Avery Duff

I really think this series has some potential if the author, Avery Duff, can keep the plot a lot more tight in the next book.

"Beach Lawyer" follows Robert Worth. Robert has been working for a very prestigious law firm for five years and is given the nod that he is about to become a partner. Even though he finds the actions of one of the partners, Jack Pierce, to be personally distasteful, he thinks that he has more than shown the firm his worth. Things go great til Robert ends up flaming out when he is verbally pushed by Pierce. When Robert realizes that he is getting blackballed in town, he decides the best thing to do is take on Pierce.

I honestly think the first half of the book was really good. I loved how Duff developed Worth. Heck, I even liked how Worth got his first client/assistant. But then the wheels came off and all of these things are being revealed about secondary characters and things got confusing. We even have some reveals about Robert that I honestly didn't care about.

I would say this book tried very hard to be "The Firm" and then it just turned into a Lifetime Movie. There are way too many coincidences to be believed after a while.

I would suggest for future books it may be better to make sure that the legalese gets turned down a bit. You definitely realize Duff knows what he is talking about. But after a while I felt like I was drowning in legal minutiae and I just didn't care.

The flow which started off very well just jumped back and forth til the end. I didn't know who I was supposed to care about, who was a hero, who was a villain, etc.

The book ending fell very flat. I think I am supposed to intuit that some of these characters are going to pop up in the next book, but am stretching my brain to see how anyone but Robert should return.… (meer)

DNF @20%

Book source ~ Kindle First

Robert Worth is a lawyer. He does lots of lawyerly stuff. In great detail. Mind-numbingly boring detail. At 20% in, I had to give up or lose my sanity. The most exciting part is where he pushes the dillweed senior partner scumbag who then fires Worth on the spot, but even then he’s completely Worth-less. See what I did there? Characters are cardboard, women are there to be berated and sexually abused, Worth is ball-less. The writing is ho-hum. I sentence this book to the outgoing tide.… (meer)

The Boardwalk Trust
The Beach Lawyer #2
Avery Duff

MY RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️▫️
PUBLISHER Thomas and Mercer
PUBLISHED April 17, 2018

The Boardwalk Trust is a clever and complex legal thriller with a diverse assortment of interesting characters.

SUMMARY
What could be better than an office on the boardwalk of Venice Beach, with blue skies directly overhead and an unobstructed beautiful ocean view. Sitting at his faux bamboo conference table in a beach chair and wearing board shorts, Robert Worth has it made, and is not regretting his decision to hang his shingle on the boardwalk. A Venice publication even named him the hottest lawyer in LA , of course that was during a recent heatwave. One of his first clients is Delfina Famosa, a bright, nine-year-old homeless girl, who needs his help. She and her father, Teo, claim to be the beneficiaries of a family trust, that had been run by Teo’s recently deceased brother, but they have to appear in court to claim it, and Delfina needs Robert to help them. Teo is reluctant to claim the trust because of his past issues with alcohol and bad blood between he and his brother. Once Robert, Teo and Delfina show up on the assigned court date, they find there is very little even left in the Famosa Trust. Despite the small amount, Robert who is smitten with the adorable, book-reading Delfina, wants to find out what happened and make sure he can get her everything that she deserves. She calls Robert her Magna Carta Man, but Robert finds being a super hero is not an easy role, and then it gets a whole lot harder. As Robert peels back the layers of the trust, he discovers nothing and no one are quite what they seem.

REVIEW
The Boardwalk Trust is a gripping sequel to Beach Lawyer (Beach Lawyer #1). Robert Worth is joined by a wide assortment of interesting and diverse characters, some we fondly remember from Beach Lawyer #1. Avery Duff has added to the cast, many colorful and diverse new characters, some good, some not so good and some pure evil. Best of all, smart little Delfina Famosa steals the show by providing the motivation for the narrative and adding touching moments to the plot. Robert has gotten himself involved in a high stakes, complex, and fast moving case. The story is riveting, and clever and the writing flows effortlessly. Suspense and thriller fans and fans of the Beach Lawyer will not be disappointed. Thanks to Netgalley, Thomas and Mercer, and Avery Duff for advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.… (meer)