Member Reviews
This third entry in the Lawless Brothers series is probably the best yet. Drew Lawless is the older brother who works hard to protect his siblings, while finding the people who murdered his parents. Of the four known siblings, only he knows the truth about his parents deaths. His goal is to take the cuprit down, but his choice of weapon is a little questionable.
Shelby Gates is a reporter-a good one- and is totally taken off guard by Drew’s proposition: he wants her to investigate the death of his parents, in exchange for a tell-all book. Drew goes in knowing he’s drawing a target on Shelby’s back, but feels he can protect her. But can he protect her from himself?
The characters were great-strong but flawed. There are surprises along the way, lots of strong emotions, and great flashes of humor. The strength of the connection between Drew and Shelby is titanium strong, but also fragile. We get glimpses of the Taggarts from the tangental Masters and Mercenaries series, along with flashes of the other characters in this series.
Shelby was bright, dedicated, and totally in love with Drew. Drew was a bit clueless, but finally reached a point where I didn’t want to kick him in a sensitive area every few minutes.
Overall, a delightful read from a delightful author.
I actually enjoyed this read as well as the entire series. The plot is intriguing and characters are memorable and have their own complicated story that weave them all together into an unbreakable bond.
This was by far the favorite of all of the series and I'm sad to see it go. This has been a really awesome book, plot-wise and the storyline was stellar. It kept you on the edge of your seat till the very end. I'm glad that I got a chance to read this one.
“Baby, if all I wanted to do was sleep with you, I would have come at you in the beginning. I do have some charm when I want to call it up. I don’t want to use charm with you. I want you to like me for the nasty bastard I am.”
Drew Lawless to Shelby Gates
Revenge
Kindle Loc. 2114 of 5646
To anyone other than his family, Drew Lawless is a cold, aloof, nasty bastard — a persona born out of the apparent murder/suicide of his parents two decades ago and reinforced by years in the foster care system. It was a fourteen year old Drew who saved his three siblings from the fire that engulfed their home that horrible night — a fire that was meant to kill them all. Knowing that the killer escaped the scene, Drew has never given up in his determination to discover who wanted his entire family dead, nor has he shed the mantle of being responsible for his siblings — Riley, Bran and Mia. Twenty years after the fact, Drew Lawless is know to the world as an isolated, ruthless billionaire, owner of the tech giant, 4L — a company he built based upon software designed by his late father, Benedict. Determined to clear his late father’s name and driven to exact revenge on the people who conspired to destroy his family, Drew has finally discovered the shattering truth of that horrific night. Needing to protect his siblings from the pain of a most profound betrayal, Drew hires investigative journalist Shelby Gates to quietly track down the evidence needed to bring the murderer to justice. Shelby, a gorgeous and strong woman agrees to enter into a faux relationship with Drew — they both need a cover story as to why she’s now in the picture. But the faked romance is quickly revealed to be a facade, and hiding behind it is a genuine longing for comfort and love. Is Drew Lawless capable of letting his guard down for Shelby Gates? Or has his need for revenge forever destroyed his ability to entrust his heart with another woman?
Revenge is the final book in Lexi Blake’s masterful Lawless Trilogy, and it blew my doors off! I’ve been wanting to read Drew Lawless’s story since reading Ruthless, and it was so worth the wait. In some of her finest writing to date, author Lexi Blake weaves a suspenseful tale of love, lust, betrayal and survival. Every character is written with depth and care. The plot is nothing short of superb — Blake’s manipulation of the reader via her characters is masterful. I was glued to this story — every twist, every turn more shocking and unexpected as the story evolved. And make no mistake, while Shelby Gates is a strong, sympathetic character in this book, Revenge is about Drew Lawless. Blake is flawless in her construction of a man who, by all outwardly appearances is brilliantly successful and in control of every situation, while inwardly living with the soul of a screaming teenager in panic of losing the people he loves.
Revenge is read best following Ruthless and Satisfaction, but by my estimation, a reader unfamiliar with the Lawless trilogy can put the characters and plot in place within the first two chapters of the novel — it’s that well written.
