such a surprise. Not only did it have a diverse cast of completely different and equally incredible women, it also conveyed the struggles of deep emotional pain and the pressure of psychological trauma and loss. It can be quite easy to ignore the emotional nuances with action-filled novels, but 'I Am Justice' does not disappoint in this regard. More so, the emotional pain gives credence to character strength and conviction to act and do better for themselves or for the women of the world. 'I am Justice' is an excellent, fiery and feisty novel that marks the beginning of a brand new series called 'Band of Sisters' teeming with courageous female protagonists that will no doubt, be as fast-paced, thrilling and romantic as 'I am Justice'.
The novel itself is set in contemporary 21st century, with the main protagonist, Justice Parish, an adopted daughter of the extraordinarily wealth Parish family. To the outside world, she is the formidable and snarky PR executive for the Parish's Mantua Academy for Girls and Parish Industries, but she, alongside her mother Mukta Parish the matriarch of the Parish family, and her adopted siblings, work to rid the world of human and sex traffickers, as a female-led "secret society of vigilantes" (p. 19), the 'League of Warrior Women'. I enjoyed reading Justice's character, in the beginning, she is so wrought with pain and trauma and a righteous-fuelled anger, that to kill the men responsible for her sister, Hope's, death, she will then be free of her suffering. However, the reader witness extreme character development, where Justice begins to understand that there is more to her life than anger and death. In the midst of the swashbuckling action, there is a trembling sense of overwhelming emotion that comes with crippling trauma. The beauty of Justice is that she then uses her trauma to fight harder and realise her life is worth more.
Through the actions of her mother Mukta and Leland Day, the Parish Industries' Cheif of Security, Justice then meets Sandesh Julian Ross, a mouth-watering ex-Special Forces soldier who founded an organisation called the 'International Peace Team' who only employes ex-soldiers to give aid to victims of war and disaster through partnering with international peace organisations around the world, in this case, Selma's Gems on the Syrian-Jordan border in the Middle East. In order to kill the two brothers, Walid and Aamir of the Brothers Grim, head of a sex trafficking ring, Justice will need to go undercover without Sandesh knowing, and fulfil the requirements of her mission. Adding in a major subplot concerned with a traitor in the League, and a beautiful romance between Sandesh and Justice, the overall storyline of the novel is well-written and thrilling. Although there were some aspects of how the use of the hijab, abaya and niqab were used in this book came across sometimes as a 'costume' for the non-Muslim woman to wear for her undercover op, it was a small aspect and a tiny moment in the overall book.
I enjoy strong female protagonists, I think we need more strong women in books, and I Am Justice does not disappoint in this regard. It is a cacophony of independent, intelligent, strong and brave women - a true testament and celebration of female strength.
NOTE: I was able to receive a free copy of this ARC thanks to NetGalley, for a balanced and honest review. Review will be published on my blog: www.writerpending.wordpress.com
April 3, 2018
I am Justice is a contemporary, dark, fast-paced action romance between a woman warrior heroine and a conflicted ex-soldier hero.
Justice is an adopted member of an enormous, almost exclusively female family/organization that covertly works to rescue women and children caught in human trafficking, and to assassinate the men involved.
Sandresh is a caring ex-soldier who wants a life that involves more than just destruction. He has started a charity of ex-soldiers to help in many ways in many places with many things (it is not exactly described completely in the book). Justice’s powerful family connects with Sandesh’s newly created charity to further their mission against the leaders of one of the largest international human trafficking organizations.
While taking care of business, sparks fly between Justice and Sandresh. Their annoyingly immediate, mutual insta-lust was alternatively allowed free reign and bottled up ‘for the sake of the mission.’
The pov shifted between Justice, Sandresh and one of the villains, ‘BadGuyW’. That is pretty typical for contemporary romances, but being inside W-bad-guy’s mind was not helpful, as it was unbelievable, inconsistent, flabby, and did not inspire sympathy, respect, hatred, or even the feeling that BadGuyW was a real person
As a heroine, Justice is complex, conflicted, caring and (sometimes) competent. She survived a horrific childhood experience, and was rescued and adopted by a family dedicated to protecting and avenging women around the world. She is an angry trained assassin, who trips in the woods, loses her cool at inopportune times, and needs rescuing a few times. Simultaneously reserved, she overshares frequently (although we are always reminded that it is ‘rare’ of her to do so), and dislikes men and thinks they are mostly beasts, while being instantly attracted to and attempting to seduce Sandresh.
The Parish family is said to be powerful, rich, etc, in a very unbelievable way. Likewise, the power of the ‘bad guys’ is stressed and yet remains unbelievable, and their ‘guards’ all resembled cartoon cardboard cut-outs. Although we see the pov of one of the head villains, BadGuyW, it just serves to further confuse his character.
I loved the rescuing theme, and the determination of Justice to save victims. Sandresh’s conflicted-warrior character was interesting.
I did not care for the large amount of unresolved back story, presumably setting up later books in the series.
The chemistry between the main characters is told in a very vulgar, base, masculine manner. The sexy times are extremely descriptive, over the top, very competitive, and repetitive.
As you would imagine in such a dark, cruelly themed book, there is a lot of violence. Graphic violence. Excessive disrespect for humanity, loss of life, and torture. I am not sure how detailed the torture was, because as the descriptions began, I skipped past. What parts I did read were clumsily done; nothing was written on the fascinatingly gripping level of Stephen King.
As I said before, this book is dark. Things that have happened and are happening, both in the book and in the world, are devastating. And though told in the book, I feel that they were more used as story dressing. While people need to be aware that these horrors are happening around the world, the misery was included in the book superficially for background illustration. Likewise, character development was either stilted or unbelievably breakneck.
Overall a noisy, loud, clumsy, drive that never reaches an admirable goal.
*eARC Netgalley*
**edited to remove typo**
ATW 2018 Jordan / Syria
Justice is an adopted member of an enormous, almost exclusively female family/organization that covertly works to rescue women and children caught in human trafficking, and to assassinate the men involved.
Sandresh is a caring ex-soldier who wants a life that involves more than just destruction. He has started a charity of ex-soldiers to help in many ways in many places with many things (it is not exactly described completely in the book). Justice’s powerful family connects with Sandesh’s newly created charity to further their mission against the leaders of one of the largest international human trafficking organizations.
While taking care of business, sparks fly between Justice and Sandresh. Their annoyingly immediate, mutual insta-lust was alternatively allowed free reign and bottled up ‘for the sake of the mission.’
