Release Blitz + Review: "Cocky Counsel" by Samantha Baca

Congratulations to author Samantha Baca on today's release of "Cocky Counsel," a standalone Cocky Hero Club novel inspired by "Stuck-Up Suit."

 

Tired of her moping around at home ever since her fiance dumped her for another woman, corporate attorney Eva Sanchez's sisters and best friend decided to drag her out for girls night at a nightclub. Eva's intention was to stay for one drink and then return home; instead, she made eye contact with a handsome stranger across the room, impulsively followed him to the bathroom, and hooked up with him in a linen closet without exchanging names. Two weeks later, Eva started a new job and was shocked to learn that her new boss, Ethan Roberts, was also her one-night stand. They both vowed to keep things between them professional and forget all about their hookup, but it wasn't long at all before they found themselves hooking up again in the file room after hours. 

Unfortunately, this turned out to be a book that I wanted to like more than I actually did. While the writing itself was decent and there was plenty of steam, IMO the relationship development left a lot to be desired. For much of the book, Eva and Ethan didn't even seem to particularly like each other when they weren't hooking up. However, the bigger problem for me was that Ethan was a terrible boss who never seemed to respect Eva's skill as a lawyer. He acted like she was a total idiot with no experience despite having worked in the field for almost ten years, wouldn't take the time to brief her on current cases or give her assignments, and got angry when she helped out another employee who went home sick. His excuse for not bringing her in on any of his cases was that he was "too busy," which infuriated me because he always had plenty of time to stop in the middle of the day to hook up with her! 

I was also really bothered by the situation at the end of the book involving Eva's sister Lucy and her estranged husband. Lucy's husband nearly beat her to death, and rather than sending the police to arrest him, Ethan took it upon himself to go and threaten him to stay away from her and their young son. The man belongs in jail, not walking around free! Even if he actually does stay away from Lucy, what's to prevent him from doing the same thing to another woman?
 

While this book was a bad match for me, it may well appeal to fans of the insta-love trope looking for a quick, steamy read. I would give the author another chance in the future.

 

*Review copy provided by the author/publisher via Give Me Books Promotions. All opinions expressed are my own.

 

 

About "Cocky Counsel"

I’m rarely a man who mixes business with pleasure but when I find myself hypnotized by a beautiful woman at the nightclub, I make the time to enjoy the finer things in life. Like having a quickie in the linen closet. Fast forward two weeks when that same magnificent woman shows up to my office, ready to work for my law firm as our new attorney.

Everything inside me screams I should step back and forget the girl that I haven’t been able to get out of my head, but it’s nearly impossible when she’s working in the office directly across from me. Her professional attitude and sexy attire do nothing to keep the inappropriate thoughts out of my head. But when a sexual harassment lawsuit from a former employee falls into my lap, I’m forced to walk away or risk losing everything I’ve worked so hard for.

Lust isn’t anything to worry about. It’s love you have to watch out for. It’ll bite you in the ass at the least opportune time.

Cocky Counsel is an instalove/office romance inspired by Stuck-Up Suit.