Em and M Books: The Rebel by @AdriennGiordano - Blog Tour, Review,and Giveaway

The Rebel

by Adrienne Giordano

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Release Date: October 1, 2015

Bad to the bone…in all the right ways

A brilliant civil lawyer, David Hennings has always been the outsider—at odds with his wealthy family, shunning relationships, defying convention as a sexy leather-jacketed biker. Which is why sculptor Amanda LeBlanc agrees to his request to reconstruct a skull from a cold case murder. The instant heat between them is scorching.

But once Amanda takes the job and gets too close to the rebellious attorney, her carefully balanced life is upended by a series of methodical attacks. Someone doesn't want her to finish the job. Now David will risk everything not to lose the woman he unknowingly put in jeopardy.

Inside the stairwell of the hundred-year-old building on the city’s West Side, David climbed the last few steps leading to the landing of Amanda’s second-floor studio. He loved these old structures with the Portland stone and brick. The iconic columns on the facade urged the history major in him to research the place. Check the city records, see what information he could find on who’d built it, who’d lived here or which companies had run their wares through its doors.

Structures like this had a charm all their own that couldn’t be duplicated with modern wizardry. Old buildings, this building, had a life, a past to be researched and appreciated.

Or maybe he just wanted to believe that.

He rapped on the door. No hollow wood there. By the scarred look and feel of its heavy weight under his knuckles, it might be the original door. How amazing would that be?

The door swung open and a woman with lush curves a guy his size could wrap himself around greeted him. She wore jeans and a graphic T-shirt announcing he should make love, not war—gladly, sweetheart—and her honey-blond hair fell around her shoulders, curling at the ends. The whole look brought thoughts of lazy Sunday mornings, hot coffee and a few extracurricular activities, in a bed and out, David could think of.

To say the least, she affected him.

And she hadn’t even opened her mouth. Please don’t be an airhead.

“David?”

Yep. That was the voice from earlier. Soft and sweet and stirring up all kinds of images right along with Sunday mornings and coffee. With any luck, more than the coffee would be hot.

Hokay. Mission Pam Hennings getting derailed by wicked thoughts. Time to get serious.

“Hi. Amanda?”

“Yes.” She held her hand out. “Amanda LeBlanc.”

David grasped her hand and glanced down at her long, elegant fingers folding over his. Her silky skin absorbed his much larger hand, and he might like to stay this way awhile. Nice hands. Soft hands. He’d imagined a sculptor’s hands to be work-hardened and rough. Not that she swung an ax all day, but he’d expected…different.

“Um.” She pointed at their still joined hands. “I kinda need that hand back.”

Epic fail, Dave. He grinned and regrettably slid his hand away. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but where have you been all my life?”

As recoveries went, it wouldn’t be listed among the top hundred in brilliance, but a man had to work with what he had. Still, her lips, those extraordinary, shapely lips, twisted until she finally gave up and awarded him with a smile.

“Good one,” she said. “Come inside and we’ll talk about your project.”

Another great romantic suspense by Adrienne Giordano! I loved the characters and the mystery, and I really loved getting to know the Hennings family a little bit better!

I just loved David. He was pretty much a straight shooter, knew what he wanted, and didn’t like to play games. He’s returned home to try and rebuild his relationship with his family, especially the very strained relationship he has with his sister. And being the good son, when his mother asks him for help he can’t say no…which leads him to Amanda LeBlanc’s doorstep and neck deep in trouble.

Amanda LeBlanc was such an interesting character. She’s carrying around a lot of emotional baggage that has her living her life in a safe zone – no highs, no lows, just middle of the road. When David Hennings enters her life her safe zone is quickly at risk by her emotional and physical response to him. And when her life is quickly turned upside down by someone who doesn’t want her to complete her forensic work on the cold case she agrees to work on, her safe zone is all but obliterated…good things she finds a new safe zone in David’s arms…but can she count on him not to hurt her?

David and Amanda were just perfect for each other. He likes to live more on the edge, isn’t afraid to take chances, and knows what he wants and isn’t afraid to go for it. Amanda needs someone like David to help her break out of her safe zone and begin living her life – and let go of some of the fear she holds.

“You’re careful. I get it.”

“But?”

“If you never took a chance on anyone or anything, what fun is that? Are you going to live your life in neutral?”

…..

“I like being around you. Why can’t we let things roll? See where it goes?”

“Because then I’d have to trust that you won’t break my heart. That the highs won’t be too high and the lows too low.”

Again he ran his fingers under her chin, this time tipping her head back. “Your theory is if you go through life without heartbreak you won’t suffer the lows. What about never having the highs, either? If you ask me, going through life in neutral kinda stinks.”

I loved that Amanda wasn’t afraid to stand up to David though, especially when she felt he was trying to take over – she wasn’t afraid to push back and let him know she still needed to be in control of her life. The attraction between the two sparked from their first conversation on the phone, and you could feel the tension build between them.

It was great to catch up with many of the characters from the previous book in this connected series (the books can all be read as stand alones, so no worries if you haven’t had a chance to read the other books yet…but they are all great, so I would recommend you grab them and read them as well!) I really loved Mrs. Hennings – even though she could be a bit manipulative at times…but when you live in a house full of litigators I’m sure that manipulation is a necessary skill! Getting a behind the scenes peek at the Jennings household was fun, and it was interesting watching all the family members interact.

This is a quick read with a well-developed plot and characters that has the right balance between the romance and the suspense. I would highly recommend this book to any lover of romantic suspense, mystery, and/or action.

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USA Today bestselling author Adrienne Giordano writes romantic suspense and mystery. She is a Jersey girl at heart, but now lives in the Midwest with her workaholic husband, sports obsessed son and Buddy the Wheaten Terrorist (Terrier). She is a co-founder of Romance University blog and Lady Jane's Salon-Naperville, a reading series dedicated to romantic fiction.