Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Love’s Lawyer
SERIES: Fearless Heart #1
AUTHOR: Janice Jarrell
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 268 pages
RELEASE DATE: April 29, 2020
BLURB:
Colin Campbell had been a champion all his life. Nothing had ever beaten him, not even a drug lord’s bullet. And he approached law school the same way he approached everything in life, with cocky confidence fizzing through his veins like ginger ale. He had it all. He had the looks, the brains, the experience, the know-how and he also had the love of his life at his side. He couldn’t be defeated.
But he hadn’t counted on the gravitas of law school, the reading, the preparation, the cases, the competition, the Socratic Method, the concepts, the grading curve, the expectations, the finals, memos, study groups, outlines… all of it piled and heaped upon those preparing for a career as an attorney until it wasn’t surprising that some of them simply imploded under the weight of it all.
Suddenly Colin was spinning out of control, scrambling to keep up, rarely ever seeing Joshua. His grades slumped as he tried desperately to balance the opposing forces in his life, but his only solution was stretching himself thinner and thinner, until he feared he’d be torn in two. Joshua pleaded with him to slow down, but Colin refused to lighten his load and the path before them grew darker and darker.
They’d been through so much and survived. Would law school be the storm they could not weather? Would it do what a drug lord’s bullet could not – hand Colin Campbell the bitter defeat he never believed he’d have to face?
Or would the man he loved find a way to draw him back from the abyss.
REVIEW:
Having been on the enforcement side of the law, Colin transfers to law school. He knew it was going to be tough, but what he doesn’t expect is to travel a path that he’s seen others traverse and promised he’d never do himself.
Love’s Lawyer is a story where my lack of understanding of a subject conflict with the entertainment value of a tale. Thus, my review may seem a touch disjointed.
The story is told in the third person present tense. Whereas many books in this viewpoint provide a clear-cut voice from either of the main characters, the distinction here isn’t always straightforward. For the most part, it is Josh’s views and opinions that are heard, but Colin’s sneak in via the third person’s voice. Worldbuilding, too, develops as the story progresses, with individual backgrounds coming to light as and when needed.
Colin is the retired cop/new law student, and Joshua is a therapist. The love between the two is evident, especially in the opening chapters, which are dedicated to the Josh and Colin appreciation society. But the power of ambition and the need to succeed severely tests them.
Josh has a heart of gold, is a worrier, and is the rock that every relationship needs – he will not give up on his man. The law school schedule coupled with a dysfunctional study group, ego, and unkept promises takes Colin on a journey that he finds hard to acknowledge, let alone accept. And this is where my conflict between storytelling and the facts of anxiety and depression appears.
Much is made of Colin’s Irish temper, which I think was a little unfair, as temper isn’t restricted to the Irish. Also, at almost every encounter, someone did something wrong, which, as the story progressed it became a little tiresome as it was the same argument rehashed with slightly different words. I am not sufficiently knowledgeable to know whether this depiction is realistic of the stressful situation or not. If it is, then kudos to the author, and I consider myself better informed. However, from a storytelling viewpoint, my sympathy for the characters morphed into wanting to slap someone with each repeat of the same thing.
Overall, I enjoyed the read but felt some parts could have been cut without detriment to the story or altered to a different dramatic arc. But, if you love a tale that contains ego, need, blind ambition, depression, and anxiety alongside the love of a good man, then you will eat up every word with cream and custard.
I found myself very much on the fence with this story but freely acknowledge that there are many out there who will absolutely adore it.
RATING: 
BUY LINK: