Exposing the Enemy
Lawyer Tristan Quinn has never met a woman he couldn't charm, so he's confident he can convince three elderly women to sell their artists' colony to a developer. He poses as a writer to gain their trust. But then he meets Lily Harrison -- the ladies' sexy, quirky niece -- and Tris realizes he's in for way more than he bargained for…
Lily can smell a lawyer a mile away. Expose him -- that's what she needs to do. One piece of clothing at a time -- until he's naked and they're at each other's hungry mercy. She can't trust him. She definitely can't fall for him. She just needs to keep her friends close…and her enemy much, much closer!
Good book. It opened with a flashback to Tristan's childhood and their hand-to-mouth existence. I ached to see the three young boys worrying about their next meal, stealing snacks from convenience stores and firewood from neighbors' sheds. This was when Tristan promised himself that when he was grown, he would find a way to help people who were in trouble. Fast forward a number of years and Tristan is an ambitious young lawyer ready to take his shot at resolving a long-running real estate dispute. All he needs to do is convince three little old ladies to take the money offered for their land. He planned to pose as a writer to get to know them. His plans got upended when he met their niece Lily.
Lily is an artist who spends the summers at the artists' colony with her aunts. She is a beautiful free spirit who says what she thinks and goes after what she wants. She's the black sheep of her wealthy family. She has no interest in their socialite lifestyle and pursuit of the almighty dollar. Instead, she was her aunts' protector, always on the alert for those who would try to take advantage of them. She was suspicious of Tristan from the moment she met him.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Lily and Tristan. The sparks between them were immediate and strong. In an interesting twist, it was Lily who was interested in a no-strings fling, while Tristan was the one who held back. Neither one is a big believer in love and marriage, but something keeps pulling them together. I enjoyed seeing them get to know each other, and how Lily's relaxed attitude rubbed off on Tristan. I liked the fact that he didn't feel right about taking things too far while he hid the truth of who he was.
Tristan also got to know the aunts and the other residents of the artists' colony. The closer he got to them, the more sympathetic he became to their position. I loved seeing the shift in his goals as being at the colony reminded him of the reason he became a lawyer. It was fantastic to see him step up and rally the residents to help with the attempt to save the colony. However, while he revealed part of the truth of who he was, the full truth only came out by accident. Lily was understandably hurt and angry.
I ached for both Lily and Tristan because they both cared, but a future seemed impossible. Tristan was a bit freaked out by the strength of his feelings but wanted to see where it could go. Lily, on the other hand, didn't believe that love lasted and pulled back to protect her heart. Both of them needed the time apart to get their lives in order and decide what they wanted. I loved the new Lily, with the confidence of success giving her the confidence to see Tristan again. I loved the scene at the art show (Tristan's brothers were great!) and seeing Lily finally believe in the power of love.
The storyline of the artists' colony was great. I loved the variety of people that were there and the influence they had on both Lily and Tristan. I understood Tristan's shock and dismay when he discovered that the aunts and Lily had dealt with the property issue by ignoring it. There were some terrific twists and turns as Tristan and the others stood up to those trying to take their land. I liked Tristan's assistant, Melanie, and the part she played. I especially enjoyed the discovery of the final piece of the puzzle and how it came about.
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