One of this best books I've read this year, I give Lexi Blake’s Revenge my highest recommendation.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Heart happy ending to the series…
This series has been slowly, steadily, drive me quietly (happily) mad, towards this conclusion and it was all I hoped for! Drew had steered his family through the worst moments of their lives and their need for answers, for revenge, were coming to a head. If you haven’t read Ruthless or Satisfaction, stop now and do that otherwise you are going to miss out on some really great stories plus the lead up to where Drew and Shelby’s story begins…
“I don’t intend to get the girl killed.”
“But you’re willing to put her in danger.”
Drew is a code-writing nerd but he is also a strong, alpha male who has plotted their revenge every step of the way, using any and all tools at his disposal. While he is not unfeeling, he is not the warmest bulb in the box, so when he looks to Shelby for help, it’s not surprising he thinks his heart won’t get involved…
Shelby is just as determined to help in any way she can. She is drawn to Drew and close work proximity means the desire for him only grows…
This was more than Drew and Shelby finding love (finally!). It was the entire family coming together once again to face their worst nightmares, as always, together. There is love and healing and a lot of emotion and passion, in storytelling that this author does so well. Even if she tortures me along the way…
LOL:
“Luckily his dick was a strategic thinker.”
DNF @20%. Had a hard time getting into this one. The writing was good but the plot had that feeling of been there read that a million times.
I absolutely love the Lawless series!! The books all build upon each other, even if they feature a different couple, so you need to read them in order.
While each of the brothers (and Mia) had a horrible childhood, they have each made something of themselves. And found each other and formed a family. Drew has always been more of the “robot” who didn’t have/show emotions and didn’t have interpersonal skills. He just knew that this hacker “Shelby” was quite amazing and frustrating at the same time. You can read more about their start in book 2.
Shelby has always been an investigative reporter. She learned about the Lawless family tragedy and her friend Carly’s involvement in the Lawless family and needed to know answers. She immediately starts digging in and rouses the suspicions and ire of Drew.
I knew these 2 were going to have a HOT story – and they do! Drew was so mechanical and Shelby is so emotive that I just knew their story would be combustible!
Also, featuring some of our favorite McKay-Taggart people!
ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
And the Lawless series has come to and end and it was perfection.I have been itching for Drew’s story and it is finally here.
Drew had this book coming and I was SO ready to read it! Lexi has a way with words and that transcends all genres of her writing. You especially see it with this book. You are hooked from the very start.
Drew was everything I knew he was going to be but it would be perfect. Once everything around his started to curumble, and his true hurt began to show, I feel for him hard. So incredibly hard. This was a story that gave you everything you wanted and then more that you couldn’t have imagined.
Don’t miss out on Revenge, fall in love with how wonderful it is and get lost back in this series again.
Drew and Shelby were the perfect couple to end this series with. The mystery played out like it needed to, and Drew got what he needed, while giving his all to Shelby! A GREAT series!
Really could.not get into this book 😭 which is a shame as I loved the rest of the series.
Title: Revenge
Author: Lexi Blake
4 unexpected stars
How I wish I had read the previous instalments of this series before getting my hands on Revenge. Since I hadn't done so beforehand, there were many things that just les right over my head, especially when it came to Drew's mother and the death of his parents. To say that it took me quite some time to get a semblance of an idea of what happened would be an understatement. It only made me wish more and more that I had known that it was important to have read the previous books to get an idea of what the backstory is about this family since it would seem that it's not just about Drew, but the whole of the four Lawless less siblings.
4 breath taking dreams
Even though I wasn't able to catch up on the bigger picture, there was absolutely no denying the fact that Lexi Blake knows how to weave a story. To make you fall deep into it and make you forget about things like time, responsibilities and all the other things going on in your life. Drew and Shelby's story was captivating and interesting. I wondered the entire time if Drew would ever be able to drop his ideas of revenge in light of what Shelby does to him... and he to her. I really enjoyed the fact that Shelby was more than capable to dishing it out as good as she got, which was absolutely refreshing. As much as I enjoyed Revenge, the fact that I didn't know what had happened earlier was difficult to surpass since it was such a huge aspect of the series, but I still love how Lexi Blake can bring you through an adventure you never expected.
*ARC provided by Author in exchange for an honest review. Reviewed by Kathleen, The Small Girl from A small girl, her man and her books
Revenge was the PERFECT title for the last book in the Lawless series. I have been hooked with this series since I read the first page of Ruthless (Lawless #1). Lexi Blake has the perfect combination of romance along with action/ suspense. She is quick to draw you into a story just to leave you hanging and wanting more from whatever series she has going on. Believe me, Lawless is a series that you want to read in one sitting! Waiting for all of the books to come out one-by-one was a KILLER! Oh, but so worth it in the end.
We finally get Andrew Lawless’ story! He has been a character that we have gotten to know throughout the Lawless series. Honestly, I was kind of wondering what kind of woman he would end up with. Shelby Gates was Drew’s perfect match!
Drew is still on the hunt for who murdered his parents. If you read Satisfaction (Lawless #2), then you know that there is a HUGE cliffy that you did not see coming! In Revenge, Drew reaches out to Shelby Gates to investigate this cliffy. The only stipulation that he has for her is that she poses as his girlfriend in public. Nothing can go wrong with that, right??? You do remember that Lexi writes romance… So clearly you know where this story is going…
Lexi did not fail me! The relationship between Andrew & Shelby was fun to read. They worked together well uncovering the mystery of his parent(s) death while navigating their attraction to one another.
“If you believe nothings else about me, believe that. I want you. I want to spend time with you, and I want to see if maybe you’re the woman who can handle my damage. Before you say something optimistic, you should know that it’s a lot of damage. You would be smart to walk away from me.”
~ Lexi Blake, Revenge (Lawless #3)
Lexi’s characters have a way of burying their way into your heart. You feel for them. You want what’s best for them. You root for them! And yet the suspense that she creates for her characters is the perfect mixture for each and every one of them to find their perfect path to one another.
“You are the be-all, end-all of my life, and I won’t ever leave you. When you’re ready, your future is here. I love you.”
~ Lexi Blake, Revenge (Lawless #3)
I am going to miss this series. I would love to see these characters pop up in one of Lexi’s other series like she sometimes does from time to time. I’m not fully ready to let the Lawless family go.
#BlackWidowMother #StoryOfALifetime #MrMoneybags #HotNerd
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1790448721
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/RR934J3NKKLNT?ref_=glimp_1rv_cl
Blog Webpage: https://mygirlfriendscouchfb.blogspot.com
Revenge had an forceful feeling to its plot – I couldn’t look away even when I wanted to; and I completed this book within two freaking hours of starting to it. The plot was twisty as it was bendy – and at one point; I do not even know how I survived the feels during this ride!
Drew is as ruthless as he comes off as – but he is also socially stunted; and I cherished the fact that Shelby understood that more than anything else about him. And the fact that she was the mature one in the relationship did not deter m; Drew did come off as rude and childish sometimes; and I enjoyed the fact that his inner monologue revealed the struggle he went through in regards to Shelby!
All in all, it was a a conclusion to a trilogy that did not disappoint. AT ALL. Now, I am looking forward to the next offering by this wonderful author!
When this series started out, I was really intrigued about the premise. Siblings looking to uncover who had their parents killed when they were kids and going after them now themselves. The plot has been twisting ever since! At the head of all that has always been one person. Drew Lawless. The one that saved them all from a burning house. The one who’s gone on to make a fortune in the tech industry. The mastermind behind most of their plans and orchestrates everything even when they don’t realize it.
I have a soft spot for a geeky hero and Drew certainly fit that mold. But he was also controlling in all aspects of his life because that’s how he’s had to grow up. I didn’t completely fall for him the way I was expecting, although I did find him cute most of the time. Even when he was being an overbearing and over-protective big brother. His relationship with Shelby starts out as everything else in his orderly life… with a contract and a plan that Drew will execute. He can be quite clueless most of the time!
