La scelta più difficile

Sentinels of Babylon #1

by Jamie K. Schmidt

Evan stava dalla parte della legge una volta, poi ha deciso di appendere la divisa da poliziotto e di cominciare a farsi giustizia da solo e così, con l’aiuto di Josh, Morgan e Ryder, ha dato vita ai Sentinels of Babylon.
Da fuori si presentano come un nugolo di biker che gestisce un bar malfamato, ma dietro quella facciata Evan e i suoi amici più fidati sono in realtà dei sicari professionisti che stanano killer, stupratori e pedofili al soldo di un personaggio enigmatico, convinto come loro che i tribunali non siano più in grado di assicurare i delinquenti alla giustizia.
Ed è proprio in uno di quei tribunali che lavora Lucy Simmons, difensore d’ufficio, fervida sostenitrice del principio che ogni imputato è innocente fino a prova contraria.
Lucy sa di dover tenersi alla larga da quell’ex poliziotto che ora gira vestito di pelle a bordo di una ruggente motocicletta, ma l’attrazione che li unisce è più forte del buon senso.
Evan è virile, protettivo, affascinante e con quel suo alone di mistero e pericolo le fa vibrare corde inaspettate.
Agli occhi di Evan, la splendida avvocatessa è la luce che gli rischiara l’esistenza, ma anche il suo tormento più crudele, perché il prossimo obiettivo da eliminare sarà proprio il fratello di Lucy,
Evan si trova così costretto a fare la scelta più difficile della sua vita: perdere la donna che ama o voltare le spalle ai propri compagni.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Suspense, Romantic Suspense, Erotica, Adult

275 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2016

About the author

USA Today Bestselling author, Jamie K. Schmidt is a hybrid author who has over thirty short stories published in small press and ezines, and a variety of novellas and books online. Her Club Inferno series from Random House has been in Amazon's top 100 ebooks sold and Barnes and Noble's top 10. She has a dragon paranormal romance series at Entangled Publishing. Book one of the Emerging Queens series is The Queen's Wings.

Jamie holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the State University of New York at New Paltz in Secondary Education English, which is a fancy way of saying she went to college to teach high school English. When that didn't pan out, she worked as a call center manager, a Tupperware consultant, a paralegal, and finally a technical writer for a major conglomerate company. She is an active member in the Romance Writers of America (RWA). When not writing, Jamie relaxes with a mug of hot tea and knits or makes beaded jewelry. You can reach her at Twitter: @jamiekswriter or at her website www.jkschmidt.com

Reviews

[Coco.V · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars ! This is one of those books that I didn’t like immediately but got really involved into the story while reading it.

Necessary Evil is book one of the Sentinels Of Babylon series which told the story of public defender attorney Lucy Simmons and former cop Evan Villiers (aka Evil).

Officially, Evan is an ex-detective who’d retired young to live the good life and turned bar owner -The Blue Line- that specialized in cheap drinks and hot women. In reality, Evan left the force because it was time for him to get out and to make a difference but not anymore as a cop. With the help of a judge, he put together with his three best friends an outlaw Motorcycle Club, The Sentinel Of Babylon, a gang of vigilantes. These four have a diverse and powerful backgrounds, a close-knit family bound they had learned to trust since childhood and all determined to put a dent in the criminal population of Long Island. Evan likes to think that he’s not a gang member, that he’s not the biggest badass on the planet but a necessary evil in this world. Lately, the SOBs had been very busy cleaning up the trash, but the fine line separating them from the criminals was becoming fainter with each kill they made. A thought that ate at him making him afraid to cross a line so invisible he wouldn’t know he had done it until it was irrevocable.

Lucy became a lawyer because of her father’s history. She’s dedicated to her work and firmly believes in the system. She likes helping those who can’t afford a private attorney and for her, everyone deserves to get a fair trial. She doesn’t like letting criminals get off on technicalities, but she hated when cops allowed that to happen due to sloppy case work. That doesn’t make her a popular girl at the precinct. For the police department, Lucy is a ballbuster, the one who set criminals free.

Evan and Lucy had crossed paths many a time over the course of the years—frequently finding themselves on opposite sides in the courthouse. They’d spent the two last years avoiding the attraction between them, and Evan had twice blown his chance with Lucy. He’s keenly aware of the risks at stake by getting involved with her, and that he has no business bringing Lucy into his life. But this mutual attraction was getting more and more harder to ignore and at the very least they had to get that out of their systems. Lucy couldn’t do casual even if the thought of friends with benefits with a man like Evan sounds fun and appealing. She just knew that she’d regret it even if the temptation is too great to resist.

When Evan’s new mission is to take out no other than Lucy's brother, things get complicated. He’s now a man torn between his duty and the sacred vow he took with his crew, and lose the woman he fell in love with.

Jamie K. Schmidt is a new-to-me author and I must say that this book was a good start in the series. It was an interesting read with a solid storyline, a nice balance between romance, action, sexy times and a couple of twists along the way with a major one I didn’t see coming. Evan and Lucy were explosive together. However, I found it difficult to connect with them until I was almost 1/3 way through the book. Apart from that though I enjoyed their story for the most part and I look forward to reading book two in the series.

"ARC generously provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review".

