Balancing Act

The Santa Monica Trilogy #3

by Jill Blake

When Angie goes head to head against her old nemesis Zach, “backroom negotiation” takes on a whole new meaning. As lawyers on opposite sides of a case, they’ve got plenty to argue about. She’s an environmentalist. He’s in-house counsel for a land developer.

But handling difficult clients, interfering family and friends, as well as courtroom battles proves easier than facing a growing mutual attraction that threatens to spin out of control. While Angie wants to believe there’s more to life than legal briefs, she’s been burned before. Can she learn to trust Zach, or will complications of his playboy past derail any chance of a happily-ever-after?

(Please note: Though this is the third book in the Santa Monica Trilogy, it can be read as a stand-alone novel.)

Genres: Contemporary Romance

155 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 11, 2015

About the author

Jill Blake loves chocolate, leisurely walks where she doesn’t break a sweat, and books with a guaranteed happy ending. A native of Philadelphia, Jill now lives in southern California with her husband and three children. During the day, she works as a physician in a busy medical practice. At night, she pens steamy romances.

The Doctors of Rittenhouse Square :
Pursued by the Playboy (Kate & Marc) - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B1S1EJQ
Taking a Chance (Samantha & Alex) - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FG936YC
This Time for Keeps (Isabelle & Luca) - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I6SYS60

The Santa Monica Trilogy :
Without a Net - (Eva & Max) - http://amazon.com/dp/B00LDVF1VS
Coming Home - (Grace & Logan) - http://amazon.com/dp/B00OZR19C2
Balancing Act - (Angie & Zach) - http://amazon.com/dp/B00VUKNZ60

The Silicon Beach Trilogy :
Beyond the Ivory Tower - (Anna & Ethan) - http://amzn.to/1FQQceo
Sweet Indulgence - (Becca & Leo) - http://amzn.to/1ndlclu
A Matter of Trust (Klara & Vlad) - http://amzn.to/2cvDqvv

Reviews

[Sherri Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

I was given this book by the author for an honest review.

This is the first book I've read by Jill Blake. It's the third book in a series, however for the most part it can be read as a standalone. I say for the most part because there were a few times, when in the heroine's point of view, where she would talk about certain characters like the reader was familiar with them. I went back and looked at the other two books and they were the main characters in those books. Being that I hadn't read the other two books, however, it left me scratching my head a little.

Aside from that, I did enjoy Zach and Angie's story. I'm not sure if the author has a background in law or just did her research, but the legal aspects of the book were very believable. The attraction between the two main characters was also believable. They had a history...a family connection.

I did feel that there were parts of the book that moved too fast and could have been developed more. While Zach and Angie had a history, it would have been nice to see some of the interactions between them during their day together rather than a brief description of what happened. Also, I felt this book really should have had an epilogue. It would have given a bit more closure to the story.

Overall, it was a good read. Will I check out the rest of the series? Maybe. While I liked the book, it didn't leave me craving more.

I would recommend this book to readers looking for a romance with a side of courtroom drama.

[Kate McMurry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been rereading this trilogy. All three are keepers. The heroine of Book 1 is the older sister of the heroine of this book, as well as half-sibling with the hero of Book 2. The theme of the sibling relationships running through these three books is quite enjoyable, because the three of them are emotionally close and very supportive of each other.

[Ruthie Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads

This is the last in the trilogy, yet could easily be read as a standalone. There is a certain inevitability that when there are three siblings, once it is the last one's turn, much is already known, and expected. I think that because this time it was the sister, that didn't happen.

These two leads are so dedicated and committed to their work, that it is as if their love affair is with their cause, rather than possible with people. I felt that it was exactly as the title describes it - a balancing act. Much like a parent shouldn't make decisions on behalf of a child, these two could not deny their budding romance, but had to remain measured. It worked for me! Sometime I am looking forward to reading all three in one sitting, as it would be fun to watch the whole unfold together.

[S.M. Harshell · Rating 3 out of 5]

**I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.**

Balancing Act is the third book in the Santa Monica Trilogy. They can all be read as stand alones.

Balancing Act is a sweet love story, between Zach Stewart and Angie MacDowell. He's a developer and she is an environmentalist lawyer. They have known each other for years and found themselves on opposite sides of a case. There is an immediate attraction on both sides, but Angie knows her clients case is more important than a night with Zach.

There wasn't the spark, the connection between the two MC's. It was a sweet story but nothing explosive. I normally enjoy Ms. Blake's story but this one just wasn't there for me.

[A. McCarty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imaginative Dreams was given a copy for an honest review.

Although I haven't read the rest of the trilogy, I found this book to be amazing. I loved it and now I want to go back and start from the very beginning of the trilogy.