Then we have Shelby. I’m not a huge fan of the heroines in this series but I generally liked Shelby until we get to the point where she blows up and I thought for an intelligent woman she acted a bit over the top. I did like her sense of loyalty and how she comes through for Drew in the end.
In terms of chemistry, in the bedroom these two had a ton of it 😉 but outside I thought it was more of an insta-love scenario (although it really isn’t technically). I don’t think they connected enough for me to believe their deeper feelings.
REVENGE wraps up the storyline nicely with some more twists and turns and the signature heat from Ms. Blake.
The third and final book in the Lawless series goes out with a serious bang. Full of mind blowing twists and turns, lies and manipulations; Revenge was one suspenseful read. Lies get unraveled and when the truth finally gets revealed, it’ll leave your head reeling
She was his fucking salvation.
Drew Lawless was a character I’ve had an obsession with ever since he was first introduced in Lexi’s Masters & Mercenaries series. The closed off and most guarded of the Lawless siblings always gave off some serious broody vibes and I couldn’t wait to meet the woman that would bring him down. When
investigative reporter, Shelby Gates, was first introduced in Satisfaction, I had zero doubt she’d be that woman. A woman with her own retribution set in motion, she’s like a dog with a bone when it comes to unraveling the truth. Convinced that one of the corporate giants that Drew and his family is also after is responsible for her brother’s death, she’ll stop at nothing to get to the bottom of it; even at the risk of her own life. Drew doesn’t need the nosy little reporter interfering with his revenge plans, especially when his siblings believe that he’s done with it all. But to protect his family, Drew will sacrifice everything; even if he knows they may never forgive him for it. And first on his agenda? Manipulate and scheme the gorgeous reporter onto his side. He’ll offer her a deal, even if he never plans on delivering on his side of things.
You put everyone first. You make the sacrifices. But I’m not your sacrifice to make. You don’t get to sacrifice me because I won’t let you. I am yours, Andrew Lawless, and you should get with the program.”
While I enjoyed the book as a whole, I also couldn’t help feeling slightly let down. Partly it’s my own fault for setting my hopes so big for Drew’s story and building it up in my mind, because the story definitely didn’t go the way I though it would after the second book.
I loved Drew’s tough as nails personality and the power nerd thing totally did it for me. However, there was this child-like quality to him at times that just didn’t fit the image that he portrayed throughout the entire series. Perhaps that was intentional, perhaps it wasn’t, but whatever the case may be, I struggled with that side of him.
There’s a lot, and I do mean A LOT that happens with this story. There’s enough twists and turns that you’ll be eager to keep turning the pages until the very end. On the flip side, all of this also slightly diluted the romance for me. I struggled to really feel that connection with Drew and Shelby. I suppose a part of me really wanted Shelby to be more stern then she was with Drew at times. Shelby understands Drew to the very core, and she understands why he lies and manipulates, even when she’s the one that pays the ultimate price. She gets what sacrifices he’s making for the sake of his family and so I understand why she’s as forgiving with him as she was. But it was also a tough pill to swallow to keep watching Drew push her away and her being that understanding. It sounds horrible, but I wanted to see her push him too. She truly handles him with kid gloves most times, and I wanted those gloves to come off and to really see that tough as nails woman beneath. But again, that’s my own expectations getting the best of me.
Ultimately, I just found some of the things that happened here to be almost too unbelieving. The twists are certainly shocking and you don’t see them coming, but it’s difficult to imagine one family dealing with everything that they did. It’s entertaining, sure. But at times it almost felt like soap opera proportions and I felt my enjoyment fizzle.
Don’t get me wrong, while it may not have been what I’d hoped; I still enjoyed this book quite a bit; hence the 3.5 star rating. It may not have been my favorite book in the series, but it still hit the spot, and it was a satisfying conclusion.
Revenge is the third and final book in Lexi Blake's Lawless Brothers series. I have been following this series right from the beginning so I was eager to know how it would all play out for the Lawless siblings. I have to stress that Revenge cannot be read as a stand alone. The series has a continuous plot with each brother getting a story along the way. So you have to read the series in order to understand what's going on and the history each character has. I enjoyed Revenge.