[XxTainaxX Curvy and Nerdy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story loosely dabbles in the MC world but definitely focuses on the vigilante. Evan and his crew do what needs to be done when justice fails to prove just. After reconnecting with Lucy, whom he had interest in back when he'd been a cop, things get more complicated for him. Her brother becomes his target but she's standing by his proclaimed innocence. I definitely found the ending surprising. Not that I didn't anticipate it but that the author chose to go that route. While entertaining, I felt it was missing structure and depth. I couldn't quite connect to the characters no matter how hot they were between the sheets. The pacing felt off and the transitions, choppy. I felt the story could have been strong but needed a little more dimension to develop. Safety: No OW/OM/Sharing. No rape or abuse.

ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

[Lea ★ · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC kindly provided by Random House Publishing Group - Loveswept for my honest review.

This will be completely spoiler free review.
What a great start to a series!
So, this is my first read written by Jamie K. Schmidt and I have to say I really enjoyed Necessary Evil. Even though, I am no stranger to MC romance, since that is my favorite sub-genre, and I never miss an opportunity to read it, this one is not an MC romance per se. Yeah, they do ride bikes, but there is no "Sons of Anarchy" feel to it.
Plus, when there is a second chance love and sexy alpha male involved, I'm all in!
I always appreciate a romance without necessary drama, and everything in this book was well balanced. Connection/passion between hero and heroine was off the charts!
If I could change just one thing about this book, it would be the epilogue... there was none, and for me, that is always disappointing.
I look forward to reading a next book in the series.

[Mindy Lou's Book Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 Stars!

I was intrigued by this story just for the fact of the pairing of a defense lawyer and an ex-cop turned biker as our main MC's. One is for the law and the other blurs the lines of the law. Makes for an interesting couple. I also like a good biker book if there isn't issues with cheating with the club woman. I am happy to report there is no cheating! There is club woman and they do try to vie for his attention, but our hero, Evil, has Lucy in his sights and no one else. Evil a/k/a Evan, was a delicious Hero! I couldn't ask for a better biker bad boy. Lucy, however, took a bit longer for me to warm up to. Also, the beginning of the story didn't flow as smoothly as I would have liked, but the more into the story, the better it got. I admit, it wasn't as predictable as I thought it was going to be and I wasn't expecting the end which bumped this story up for me. Biker bad boy Sentinel will be the next in the series. ARC provided by NetGalley.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC received for review

Good start to a series.

I thought it was going to be a motorcycle club and while they do ride motorcycles it's not a true MC. They are more like mercenaries for "the Judge." Evan/Evil has the hots for Lucy/Counselor for a while, but didn't act on it until long after he retired early from being a police officer. She returned the interest and boy were they explosive together. There's a whole lot of killing/murders. One of which I didn't think was really necessary. Then the ending. They broke up and a month later she calls him and they're back together all is forgiven.

I will probably read the next book cause I'm curious about the other members of SOB and their history. Plus Evan's sister. And who is the Judge?

[Natalie ~ The Biblioholic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: November 1, 2016
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group

This was a great read. Retired cop turned Alpha vigilante Evan paired up with headstrong public defender Lucy. Evan was sick of bad guys getting away with their crimes and teamed up with his childhood friends to form the Sentinels of Babylon (SOBs). Their Mission: rid the town of every rapist, pedophile and killer. Their newest assignment: take out a murderer, who happened to be Lucy's brother. Unfortunately, Lucy gets in their way because she believes in her brother's innocence.

There's murder and mayhem. Hot and sexy scenes. And a love that blossoms amidst the darkness. I recommend it to lovers of romantic suspense.

XO

[Heather andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how protective Evan could be, “I am a man.” He pulled her back against him. “You are my woman. Nothing hurts what’s mine.” Evan is sweet in his own way, “we will make this work. I’ll give you all the time you need. You want to go to the movies and dinner, we’ll go. I draw the line at dancing, though. If I’m going to hold you that close, I’d rather be effing.” really enjoyed this book, I loved Evan.

[Dísir · Rating 2 out of 5]

‘Necessary Evil’ delves into vigilante justice in the shadowy world apparently made up of a bar, a motorcycle club consisting of former government workers/agents/soldiers and rival gangs but it isn’t entirely clear by the end of the story where it’s all going.

Jamie K. Schmidt’s portrayal of the violence inherent in this world comes through and her rabble-rousing characters do exhibit that lack of civility that perhaps are a turn-on for some. But with the multiple subplots and loose threads that started and ended abruptly with a writing tone that sometimes goes off key, all I really could assimilate was Lucy’s and Evan’s burning lust for each other—sometimes to the point where alpha animal rutting is the whole point of their encounters—that Schmidt lays out with great detail.

There are parts that sound awkwardly out of place where desirous wants reduce intellect to rubble and I thought both lead characters did sort of act a little too shallowly out of their depth for what they are as they blew hot and cold at every instant. Evan keeps saying Lucy shouldn’t be with someone like him, but would want her as far as his own parameters for a ‘relationship’ goes, with a possessive streak that’s more appalling than protective. Lucy’s own juvenile thoughts makes me wonder if she's merely a public defender in disguise when it came to playing games with Evan and with the rest of his friends who are less accepting of her. There are secrets neither are willing to open up to with each other, and love apparently, where both are concerned, can be defined by many orgasms and good sex. Apart from extensive sessions in bed, Lucy/Evan didn’t seem to have anything in common that cemented them as a pairing I could connect with, let alone with the rest of the secondary characters who at times were like caricatures than actual fictional people about to have their stories told.

