Law and Lily are quite the pair
342473
I was really torn about the Law character.  Yes, he was a monster, but he was gentle and loving to Lily in the end.  Did the end justify the means?  Hard to say.  This story was a little convoluted.  I had problems with the Emily character.  She was just a little too contrived for the story.  I can't imagine a woman of means and a position in society holding auctions for stolen children.  Call me naive, but it just didn't work for me.  She was definitely an evil character and one who deserved her end, but I couldn't relate to the character at all.
2487855
Lily and Lo remain a captivating couple.  Their individual and joint struggles in trying to overcome their addictions is as palpable as were the weight of those addictions in book 1.  Perhaps for Lily even more so - I think I understood her better in trying to fight her need to have sex all the time.  Somewhow in the absence of her addiction, watching her struggle, her plight and desperation became understandable.  Lo was easy - with his background and family history, he developed a way to numb the pain.  But I never quite felt that way with Lily in Book 1, though in this one it became much more clear.

Despite the blurb, this book is still mainly about Lily and Lo and their addictions.  The plot of trying to find who is exposing Lily's secret is really secondary, which I liked.

Ryke, Rose and Connor are still and odd and often unlikeable group.  But I really loved that at the end of the day, they were all there for Lily and Lo, warts and all.  In some ways, they were like family (although, for the most part they are all actually family, but you get what I mean).

There were parts of the book that suffered from typical NA contrived events - namely the trip to Cancun and all things Daisy related.  But because of the strength of the characters, I didn't mind these things as I would have in another less dynamic book.

The surprise for me was Lo's dad, Jonathan.  He was endlessly fascinating, and the Ritchies did a great job of creating a complex, multi-layered guy, as opposed to just propping him up as the token bad guy.  I know the series is going in a different direction, but I hope at some point they return to Jonathan and his relationship with Lo.  In fact, I wish there had been more of him - if only so I could decide how I felt about him.

The biggest fail for me was Lily's relationship with her parents.  I don't think it was explored in the way that it should have been given Lily's efforts to overcome her addiction.  In fact, I think that Lily's therapy focused much more on coping mechanisms than trying to determine why she became addicted or what she was running from.  This was by far the biggest hole in the book for me.

But at the end of the day, Lily and Lo are so painfully loveable that none of the other things seem to matter.  They never turn into sickeningly sweet, their problems don't go away - they fight their addictions every second of every day.  They don't do it alone - it takes a whole team of aggravating, obnoxious friends monitoring their every move.  But somehow, with all of that, you can't imagine one without the other.  Lily and Lo are co dependent to the max, but you can't imagine one without the other.  And it's really fun to go along the journey with them.
1314085
Lily Bard is a very complex character. She is flawed and she knows it and is comfortable in her skin. The story is engaging and you really pull for the good guys.
1152101
I picked this book up at a Book Sale and am so glad that I did. It is an easy read. Great for a vacation. It's interesting to watch Lily develop her own strength of character while being cared for by "strangers". Over time they turn into a family. A book with sad aspects but filled with love.
4356662
I have read all of the books in this series and event though I really like most of the characters, the way Lily is portrayed is too wimpy. Here she has a good place to live, a very interesting and important job, and a studly boyfriend, not to mention a pretty neat family. Maybe in the next book she will have a little more  cojones!
1389680
Since women were not allowed to practice law, Rosamund Carrow had to disguise herself as a man to finish the law cases started by her late father. She won a case against Lord Lawrence Byron and he was determined to find out more about the lawyer known as Ross Carrow. He felt there was a little something off about him but didn't know what it was. Ross had soft skin and long eyelashes and sat upright like a woman and not slouched like a man. When one of his brother mentions how they sneaked a fianc into a mans club, Lawrence suddenly realized the truth. Ross is a woman! Lawrence is determined to find out the truth and why a woman is pretending to be a man.

