"Adrienne Giordano has cemented her place on my list of must read authors."
Reviewed by Maria Munoz
Posted September 17, 2011
Romance Suspense
With the publication of A JUST DECEPTION, the follow up to
Man Law and the second book in the Private Protectors
series, Adrienne Giordano has cemented her place on my list
of must read authors. The emotional and psychological
tension grabs you on page one and doesn't let go until the
truth is revealed. Lawyer Isabelle "don't call me Izzy" DeRosa is shocked to be
cornered by her cousin Kendrick in the copy room of the New
Jersey law offices of his father, Isabelle's uncle and
employer. She was happy to have Kendrick living in far off
Ohio since she didn't have to worry about running into the
man who had abused her as a child. Now he's in town
demanding her legal help and threatening her hard won peace.
She calls on long time family friend Vic Andrews for help
with security and he sends Peter Jessup, a former Navy SEAL
on vacation from Taylor Security. His mission was to take
some time off, deal with the deaths of two friends and
co-workers, and get his head on straight. Now he's the only
man Vic trusts to keep Izzy (yes, he calls her Izzy) safe.
When Kendrick turns up dead, Izzy goes from prime suspect to
the only person who can help the FBI infiltrate the
cult-like group Kendrick was involved with. Will their
strong attraction and emotional baggage prove to be the
distractions that keep them from getting out of this
operation in one piece? A JUST DECEPTION is a wonderfully complex romantic suspense.
Ms. Giordano has a talent for using the characters'
personal histories to create a powerful tension emanating
from the romantic relationship. Izzy and Peter are forced to
overcome their own brokenness in order to figure out how to
be together. Their personal demons were captured with an
admirable realism. Both characters were strong, independent,
and flawed. I love it when a romance can leave me wondering
how these two people can make it work up until the moment
when they do. I love getting to that happy ending, but I
don't want it to be easy journey. The overarching suspense
story, who killed Kendrick and what was he involved in, is
compelling and provides a good challenge for Izzy and Peter
to face together. The strength of this story, though, is
the relationship. I'm glad to report that a prequel to the current books in
the series, Risking Trust, is due out in November 2011.
SUMMARY
The protector: Peter Jessup, former Navy SEAL, currently
employed by Taylor Security. He likes being the hero—in
charge and in control.
His client: Lawyer Isabelle DeRosa. The sexy brunette
is the
personification of Peter's fantasies. She's willing to get
physical but nothing more serious.
The assignment: When Isabelle becomes the prime
suspect in
the murder of her cousin, Peter is there to protect her and
help her find the real killer. Their investigation leads to
a big-name charity that seems to draw cultlike followers.
Isabelle manages to infiltrate the group and become close to
their leader, leaving Peter both jealous and worried for her.
As their search leads to danger, Peter realizes he's falling
in love with Isabelle. He wants all of her, but she's too
used to guarding herself to let him in…
ExcerptChapter One
From her crouched position filling the copy machine
drawer, Isabelle spied her cousin Kendrick in the doorway
and knew the next few minutes would be worse than a bad case
of chicken pox. Irritating as hell and no scratching
allowed. Already he blocked her only exit from the cramped
room—that was no accident. She drew a searing breath and
straightened to her full height, determined to confront him.
Kendrick wore black chinos and a white Oxford shirt, but
the preppy clothes couldn’t hide the predator. With a
shudder, she remembered everything about him she would
rather forget. Despite her resolve, the small room pressed
in, and she backed away.
Damn.
His leer forced her to dig her heels into the floor and a
relentless gnawing tore at her stomach.
Lawyer mode. Now.
"Kendrick, it’s been a while."
Three years, two months and thirteen days.
"I’m here to see my father," he said. "I saw you in here.
Thought I’d say hello."
She leaned against the copy machine, folded her arms and
squeezed until her fingernails bit into her biceps. After
years spent grappling to rise above her brokenness,
something in his tone—that confident, you’ll-never-get-me
attitude—shattered her. "Well, I’m sure your father is
waiting for you."