Unfortunately, it isn’t my type of read, sad to say.

*ARC by netgalley
(grateful, nonetheless)

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 - 3.5 Stars

Pretty good start to a series.  I was drawn right in at the beginning.

Evan ("Evil") is a retired cop turned bar owner/motorcycle bad boy.  He has his team, Sentinel, Warden, and Ryder (a woman).  Each of them have their own specialties, retired Army, retired prison guard, and retired CIA.  They've seen the worst in people and the worst in the way the system sometimes does not always work out for the best.  They are there to "clean up the trash" to put it mildly.

Lucy is a public defender, who has also seen her share of bad and unfairness in the system.  She was a major protector and supporter of her brother, which unfortunately was misplaced. 

Evan and Lucy created sparks on the pages.  Their past encounters over the years were an indication of where their relationship was headed.  I loved when they were together.  I loved Evan's possessiveness and strength. The story had some drama, but not much angst, and was just an easy read.

Like I said, great beginning to the series and we are left with wanting to know more about Warden and Sentinel, and yes, even Ryder, who had the most issues out of all of them I think.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

[The Romance Book Disciple (Samantha) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Link to full review below! Unique take on an MC club. Enjoyed it overall, despite some issues I had with the romance. See full review on The Book Disciple

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

***ARC Provided by the Publisher and NetGalley***

Lucy and Evan were a compelling couple. The attraction of a public defender and a police officer would be difficult to deal with, as they would meet in court...on opposite sides...often. And then Evan retired. All of a sudden, they were an option...but they resisted the attraction for 2 years. And then they were on opposite sides of the law. Of course, the attraction at that point was more than they could ignore.

The idea that they were again on opposite sides was appealing. The strength of the attraction was believable and I was willing to accept that they each would have been willing to give things up for the other. Evan was tough, compelling, forceful and authorative. And hot. Lucy was strong. She had grit and strength. She is an excellent match for Evan.

The writing was strong, the dialog was realistic and the pacing was strong. I enjoyed the book and I am looking forward to the next books in the series.

***This and other reviews also featured on “I’m A Sweet and Sassy Book Whore” http://www.imasweetandsassybookwhore.com***

[Tami · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is based on an ARC provided by the author and/or the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

This book has an excellent storyline. When the author changes what I sent in my feedback, she is looking at a five star rating easily. This is an incredible book. I see a lot of five stars in this author's future.

[Yvette89 · Rating 4 out of 5]

copy received courtesy of Netgalley
Interesting twist on the MC story. The MC in this book is actually a vigilante crew. When bad guys get away with vicious crimes, these guys give justice. Evan is the leader and a retired cop. He and his crew are a dangerous bunch but have the best of intentions. He and Lucy have been circling each other for a couple of years. Lucy is a defense attorney working for public defenders office. She is a straight by the book attorney. Guilty or not, she makes sure her clients get a fair trial. So combining a vigilante and a by the book lawyer was an interesting concept. Lucy knows Evil(Evan) is bad news but she throws caution to the wind and grabs on with both hands. Things get interesting and dangerous when people realize they are together. Add in a troubled brother, vengeful MC club and internal affairs and your will get action, adventure and danger. This was good angle to take. The story will keep you interested until the end.

[Nadine Bookaholic · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was sitting on my TBR Shelf for a while and I am not sure why I hesitated on reading it sooner but I am glad I finally did.

[Ayekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is one hell of a ride. Book One in the SOB series, I want more.

We meet Lucy who is an PD, believes that everyone is entitled to a fair trial, even though she doesn't always like her clientele she makes no bones about sloppy police work. The cops hate her because the guys walk on technicalities. But Lucy has a reason for her being a Public Defender.
Evan "Evil" Villars, now retired cop and one of the Sentinels. These guys are a mix bag of talent who get their orders from an unnamed judge who eliminates those who are guilty and get off for various reasons. Evan and Lucy meet under circumstances where she needs a cop. Literally he rescues her late one night returning home. Evan and Lucy are drawn to each other. There is some tension when they are seen together in public during a couple of functions that pair the police with the judicial system, charity events. Some of the cops are real jerks to Lucy. They stop short of physical harm, but they harass the hell out of her. Then we have Lucy's ne'er do well brother, who shows up needing a hand out, running from California where he tells her he was falsely accused of assault. Their parents are both gone and even though she's done fixing him, she tells him to come, setting some boundaries.
The guy is a jerk. Class A. This story is full of friction, both sexual between Evan and Lucy, Lucy and the fine legal line she walks and her brother. Evan suspects her brother is guilty and there are a couple of big twists in the story, that have IA looking at Evan and his buds. The lead detective tries to hit on Lucy and get info from her, which she doesn't give and it angers Evan that he's sniffing around.
The underlying subplot which is her brother and that storyline is the major twist in the book.
This didn't read like an MC story to me, I've only read a few but this one reads much different.
This book was great. The two MC's are so good together. Between the friction of their personalities and sexual tension, WOW! Lucy trying to maintain a balance in her life, all the while getting fed up with being someones target for their anger. The characters are larger than life, the backstory is perfect and it's a great read. The story covers all the bases you want in a book, with minimal angst, great for me, because I don't like heavy angst. Suspense is great and Evan was smoking. I wanted to run my hand along that chin stubble he sported.
Yes, read this book. I look forward to the next one!! It rates 4.5 stars.
Great book Jamie!

