Fall of the Red Queen by Lexxi Callahan

Genre: Contemporary

Release Date: January 26, 2016

Publisher: Callahan Publishing

Format: ebook                     Pages: 252

Series: Southern Style #3

Sources: Publishing agent

Goodreads Synopsis:

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. 

My Thoughts: 

The Cover: Although the cover model of this book is good looking, it takes a little more than a man to make me want to read a book. Thankfully, I was already intrigued by synapses for both The Fall of the Red Queen and book #1 in this series, Sweetened with a Kiss. 

The Plot:  I decided that if I was going to read The Fall of the Red Queen, I had to read Sweetened with a Kiss first. And I am very glad that I did. While Jen and Stephen's story was a very sweet one, I hated all that Madlyn had done to them. So I was sure that was going to have an impact on how much I enjoyed The Fall of the Red Queen. Boy, was I wrong. The author really brings you in and you find yourself feeling for the main character. Ack, how did that happen, right? She's the Red Queen for a reason. 
The Fall of the Red Queen was very entertaining, with a plot that grabs you. You just have to know whats going to happen. 

The Characters: I really loved all the characters in The Fall of the Red Queen, including Madlyn, our infamous Red Queen and her grandfather, The Hanging Judge. Our author knows how to make you feel exactly what she wants you to feel regarding her carefully created characters and then knows how to twist the knife and turn those feelings around completely. I didn't know who I was gonna hate by the end of the story!

Is it Worth Reading?:  Oh, heck yes. And if this is you favorite genre, you just might put this up on your favorite shelf, to be reread and shared with everyone you know. I definitely recommend reading Sweetened with a Kiss first. The Fall of the Red Queen is so much more, because of Sweetened with a Kiss. I will admit I cried. I recommend both books to readers of contemporary, and give them both 5 out of 5 of Cupid's crossbows.