I liked the storyline as well as the characters. Lawrence felt he had to marry the judge's daughter or be blackballed but his twin Leo told him if the vows had not been said, there was nothing that could not be undone. He told Lawrence to follow his heart and that led him to Rosamund. He loved her body as well as her mind.
1991533
This is a book with characters you will long remember and with plot twists that will keep you rushing to read more!  When one thinks of teachers, an exciting character like Lilly is not who usually comes to mind.  She is a powerful protagonist who is able to rally her educator friends to her side in her quest for justice.

Lily's Payback is a book that is easy to read and hard to put down.  I recommend it to anyone looking for a well-written fun and exciting story.
4117730
An intriguing legal mystery with lots of confusion. I was surprised at the premise of this book. A senior citizen accused of threatening acts that then become a charge of murder. Her granddaughter, Octavia, is a sharp, fiercely loyal attorney. When the landlord of the Senior Citizens center raises their rent to an outrageous amount, Octavia comes to help fight it.
  This is how she meets Attorney Brett Merlin, aka 'the Magician'. Brett goes by the letter of the law. Octavia goes by her heart. All is fair in her eyes. So many things about Brett fascinate her. As well as an undeniable attraction to him. They are on different sides of the fence where the case is concerned, but they can't deny the attraction that is drawing them together.
  Octavia's character is amazing. So different from what you would expect in a lawyer. Her caring and concern for her grandmother is extremely touching. The methods she uses against Brett are frustrating to him. She has never felt an attraction like the one she feels for Brett.
  Brett is surprised with every new thing he learns about Octavia. From where she lives to her choices of food. Nothing about her adds up and she just keeps surprising him. He has never felt for any woman what he is feeling for her.
  When things take a turn for the worse, will he help her or hang her grandmother with a charge of murder? A mystery that you will love. An attraction that will fascinate you as much as it did them. I enjoyed reading this very much. It was a yard sale find and well worth the time to read it.
1601212
Georgia and Moses.  Their Laws and love for each other.  This is one of the best books that I have read in many years, really worthwhile and enjoyable.
3539255
I enjoyed this second book much more than the first. The first had a lot of build up and not enough action for me. This second one jumped straight into the action. I do wish there was more action (sexy action) between Lily and Tallis, but it was well-played for the story and plot line. I found Bill less irritating and Tallis' accent easier to swallow. So don't like the cliffhanger at the end, but I will be anxiously waiting for book three.
2726495
Lawyers don't have to like their clients.  It's a good thing, because Toby Dillon isn't delighted with Catherine and Nevin Handley.  Nevin made buckets of money as a dot.comer and has recently been elected to one of those quiet but very powerful political offices in local government.  They have been ignoring the extortion letters but the letters are getting nastier, and seem to be focusing more on Nevin.  The bone of contention?  Their adoption of Lynn, their sixteen-year-old tennis wunderkind.  Back when they had no money, they pulled a fast one on a small hospital, with the help of an unwed mother, so the paperwork looks right but really isn't.  So can Toby make it all better before the extortionist goes public and/or Lynn finds out?

Reluctantly, Toby takes the case.  Nevin is killed.  Toby tracks down the man who is the person most likely to be the birth father; he is not anyone's dream father, although he has his own code and he abides by it.  But is he the father?  The birth mother is also eventually found, and doesn't want to make any more problems for her daughter.  There are complications; aren't there always?

Toby's personal life is a little shaky, too.  He is very carefully building a relationship with Rita, but this case puts her and her children in harm's way.  Rita's been there, done that, and doesn't ever want to do it again; can what she and Toby have survive this?

BABY CRIMES is a marvelous second novel.  Hicks builds characters we can care about, in situations that could really happen, then takes us on a wonderfully plotted ride.
1106918
This tenth novel in the World of the Lupi series has all the action, suspense, danger and romance the fans of the series have come to expect.

