Review: Secrets Exposed by Lisa Renee Jones

Lindsey Paxton was once the number one defense attorney in New York. She fought for those who were innocent, but charged. Her instincts were her lifeline, never failing her, as they guided her in her choices of who to defend. Or so she thought. Until she won a case she would forever wish to have lost. Her client, an accused rapist, kills and rapes a woman only a day after being set free. Destroyed by her role in the woman's death, Lindsey blames her father's controlling ways for what she has become, and runs from her career and life. Years later - the past becomes he present . . . Her father has cancer, and Lindsey is forced to leave her career with the Washington branch of the FBI. She finds herself facing the responsibility of running her father's law firm with the reluctant help of hotshot attorney Mark Reeves, a man who sparks her temper while also managing to tempt her body, her mind, maybe even her heart. With his help she finds herself fighting the emotional battles of the past, tempted to trust both him and her instincts. Now, faced with a case inherited from her father so similar to her career-ending one, she now must decide if her instincts will lead her down the path to saving an innocent man or setting free another killer. But while she fights her own battles, someone watches, wanting from the past what he had failed to get the first time . . . Lindsey.

NOTE: Previously released as Hidden Instincts. Title change to indicate prelude to the new TALL, DARK, AND DEADLY trilogy coming in late 2011.

Review by Lynelle:

Secrets Exposed is the prelude to Tall, Dark, and Deadly series. Umm, WOW. That’s what I thought of this book. This is the first book I’ve read by Lisa Renee Jones, and I think it’s safe to say I plan to read many more, and as I’ve already purchased, and plan to read very soon, the 1st book in the Tall, Dark, and Deadly trilogy, Hot Secrets.

Now I’m not going to get too much into the description of the book as the summary above does a great job of that. We start off with Lindsay on Mark’s door step in hopes of convincing him of taking over the firm, because she doesn’t want it. Right away the sparks are flying between Mark and Lindsay. Poor Lindsay is such a conflicted character. She is strong, intelligent, and stubborn but has been thrown for a couple loops with her father’s illness, having her life turned upside down as she had to return to Manhattan, and being put in charge of a case similar to the one that caused her to leave law. What else is creep and conflicting for her is that she resembles the rape and murder victims in each of these two cases.

Mark is at the top of his game, a hotshot in his profession and mmm damn sexy. There’s just something about Lindsay that brings out the protector in him, even though he has a turbulent relationship with her dad, he is drawn to her and wants to help her in any way he can. Poor Mark tries so hard to protect Lindsay for her own good but he quickly learns that if he pushes her she will fight back. She tends to take unnecessary risks as she is determined to remind the men in her life that she is very capable of taking care of herself and she is a trained FBI agent.

This book is very suspenseful and is had me guessing the whole time who the murderer was, when he was going to make a play for Lindsay, and what will happen with the relationship that starts to form with Mark and Lindsay. I honestly did not see it coming at the time when murderer revealed himself and who it was! Oh, and the chemistry between Mark and Lindsay was sizzling *fans self* I probably could have read this book in one sitting, but as I started it at night, I had to put it down, but couldn’t wait till the next day to finish it!