**arc from Netgalley and Publisher** in exchange for an honest review.

[Connie N. · Rating 3 out of 5]

#1 in the Sentinels of Babylon romance series

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

First let me start by saying that I'm a fan of Jamie K. Schmidt. I've read several of her books, and I always like the characters. This book was no exception because the characters are appealing and with a combustible chemistry that set up some amazing sexual tension and then hot scenes. But I couldn't get past Evan's vigilante actions. His attitude of "doing this for the greater good" was self-justifying and made me uncomfortable because his actions were just downright criminal. I wanted to like him, but I just couldn't get past that basic situation. And the contrast with Lucy, a public defender who protects the type of person he feels most strongly against, was just plain sad rather than building any sort of relationship tension. I would have liked the story, but it was unfortunate that Schmidt created the drama around good vs. bad, imbuing our hero with questionable values. I'll admit that the ending took me by surprise (as it was meant to), and it somewhat smoothed the edges, but that didn't change the basic premise. I'd rate this 2.5 stars but will round up to 3 stars since I'm giving the author the benefit of the doubt. Every book can't be a winner.

[Catherine (The Sassy Bookster) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

First in series books set the tone for the rest of the series and determine whether readers will love or hate the series. I'm becoming pickier in my choices because for me, starting a series means I'm invested in it all the way to the end and the synopsis of this book drew me in. A public defender and a cop-turned biker/vigilante and what could happen were too good to pass up.

Lucy Simmons' job as a public defender hasn't endeared her to the police department but that doesn't faze her much. She takes her job very seriously and is very good at it, hence the dislike from the men in blue. But for ex-cop and biker Evan Villiers, she is more than a bother. He's attracted to her, respects her abilities and she brings much needed lightness to his dark soul, but how long will that last when she discovers the extent of his extracurricular activities, especially when her brother becomes his target? The risks of getting involved with Lucy are many but Evan finds it increasingly difficult to stay away from her. Can he choose between the woman he's falling for and the oath he took with his crew?

The idea behind this book is a solid one, even though I'll confess to being uneasy about the subject matter and the career conflicts this would pose in real life. I liked the relationship between Evan and Lucy as well as his friendship with his crew. One of the better parts of this book for me was the lack of drama between Evan and Lucy. They acknowledged their chemistry and took things to the next level without any issues or people interfering. However, the scenes did not flow smoothly for me. They felt disjointed and choppy, and there was a little too much stuff going on for me with both the main characters as well as the secondary characters, which made me feel overloaded.

I have enjoyed previous books by Ms. Schmidt so, even though I have some reservations about this book, I'll check out the next one and see where the series takes us.


Disclaimer: I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely mine.




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[Pelusa Rivera · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reread this book because I was super excited that we were hopefully finally getting the rest of the crew..also read
sentinels which i will reread again to remind myself why I have been excited...Enjoy!...I received an ARC for an honest review with netgalley. I loved it! Loved Evan and Lucy, they had so much chemistry it jumped off the pages. Evan was loyal to his SOB's since he grew up with them and they did have his back, but once he got with Lucy he made known that they had to respect her and I really liked that. He stood by her even when as we read, she did not have all the facts and he protected her, when she needed it. Lucy, was loyal to a fault, but given the circumstances it was understandable, sad but understandable. Her brother was a hot mess that did not deserve her or her loyalty, but he was her only family and she didn't know how bad he was til the end. Travis was annoying, and the so called cops. I loved that despite the tragedy that they went thru Evan and Lucy did get there HEA. The only thing I wished for was for her to actually develop a friendship with the SOB's, I mean there important to Evan and they should be to her too. So hopefully we will read about them in the next book.Re-read it again and am waiting for the rest of the series.. 10/20

I received an ARC for an honest review with netgalley. I loved it! Loved Evan and Lucy, they had so much chemistry it jumped off the pages. Evan was loyal to his SOB's since he grew up with them and they did have his back, but once he got with Lucy he made known that they had to respect her and I really liked that. He stood by her even when as we read, she did not have all the facts and he protected her, when she needed it. Lucy, was loyal to a fault, but given the circumstances it was understandable, sad but understandable. Her brother was a hot mess that did not deserve her or her loyalty, but he was her only family and she didn't know how bad he was til the end. Travis was annoying, and the so called cops. I loved that despite the tragedy that they went thru Evan and Lucy did get there HEA. The only thing I wished for was for her to actually develop a friendship with the SOB's, I mean there important to Evan and they should be to her too. So hopefully we will read about them in the next book.

[Megan Ryder]

Sexy, Emotional, Suspense!

I’ll admit I’m not always a fan of motorcycle club books because they tend to feature heroes who are too gritty and too harsh to believe for a romance but I adored Evil in this book. He was not sweet and cuddly. He’s a motorcycle guy. He was believable as the head of a club but just the right amount of hero material for me to fall in love with. I loved the twist Jamie brought with this book – the Sentinels are not into crime or any of the 1% you expect. They only go after the criminals that the justice system can’t touch for whatever reason.

Evan “Evil” Villiers, a former cop turned vigilante motorcycle biker and owner of the Blue Line Bar, is hot and sexy and intense. And he’s on the trail of a murderer – the brother of the woman he’s always had the hots for.

