≡ PDF Justice Jessica Ford Series Karen Robards Angela Dawe 9781441843074 Books

Justice Jessica Ford Series Karen Robards Angela Dawe 9781441843074 Books

Download As PDF : Justice Jessica Ford Series Karen Robards Angela Dawe 9781441843074 Books

Justice Jessica Ford Series Karen Robards Angela Dawe 9781441843074 Books

I started reading Karen Robards several years ago, when I picked up a copy of Bait at my local library. I fell in love with her style of romance and suspense, but what compelled me to find and read her other works were the characters she created that really drive the story. Since then I've begun purchasing her new books almost on auto-pilot, as soon as I see she has a new one coming out. Pursuit I loved. Justice... not so much.

There were a couple of things that bothered me about this book. First, the characterization of some of the principals surprised me, Mark in particular. I had a hard time understanding his motives and that made it difficult for me to champion their relationship. He proposes marriage to Jess, and then betrays her by kissing her boss, one of his many ex-lovers, in what he later describes as a "hot, salacious kiss," but she's supposed to forgive him because it was only a kiss, not an affair, and really it's her fault for pushing him away, and she has screwed up attitudes about men... Really? (Is it any wonder why?) In terms of relationships, he comes across as completely unsupportive and untrustworthy to me, a huge departure from his character in Pursuit. Consequently, I completely understood Jess's reluctance to renew her relationship with him, even at the end of the book, refusing to commit to any sort of permanent arrangement. Thankfully, his willingness to protect her and the lengths he goes to for her keep him from being completely irredeemable.

Secondly, the suspense plot relies heavily on happenstance and wraps up rather quickly and neatly in the end, as is often the case in Robards' books, but it's not something I was unable to get past. It was interesting enough to keep you guessing, and I honestly never would have predicted the identity of the villain prior to his unveiling. Still it could have used a little more development.

All in all, it was a decent read, though certainly not her best work. I'd recommend the library on this one.


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Justice Jessica Ford Series Karen Robards Angela Dawe 9781441843074 Books Reviews

I liked most of Robard's earlier books and would buy one as soon as it came out in paperback. Unfortunately, she went the way of Linda Howard and some other writers who moved away from romance and romantic suspense, and began writing much darker books. It is an author's right to write whatever he or she wants. I'm sure there are many fans who prefer the darker styles, but I'm not one of them. If I want to read about children being abducted by pedophiles, I can read it in any news story, on almost any given day. I stopped buying Robard's books, but would occasionally read a new one from the library. I liked the synopsis and sample of "Justice", though, and bought it at the sale price of $1.99 on . I'm very glad I did because it was a good book. "Justice" was much closer in style to some of Robard's earlier romantic suspense, although I believe it is a straight suspense novel.

Since it was not a romantic suspense book, there was no traditional "happily ever after". The hero and heroine's relationship was left open-ended, with them together, but not formally committed to a permanent relationship. Still, they were appealing characters who cared about each other, and there was the potential for a future "happily ever after". Some things could have been fleshed out or resolved better. For example, why did the girls run away from the group home? It was introduced as a key reason for the girls' witnessing the first murder, but we were never told what it was. The suspense itself was fairly low-key, without a lot of tension, but it still made for a pleasant rainy afternoon read. However, the final scene was unexpected but totally satisfying---poetic "justice" indeed. Not politically correct, mind you, but very satisfying.

"Justice" was not as outstanding as some of Robard's earlier works, but if you liked her older romantic suspense, you will probably like it.
I have read most of Karen Robards' books. This one left me puzzled. First, I was able to put it down. Second, and maybe because I didn't read it within a day, there seemed to be many loose ends and unanswered questions within her plot. It is mentioned repeatedly that the female protagonist, Jess, was the sole survivor of a car accident in which the First Lady was killed. The reader is never told why "Jess" was with the First Lady i.e. in what capacity. Can any young, ambitious female attorney hitch a ride in the First Lady's limo? Turns out the accident was no accident, and only Jess and her erstwhile Secret Service agent/former lover, Mark, are the only ones still living who know that the First Lady was murdered. Well, it's still a secret. Although several attempts are made on Jess' life, there are many people with motives, not the least of which being considered is a secret black ops clean up crew tasked with covering up the First Lady's murder. The reader is never told why or by whom. It made me wonder if this book was part of a series, but, if so, I can't locate the other books that might clear up my confusion. The rest of the plot revolves around missing women who seem only peripherally linked and nefarious doings. There's even a touch of the paranormal added to the mix. If you don't mind the loose ends, it's an okay romantic suspense story. Although I wasn't invested enough in the story to care about "whodunit," I wasn't surprised when the villains of the piece were exposed. Note Since I wrote this review, I discovered that this book is indeed the sequel to Pursuit, a book I read several years ago and whose plot -- the death of the First Lady -- and characters -- Jess the lawyer and Mark the Secret Service Agent -- I obviously had forgotten. Ooops. To appreciate Justice, I suspect one must read or re-read Pursuit.
I started reading Karen Robards several years ago, when I picked up a copy of Bait at my local library. I fell in love with her style of romance and suspense, but what compelled me to find and read her other works were the characters she created that really drive the story. Since then I've begun purchasing her new books almost on auto-pilot, as soon as I see she has a new one coming out. Pursuit I loved. Justice... not so much.

There were a couple of things that bothered me about this book. First, the characterization of some of the principals surprised me, Mark in particular. I had a hard time understanding his motives and that made it difficult for me to champion their relationship. He proposes marriage to Jess, and then betrays her by kissing her boss, one of his many ex-lovers, in what he later describes as a "hot, salacious kiss," but she's supposed to forgive him because it was only a kiss, not an affair, and really it's her fault for pushing him away, and she has screwed up attitudes about men... Really? (Is it any wonder why?) In terms of relationships, he comes across as completely unsupportive and untrustworthy to me, a huge departure from his character in Pursuit. Consequently, I completely understood Jess's reluctance to renew her relationship with him, even at the end of the book, refusing to commit to any sort of permanent arrangement. Thankfully, his willingness to protect her and the lengths he goes to for her keep him from being completely irredeemable.

Secondly, the suspense plot relies heavily on happenstance and wraps up rather quickly and neatly in the end, as is often the case in Robards' books, but it's not something I was unable to get past. It was interesting enough to keep you guessing, and I honestly never would have predicted the identity of the villain prior to his unveiling. Still it could have used a little more development.

All in all, it was a decent read, though certainly not her best work. I'd recommend the library on this one.