The pov shifted between Justice, Sandresh and one of the villains, ‘BadGuyW’. That is pretty typical for contemporary romances, but being inside W-bad-guy’s mind was not helpful, as it was unbelievable, inconsistent, flabby, and did not inspire sympathy, respect, hatred, or even the feeling that BadGuyW was a real person
As a heroine, Justice is complex, conflicted, caring and (sometimes) competent. She survived a horrific childhood experience, and was rescued and adopted by a family dedicated to protecting and avenging women around the world. She is an angry trained assassin, who trips in the woods, loses her cool at inopportune times, and needs rescuing a few times. Simultaneously reserved, she overshares frequently (although we are always reminded that it is ‘rare’ of her to do so), and dislikes men and thinks they are mostly beasts, while being instantly attracted to and attempting to seduce Sandresh.
The Parish family is said to be powerful, rich, etc, in a very unbelievable way. Likewise, the power of the ‘bad guys’ is stressed and yet remains unbelievable, and their ‘guards’ all resembled cartoon cardboard cut-outs. Although we see the pov of one of the head villains, BadGuyW, it just serves to further confuse his character.
I loved the rescuing theme, and the determination of Justice to save victims. Sandresh’s conflicted-warrior character was interesting.
I did not care for the large amount of unresolved back story, presumably setting up later books in the series.
The chemistry between the main characters is told in a very vulgar, base, masculine manner. The sexy times are extremely descriptive, over the top, very competitive, and repetitive.
As you would imagine in such a dark, cruelly themed book, there is a lot of violence. Graphic violence. Excessive disrespect for humanity, loss of life, and torture. I am not sure how detailed the torture was, because as the descriptions began, I skipped past. What parts I did read were clumsily done; nothing was written on the fascinatingly gripping level of Stephen King.
As I said before, this book is dark. Things that have happened and are happening, both in the book and in the world, are devastating. And though told in the book, I feel that they were more used as story dressing. While people need to be aware that these horrors are happening around the world, the misery was included in the book superficially for background illustration. Likewise, character development was either stilted or unbelievably breakneck.
Overall a noisy, loud, clumsy, drive that never reaches an admirable goal.
*eARC Netgalley*
**edited to remove typo**
ATW 2018 Jordan / Syria
March 1, 2018
I chose to read this book based on the discription it's not my normal genre but I'm always willing to branch out. This book deals with sex trafficking of kids I like how Justice was tracking down some bad men who was the head of a sex trafficking ring. Finding out the league was betrayed by someone from within was both surprising but not I'm glad things worked out in the end and definitely will be looking forward to reading more books in this series and more books written by this author
January 26, 2018
Justice Parrish is out to start a war. An assassin top of her game to stop human trafficking. Undercover as a PR specialist for an organization ran by Sandech, she out to get the men who killed her sister. Certain circumstances in Jordan leads Justice injured and in the run with Sandech. Betrayed by on of her own the two must now finish what she started in Jordan and try to find the traitor who is trying to take her down.
Action packed and a real page turning I couldn't put the book down .
Given an advance copy for a honest review from Netgalley
Action packed and a real page turning I couldn't put the book down .
Given an advance copy for a honest review from Netgalley
May 2, 2018
DNF at 37%
I think I was misled by the cover into thinking this was Urban Fantasy.
Justice is an operative for a secret group called the League which avenges abused women. The League is unusual in that it is also a family, of adopted children who have all suffered some form of abuse. Justice saw her own sister Hope murdered in front of her eyes and is determined to avenge her murder.
Whilst chasing the brothers who murdered her sister, who are now trafficking women in Syria, Justice discovers that there is a spy in her small team, someone feeding information about the League to their mortal enemies so she goes on the latest mission alone and in secret, piggy-backing off a new charity being run by former special forces operatives.
Maybe I wasn't in the right mood but this just felt cliche-ridden. I'm fairly sure I know who the spy is, Justice seems fine with killing bad guys, until she kills one of the men who killed her sister, then she starts to feel remorse - WTF? She's a caricature and unlikable. Also, in two missions she has screwed up twice - not much of a super secret operative!
It's an easy read but I felt it was too predictable, I'd read something similar many times before and I had a sneaking suspicion that the ex-army guy would end up saving poor little Justice who would degenerate into a hapless girl. I could be wrong but it had that feel.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
I think I was misled by the cover into thinking this was Urban Fantasy.
Justice is an operative for a secret group called the League which avenges abused women. The League is unusual in that it is also a family, of adopted children who have all suffered some form of abuse. Justice saw her own sister Hope murdered in front of her eyes and is determined to avenge her murder.
Whilst chasing the brothers who murdered her sister, who are now trafficking women in Syria, Justice discovers that there is a spy in her small team, someone feeding information about the League to their mortal enemies so she goes on the latest mission alone and in secret, piggy-backing off a new charity being run by former special forces operatives.
Maybe I wasn't in the right mood but this just felt cliche-ridden. I'm fairly sure I know who the spy is, Justice seems fine with killing bad guys, until she kills one of the men who killed her sister, then she starts to feel remorse - WTF? She's a caricature and unlikable. Also, in two missions she has screwed up twice - not much of a super secret operative!
It's an easy read but I felt it was too predictable, I'd read something similar many times before and I had a sneaking suspicion that the ex-army guy would end up saving poor little Justice who would degenerate into a hapless girl. I could be wrong but it had that feel.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
January 1, 2019
A woman assassin? Sign me up. This debut book about a kick-ass woman on revenge is a perfect read!
dnf
June 6, 2018I was excited about starting this book, when I read the blurb I thought it was a new urban fantasy series that I was delving into. But, as I started to read, I realised it was actually romantic suspense. Which was fine, I don’t read much romantic suspense so I was pleased that a book in that genre intrigued me.
It quickly became apparent that the promise in the blurb of I Am Justice wasn’t fulfilled in the book. Which, was why I DNFed it. I’ll keep this fairly short as I didn’t get that far through it before I was too exasperated with it to continue.
The main issue I had with this was the writing. It was clumsy and distracting. For example, Justice refers to people as humans, in such a way that it seemed to imply that she is not human. I spent most my time reading fully expecting a paranormal element to be revealed to explain this extremely weird phrasing. Although, perhaps I am judging too early and beyond the point that I stopped reading something is revealed. But I doubt it.
Another point, is that the whole thing was so very cliché and cheesy. I felt like just from reading the first few chapters I could map out the entire story. Admittedly you could say that about virtually any romance book, however, there was nothing within I Am Justice that made me want to continue on anyway and enjoy the ride through well-travelled territory.
