4 stars

I loved many aspects of this story but at times I wanted it to be a little less back and forth between the characters. The steamy scenes were fire but I also wished, for once, that there was more story than sex. Still an enjoyable story. ( )

Read them all separately, but that seems like cheating since they're not even the length of a regular novel when combined. Still, enjoyed the story. ( )

Legal Affairs
4.5 Stars

After losing her longtime boyfriend, McKayla "Mac" Dawson is talked into going on a blind date with a stranger. Little does she know that her sexy one-night stand, Matt Conniver, is about to become her new boss. Will Mac and Matt be able to put aside their mutual attraction and work together?

Series note: Originally published in serialized installments, this is a review of the box set containing all 6 volumes in audiobook format.

Every once in a while, one comes across a surprising gem. This is one such book.

Mac is a lovely heroine: intelligent, witty and caring with a strong sense of self and a backbone of steel. While she is obviously head-over-heels for Matt and willing to give him several second chances, she never allows him to intimidate or dominate her.

Matt starts out as a typical tortured alpha with a one track mind, and is more than willing to engage in lusty, no-strings office sex. But, due to his painful past, he balks at the idea of something more personal, intimate and long-lasting until he realizes that he may just lose the best thing that ever happened to him.

Mac and Matt's chemistry is tangible, but some readers may be annoyed by the on again - off again nature of their romance; however, it is realistic given their personalities and different approaches to the relationship. Mac wants all or nothing, and Matt must decide whether he is ready, willing and able to give her what she deserves.

All in all, an entertaining and sexy romance with engaging characters and some light angst thrown in for good measure. ( )

Legal Affairs Serial Romance by Sawyer Bennett
Source: Purchase
Rating: 3½/5 for the overall series

**Note: this review is for the series as a whole.**

I fully admit to loving Objection, the first installment of this series but after reading the other five installments, I found myself completely disillusioned. In the beginning I was much taken with Matt’s take-charge attitude and Mac’s total defense of herself in the face of Matt’s asshatery. Their sexual encounters are crazy hot but I quickly figured out that the sex is really all Matt and Mac have going for them. As we see in installment one, Matt has all kinds of issues with Mac and relationships outside of the bedroom. Matt is all about the physical and he has no problem reminding himself and Mac repeatedly and quite harshly that there is nothing to them beyond the sex. Though Mac is constantly hurt by these reminders and Matt’s general attitude toward her outside of the bedroom, she absolutely believes there is more to him and that she is the woman who can change him.

As the series wears on, Mac and Matt fall into a routine that involves Matt being an a**hole, Mac wanting more than just sex, Matt being an even bigger a**hole when Mac tries to talk to him and, Mac inevitably snapping the tether and severing all ties with Matt. True to form, Mac mopes and Matt treats absolutely everyone around him like crap when the two are no longer having sex. Every single time Mac finally gets to the point where she thinks she can go on without Matt and his orgasm-inducing awesomeness, Matt does something moderately nice and sucks her right back into his cruel and controlling world. Mac sees the moderately nice act as a sign of Matt changing and dives right back in all full of hope and enthusiasm. Very early on, Matt figures out that Mac is incapable of resisting him and he controls her through sex thus creating a toxic relationship that is no way equal or fair.

To be fair, there is a lot in Matt’s background that has caused him to behave the way he does and Bennett does a fine job of explaining that background. For me, both the explanation for Matt’s behavior and the change that eventually happens is quite simply too little and far, far too late. The things he says and does to Mac are cruel and beyond unkind and in many ways, inexcusable. Every person has a choice about how they treat others and Matt simply chooses incorrectly nearly every time he has an encounter with Mac. Worse, Mac allows it to happen, repeatedly.

The Bottom Line: Understand this, I have no problem with this author and will absolutely read more of her books. Furthermore, I cannot complain about the writing style or the editing of this series as both were quite fine and professionally managed. As a fan of character-driven reads, my complaint with this series lies solely with the characters. I just can’t root for Matt or in any way have any hope of happiness for him. At some point, even fictional characters have to stop blaming their past and blaming others for their deplorable behavior and start making better choices. I get that this happens in this series but not before I am completely turned off by Matt and hoping for bad and nasty things to happen to him. Worse is Mac, a capable and competent woman in her work life who allows Matt to treat her like a whore. For Mac, Matt is a drug and like an addict, Mac can’t shake her nasty and awful habit. Mac chases the next high always hoping it will turn out differently this time around. By the end of the read, I had very, very little respect for Mac and that made me both angry and sad. At the end of the day, this is a series that has become wildly popular and I in no way judge those who love it and have favorably reviewed it. As we are all entitled to our own opinion, I found the Legal Affairs series to be a series that just isn’t for me. ( )