The Fall of the Red Queen by Lexxi Callihan
Series: Southern Style, #3
Romance Contemporary
January 20, 2016
Self Published
Reviewed by Tori
Favorite Quote: “This is not going to go well for you.”
Madlyn Robicheaux earned her reputation as the Red Queen. She crushes her opponents with a calculated ruthlessness that never loses. Jared Marshall is a distraction she doesn’t want or need. Even worse, he’s a threat. If she’s not careful, he could blow the lid off everything she’s spent ten years protecting, but crushing Jared is proving as impossible as resisting him.
Jared Marshall hates being a lawyer, he’d rather play with his band at Trick’s or make cheesecake at his bakery. His one shot at avoiding the family firm rests on convincing the Red Queen to join Marshall and Marshall. But when his legendary charm fails, he falls straight through the looking glass where nothing is as it seems. And the chemistry that blows up between them exposes a shocking vulnerability that questions everything he’s ever believed about her.
Redemption of a character isn’t an easy task. Especially if the author did an exceptional job of convincing the reader that the character in question was nothing more than as presented. Madlyn Robicheaux is such a character. In book one of this series, Sweetened With A Kiss, Callihan introduced us to Madlyn and made sure we knew she was the villain of the storyline and we would despise her. And we did. She belittled her dead fiancee’s sister, Jen, convincing her that the love of her life only felt pity for her and wanted her for her money. She helped her grandfather kidnap, drug, and then try to have the Jen’s marriage annulled so they could gain control over her fortune. She has maneuvered, schemed, lied, and if all else failed, crushed her opponents.
EVIL!
But as the old saying goes, there are three sides to every story. Your side, their side, and the truth. And Callihan is here to show us the truth of Madlyn Robicheaux- The Red Queen. With a lot of help from the oh so sexy Jared Marshall.
The Fall of the Red Queen is a romance contemporary drenched in heartbreak and pain that blows apart the preconceived notions that have been built by the first two books. A story of love, hope, redemption, and second chances. I highly recommend reading the first two books of the series, at least –Sweetened With A Kiss-as it provides the backstory to the events taking place in here and offers an interesting contrast to the characters we thought we knew to what we are learning now. The long game that Callihan has been creating is finally coming to an end with some explosive revelations. All the pain, sorrow, and cruelty the Red Queen has caused can be summed in one word…love.
“Emotion was a weakness he’d exploit in a heartbeat.”
Madlyn had her life all planned out at age nineteen until tragedy takes everything from her. From that day on, she has be forced to make difficult choices; choices that could spell life or death for people she loves. And every time she is forced to choose, she loses another piece of her soul. As a mother, I fully understand the emotions that have guided Madlyn. I would do anything for my daughter, even if it meant burning the world down around me. And while I fervently wished Madlyn would have had someone to lean on in the past, I’m so glad that Jared finally arrives to help.
“She’s been happy once. She didn’t expect to be or want to be again.”
Jared has always had it pretty easy. As the baby of the family, his every wish has been granted. From his music to his baking, Jared has been free to pursue his dreams up to a certain point. With his father slowly removing himself from the family law practice, Jared is suppose to come on board and help his brother Grant…unless he can convince Madlyn to take his place. Then he will be free to live his life as he chooses.
“Be a good messenger boy. Go back and tell your daddy I said no.”
Let the games begin!
The chemistry between Madlyn and Jared zings off the pages from their first meeting. Jared starts out poking and prodding Madlyn, wanting to see what’s beneath her icy exterior. The result is a hot fiery sparks that nip your fingers as we watch their insults turn to foreplay and the resulting passion take them both out of their comfort zones. Jared never expected to actually be attracted to her but the die is cast and the couple embarks on a journey that will leave them all a little battered and bloody when all is said and done.
“Don’t fuck with me, Madlyn.”
“But I want to so very much.”
Well matched in crucial ways; they are both victims of family ambitions and feel forced to push aside their own dreams in order to maintain the peace, it’s their contrasts that intrigue the reader. Tattooed & pierced Jared brings laughter and fun into the straight-laced & tightly buttoned up Madlyn’s life, something that has been sorely lacking. She feels so undeserving of it all and the lengths she has gone to punish herself is heartbreaking. Madlyn in return doesn’t put Jared in a box and sees the intelligence and hard worker beneath his laissez-faire exterior.
I loved that Jared doesn’t allow his personal feelings over past events to completely color his perceptions of Madlyn. He is a perceptive man and he sees the chinks in her armor. He pushes her to reveal more of herself, with each interaction and both suffers and marvels over her strength and perseverance. Even when she pushes him away, he’s always there for her.
“Tell me you’re not trying to save me.”
“I’m not.”
[…]
“I don’t want to save you. I don’t want to change you. You’re perfect”
The story flows at a steady pace, spilling the past and the present from Madlyn’s eyes so we understand exactly what happened 10 years ago and why Madlyn did what she did. My heart broke, I won’t lie. I had some suspicions but seeing it all spelled out in black and white was still shocking. As Madlyn and Jared work through their attraction, Madlyn is still maneuvering behind the scenes and gearing up for the final battle. Lush revealing dialogue helps to blend the romance with the conflict, making sure neither is overpowered or regulated to the corner.
While there were some odd phrases that didn’t come across as I think the author intended and sometimes the character changes weren’t always crystal clear, the story was what I had hoped for and more. Callihan not only made me understand Madlyn but completely won me over to her side. She sacrificed everything for love and finally won her redemption.
GRADE: B+
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