Lucy Simmons is a defense attorney with a soft spot for her always down on his luck brother and a definite lust for Evil. She knows she can’t do anything about her attraction to Evil but, like a moth to a flame, she can’t help herself. When she gets into trouble, Evil and his club help her out and their passion ignites. But will their passion be forever doused when she finds out he’s after her brother or can she find a way to prove his innocence?

This book was so sexy and hot, like all of Jamie’s books and I loved it. The sexual tension leapt off the page and infused all of their interactions. The suspense angle was well done, the investigation into her brother, and I love the ethical dilemma’s facing both characters, and that added a very strong, deep and emotional component to this book, making it more than a sexy read.

I highly recommend this and can’t wait for the second in the series!

[Claire - The Coffeeholic Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Public defender Lucy Simmons had got the hots for Evil, or Evan Villiers, and their unfinished business two years ago had been a long time coming. When Evil came to her rescue one night, the past came rushing back, and before they knew it, their lips were locked and their hips moved ala Shakira.

Evil and his friends, Sentinel, Warden and Ryder formed the motorcycle club, SOB - (nope, the initials were not what you think). Sentinels of Babylon. They own and operate a bar, at the same time, they put fugitive criminals to their rightful places. (and by rightful meant six feet under the ground). When Lucy's brother came to town, Evil received a call from the judge about a murderer running at large and everyone's world turned upside down.

This was so hot and intense! Lucy Simmons and Evan Villiers were forces of nature - combustible, explosive and totally flammable. Ugh, their chemistry is off the charts! Love the story, the twists, the hot sexy scenes, the muscles, motorcycles and handcuffs, and yes, even the spiders! Spiders everywhere! Jamie K. Schmidt has outdone herself. This is a great read for those who want something steamy, hot and action packed.

[Maria11 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not for me at all. Yuk! I really hate when the heroine gets her mind changed when the hero has sex with her. She gets angry they have sex she is ok, he goes against her beliefs he has sex with her she is fine. She gets proof he is doing things he shouldn't have he has sex with her and she is ok?! I mean can you write the heroine any weaker?? She repulsed me by the end. Hey but she got sex and every thought in her head was gone and she was good.

To me there was no chemistry and it felt like a whole background on the two was left out. He didn't have any depth at all. I even skipped over the sex scenes.

Not for me I see others loved it, so you might. Received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

[Romanticamente Fantasy]

Nayeli - per RFS
.
Purtroppo sono rimasta un po’ delusa dalla lettura. Lasciamo stare i piccoli problemi di traduzione, dando per scontato che il cattivo sia esattamente il primo sospettato.



Evan (detto Evil) è a capo di un Motor Club il cui direttivo compie missioni segrete come vigilanti, ovvero ripulisca il mondo da criminali sfuggiti dalle maglie della legge.



Lucy è un avvocato difensore d’ufficio; è dotata e guadagnerebbe di più come pubblico ministero.

La loro attrazione covava sotto la cenere da due anni, e il romanzo inizia quando i protagonisti decidono finalmente di assecondarla.



Due persone che si rincorrono per anni e di punto in bianco, senza motivo, cedono ai propri impulsi attrattivi potrebbero non essere una cosa strana in un romanzo erotico.

Non fosse che, anziché lasciarsi andare a un semplice rapporto occasionale su cui poi costruire una storia romantica, Evan imbriglia la nostra giovane avvocata in un ruolo, quindi facendola entrare nella sua comunità.



— Sì, Tu sei la mia old lady e ciò fa di te un bersaglio adesso.

Lucy aveva bisogno di qualcosa di forte. Prese una bottiglia di Blanton’s Gold Edition e si versò una generosa dose di bourbon nel bicchiere. — Ne vuoi?

Lui scosse la testa.

— Questo aspetto però non è mai venuto fuori. Doveva essere tutto orgasmi e caramelle.

— Non credo di aver promesso caramelle. — Evan sorrise. — Inoltre, avrei detto qualsiasi cosa per averti nel mio letto. E ora che finalmente ti ho fatto mia, non ti mollo.





Non ho visto trasparire sentimenti che andassero al di là del tanto sesso appassionato; da buon uomo delle caverne, Evan ha incarnato da subito tutti quegli atteggiamenti da maschio alfa possessivo che lo hanno reso ai miei occhi a tratti ridicolo (le promette che con lui sarebbe stata “sempre al sicuro”, cosa che lei non ha mai chiesto e che, tra l’altro, non sempre accade) (questo è perfettamente in linea con gli stereotipi legati ai biker).

Un uomo che “non deve chiedere mai”, citando in una vecchia pubblicità, mai: anche affidato un compito che va a toccare la sfera personale di lei, procede come un carro armato senza neppure dare il beneficio del dubbio o ipotizzando strategie diverse.

Un partner che offre quindi tanto sesso ma non concede a Lucy né emozioni né fiducia né rispetto per i suoi rapporti familiari, in quanto evita di aprirsi con lei sulla sua missione e sul suo ruolo di vigiliante.



— Evan. — Lucy sbadigliò. — Mi sto innamorando di te.
— Bene. — Le accarezzò la schiena.