"I’m a few minutes early."
"Your father prides himself on the comfortable waiting
area. Maybe you can find something to read while you wait."
Kendrick ignored her suggestion and moved into the
compact room. She remained still, but tracked him with her
eyes, watching him until he halted a foot from her. Too close.
A quick glance across his shoulder revealed the safety of
the outer corridor where two associates spoke in hushed
voices. Assistance was nearby if needed, but screaming for
help against the boss’s son? How humiliating. Not to mention
having to explain it. "I have a client in my office."
He inched closer, and Isabelle held up a hand to stop
him. Silly her for believing he would let her leave. She had
to get away.
"I need to talk to you," he said.
Okay. Deep breath. She concentrated on diffusing the
internal bedlam this man caused. Get a grip. Don’t give him
the control. Don’t look at him.
After a few seconds, her thundering pulse settled to its
normal rhythm. She could do this.
"I’m in the middle of a client meeting." She turned, made
the copy she’d come in for, grabbed her papers and attempted
to push by him.
Kendrick sidestepped to block her exit. Unbelievable. She
was trapped in here with him. Close enough to feel his
breath on her skin.
"I only need a couple of minutes, Isabelle."
Never. He didn’t deserve it. Not after what he’d taken
from her already.
She met his gaze straight on, their eyes locking for an
instant. "I don’t have time, Kendrick."
"I have an offer for you."
Any offer from him could result in her losing a slice of
her soul. Her answer would certainly be no. She found
triumph in that. Telling him no. Definitively.
She’d let him say what he needed to, indulge in saying no
and then boot him out. "Two minutes."
"Oh, Isabelle. You do amuse me."
She made a show of checking her watch. "Now it’s one
minute."
"You know I’ve bought property in Ohio, correct?"
Oh, she knew. She was thankful every day that the state
of Pennsylvania normally provided a barrier between them.
Living on the Jersey Shore rewarded her with a sense of
ease, and Kendrick being in the area chipped that comfort.
"If you need legal advice, talk to someone else. I won’t be
objective."
He laughed, his big white teeth flashing. Isabelle ground
the heel of her black pump into the floor. Her leg ached
from the pressure, but the pain would keep her focused.
"Anyway," he said. "I’d like to have you visit. Take a
look at the place. Maybe stay in one of the bungalows. It’s
a wonderful piece of property."
"No."
He held up his hands again. "I know you’re still angry
over the misunderstanding, but let’s put it behind us. We’re
family. I know my father would appreciate you letting go of
the hostility. Come see the compound. Stay awhile. You’ll be
taken care of. Any need or want you have will be fulfilled
by one of the staff members."
What was all this babbling about his compound?
She narrowed her eyes and let his comment about his
father—her boss—roll off her. Convincing herself to accept a
job from Kendrick’s father hadn’t been easy, but working at
one of New Jersey’s top criminal defense firms would
catapult her career. Her cousin’s goading wouldn’t
jeopardize that. "I need to get back to work."
"Not staff, really," he continued. "Tenants, I guess.
Fifty of us live on the property. Some in the main house and
some in bungalows scattered throughout the hundred acres.
You’d have your own place, of course."
A flicker of perverse excitement twinkled in his
blue-green eyes, and sickness swirled in her stomach. She
needed to get him out of there before the toxic waste he
spewed consumed her. "I’m not interested."
Kendrick reached down and tugged at the sleeves of his
shirt, but made no move to leave. Idiot.
And yet, she remained wedged in the room. With a client
waiting in her office. The brutal pressure of these few
minutes finally overtook her, and a chill penetrated her
bones, puckering her skin.
Don’t let him win.
He tried the slick smile that always worked on the little
girl she’d once been, and she imagined him bursting into flames.
"I need you, Isabelle. There are…things happening and I
could use your legal expertise. I promise I’ll take good
care of you." He dragged his gaze over her body. "I always
did."
Sick, sick, sick.
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