Despite having an interesting premise behind the book and I assume the series, unfortunately it wasn’t executed in such a way that I could complete the book.
It quickly became apparent that the promise in the blurb of I Am Justice wasn’t fulfilled in the book. Which, was why I DNFed it. I’ll keep this fairly short as I didn’t get that far through it before I was too exasperated with it to continue.
The main issue I had with this was the writing. It was clumsy and distracting. For example, Justice refers to people as humans, in such a way that it seemed to imply that she is not human. I spent most my time reading fully expecting a paranormal element to be revealed to explain this extremely weird phrasing. Although, perhaps I am judging too early and beyond the point that I stopped reading something is revealed. But I doubt it.
Another point, is that the whole thing was so very cliché and cheesy. I felt like just from reading the first few chapters I could map out the entire story. Admittedly you could say that about virtually any romance book, however, there was nothing within I Am Justice that made me want to continue on anyway and enjoy the ride through well-travelled territory.
Despite having an interesting premise behind the book and I assume the series, unfortunately it wasn’t executed in such a way that I could complete the book.
May 2, 2018
If you're looking for gritty, action-packed and twisting romantic suspense with a super-spy vibe, then look no further. I was eager to give this new to me author and new series a go as soon as I took one look at the blurb. It jumped right into the thick of things and didn't let go making me feel I was watching an action or thriller movie rather than merely reading print.
I Am Justice was an overall win. I'm all in with the secret society of sisters who trained to be lethal operatives and who fight human trafficking and injustice as shadowy vigilantes outside government and have equally powerful enemies. It's a strong premise and looks to be a solid start for a new series.
I say 'overall' because there are also individual components that were distracting for me. I admit it, I'm tough on heroines and in this case it was several smaller things that started adding up. I found Justice engaging if I didn't take her or others around her at her own word. She's a hot head, impulsive and less skilled and trained than she is purported to be. I liked that she had deep feelings and they drove her, but at the same time, her feelings drove unwise actions and choices which kept me from buying in totally to her being a competent operative. I got a picture of her in my mind because of what she thought, said, and did, but then the descriptions of her wouldn't mesh. Basically, I was told how good she was, but saw only fleeting evidence of it. I don't know, I guess it's me reading a ton of thrillers and seeing what black ops folks tend to be like and I found Justice naive and under-skilled for what she was attempting to pull off.
Then there was the pace and flow of the romance. Granted, it can be tricky to write a romance into an action packed suspense thriller story so I give it a little break. My struggle was that Justice rushed into her feelings, let her lust guide her, and the romance faster than someone like her normally would have- growing up tough and hard and betrayed by family into being sold or killed and then her work out in the dark, gritty underbelly of the world would have taken longer to make this sort of connection- or at least denied or put off the connection longer. I finally just let that go and went with it to an extent because I loved her with Sandesh.
And, that leads me to the strengths of this series. I loved the band out to save the world and make a family the way they did and I loved Sandesh as the hero and just what Justice needed. He's had his own past and troubles to deal with and he's competent and smart. He's not intimidated by a woman like Justice.
I also enjoyed the thriller quality of not knowing who to trust. Anyone could be the betrayer from with in. The villain gets a voice in the narrative and I was okay with it, but didn't really feel it added much.
So, all in all, this was a good start and I think people who love super strong heroines and gritty action will get a kick out of this new series.
My thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
I Am Justice was an overall win. I'm all in with the secret society of sisters who trained to be lethal operatives and who fight human trafficking and injustice as shadowy vigilantes outside government and have equally powerful enemies. It's a strong premise and looks to be a solid start for a new series.
I say 'overall' because there are also individual components that were distracting for me. I admit it, I'm tough on heroines and in this case it was several smaller things that started adding up. I found Justice engaging if I didn't take her or others around her at her own word. She's a hot head, impulsive and less skilled and trained than she is purported to be. I liked that she had deep feelings and they drove her, but at the same time, her feelings drove unwise actions and choices which kept me from buying in totally to her being a competent operative. I got a picture of her in my mind because of what she thought, said, and did, but then the descriptions of her wouldn't mesh. Basically, I was told how good she was, but saw only fleeting evidence of it. I don't know, I guess it's me reading a ton of thrillers and seeing what black ops folks tend to be like and I found Justice naive and under-skilled for what she was attempting to pull off.
Then there was the pace and flow of the romance. Granted, it can be tricky to write a romance into an action packed suspense thriller story so I give it a little break. My struggle was that Justice rushed into her feelings, let her lust guide her, and the romance faster than someone like her normally would have- growing up tough and hard and betrayed by family into being sold or killed and then her work out in the dark, gritty underbelly of the world would have taken longer to make this sort of connection- or at least denied or put off the connection longer. I finally just let that go and went with it to an extent because I loved her with Sandesh.
And, that leads me to the strengths of this series. I loved the band out to save the world and make a family the way they did and I loved Sandesh as the hero and just what Justice needed. He's had his own past and troubles to deal with and he's competent and smart. He's not intimidated by a woman like Justice.
I also enjoyed the thriller quality of not knowing who to trust. Anyone could be the betrayer from with in. The villain gets a voice in the narrative and I was okay with it, but didn't really feel it added much.
So, all in all, this was a good start and I think people who love super strong heroines and gritty action will get a kick out of this new series.
My thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Read
May 26, 2018
I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I was excited about starting this book, when I read the blurb I thought it was a new urban fantasy series that I was delving into. But, as I started to read, I realised it was actually romantic suspense. Which was fine, I don’t read much romantic suspense so I was pleased that a book in that genre intrigued me.
It quickly became apparent that the promise in the blurb of I Am Justice wasn’t fulfilled in the book. Which, was why I DNFed it. I’ll keep this fairly short as I didn’t get that far through it before I was too exasperated with it to continue.
The main issue I had with this was the writing. It was clumsy and distracting. For example, Justice refers to people as humans, in such a way that it seemed to imply that she is not human. I spent most my time reading fully expecting a paranormal element to be revealed to explain this extremely weird phrasing. Although, perhaps I am judging too early and beyond the point that I stopped reading something is revealed. But I doubt it.
Another point, is that the whole thing was so very cliché and cheesy. I felt like just from reading the first few chapters I could map out the entire story. Admittedly you could say that about virtually any romance book, however, there was nothing within I Am Justice that made me want to continue on anyway and enjoy the ride through well-travelled territory.