Ma ciò che mi ha più infastidita è il modo in cui è stato trattato il personaggio di Lucy dall’autrice in ogni modo possibile. Succube dei propri impulsi fisici a discapito della razionalità (le donne sono sempre “troppo emotive”, naturalmente), Lucy si lascia manipolare e attrarre in una relazione fissa senza volerlo, illusa da sogni romantici.

Reduce da un matrimonio violento, non si accorge che il suo nuovo uomo è ugualmente possessivo e non le lascia margine di manovra. Accidenti, arriva perfino a perdonarlo per aver distrutto la sua unica famiglia senza manifestare alcun senso di colpa!

Naturalmente, come in molti libri in cui si tenta di mostrare un personaggio femminile forte e indipendente, anche Lucy cerca di fare da sé, col risultato di finire nei guai e dover chiamare Evan in aiuto.

Dulcis in fundo, la sua intelligenza viene offesa per il fatto di non aver capito la colpevolezza di Evan, di nuovo accecata dal suo buon cuore e la sua autostima professionale, che infatti iniziano a disgregarsi quando accumula una serie di insuccessi con alcuni clienti.

Questa donna inizialmente forte, realizzata e indipendente arriva alla fine del romanzo totalmente umiliata, vittima delle sue paure, dipendente da un solo uomo perché incapace di immaginare di poter avere di meglio. Troppo sola e spaventata perfino per uscire di casa, fa perfino il primo passo per riavvicinarsi a lui (la priviamo perfino del cavallo bianco), mostrando la sua totale resa a un uomo che non la merita.



— Non sto affatto ridendo. Lo sai che sono disposto a uccidere pur di proteggerti. L’ho già fatto una volta e lo farei di nuovo. E chissenefrega delle conseguenze.
— Non sono più la tua old lady, — precisò Lucy con tristezza.
— Col cazzo, lo sei eccome.
Lei ricominciò a piangere disperata, senza nemmeno riuscire a smettere.
— Ti amo, — disse lui.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this 3.5⭐️ wow this was a lot. A lot happened and it was so entertaining. I just had a hard time connecting with the other members of the club especially with the way they treated Lucy. Honestly Lucy was treated really badly by almost everyone in this book except maybe Jenna and Evan.

[BleuBelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I tought I would have. The plot seemed really great and I couldn't wait to get my hands on this story.

Spoilers:

Lucy was all right. Evil was all right. But I just couldn't believe in their love. This wasn't love, it was lust. They had a thing for each other since forever ago. 2 years ago they kissed. Then he told her to leave, because he didn't do relationships. Then they meet again, she's captivated again, he want's her again. So they play back and forth and after a bj from the heroine Evil decides, she's his woman. His old lady. All right.

This whole MC thing was quite confusing. There were 4 members in this club, including Evil. They all met as children and formed this bond. They are ex-military and ex-CIA and whatnot. Ah an ex-cop. So they form this MC, but it's not really an MC. And they kill murderers and abusive aholes, who didn't get prison time. They get a phone call form a Judge and then they just go and kill these people, whithout even checking if they really did it. Very confuising.

I didn't like the rest of the team, didn't like how they behaved towards Lucy. She wasn't accepted at all. And Evil just tells her to live with it, it will be better. Wow.

Lucys brother is the one murdering all these people in this book. I don't know how he did it, why he did it. I just know, Jenny's murder was totally unneccessary and the topic was over so fast, no one really cared. At all.

This is my rant. I just felt really bereft after reading this story. I couldn't find the love of Lucy and Evil , their relationship doesn't thrive at all. They do tell each other "I love you" but that's it. I'm missing these lovely intimate things (not sex) where you just want to cuddle up with your book and enjoy. And there were so many unanswered questions and so many different topics involeved, it was a little bit too much.

I'm going to read the next book, because I want to give this series another try. And who knows, maybe I will love it.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

Lettura senza impegno che non mi ha regalato grandi emozioni. Mezzo punto in più per qualche colpo di scena e per le scene erotiche coinvolgenti.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

BOOK REVIEW: Necessary Evil
BOOK SERIES: Sentinels of Babylon #1
AUTHOR: Jamie K. Schmidt
GENRE: Contemporary MC Romance, Romantic Suspense
PUBLICATION DATE: November 1, 2016
CLIFF HANGER: No

3.5 Stars

*This story is for mature audiences only. Contains explicit scenes intended for adults 18+

SYNOPSIS:
In this steamy series opener from bestselling author Jamie K. Schmidt—whose writing has been called “hot and sexy, with just the right amount of emotional punch,” by Lauren Layne—a vigilante biker takes the power of love into his own hands.

Lucy Simmons comes from a rough family, but she’s a damn good public defender. Even though she hates to see criminals walk due to sloppy police work, the law’s there to make sure everyone gets a fair trial, and Lucy certainly doesn’t believe in the kind of justice meted out by the leather-clad ex-cop they call “Evil.” He’s stubborn, cynical, and out of control—but he plays her body like no man ever has. For once, both Lucy’s boss and her brother agree: The biker is trouble.

Evan Villiers took a sacred vow to let no killer, rapist, or pedophile go unpunished. When scumbags fall through the system, his motorcycle club cleans up the garbage. Although the Sons of Babylon and their methods may not be to Lucy’s liking, the beautiful lawyer has become Evan’s light in the dark. But his next hit is Lucy’s own brother—a murderer who got off on a technicality. Now, with his loyalties split, Evan must turn his back on his brothers . . . or lose the woman who has claimed his reckless heart.