This is the story of the oldest Lawless sibling Andrew. As the title suggests after the murder of his father, Drew has been on a quest to find the truth. He'll do anything to get his revenge. He has waited long enough to get justice for his siblings. But for his plan to work he needs the help of an investigative reporter- Shelby. Now as for Drew, he was hell bent on revenge at first. Drew's personality is unlike any of his siblings. He is cold and practical at best. He doesn't deal with emotions and all his life he's been taking care of his family. Drew was the least selfish man I've met. He never once thought about himself and was always ready to sacrifice what was needed of him.
Then we have Shelby. Where Drew was cold Shelby was warm. Shelby's brother got murdered while investigating a case. Shelby hasn't been able to get over that or the case which surrounded his death. It just so happened that it involved the Lawless siblings. Now Shelby is involved but she can't seem to stop herself from getting close to Drew, from comforting him and from taking care of him. Shelby was an extremely like able heroine.
Drew and Shelby's relationship starts off as a contract which would help them both. But Drew being the practical guy that he is plans to protect his family first then deal with Shelby. But things change soon as expected. Shelby brings out the human side of Drew, makes him look at a situation from both sides. And all along Drew was there to protect Shelby. Lexi Blake knows how to write romance and steamy scenes and there are plenty of those in this book.
Along with the romance we also find out what really happened that night twenty years ago. Secrets are revealed and there are some really psychotic characters in this series. With some action there are twists and turns. I liked seeing all the Lawless siblings together one final time. There are some new additions but the bonds of friendship and family remain strong. Revenge was a nice conclusion to the series.
*Note: A copy of this book was provided by the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. We thank them.
OMG. NO NO NO. NO. NO, I TELL YOU! It can't be over. Say it ain't so! It was amazing and wonderful and perfect, and I don't want it to be over. I need more. Hint. Noah. Hint hint. But no. The Lawless family deserves their HEA. No more pain, my heart couldn't take it. SO MUCH LOVE FOR THIS FAMILY.
I can't say much because I'd like to avoid outright spoilers, but I can continue to embarrassingly shout how much I LOVE DREW AND SHELBY. Can Drew be a mega-jerkwad? Hell yes. Does that make me love him any less? Hell no! He's nerdy, sexy, and super protective of the ones he loves. This adorable and socially awkward man is lonely, and the way he maneuvers Shelby into his life is really something. LOL but Shelby, she sees through the scary billionaire and handles everything with such spunk and grace. I respect her so much.
Lexi Blake is a master at creating characters you want to be friends with and families you want to be a part of (despite their ability to find themselves in trouble with sociopaths and their minions). Blake doesn't hold back the punches either because of course when one shoe drops, the other must drop, too!
So many twists and turns in this action-packed romantic suspense novel! A compelling conclusion to a spectacular series! Seriously, Drew's story was everything I hoped for and more. My favorite read of 2017 so far!!
I sincerely hope we'll get to see more of these characters in the future!
*I received a copy from the publisher*
Favorite of the series by far! I have been dying to read Drew's story and it definitely did not disappoint.
Drew is mysterious and cold in some aspects. He does not let people in. This is not without reason though and I loved getting to know him better. I fell hard for him by the end of the story. Shelby is much more lighthearted and definitely the opposite of Drew. I loved her though and thought she was his perfect complement.
Their chemistry was off the charts smoking hot and I loved seeing how they progress throughout the story. The twists definitely kept me on the edge of my seat and I am dying to read more from this series!
3.5-4 stars
Drew was one of my favorite characters and I couldn't wait for his story.He is the main reason I wanted to read this book so bad!!
Drew is hot and I thought I continue liking him as much as in the previous books but in this one I had some issues with his character,there were moments he frustrated me a lot and upset me.Shelby is a lovable character.She is sweet and strong.
The plot was good but for some reason in the end I felt like something was missing.I love this series and I would definitely recommend it.