REVIEW: #20 Precession

Synopsis: (Taken from back of Book)

ATTORNEY RILEY MORGAN is still recovering from a devastating personal loss when a long-time friend and colleague convinces her to take on a new high-profile client at her Florida law firm. Little does she know the case will soon have federal agents knocking at her door and a highly skilled special agent, Kent Donovan, working behind the scenes to uncover a fraudulent enterprise that spans continents.

Riley’s world becomes even more complicated as she battles shrewd and portentous attorney Sam Stone to gain her new client’s freedom from an oppressive business arrangement with well-connected entertainment tycoon Tony Giordano. So far, not one young performer who has signed with Giordano has been able to untangle his stranglehold over their career. And, no one beats Sam Stone at his own games, in the courtroom or in the bedroom. In the midst of the legal wrangling, Riley must also contend with a stalker intent on making her pay dearly for providing legal aid to a victim of domestic violence.

Still, for Riley, the gravest danger may be the one her new client, Evan Cole, poses to her well-guarded heart. Is he really just an innocent pawn in Giordano’s games, or are his good looks and youthful charm hiding something more devious?

As Riley discovers the answers, the reader is taken along for an intriguing ride that is colored with the ominous shadow of an armed and dangerous killer, a challenging search to locate witnesses, heated legal battles, and Riley’s very personal struggle to open up and allow someone new into her life.

Vocabulary (Taken from Dictionary.com)

• Auspices – [noun] Usually, auspices. patronage; support; sponsorship: under the auspices of the Department of Education.

• Precession – [noun-astronomy] the slow, conical motion of the earth’s axis of rotation, caused by the gravitational attraction of the sun and moon, and, to a smaller extent, of the planets, on the equatorial bulge of the earth.

Review

Precession written by Abigail Arrington is a witty tale of accomplished female attorney, Riley Morgan. She’s young, she’s a babe, and she occasionally works barefoot. When superstar in the making, Evan, meets Riley for the first time – he mistook her for her hired help. Even though his own cocky ignorance initially clouds his view, Evan comes to realize he has never met an attorney quite like Riley Morgan – and for that, he is grateful. With the help of her four pawed doggy friend, Mason, Riley is determined to help her new client start his new life and on his own terms.

What Riley doesn’t expect is the acceptance of this (seemingly easy open and closed case) would bring FBI agents to her door. Has her client, Evan, been lying to her this whole time? On top of that – the whole issue of who she is ready to give her heart too just plagues her otherwise rational mind. Could the one guy who she convinced herself to let in – really be one she should be shutting out?

On top of providing Evan legal council, Morgan is stalked by a fundamentalist murdering sociopath hell (or shall I say Heaven-bent) on teaching Morgan a lesson. Precession is a legal-newbie friendly literature with a twist of girly charm. Arrington has a keen ability to provide us with many legal terms and situations without it going over our heads.

On a personal note – I wish the novel added more details on the locations in Florida that Riley Morgan practiced and/or visited. I would have loved to have read more specific locations to picture and to associate with (436, 434, 17-92, Baldwin Park, Downtown Orlando, etc). Being a local Floridan.. it would have made me feel quite cozy to have been able to more accurately visualize this attorney as if she really existed due to a mutual knowledge of these Central Florida locations.  Not many authors choose to base their novels in Florida, and so for this – I wanted more.

I also would like to see more character development and individuality in the way they speak and interact with other characters. For some reason, I couldn’t picture Riley being attracted to Evan, who seemed so arrogant, cocky, and immature. But it’s just that.. His descriptions were cocky, however the way he spoke, his “voice” was much like many of the other characters in the novel.  I felt that interactions in general with characters lacked voice. A voice to me is being able to feel as if these characters are real, and individual, with different personalities and past – right down the very core of their creation. Even so, I picture Riley Morgan with someone more challenging with more worldly experience. She has way too much going for her to have any sort of future with someone who – lacks anything impressive (other than musical talent). So far that, the mutual attraction between the two lacked realism to me.

Regardless of my obsession with character voice, Arrington weaves a tale showcasing her own knowledge and experience in the law field. It’s truly interesting from start to finish and a worthy read for anyone who enjoys a good crime & law novel.

I look forward to reading more in the Riley Morgan series.

[Rating:3.5]