Despite having an interesting premise behind the book and I assume the series, unfortunately it wasn’t executed in such a way that I could complete the book.
*ARC provided by publisher
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June 17, 2018
Review originally posted at Under the Moonlight Book Blog
I requested this book after noticing it was the first in a new series. I have never read this author before (unless she has an alias I don't know) which I thought it was great since I want to try new to me authors. Second, it was the description. Who doesn't want to read about assassins?
Justice has to go undercover by herself after her adopted mother tells her there is a traitor amongst her siblings. Justice doesn't want to believe it but goes on mission anyways as ordered. Sandesh for his part is having trouble getting people to take his mission seriously and when the Parish family offers to help him he, although suspicious, can't say no. After all the Parish family is known and respected worldwide.
This book is 77 chapters of pure adrenaline, suspense, sexiness, and suspicion. I couldn't put it down from the first page to the last. I was sure I had the traitor pegged but then I'd second guessed myself and change my mind again and so on and guess what! I never had it. I was so shocked.
I liked the writing style and the characters and the plot and twists. This book had me at the edge of my seat from beginning to end and I can't wait for the next book. This is definitively a series I'll get behind on and await every one of the releases if they are this good.
Disclaimer:
♥♦♥ This copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of it or the content of my review.♥♦♥
I requested this book after noticing it was the first in a new series. I have never read this author before (unless she has an alias I don't know) which I thought it was great since I want to try new to me authors. Second, it was the description. Who doesn't want to read about assassins?
Justice has to go undercover by herself after her adopted mother tells her there is a traitor amongst her siblings. Justice doesn't want to believe it but goes on mission anyways as ordered. Sandesh for his part is having trouble getting people to take his mission seriously and when the Parish family offers to help him he, although suspicious, can't say no. After all the Parish family is known and respected worldwide.
This book is 77 chapters of pure adrenaline, suspense, sexiness, and suspicion. I couldn't put it down from the first page to the last. I was sure I had the traitor pegged but then I'd second guessed myself and change my mind again and so on and guess what! I never had it. I was so shocked.
I liked the writing style and the characters and the plot and twists. This book had me at the edge of my seat from beginning to end and I can't wait for the next book. This is definitively a series I'll get behind on and await every one of the releases if they are this good.
Disclaimer:
♥♦♥ This copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of it or the content of my review.♥♦♥
did-not-finish
August 6, 2021DNF @ 20%
Unfortunately, this just didn't work for me. I was pretty excited for a good suspense romance with some kickass women, but I was bored and just couldn't get into the story. There was also a lot of problems with the writing; showing not telling, way too many metaphors and similes, and short choppy sentences that disrupted the action scenes. Justice was also all over the place and she got on my nerves. Now I know she has reasons for doing what she does but she's incredibly reckless, a jump before thinking person. But she doesn't seem to realize how much she's endangering other people, and it got frustrating. For an elite assassin, she doesn't seem very well trained. So, just a miss for me on this one.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Unfortunately, this just didn't work for me. I was pretty excited for a good suspense romance with some kickass women, but I was bored and just couldn't get into the story. There was also a lot of problems with the writing; showing not telling, way too many metaphors and similes, and short choppy sentences that disrupted the action scenes. Justice was also all over the place and she got on my nerves. Now I know she has reasons for doing what she does but she's incredibly reckless, a jump before thinking person. But she doesn't seem to realize how much she's endangering other people, and it got frustrating. For an elite assassin, she doesn't seem very well trained. So, just a miss for me on this one.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
August 7, 2019
This was a fun romp where H and h are chasing the bad guys across the globe. It starts off right, where they decide they'd better get it on right away, knowing that any built-up tension would ruin the mission.
At times this was a bit over complicated, but the ending was solid. There is plenty of ground-work laid for future installments. Which I will read.
At times this was a bit over complicated, but the ending was solid. There is plenty of ground-work laid for future installments. Which I will read.
March 6, 2018
Book Worms, this is one that I wasn't sure about. I am still on the fence, I enjoyed it but I didn't. Justice Parrish is an assassin, a very good one at that. Undercover, she is out to get the killers that murdered her sister. Action packed. I think in the future I will revisit this world and re read it. I think my mood wasn't feeling the story, but I felt that It was written well. I didn't have a problem with that, and the characters were likable enough for me to continue to the end.
April 28, 2018
The rare combination of a breezy page turner read that is deep enough to stay with you after you are done. Great dialogue, fun characters, terrific action, perhaps a wee bit to steamy for my tastes.
March 6, 2020
A friend said I would enjoy this series. It's just a ridiculous book. I enjoy romantic suspense, but I found it to be just simplistic. One minute the main character is talking about killing and saving people, the next thinking about jumping the bones of the guy her mom has partnered her with. Then the guy is thinking about doing the same thing to the girl. I like romance, but this was a little much. Also, I found sentences were letters were left out of words. I don't think the book is very creditable with what really goes on in these situations. Just my opinion, you may like it, but I will pass on the whole series
June 3, 2018
If you are in the market for a romance with a definitely strong, bad ass, take no crap lead woman, THIS IS YOUR BOOK. If there was ever a fictional character I wouldn't want to piss off it would be Justice. She takes down sex-trafficking rings and rescues women (and girls) from a fate her sister couldn't avoid. She's rough around the edges, sexy, and independent to the max.
Then we have Sandesh, who is not at all as I pictured and in the best way possible. He's former Special Forces, built to the max, sensitive, sexy as hell, and out to save refugees in war torn countries.
Sandesh and Justice end up being paired up on a mission that isn't the same for the both of them. Justice is there to take down a sex-trafficking ring that had been operating in South America which has moved to the Middle East, where it's easy to pick up orphans and nobody would miss them, and Sandesh is there to promote his organization and he thinks Justice is there to provide PR.
Here's what I liked: it was definitely fast paced, nobody can say this author (new to me) tip toes around the romance. The action was good, it happened almost right away, and the romance (which was very good) happened quickly. If you like your romance to take awhile, this might not be in your wheelhouse but I would encourage you to try it anyways because this is the start of what I think is going to be an exciting series. What I didn't like: I didn't like Justice! I know! It's crazy to say that but she is almost too alpha for my liking and she's bullheaded, she makes rash decisions without thinking through things and basically hopes for the best. Things always work out for her but man, that would be irritating in a person in real life. I will warn you that if you steer away from topics like rape and torture, this probably isn't going to be the book for you since that is the prevalent theme throughout the book.