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Southern California, home to rabid environmentalists, high-end builders/land developers and legal entanglements that can make or break either side of the aisle. Angie is the rabid environmentalist with a heart that goes out to her clients, an elderly couple who have refused a buy out in the name of urban Improvement. Zach is the attorney for his father’s corporation who is trying to develop the land the couple’s home is on. Clearly, these two have been panting for each other for years, but maintain an adversarial façade that may just boil over in court as they head for a showdown that will determine who lives where and who builds what. Can they settle the suit out of court without any conflict of interest? The answer is yes, but the line between love and hate is very thin and it is getting thinner as these two prove equals in the matter of Love v Law.

Balancing Act by Jill Blake is humorous, hot and just plain fun reading. Ms. Blake is not attempting to re-invent the wheel, she is spinning that wheel and leaving scorch marks on the road to love. With witty banter, a few misunderstandings and two “meant for each other” characters dancing around the “L” word, my face was sore from smiling throughout this light romance! Seriously, is there anything better than letting the lady tame the beast? Or was it the other way around?

Light, fun, fast, total escape entertainment, proving it is okay to read for the “love” of it!

I received this copy from Jill Blake in exchange for my honest review.

Series: The Santa Monica Trilogy - Book 3
Publication Date: May 11, 2015
Publisher: Jill Blake
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Print Length: 159 pages
Available from: Amazon
Reviewed for: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[LJT · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author Jill Blake has another pleasing read with Balancing Act, the third and final book from The Santa Monica Trilogy. I am a huge Jill Blake fan and always look forward to each and every new story she writes. I was fortunate to have read the first two books from this series and enjoyed them very much. Regrettably, I did not feel the same way about Balancing Act, because I did not experience that scorching spark between the two main characters, attorney and environmentalist Angie MacDowell and Zach Stewart, a successful attorney and businessman. Both are passionate about their work and that is what ultimately brings them together.

Angie and Zach have known each other for a long time, while silently living with a mutual attraction for one another. Now they find themselves on opposite sides of the same case. Angie's client wants to remain in her apartment of 32 years, while Zach's company wants to tear it down in order to rebuild an environmentally friendly community. The environmental issues that go along with new construction play a major role in this story.

I truly love the way Ms. Blake writes a story, with clear, well thought out scenes and descriptions. Her fluid writing style is easy to interpret and a joy to read. Although this book is part of a series, it can be enjoyed as a standalone.

Complimentary copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Nancy R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crisply written second-chance romance about two lawyers on opposing sides of a lawsuit. We’ve met Angie before in the first two books of this series, which were about her older siblings. In Balancing Act, Angie plays the starring role. She’s funny and smart, and doesn’t take any s*** from the hero. Zach is your usual man-whore alpha type who’s about to fall and fall hard. What saves him from being a cliché is that he’s smart and has a good work ethic, and is conscientious when it comes to family (or at least his father). He also does some pretty sweet things along the way that show how he really feels about Angie, even before either one of them admits to being in a "relationship".

One of the things I really like about Jill Blake’s books is that she builds a very realistic world and populates it with interesting quirky people. We see recurring bit players here, like Angie’s siblings and her ex-boyfriend Quinn. (I hope Quinn gets his own story!) There are also some not-so-nice characters like Zach’s squash buddy, who’s a real class-A jerk but who serves the purpose of filling both Zach and the reader in on some of the backstory.

The pace moves quickly, with snappy dialogue and great chemistry between Zach and Angie. Overall, I really enjoyed this book.

Note: I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Olga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book!
Move over, Dr. McDreamy...hello, Zach Stewart!
If you’ve read any of Jill Blake’s previous books, you probably know that she does a super job of writing sharp, funny, touching, true to life romance. You probably also know that her characters are mostly doctors, or some variation of medical/scientist professional. With Balancing Act, she’s moved away from medicine and written a terrific romance about two lawyers.
Angie is the younger sister of characters we met in books 1 and 2 of Blake’s Santa Monica trilogy. Here, she and Zach come to life as fleshed-out characters in their own right. Angie files a lawsuit against Zach’s company. When they clash, their snappy dialogue reminds me of Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday. And their chemistry is through the roof.
My only complaint is that the book is too short, and that it’s the 3rd book of a trilogy. I would have loved to see more of these two!
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Cynthia Ogg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was definitely a good time. I enjoyed the read, it was fast past and didn't require a HUGE time commitment. I enjoy that there's more to this series, if I want to read the other 2 books in The Santa Monica Trilogy BUT Balancing Act is a stand alone. I'm much more likely to jump into a series if I don't *have* to read every single book in it. I jumped into the Immortal After Dark series by Kresley Cole after she'd been writing a number of years - it can be hard to keep up!

Balancing Act read like one of those Harlequin novels that you could devour on your lunch hour and I really liked that. I enjoyed that both characters were constantly on the wrong foot; a lot of novels now have an over confident male with a lip-biting fool of a heroine. Not this one. Angie is strong and assertive and doesn't spend the entire novel running away. Zach is smart and attentive without being an idiot. This is a great read and I'm actually excited to read the other 2 books!