MY THOUGHTS:
This was a good start to a new series that had a different twist. The Sentinels of Babylon MC was started as a secret club by four young friends that came from dysfunctional homes. Their clubhouse was the Janitor’s Office, but now it’s The Blue Line, a bar owned by Evil and Sentinel. Evil a 20-year retired police officer, Sentinel an ex-Army Ranger, Ryder Brooks is a tough looking woman who hung out with the crew (a heavily trained CIA agent), and Warden (was a prison guard that got shanked and quit) are the main characters. They have other people under them. Ever since Evil retired from the force, they have been working jobs for the Judge (identity unknown), cleaning up the trash that gets away after the justice systems sets them free. In other words, vigilante justice, since they couldn’t find justice for Sentinel’s sister Sarah, they would provide justice for other victims.

Lucy Simmons is a defense attorney that truly believes in a fair trial. She is disliked by the police department because she will rip into them for sloppy police work and tells them to get it right next time and her clients walk. She became a defense attorney because her father did prison time and was falsely accused. Her brother Bobby is another story. He is a total screw up, but Lucy is always there to bail him out, literally. I am going to stop here and let you read the book yourself!

The story has a good plot and there are a lot of twists and turns. The characters are well developed and the secondary characters provide support for the story line. The chemistry between Evil and Lucy is off the charts and they have been brewing this simmering chemistry and attraction for years. I wanted a little bit more for the ending of the book, as well as a little more of a set up for the next book in the series, but that is my personal preference. Just a side note, this is not really an MC book, more in the romantic suspense category. I still liked it and look forward to the next book in the series.

ARC kindly provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

[Tifferz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can you really ever know someone? Whether it be your brother, colleague. or current lover? Lucy used to think so. As a public defender she has gotten used to reading people and is very good at her job. So much so, that the police department has resorted to giving her shit, playing pranks, and even just straight out name calling to try to derail her from her recent hot streak. Former cop, Evan, was tired of seeing criminals walk away free while their victims run scared. Most of the time having to face off with Lucy and deny the chemistry between them. He retired from the force early and now spends his free time making the scumbags pay that fell through the holes in the justice system.

Being on the fence with this one makes me sad. When I read the blurb for the book I was like yes! A vigilante-like book but with a motorcycle gang as the front! And I did enjoy the characters- which is usually a first for me. Evan was overwhelming like normal alphas are and Lucy is the loyal hard-ass that we all know and love. The steam and heat were literally rolling off the pages when they interacted. So why am I on the fence of falling in love with it?

It was mainly due to the fact that this book did not have a clear flow to it and the scene (outside the bedroom) could have been connected a bit better. The first few chapters I had to piece together what was going on or where the scene was taking place. There was also one random flashback that could have been intertwined instead of being by itself. The book finally started coming together halfway through the drama which is nice because towards the end it gets real good.

Overall, I enjoyed the book just not enough to totally love it. I would recommend this book to other MC fans.

I was gifted a copy of this novel from the JeepDiva in exchange for an honest review.

Merged review:

Can you really ever know someone? Whether it be your brother, colleague. or current lover? Lucy used to think so. As a public defender she has gotten used to reading people and is very good at her job. So much so, that the police department has resorted to giving her shit, playing pranks, and even just straight out name calling to try to derail her from her recent hot streak. Former cop, Evan, was tired of seeing criminals walk away free while their victims run scared. Most of the time having to face off with Lucy and deny the chemistry between them. He retired from the force early and now spends his free time making the scumbags pay that fell through the holes in the justice system.

Being on the fence with this one makes me sad. When I read the blurb for the book I was like yes! A vigilante-like book but with a motorcycle gang as the front! And I did enjoy the characters- which is usually a first for me. Evan was overwhelming like normal alphas are and Lucy is the loyal hard-ass that we all know and love. The steam and heat were literally rolling off the pages when they interacted. So why am I on the fence of falling in love with it?

It was mainly due to the fact that this book did not have a clear flow to it and the scene (outside the bedroom) could have been connected a bit better. The first few chapters I had to piece together what was going on or where the scene was taking place. There was also one random flashback that could have been intertwined instead of being by itself. The book finally started coming together halfway through the drama which is nice because towards the end it gets real good.

Overall, I enjoyed the book just not enough to totally love it. I would recommend this book to other MC fans.

I was gifted a copy of this novel from the JeepDiva in exchange for an honest review.

[Veronica of V's Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

2-ish Stars for this biker romance.

This is the first book in a series that features the Sentinels of Babylon, a vigilante biker gang on Long Island, NY.

The SOBs are comprised of Evil (Evan Villiers) a retired cop, Sentinel (Josh) a retired Special Ops marine, Warden (Morgan) a black man who'd been a guard at Rikers Island prison, and Ryder--a female ex-CIA spook. They get their intel on perps who walked from The Judge, and they take justice into their own bloodstained hands.

Lucy Simmons is an attorney in the public defenders office. Her career goal is to prevent innocent people, like her father, from being wrongfully prosecuted. He parents are dead, but she has a brother, Bobby, who's been in and out of prison due to drugs. He's moving back to Long Island to be near Lucy and start over, but he's soon implicated in a double homicide.