The story is told in revolving points of view between Sandesh, Justice and the villain's (the sex trafficking brothers). Though it comes in at around 400 pages the fact that the action starts right away really helps make this a fast read. I'd be interested to see how book two fares.
Then we have Sandesh, who is not at all as I pictured and in the best way possible. He's former Special Forces, built to the max, sensitive, sexy as hell, and out to save refugees in war torn countries.
Sandesh and Justice end up being paired up on a mission that isn't the same for the both of them. Justice is there to take down a sex-trafficking ring that had been operating in South America which has moved to the Middle East, where it's easy to pick up orphans and nobody would miss them, and Sandesh is there to promote his organization and he thinks Justice is there to provide PR.
Here's what I liked: it was definitely fast paced, nobody can say this author (new to me) tip toes around the romance. The action was good, it happened almost right away, and the romance (which was very good) happened quickly. If you like your romance to take awhile, this might not be in your wheelhouse but I would encourage you to try it anyways because this is the start of what I think is going to be an exciting series. What I didn't like: I didn't like Justice! I know! It's crazy to say that but she is almost too alpha for my liking and she's bullheaded, she makes rash decisions without thinking through things and basically hopes for the best. Things always work out for her but man, that would be irritating in a person in real life. I will warn you that if you steer away from topics like rape and torture, this probably isn't going to be the book for you since that is the prevalent theme throughout the book.
The story is told in revolving points of view between Sandesh, Justice and the villain's (the sex trafficking brothers). Though it comes in at around 400 pages the fact that the action starts right away really helps make this a fast read. I'd be interested to see how book two fares.
April 30, 2018
I Am Justice by Diana Munoz Stewart is the first book in her new Band of Sisters series. This is my first book reading this author, and after completing I Am Justice, it will not be my last. I loved I Am Justice, and cannot wait for the next book in this fantastic series.
We meet Justice Parish, our heroine, as she spies on a club that kidnaps young girls. Justice is one of the adopted sisters of the wealthy Parish family that runs an academy for girls. Their mother runs the Mantua Academy for Girls (also known as League of Warrior Women) and Parish Industries, with the help of her security expert, Leland; they had adopted all the sisters when they were young, and being saved from abusive childhoods.
Justice and her sisters were trained to be tough assassins, vigilantes to fight against the victims of sex trafficking, kidnapping of young girls, as well as war victims. Justice is tough, smart and sassy, and a cutthroat warrior. She is determined to find the men responsible for her sister’s death, and will do anything to protect all young girls in danger. When working for the academy, Justice’s is the firms PR, which is also a cover for her to use when, sent on missions.
Sandesh Ross, our hero, is a former Special Forces, who is now leading a humanitarian group to save victims in the Middle East. When he is offered a much needed large donation from Parish Industries, he accepts the help of their PR person, Justice, who flies to Jordan. Sandesh will learn in a short time that this pretty young girl, is not the sweet PR he thought she was.
Justice manages to find the two men responsible for her sister’s death, and while she kills one of them, she will barely escape with her life, putting Sandesh and his team in danger from the surviving evil brother who is intent to kill them.
What follows is an ultra exciting adventure that will have Sandesh and Justice running from the drug lord, and his team to escape to Israel. While in hiding, they both find themselves attracted to each other, with Sandesh determined to win her totally over, to the point of him going to America and helping protect her against the drug lord and a traitor in their company. There are so many different attacks on her family & the school, which made things more dangerous and action packed; also making the search for the traitor a major issue.
The romance between Sandesh and Justice was really beautiful to watch. The chemistry between them was sizzling, and they were so great together. I loved meeting all the sisters, the family and the children they save.
When Sandesh’s life is in danger, as he becomes a pawn, Justice and her team will race to help save him, even though they know it is a trap. This was a wild intense battle that had me holding my breath to see who would survive, as well as emotionally heart wrenching when the traitor is revealed. I do not want to give any spoilers, as this book is too good to be ruined.
I am Justice was an exciting, action filled, fast paced, intense, fiery, emotional story, with a beautiful romance and great characters. Diana Munoz Steweart has written such a wonderful story that promises more great things to come from the other sisters, who will have their stories told. I have never read anything by Munoz, but be sure that I will be going forward. You need to read I am Justice, as it was so very well done.
Barb
The Reading Cafe
We meet Justice Parish, our heroine, as she spies on a club that kidnaps young girls. Justice is one of the adopted sisters of the wealthy Parish family that runs an academy for girls. Their mother runs the Mantua Academy for Girls (also known as League of Warrior Women) and Parish Industries, with the help of her security expert, Leland; they had adopted all the sisters when they were young, and being saved from abusive childhoods.
Justice and her sisters were trained to be tough assassins, vigilantes to fight against the victims of sex trafficking, kidnapping of young girls, as well as war victims. Justice is tough, smart and sassy, and a cutthroat warrior. She is determined to find the men responsible for her sister’s death, and will do anything to protect all young girls in danger. When working for the academy, Justice’s is the firms PR, which is also a cover for her to use when, sent on missions.
Sandesh Ross, our hero, is a former Special Forces, who is now leading a humanitarian group to save victims in the Middle East. When he is offered a much needed large donation from Parish Industries, he accepts the help of their PR person, Justice, who flies to Jordan. Sandesh will learn in a short time that this pretty young girl, is not the sweet PR he thought she was.
Justice manages to find the two men responsible for her sister’s death, and while she kills one of them, she will barely escape with her life, putting Sandesh and his team in danger from the surviving evil brother who is intent to kill them.
What follows is an ultra exciting adventure that will have Sandesh and Justice running from the drug lord, and his team to escape to Israel. While in hiding, they both find themselves attracted to each other, with Sandesh determined to win her totally over, to the point of him going to America and helping protect her against the drug lord and a traitor in their company. There are so many different attacks on her family & the school, which made things more dangerous and action packed; also making the search for the traitor a major issue.
The romance between Sandesh and Justice was really beautiful to watch. The chemistry between them was sizzling, and they were so great together. I loved meeting all the sisters, the family and the children they save.
When Sandesh’s life is in danger, as he becomes a pawn, Justice and her team will race to help save him, even though they know it is a trap. This was a wild intense battle that had me holding my breath to see who would survive, as well as emotionally heart wrenching when the traitor is revealed. I do not want to give any spoilers, as this book is too good to be ruined.
