Taylor’s Law by Jennifer Raines
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ella seems to be the most tenacious character I’ve read about in a while. She’s just lost her sister, Chrissy, after a two-year-long battle with cancer, during which Ella was the primary caretaker for both her sister and Chrissy’s daughter, Tessa.
Returning back to her apartment following the funeral, she’s faced with an unexpected letter declaring an appointment Chrissy had at a Taylor’s Law Firm, the same firm that helped a greedy corporation swindle her family out of some of their farm’s acreage several years ago. This time, the family faces the threat of a custody battle over Tessa by her biological father, Drew, who seemingly wanted nothing to do with the pregnancy from the start. Things are only complicated further by letters from Chrissy posthumously delivered that imply she’s willing to give custody to Drew’s family in exchange for money.
Despite her own reservations and disdain for the law firm, Ella is drawn to Jake Taylor himself, and the two exchange heated words that seem to only fan the flames of attraction between them. For Jake’s part, he’s unaware of the history between the families, but has his own reservations about Ella’s involvement in Chrissy’s “extortion plot.”
There’s a lot of pushing and pulling between Ella and Jake, and when Drew finally agrees to a paternity test, things quickly cool off, much to Ella’s confusion and frustration. Drew has his own motives to pursue custody of Tessa; and after discovering the connection between Drew and Jake, Ella decides Jake is on the wrong side of her family’s best interests. She prepares for yet another legal battle against money and power, with the hopes that this fight doesn’t cost her everything she loves.
The book is clever, with lovable characters, plenty of tension, and just the right amount of surprise. Some of the push-pull between Ella and Jake feels a little discombobulated, but it might just be cultural differences, as the book is set in Australia; otherwise, I found the book to be a delightfully dramatic read.

View all my reviews