The story begins at Julia Wu's fifty-seventh birthday party which goes quickly off course when Julia loses all memories of her life past the age of twelve.  Lily and Rule know that magic had to be involved. So Lily calls in her FBI colleagues to investigate. She is the agent in charge and manages to keep holding it together despite the fact that it was her mother who was the first victim - but not the last. Strange cases of memory loss are showing up all around San Diego which has Lily rushing from hospital to hospital to confirm that the losses were magically induced.

Lily feels certain that Robert Friar, an old enemy and disciple of the old god who wants to take over Earth, is involved somehow. Rule's people - the Lupi - have been fighting against Friar's goddess since before written history. This latest attack may mean that the humans are going to find out about this long-fought war too. It turns out that Friar's goddess is not the only one who wants to bring chaos to Earth. We get to meet a demon, a saint, and a fey artifact that has some degree of sentience before the story ends.

This book reunites many of my favorite characters from earlier books in this series. We get to see Cullen and Cynna, Grandmother and Sam, and spend time with Rule's son Toby. Al Drummond, the ghost, makes appearances that are helpful to Lily as she investigates too.

I wasn't able to put this one down before I knew how the story would end.
4129574
This is a great story of self discovery.  Lily has suffered a terrible ordeal.  She needs to find herself again.  In the mean time she keeps herself hidden.  When she meets Harry it is at just the right time and he is just the right amount of pushy to get her out of her darkness.  Their love affair is so back and forth that on a couple occasions I did start to get a little annoyed.  I am all for a good "will they, won't they?" story, but I really felt like there was a bit too much of that.  It is a beautiful story of a woman fighting her way back to herself!  And while I did get annoyed with some of the things that happened, it all lead to a place that I was glad to see them get to.  Harry and Lily are absolutely a fantastic couple and I am glad that they did not completely give up on each other!
425623
Adrian stops by Lily's store and informs that her she is the arbitrator of the magical community and leaves his satchel with her. He tells her nothing about her duties. Lily is being sued because Oscar's head but a woman in her store. Lily goes to see the woman, Autumn and finds her dying. The officers on the case feel she is a suspect because of all the herbs in Aunt Cora's Closet. To celebrate Bronwyn's Birthday, the coven spends a night in a haunted house. Exploring Autumn's death Lily finds out about cursed trousseau. A bee visits Lily at times and disappears. The wait to find out where this story will head will be a long one. I recommend this series.

Disclosure: I received a free copy from Berkley Publishing Group through NetGalley for an honest review of the book. I would like to thank them for this opportunity to read and review the book. The opinions are my own.
1754334
Loved this story.  I missed Lawyer for the Dog but I'll be getting it soon. Sally Baynard is a lawyer used to dealing with family law but a judge was so impressed by her representing a dog in a divorce case he appoints her as a lawyer for a cat who has inherited a fortune.  She's dealing with a mother with Alzheimer's,  an ex-husband who is running for judge, and her vet boyfriend who's son is totally against their dating.  Sally is a little older than many characters but she's fun and I'd like to have her as a friend.  Hope this is only the beginning of her career as an animal attorney.  Will be enjoyed by young adults and older readers.
4010534
I really enjoyed this third chapter in the life of Lily Bard, a cleaning woman with a bent for cleaning up murder mysteries.  I find the characters so life-like and believable that I can't wait for the fourth in this  series.  This time out we learn more about Lily's family and get some  insight into what helped form Lily into the person that she is. I really  enjoyed meeting her mom and dad and sister-about to be married-Varena.  The  mysterious Jack Leeds is back again and involved with Lily and the  kidnapping investigation. This is a cozy on the darkish side but I think  cozy readers will enjoy it as much as I did.
3732130
Lily and Arthur are great leads, both are in a turning point of their lives, one due to tragedy, the other from restlessness and maturity. I really liked how both slowly and sweetly fell in love, as well as resolving personal and emotional issues.
You get a glimpse of the next book's protagonists. Will be looking for following books by Ms. Kent