[Isha Coleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

REVIEW: BALANCING ACT BY JILL BLAKE  
 
My Review
 
Balancing Act (The Santa Monica Trilogy, #3) by Jill  BlakeMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
 
Balancing Act gives a whole new meaning to the saying "Keep your friends close but your enemies closer."  The chemistry between Angie and Zach practically scorches the pages.  Jill Blake has concocted a story that consists of two people who are used to doing things their way.  Their determination to outdo each other is what ultimately makes them a perfect match.  Now if they can just admit it to themselves and each other.  I received Balancing Act for an honest review.  Jill Blake's battle of wills is a tension filled, entertaining yet sensual romance that you won't want to put down.  Loved it.  (www.goodreads.com/review/list/2555691...)
 
Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Balancing-Santa...

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is my favorite of the series but then I've always been a sucker for a good courtroom drama.
When attorneys Angie and Zach find themselves pitted against each other in a lawsuit the sparks fly. She’s got a vested interested in the environment and protecting her elderly clients while Zach needs his case wrapped up for his father regarding a land development deal.
I loved the courtroom and legalese as these two "briefed" each other about points of contention while battling their attraction even though they've always been distant family friends. Zach has a playboy reputation while Angie is afraid of letting her heart get involved with him and they have to find a way to settle the case and see if they have more than fleeting hormones ruling their chemistry.
I received an advanced reading copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Lynn Lim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful novel of Angela and Zack, they have known each other for 13 years. Unknown to Zack, for several years Jill has had a bit of a crush on him. Jill has always been afraid to let her feelings to Zack for him be known. She watches him seemingly go from woman to woman always ignoring her, particularly at the wedding several years ago. Little does she know......

Ms Blake does a wonderful job telling this story. her writing brings you into it to the extent that you really can't put the book down.

I have definitely found a new author to follow in Jill Blake. I absolutely love this book and her style of writing. Keep up the great work.

I received an ARC of this book for my honest opinion. In my opinion if you love contemporary romance novels you will not be disappointed in reading this book.

Thank you for reading my review

[The Book Fairy Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, loving and strong Angie will steal your heart in this book. Zach is the ultimate alpha male- whore, but under the surface you find that he is more than just what you see. He is the man that you can count on. The man that will be there for his family. He is the man that will steal your heart and refuse to give it back. What more can we ask for in a man? Jill makes these characters believable and the world she creates is more than just something you see in your imagination. They are people that you can see yourself being friends with. In short this book is more than just a romance it is something more special that will stay with you.

[Maya Calden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Balancing Act is the third book I have read by Jill Blake. It is also the third book in a Trilogy but could be read as a standalone as well. I already enjoyed the first two books but in my opinion this one is the strongest and against some of the reviews above, I found the romantic tension between the characters very believable and a real page turner. I couldn't put the book down.
I also enjoyed the background story of the two main characters, the environmentalist Angie MacDowell and attorney Zack Stewart.
I definitely recommend it as a very well written enjoyable book worth reading.

[circumspect4 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a love story involving two attorneys, Angie and Zach. The are adversary attorneys but also have know each other for over 10 years. Angie files a lawsuit against Zach`s dad's company. Zach pursues Angie and they begin dating. It's your average romance novel. Although, I enjoyed reading it, I just felt like something was missing from the storyline. It just felt a little mundane. I haven't read any of the other books in the series as it's stated it's a stand alone novel. It was an easy light read, but there was just something missing. I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Lyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first read by Jill Blake and although this is the third book in a series, I had no trouble reading it as a stand alone. Angie and Zach are both lawyers dedicated to their jobs and secretly to each other. The two fight back and forth over the case at hand but neither can deny the sparks that fly between them. I absolutely loved Zach, he's a total alpha and while he's a man's man, he was able to be the soft, sensitive boyfriend that Angie needed at times. This may have been my first book by Blake by it definitely won't be the last!

[Bette Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third and final installment in the Santa Monica Trilogy. It can, however, easily be read stand alone. I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books in this series, and while this book too was enjoyable I didn't feel as connected to the story or the characters as I did in the prior books. Nor did I really feel any chemistry between the two main characters. The writing and storyline were very good and I was glad that Angie got her HEA.

[BookSnuggle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for an honest review. This is the first book of the series that I've read. The book is fine as a standalone. It makes me want to go back and read the first two books. This is a sweet romance. Zach and Angie have known each for years. They end up on opposite sides in a court case. You can feel the emotions and tensions between Zach and Angie throughout the story. It's a great read for when you need to escape for a little while. I enjoyed the book.

[LaGina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first read from Jill Blake and part of a trilogy. I was able to read Balancing Act without having read the first two without a problem. The story held my attention and I found myself sneaking in little reads here and there when I could get a free moment. I will be keeping an eye out for more from this author.

[Julesjr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Light, quick, delightful contemporary romance. Full review to come.