Lucy and Evil/Evan have a hot-and-cold attraction. They never acted on it while Evan was on the force, but now he's retired and he wants his Counselor. No matter how frequently he was aggravated that his collars got released on legal technicalities, he still found Lucy a very attractive woman. She's kinda messed up, though, and getting it on with a biker, even if he was a cop, isn't on her bucket list.

They dance around their attraction, getting physical and then backing off (rinse and repeat) while Bobby gets further embroiled in his legal mess. And, The Judge has determined Bobby's guilt. Are the Sentinels going to take out Evan's "woman's" brother? Lucy believes Bobby to be innocent, and it leads to mortal peril... O.O

There were many problems with the plot here, for me. I'm truly not wild about vigilante justice, and didn't quite understand that was a major plot point from reading the blurb. That said, the vigilante aspect wasn't the biggest hang-up for me. Lucy and Evan are a mess as a couple. I didn't like them, and there's an awkward love triangle with an Internal Affairs cop who is a weirdo. The levels of circumstance got too high for my suspension of disbelief to leap. The macho bravado of Evan and his SOB buddies was extreme--and I felt Lucy was a Class A imbecile to spend any time in their company. She constantly makes excuses and exceptions for people that SHE CAN SEE are violent, and detached from decent reality. And, she keeps going back for more.

Getting caught in a UFC-style brawl between the SOBs where Lucy not only bashes an SOB with a chair, but also ends up choked out in a submission hold? Puh-leeeeeze. Get in your car honey, and drive. You should be passing the bar in Arizona, far from these psychos, not considering a patch and biker name...
Special flower sad that her bottom-of-the-barrel public defense clientele is scum? You KNEW that was the job; do not whine about it.

Lucy, for all her life experience and education is a doormat. She's continually harangued and abused, and she just keeps pasting a big ol' smile on her face in a "thank you sir, may I have another?" manner that turned me right off.

Expect firebombs, contrived bar brawls, meh sexytimes, bikers, vigilante justice on Long Island, overblown bravado, mean cops, a scumbag brother, and a knitted-up HEA ending that felt tacked on. I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley.

[Cheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

**I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review**

HO-LEE-COW! That was so good! I absolutely loved this book and read it pretty much straight through. That’s not to say there weren’t a few little things that were off, but for the most part the story was just what I needed/wanted right now.

The heroine, Lucy, was so admirable. Usually when a public defender is featured in this type of story they are portrayed as a bit slimy. And there was a public defender in this story that fit the bill. But Lucy was truly trying to help keep innocent people out of jail while making sure the police force did their jobs correctly so they could convict those that are truly guilty. She took a lot of crap from the cops and prosecutors who were trying to put the bad guys behind bars, but she stuck to her principals.

Our hero, Evan aka Evil, saw too many bad guys go free when he was on the job as a police detective. So he retired and decided to do something about those that got away. While doing that, he could have gotten swept up in vigilante justice and gone rogue; yet he always seemed to have a level head and a good moral compass…even when it’s not convenient for him to do so.

The slow build smoldering fire between Lucy and Evan is off the charts! I couldn’t decide if I wanted them to finally consummate their relationship or if I was enjoying the tease too much. Happily, the actual joining of the two was just as hot as the flirting and dancing around each other was. Once that Pandora’s Box was open they sure couldn’t put the lid back on. It was great!

I haven’t really read a lot of motorcycle club books, and from what I gather this isn’t a typical MC story. I mean, their “club” is really only 4 people from what I can gather. But some of the language was startling for me. I cuss like a sailor, so the swearing isn’t quite what I mean. More the vernacular as it was jarring to me when Evil said Lucy was his “old lady”. I know that’s silly for it to stick out to me, but I’m just not used to it and honestly don’t know if that would be accurate or a stereotype. It didn’t bother me, just was something for me to get used to.

Jamie K. Schmidt is a new-to-me author. I’m so excited to discover someone who has a bit of a library I can dive into. I only hope I enjoy the rest of her books as much as I enjoyed this one.

This is actually a 4.5 for me. So good!

[Danielle Gypsy Soul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Necessary Evil was a good start to a series but it had a few issues that kept this from being a four star read for me. This book centers around Evan (Evil) who is a retired cop that has turned vigilante. He and a group made up of an ex-CIA agent, a former special forces soldier, and a former prison warden are masquerading as a motorcycle club. I didn't think this book was a M/C book but it did have an interesting concept. Evan is attracted and has a past with Lucy who is a public defender. Lucy who has a good reason for being a defense attorney believes everyone deserves a fair trial. She and Evan have a strong chemistry and when they are thrown back together they finally follow through with the attraction but Evan's real "mission" has the potential to be disastrous for their relationship.

I liked both Lucy and Evan but I'm not sure I believed them together. Lucy seemed to be a bit too naive for a public defender and I didn't understand her blinders when it came to her brother. I also didn't really ever understand the brother's motivations and actions. Both Lucy and Evan had very strong beliefs about right vs wrong that seemed to opposed to each other. Lucy was a strong heroine who could hold her own against both the cops she worked with and Evan's friends although I wasn't a fan of the way they treated Lucy. I wanted more character development from Evan to see how he went from cop to vigilante so I could better understand him. I also thought that the "moment" in Evan and Lucy's past was made out to be much more than it was and I would have believed the relationship and the ending if the past between them was stronger.

However, I did enjoy the concept and I see the potential in the series so I will read the next book.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.