I am Justice was an exciting, action filled, fast paced, intense, fiery, emotional story, with a beautiful romance and great characters. Diana Munoz Steweart has written such a wonderful story that promises more great things to come from the other sisters, who will have their stories told. I have never read anything by Munoz, but be sure that I will be going forward. You need to read I am Justice, as it was so very well done.
Barb
The Reading Cafe
May 2, 2018
There's just so much going on here I'm not sure where to start. Justice, the heroine of the title, is one member of a team of women fighting to right wrongs against women everywhere. All of them were ‘recruited’ after being rescued from abuse as children and adopted by their foundation's wealthy owner.
Chasing down a pair of human traffickers who killed her biological sister, Justice has to partner up with Sandesh, a former soldier now running a humanitarian mission helping rescue ISIS brides in Jordan. From the refugee camps of Jordan to the exclusive campus of the foundation to the violent druglord-controlled territories of Mexico, the two have to learn to trust and work together even while hunting down a traitor.
Justice is a very contradictory character. Though we are told she is Choctaw Indian, she neither acknowledges her heritage in any traditional ways nor experiences any racism aimed at herself. The closest she gets to even ‘seeming' non-white to me is when she tells one of her white team-mates to check her privilege. Frankly, she could have been a white girl with dark hair and eyes, and claiming her as Choctaw feels like a poor attempt to get racial inclusivity points.
Similarly, I have absolutely no idea why Sandesh had a name of subcontinental origin. He's described as being white and blond-haired. The origin of his name was never once mentioned or questioned, which seemed odd. I'd have asked.
I think the author has fallen into the trap of too much telling and not enough showing. We are told at the beginning that Justice doesn't like any man except her family but she has sexual chemistry with Sandesh and starts propositioning him straight away. She tells him they can never do more than casual sex, which he accepts, but is it really a surprise that by the end of the book there had been a marriage proposal?
For the first book in a series, there are too many characters, too much backstory and just way too much going on. The main villain was nothing more than a caricature even when we entered his PoV, with vague motivations and unclear objectives.
There is a lot of violence in this book for one classified as a romance, a lot of dark stuff including childhood and sexual abuse. Trauma is one thing dealt with properly, including PTSD, though the fact that absolutely nobody was getting any sort of therapy seemed unrealistic and impractical too.
At the end of the day, this is confused, conflicting and unrealistic. I couldn’t get into it at all, Justice seemed too good to be true, and though I quite liked Sandesh I never felt we really got to know him. I can’t give it more than two stars.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through NetGalley.
Chasing down a pair of human traffickers who killed her biological sister, Justice has to partner up with Sandesh, a former soldier now running a humanitarian mission helping rescue ISIS brides in Jordan. From the refugee camps of Jordan to the exclusive campus of the foundation to the violent druglord-controlled territories of Mexico, the two have to learn to trust and work together even while hunting down a traitor.
Justice is a very contradictory character. Though we are told she is Choctaw Indian, she neither acknowledges her heritage in any traditional ways nor experiences any racism aimed at herself. The closest she gets to even ‘seeming' non-white to me is when she tells one of her white team-mates to check her privilege. Frankly, she could have been a white girl with dark hair and eyes, and claiming her as Choctaw feels like a poor attempt to get racial inclusivity points.
Similarly, I have absolutely no idea why Sandesh had a name of subcontinental origin. He's described as being white and blond-haired. The origin of his name was never once mentioned or questioned, which seemed odd. I'd have asked.
I think the author has fallen into the trap of too much telling and not enough showing. We are told at the beginning that Justice doesn't like any man except her family but she has sexual chemistry with Sandesh and starts propositioning him straight away. She tells him they can never do more than casual sex, which he accepts, but is it really a surprise that by the end of the book there had been a marriage proposal?
For the first book in a series, there are too many characters, too much backstory and just way too much going on. The main villain was nothing more than a caricature even when we entered his PoV, with vague motivations and unclear objectives.
There is a lot of violence in this book for one classified as a romance, a lot of dark stuff including childhood and sexual abuse. Trauma is one thing dealt with properly, including PTSD, though the fact that absolutely nobody was getting any sort of therapy seemed unrealistic and impractical too.
At the end of the day, this is confused, conflicting and unrealistic. I couldn’t get into it at all, Justice seemed too good to be true, and though I quite liked Sandesh I never felt we really got to know him. I can’t give it more than two stars.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through NetGalley.
May 13, 2018
I was given a copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.
This story reads like a Clive Cussler adventure aimed at a #metoo audience. It’s the start of a series about a wealthy and secretive family of female vigilantes. In this first book, the Parish family has their sights on a human trafficking organisation preying on refugee women in the Middle East.
Justice Parish is the family’s black-ops style badass warrior. She has a short temper, a passion for saving vulnerable women and a desperate need to get revenge for her sister’s death. She’s a brilliant action hero leading lady.
Sandesh Ross is a former soldier running a humanitarian organisation. Initially, the Parish family uses his organisation as a cover for Justice’s assassination mission, but he is quickly drawn further into family business.
I have really mixed feelings about this book. It’s an exciting story with some fantastic new female characters. bI love the racial diversity in this story. I love the feminist take on the classic American Vigilante storyline. I love that the story highlights the many forms of ongoing violence against women and girls. But I also recoil from the insidious right wing American values behind the story. The Parish family lives in an armored enclave. There is a firm message that guns and violence solve problems. I like that women are recast from victims to vigilantes but I’d be more comfortable with a more considered #whatif response to violence against women.
I’m similarly conflicted about the romance in this book. I’m still not sure Justice needs a romantic partner. There are a few hot scenes between Justice and Sandesh but the romance detracts from the action and the courtship to wedding storyline doesn’t quite feel right for such a fierce character. The family’s uniformly heteronormative relationships are also problematic for me.
This story reads like a Clive Cussler adventure aimed at a #metoo audience. It’s the start of a series about a wealthy and secretive family of female vigilantes. In this first book, the Parish family has their sights on a human trafficking organisation preying on refugee women in the Middle East.
Justice Parish is the family’s black-ops style badass warrior. She has a short temper, a passion for saving vulnerable women and a desperate need to get revenge for her sister’s death. She’s a brilliant action hero leading lady.
Sandesh Ross is a former soldier running a humanitarian organisation. Initially, the Parish family uses his organisation as a cover for Justice’s assassination mission, but he is quickly drawn further into family business.
