Review: Shattered Virtue by Magda Alexander (Shattered #1)


Note: This ARC was provided by Montlake Romance via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Twenty-four-year-old law student and future assistant district attorney Madrigal Berkeley wants to better understand how the men accused of murdering her parents were released without paying for the crime they committed. She finds an unexpected ally in the nation's top criminal lawyer and a partner in her grandfather's law firm, who just happens to be the man she's working under for her internship. He's got a reputation, both when it comes to his profession and with women, but thirty-seven-year-old Trenton Steele makes no apologies for either. He's ambitious and focused, but his new intern has captured his attention like no other woman before her. They become far more involved with each other than they should, but the deeper they delve into her parents' case, the clearer it is that someone's got secrets to hide.

Shattered Virtue is the first novel in the Shattered romantic suspense series from bestselling author Magda Alexander and is also my very first read from the author. I loved how the mystery and suspense was interspersed with the sweet and steamy scenes between main characters Madrigal Berkeley and Trenton Steele. There was a quiet but intense anticipation with where Madrigal and Trenton's relationship was headed as well as with the details that were finally being unearthed in the murder case of Madrigal's parents. It's impossible not to be sucked in by both the love story and the mystery, either one eliciting it's fair share of thrills and chills. Just when you think you know who's involved in the murder from twelve years ago, your theory is knocked on its head and you go tick off yet another name on your list of suspects.

I really liked Madrigal as a female lead character. She wanted answers and while she accepted help from Trenton and others, she made it clear that she did not like being set aside or made to feel as if she had no purpose to serve. She was also a good sister to Madison and loyal to the memory of her parents but it was when she was with Trenton that she found herself to be less restrained and more in tune with her needs and wants. And Trenton was just someone I couldn't help but fall in love with. Yes, he was cocky but he didn't have to demand respect because he simply earned it. His past is heartbreakingly painful and he doesn't share too much of himself with others, but there's a part of him, professionally and personally, that shows there's more to him than being a highly successful lawyer who enjoys the company of women. 

The book does end in a cliffhanger and you do end up with even more questions than when you began, and while I have been known to curse evil cliffhangers because of all the waiting involved, this is one sequel that I've already got on my to-be-read list. I've become too invested in Madrigal and Trenton to not want to find out what happens next, and I have my own personal notions with as far as the supporting characters, particularly Mitchell Brooks and Madison Berkeley, Trenton's mentor and friend and Madrigal's sister, respectively, are concerned. This was a fantastically written series starter in that it makes you want to learn more about the characters and continue on with the story. I read Shattered Virtue in one sitting and loved it to bits, making this five-starred romantic suspense book a 2015 favorite. ♥

Release Date: 22 September 2015

Date Read: 21 September 2015

Learn more about Magda Alexander here.

Purchase Shattered Virtue on Amazon.

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