Then Came You
by Kate Meader
(Laws of Attraction #3)
Published by: Loveswept
Publication date: May 7th 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
In the courtroom, they’re rivals. In the bedroom, they’re . . . divorced. But could the road trip from hell lead to a second chance at love?
“I love Kate Meader’s books!”—Kelly Jamieson
Aubrey Gates is the hottest divorce lawyer in Chicago, a barb-tongued stiletto with legs that go on for miles. When her cool gray eyes meet mine across the battlefield, I want her like I’ve never wanted anyone or anything. Then I remember who she is: the woman who brought me to my knees. The woman who destroyed my faith in relationships.
The woman I used to call . . . wife.
And she needs a favor from me, Grant Lincoln.
It seems my ex forgot to mention the demise of our marriage to her dear old grammy, and now we’re both expected to attend her ninetieth birthday party. In Boston. And because it isn’t already awkward enough, Aubrey and I are driving there together from Chicago. That’s more than a thousand miles of tension, heartbreak, and barely concealed lust.
A little piece of paper might say we’re over, but this road trip is the true test. I intend to get my wife back . . . and I won’t stop until “I do.”
Kate Meader’s super-sexy Laws of Attraction novels can be read together or separately:
DOWN WITH LOVE • ILLEGALLY YOURS • THEN CAME YOU
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play
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EXCERPT:
Damn, the man himself has to appear and ruin a perfectly fine fantasy. He looks like the Terminator in Tom Ford. I can assure you that he didn’t dress so well before I met him. He didn’t even use chopsticks.
“Mr. Lincoln.”
“Oh, hold up, please!” Just before the elevator doors close, Serena Gleason, one of my colleagues at Kendall, joins us inside. She flashes a grin. “Aubrey, heard you got your ass handed to you by—Grant! Didn’t see you there.” Unlikely, given that the man is about as impossible to miss as a redwood.
“Serena, how you doin’?” Grant’s syrup drenches the entire car and he leans in to buss her cheek. “A little birdie told me some lucky guy’s scooped you right up. Congratulations.”
Serena flashes her hand, showing off a rock the size of a planet. She’s marrying her hunky personal trainer. “Thanks, he is lucky.” Sighing for a couple of seconds at the sight of her ring, she raises her gaze and frowns at me. “What happened to your arm?”
“Nothing.”
“Doesn’t look like nothing.”
“She won’t say,” Grant offers. “I’m thinking maybe a tryout for the Hawks.”
My eye roll is epic.
“Oh, there’s a story here.” Serena narrows her eyes in suspicion. I’ll be a source of gossip, visits from senior partners, and hopefully a tray of cupcakes by five.
The elevator reaches the lobby—finally—and we all step out and stand around awkwardly like we need to discuss our next moves. Sushi or Italian, friends?
Serena divides a look between the two of us. “Should I play referee? Or maybe something else?”
I shut that nonsense down immediately. “I’ll walk back to the office with you, Rena.”
“Got a minute, Bean?”
Again, with that Bean business. I can’t. Not now.
Serena mouths “Bean” at me. I want to thump her and stuff that rock on her finger in an uncomfortable place.
Instead, I say sweetly, “No—I need to get back. I’ve got a client’s financials to investigate, remember?”
“Been thinkin’ on your dilemma,” Grant says, his voice ridiculously lazy and sexy.
“My dilemma?”
“Thanksgiving, traveling with the beast, heading into the Lion’s Den.”
I shoot a look of not here at him, but Serena has already sniffed blood. “The Lion’s Den? Color me intrigued!”
He looks amused. “Think you’d prefer we discuss this in private.”
“Discuss what? How you tried to bypass discovery in Judge Jamieson’s court like a first year associate?”
“Nah. Me driving you to Boston for Thanksgiving so you can pretend to your grandmother that we’re still married.”
I gasp, which sets off a chain of unfortunate events. Slightly panicked, I move closer to Grant instead of farther away, inhale how good he smells, become light-headed with the pleasure of it, then step back. I look like a dancing fool and Serena definitely notices, her eyes going wide with wonder at my smoothness.