I have really mixed feelings about this book. It’s an exciting story with some fantastic new female characters. bI love the racial diversity in this story. I love the feminist take on the classic American Vigilante storyline. I love that the story highlights the many forms of ongoing violence against women and girls. But I also recoil from the insidious right wing American values behind the story. The Parish family lives in an armored enclave. There is a firm message that guns and violence solve problems. I like that women are recast from victims to vigilantes but I’d be more comfortable with a more considered #whatif response to violence against women.
I’m similarly conflicted about the romance in this book. I’m still not sure Justice needs a romantic partner. There are a few hot scenes between Justice and Sandesh but the romance detracts from the action and the courtship to wedding storyline doesn’t quite feel right for such a fierce character. The family’s uniformly heteronormative relationships are also problematic for me.
May 22, 2018
I Am Justice is the first book in the Band of Sisters series. It is also the debut book for this author. The series involves a secret society of assassins who seek justice for young girls who are targets by drug and sex traffickers. They are all adopted into the wealthy Parish family and teach and train in a school for girls. This book focuses on Justice's story. She is seeking revenge and redemption for the death of her sister Hope. She is sent to Jordan (the country) undercover as a PR specialist for Sandesh's humanitarian group. There she hopes to take out the men who killed her sister.
I was hoping for a good romantic suspense. While there was a lot of action and some twists, the book fell a bit short for me. I liked it , I just didn't love it. I felt like the pacing was off. The book would drag then speed up and then slow way down. There were probably parts that could have been taken out, such as the three sex scenes (one after another) in the hotel in Israel. One would have been sufficient to get the attraction point across. While I liked Justice and Sandesh, I'm not sure I totally bought them together. I was kind of hoping for a slow burn, but their relationship went way too fast for me.
The story is told through the point of view of Justice and Sandesh as well as one of the bad guys. I actually liked that last perspective as it added depth to the story. The reality of what was happening to the girls gave the book a very dark feel. I Am Justice isn't a bad start to the series. I am curious to read the next book, I Am Grace. I want to know more about the Band of Sisters.
I was hoping for a good romantic suspense. While there was a lot of action and some twists, the book fell a bit short for me. I liked it , I just didn't love it. I felt like the pacing was off. The book would drag then speed up and then slow way down. There were probably parts that could have been taken out, such as the three sex scenes (one after another) in the hotel in Israel. One would have been sufficient to get the attraction point across. While I liked Justice and Sandesh, I'm not sure I totally bought them together. I was kind of hoping for a slow burn, but their relationship went way too fast for me.
The story is told through the point of view of Justice and Sandesh as well as one of the bad guys. I actually liked that last perspective as it added depth to the story. The reality of what was happening to the girls gave the book a very dark feel. I Am Justice isn't a bad start to the series. I am curious to read the next book, I Am Grace. I want to know more about the Band of Sisters.
September 18, 2018
I picked this for the cover. I liked it. Justice is an assassin. She is part of a family (all adopted children rescued from various situations) that is rich and has influence. Oh, and they take down human traffickers. Permanently. Sandesh is an ex soldier who runs a humanitarian group (all ex soldiers). Sandesh's group needs money and contracts with Parish Industries (Justice's family).
Based on the description, I shouldn't have been surprised at how dark this went. But I was. I also didn't like how fast Justice and Sandesh's relationship progressed. A slow burn would have worked better IMO because of Justice's background and dislike of most men. I could have done without Walid's (the bad guy) POV. I did like getting Justice's and Sandesh's.
While Justice is kick ass, I thought she had many stupid moments. Like being told to wait and not doing that. She didn't grow on me as the book progressed. I did like the end with Sandesh's question and what he gave her; it showed thoughtfulness and caring. On the other side, the end was a bit abrupt I thought.
When it's all said and done, this was okay and I doubt I will pick up the next one about Grace (which is supposed to be out and it isn't).
For Booklikes Halloween Bingo I read this for the New Release square (came out May 2018).
Based on the description, I shouldn't have been surprised at how dark this went. But I was. I also didn't like how fast Justice and Sandesh's relationship progressed. A slow burn would have worked better IMO because of Justice's background and dislike of most men. I could have done without Walid's (the bad guy) POV. I did like getting Justice's and Sandesh's.
While Justice is kick ass, I thought she had many stupid moments. Like being told to wait and not doing that. She didn't grow on me as the book progressed. I did like the end with Sandesh's question and what he gave her; it showed thoughtfulness and caring. On the other side, the end was a bit abrupt I thought.
When it's all said and done, this was okay and I doubt I will pick up the next one about Grace (which is supposed to be out and it isn't).
For Booklikes Halloween Bingo I read this for the New Release square (came out May 2018).
May 23, 2018
Hold on to your hat--your heart and panties, too. Tons of action, romance, and sizzle. The action plays out like the best thrillers, fast paced, believable, and just graphic enough. No over-the-top gore, here. The romance isn't the sweet kind; it's gritty and raw and fierce in all its forms. And the sizzle, whoooeee! Blushing readers need not apply. The sizzle in this book is not for the faint of heart; it's for those who like it hot and steamy.
On top of all that, it's beautifully written, though with everything else going on, it's easy to miss. That's the best way to write a book like this--so compelling you don't notice all the nuance, but every once in a while--slam! It hits you, and the emotional punch is that much harder. Great read.
On top of all that, it's beautifully written, though with everything else going on, it's easy to miss. That's the best way to write a book like this--so compelling you don't notice all the nuance, but every once in a while--slam! It hits you, and the emotional punch is that much harder. Great read.
April 2, 2018
The book hooked me from the start. It was an intriguing premise and the characters were interesting. It was a bit hard to keep everything straight at times, but I suppose that’s the danger in the first book of a series that encompasses as much as this one does. The relationship between the two main characters happened a little fast for me, and I wasn’t all that thrilled with the secret organization. It came off a bit sinister. But I was caught up in the story and liked the mix of suspense, danger and romance. The writing was engaging and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.
May 15, 2018
I Am Justice (Band of Sisters #1) by Diana Munoz Stewart
3.5 stars
M/F Thriller Romance
Triggers: Human trafficking, murder
I was given this book for an honest review by Wicked Reads.
Justice Parish is not a woman who's bad side you want to be on. She is a tough as nails, what I would consider, black operative who knows what needs to be done and will complete her mission no matter the costs. She comes from a league of incredibly strong women who are all similar. Justice's sister was taken from her and Justice has revenge in her heart. But, Justice is also aware that she can't save them all, even though she wants to. I loved her character, but felt that the romance that this story offered was almost an afterthought. It didn't really mesh with Justice's character - she was so strong, yet needed or wanted a partner, which didn't really fit with who she started as in the beginning of the book.
