Necessary Evil by Jamie K. Schmidt Pages: 224
Series: Sentinels of Babylon
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Also in this series: Sentinel's Kiss
Also by this author: Sentinel's Kiss
Goodreads
In this steamy series opener from bestselling author Jamie K. Schmidt—whose writing has been called “hot and sexy, with just the right amount of emotional punch,” by Lauren Layne—a vigilante biker takes the power of love into his own hands. Lucy Simmons comes from a rough family, but she’s a damn good public defender. Even though she hates to see criminals walk due to sloppy police work, the law’s there to make sure everyone gets a fair trial, and Lucy certainly doesn’t believe in the kind of justice meted out by the leather-clad ex-cop they call “Evil.” He’s stubborn, cynical, and out of control—but he plays her body like no man ever has. For once, both Lucy’s boss and her brother agree: The biker is trouble. Evan Villiers took a sacred vow to let no killer, rapist, or pedophile go unpunished. When scumbags fall through the system, his motorcycle club cleans up the garbage. Although the Sons of Babylon and their methods may not be to Lucy’s liking, the beautiful lawyer has become Evan’s light in the dark. But his next hit is Lucy’s own brother—a murderer who got off on a technicality. Now, with his loyalties split, Evan must turn his back on his brothers . . . or lose the woman who has claimed his reckless heart. Includes a special message from the editor, as well as an excerpt from another Loveswept title.
I was attracted to the premise of Necessary Evil right away. A public defender heroine and an ex-cop turned vigilante biker hero. Evan and Lucy knew each other previously; they had been on opposite sides of a court room! Evan made it clear he would like to make Lucy his FWB (friend with benefits) but Lucy was not interested in something like that. She wanted a relationship. So, they parted ways. Over the years, they continued to bump into each other, Evan always offering the FWB again, and Lucy turning him away. I was getting a little frustrated with Evan and his total unwillingness to even consider being more with Lucy. Obviously, he didn’t like her enough to make an attempt. Then their relationship goes from 0 to 60 in the blink of an eye (well, actually, in the course of one bj). That seemed unbelievable as well. One blow job and suddenly she is his ‘old lady’? Really?? *Cue skeptical face*
Relationship stuff aside, Evan and his club, the Sentinels of Babylon, have a unique mission. They are all ex something (military, CIA, etc) and want to make sure that those who escape justice don’t escape for long. They work with ‘the judge’ to find their targets and do what they have to in order to eliminate them. Yes, they kill people. I loved this take on the MC trope. The dichotomy of being bad people who kill with vigilantism is fascinating and kept me thinking about how I felt about all this! I also loved that Evan sometimes questioned this as well. It was authentic and believable.
My biggest struggle with this book was the abrupt ending. All this craziness goes down, then its just sort of…over. I would have liked a bit more resolution. Evan’s growth over the course of the book from a man whore to a genuinely good guy for Lucy was nice to see.
- POV: dual 1st
- Tears: no
- Trope: MC Club
- Triggers: none
- Series/Standalone: stand alone (book 1 of a planned series)
- Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
- HEA: View Spoiler »
Her Survivor by Vonnie Davis, High Sided by LP Dover, Rebellious by Gillian Archer…then you will probably like Necessary Evil!
Necessary Evil
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