“Rena, I’ll catch you later.”
“Yeah, you will, girl.” Serena toddles off to get the rumor mill grinding at the office.
I shoot stabby eyes at Grant. “Nice going, idiot.”
“No problem. Let’s get coffee in the food court. Won’t take long to sort out the details.”
What details? This isn’t happening. Yet I turn, trancelike, toward the escalator.
I know he’s watching my ass with those dark blue eyes of his. I’m not much taller than five four and I need heels to strike fear and envy. But I’ve always had a very well-proportioned behind that looks good in pencil skirts and Grant has always been an ass-man.
Like the recent reawakening of my long-dormant sexuality, the sway of my hips as I walk ahead of my ex-husband fills me with power. I know it’s ridiculous to feel this way because of a male gaze, but I can’t help it. It’s his gaze that fuels me.
My Review:
3 stars
***
This book was pretty good, but I didn't like the end as much as the beginning. Then Came You is Grant and Aubrey's story. Grant and Aubrey are a divorced couple. They are both lawyers working at different firms in the same building and they share mutual friends, so they see each other often but are not friendly. But, despite the fact it's been several years since they broke up, Grant learns that Aubrey's grandmother doesn't know they are divorced and expects them both to attend her birthday party across the country. He knows Aubrey is very afraid to fly so he volunteers to help her out by driving her to Boston and pretending they are still together. Also, he secretly wants to clear the air between them and discover what really happened to their marriage. As the two spend time together on their road trip, they discover their feelings haven't gone away and they manage to heal together so they can begin their relationship again.
I liked the premise of this book and the story. I started out liking Grant and Aubrey, but grew to not like him in the end. As the book goes on, we come know what happened to end their marriage in the first place. Grant blamed the ending of the marriage on Aubrey and held a grudge against her for it. But, to me, it was very much Grant's fault (view spoiler). Aubrey did not give up on the marriage, Grant did. But he blames it on her for the whole book and she accepts the blame. It made me so mad at him and I ended up hating him. I felt so bad for Aubrey. I felt she deserved an apology and some grovel. I wasn't sure I believed that their relationship might not fall apart again for the similar reasons (like Grant giving up). That all pretty much ruined my enjoyment of the book, which was a shame because up until all of what happened in the past came to light (and we can see it's not all Aubrey's fault), the book was really good to me and would have been a 4 star read.
So, while this book kind of went downhill on the enjoyment scale for me as it went on, I still enjoyed most of it. What didn't work for me may still work for you. I still enjoy Ms. Meador's work and I will give her books another try in the future.
I liked the premise of this book and the story. I started out liking Grant and Aubrey, but grew to not like him in the end. As the book goes on, we come know what happened to end their marriage in the first place. Grant blamed the ending of the marriage on Aubrey and held a grudge against her for it. But, to me, it was very much Grant's fault (view spoiler). Aubrey did not give up on the marriage, Grant did. But he blames it on her for the whole book and she accepts the blame. It made me so mad at him and I ended up hating him. I felt so bad for Aubrey. I felt she deserved an apology and some grovel. I wasn't sure I believed that their relationship might not fall apart again for the similar reasons (like Grant giving up). That all pretty much ruined my enjoyment of the book, which was a shame because up until all of what happened in the past came to light (and we can see it's not all Aubrey's fault), the book was really good to me and would have been a 4 star read.
So, while this book kind of went downhill on the enjoyment scale for me as it went on, I still enjoyed most of it. What didn't work for me may still work for you. I still enjoy Ms. Meador's work and I will give her books another try in the future.
Author Bio:
USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR
Originally from Ireland, Kate cut her romance reader teeth on Maeve Binchy and Jilly Cooper novels, with some Harlequins thrown in for variety. Give her tales about brooding mill owners, oversexed equestrians, and men who can rock an apron or a fire hose, and she's there. Now based in Chicago, she writes sexy contemporary romance with alpha heroes and strong heroines who can match their men quip for quip.
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