Sandesh is a former soldier who has had to do too many morally compromising acts. He's trying to atone for those acts by doing humanitarian work. However, that works requires money and when he partners up with Parish, not only do sparks fly, but danger follows. He is a hard character for me to know. While I can understand why he wants to do humanitarian work, it was tricky to see past that aspect of him to the hardened soldier we were supposed to believe he was. When he's pulled in to the Parish family, not only does his world change, but his protective instincts kick back in.
Overall, this was a fast paced, amazing thriller. The romance aspect was a much weaker part of the story and I think the book could have done without it and been just as great, if not better. However, I am looking forward to seeing what comes next.
3.5 stars
M/F Thriller Romance
Triggers: Human trafficking, murder
I was given this book for an honest review by Wicked Reads.
Justice Parish is not a woman who's bad side you want to be on. She is a tough as nails, what I would consider, black operative who knows what needs to be done and will complete her mission no matter the costs. She comes from a league of incredibly strong women who are all similar. Justice's sister was taken from her and Justice has revenge in her heart. But, Justice is also aware that she can't save them all, even though she wants to. I loved her character, but felt that the romance that this story offered was almost an afterthought. It didn't really mesh with Justice's character - she was so strong, yet needed or wanted a partner, which didn't really fit with who she started as in the beginning of the book.
Sandesh is a former soldier who has had to do too many morally compromising acts. He's trying to atone for those acts by doing humanitarian work. However, that works requires money and when he partners up with Parish, not only do sparks fly, but danger follows. He is a hard character for me to know. While I can understand why he wants to do humanitarian work, it was tricky to see past that aspect of him to the hardened soldier we were supposed to believe he was. When he's pulled in to the Parish family, not only does his world change, but his protective instincts kick back in.
Overall, this was a fast paced, amazing thriller. The romance aspect was a much weaker part of the story and I think the book could have done without it and been just as great, if not better. However, I am looking forward to seeing what comes next.
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August 22, 2018This review first appeared on MediaDiversified.org on 3/25/2018.
LeFemme Nikita meets Alias, Death Wish, The Avengers, every Blaxploitation movie starring Pan Grier, and Annie (X-rated without the singing) with a few traits from Amazons and Samurai thrown into the mix in this rollicking tale of vengeance and redemption. Questions about how warriors reintegrate into civilian life are explored with sensitivity and surprising depth.
Justice is a member of a secret vigilante group called the League of Warrior Women. Honorably discharged from spec ops military service, Sandesh now runs the International Peace Team. Together they rescue girls and women from human trafficking in the U.S. and abroad. Between shootouts, explosions, double-crosses, and ambushes, Justice and Sandesh challenge conventional gendered expectations for women and men.
On page 24 Sandesh asks Justice, “Why is it so bizarre to believe most men, just like most women are capable of a whole range of actions?”
In I Am Justice everyone in this diverse cast of characters is a mess. Or to quote Shonda Rhimes, “No one gets to be the saint.” Having every character guilty of something ethically questionable adds emotional texture and tension, which distinguish this first title in the Band of Sisters series from the usual overload of mayhem and violence without the engagement of mind and spirit offered by most mass market vigilante fiction.
[There’s lots of f-word usage as every part of speech.]
https://mediadiversified.org/2018/03/...
LeFemme Nikita meets Alias, Death Wish, The Avengers, every Blaxploitation movie starring Pan Grier, and Annie (X-rated without the singing) with a few traits from Amazons and Samurai thrown into the mix in this rollicking tale of vengeance and redemption. Questions about how warriors reintegrate into civilian life are explored with sensitivity and surprising depth.
Justice is a member of a secret vigilante group called the League of Warrior Women. Honorably discharged from spec ops military service, Sandesh now runs the International Peace Team. Together they rescue girls and women from human trafficking in the U.S. and abroad. Between shootouts, explosions, double-crosses, and ambushes, Justice and Sandesh challenge conventional gendered expectations for women and men.
On page 24 Sandesh asks Justice, “Why is it so bizarre to believe most men, just like most women are capable of a whole range of actions?”
In I Am Justice everyone in this diverse cast of characters is a mess. Or to quote Shonda Rhimes, “No one gets to be the saint.” Having every character guilty of something ethically questionable adds emotional texture and tension, which distinguish this first title in the Band of Sisters series from the usual overload of mayhem and violence without the engagement of mind and spirit offered by most mass market vigilante fiction.
[There’s lots of f-word usage as every part of speech.]
https://mediadiversified.org/2018/03/...
April 22, 2018
The Band of Sisters series is off to a great start with the first book - I Am Justice.
Justice and Sandesh are strong, compelling characters that easily draw readers in to their story and ensure that readers want to get to know them, they have great chemistry and a relationship that is full of intense chemistry, sizzling attraction, smoldering passion and is a very turbulent one that is full of emotional turbulence that adds depth to the characters and also has readers empathizing with them.
Suspense and anticipation builds throughout the story with lots of twists and turns that keeps readers on the edge of their seat while keeping the characters in a series of dangerous events during a mission that includes lots of thrills and excitement including explosions.
The author certainly made it easy for me to picture each and every scene of the story and she brought her characters to vivid life and while I enjoyed the story from beginning to end, I am still wondering if this series if for me, though I am not sure why, the only thing I can think of is that some of the story seems to move at a slower pace which is really surprising since there is lots of action happening (this could totally be on me and not the author), so while I recommend giving this book a try, I will have to wait until the second book to make my final judgement.
Justice and Sandesh are strong, compelling characters that easily draw readers in to their story and ensure that readers want to get to know them, they have great chemistry and a relationship that is full of intense chemistry, sizzling attraction, smoldering passion and is a very turbulent one that is full of emotional turbulence that adds depth to the characters and also has readers empathizing with them.
Suspense and anticipation builds throughout the story with lots of twists and turns that keeps readers on the edge of their seat while keeping the characters in a series of dangerous events during a mission that includes lots of thrills and excitement including explosions.
The author certainly made it easy for me to picture each and every scene of the story and she brought her characters to vivid life and while I enjoyed the story from beginning to end, I am still wondering if this series if for me, though I am not sure why, the only thing I can think of is that some of the story seems to move at a slower pace which is really surprising since there is lots of action happening (this could totally be on me and not the author), so while I recommend giving this book a try, I will have to wait until the second book to make my final judgement.
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