Review: On Best Behavior by Jennifer Lane

The CONduct series

A chance meeting outside a parole officer’s office. A supportive hug from a stranger. An attraction that blossomed into a beautiful romance amidst a backdrop of betrayal, complex family issues, redemption, and second chances.

Jennifer Lane has weaved an exciting tale of love between Grant Madsen and Sophie Taylor, two amazing and good-hearted individuals driven into bad situations.

In With Good Behavior (CONduct #1), we joined them as they began their journey in picking up the pieces of their lives after serving time in prison. In Bad Behavior (CONduct #2), we see their struggles in healing, moving forward, and taking control of their destinies which were taken away from them and landed them in prison. On Best Behavior (CONduct #3) is the culmination of Grant Madsen and Sophie Taylor’s story as they prepare to face their future together as husband and wife. That is, if they could stop the Russian mafia and Grant’s father from ruining their plans.   

Blurb for On Best Behavior

Planning a wedding is never easy—especially when the Russian Mafia wants you dead.

On Best Behavior—the third and final book in The Conduct Series—finds our favorite couple moving forward, despite the odds. Following a pardon by the Governor of Illinois, ex-cons Sophie Taylor and Grant Madsen are finally free to pursue their love and the life that lies ahead for them. Grant now fights the forces that have hurt his loved ones by working undercover for the FBI, and he has infiltrated the Russian Mafia in Chicago. Sophie dives into swimming with Grant’s nephew, Ben, and into her career as a psychology professor. Thankfully, now it’s Ben’s turn to heal through therapy sessions with Dr. Hunter Hayes.

With so many things going right for Grant and Sophie, it's too bad the Russians aren’t their only threat. When Grant’s father, Enzo Barberi, discovers his own son thwarted his plan to break out of prison, his overdeveloped sense of vengeance flares to life. As Sophie scrambles to save her fiancé, it's impossible to say who will kill Grant first—the Russians or his Italian family. Can love triumph over evil? Are hard work and a pledge to be on best behavior ever enough?

Once again, author Jennifer Lane brings a harrowing tale of romantic suspense with a psychological twist, and it's sure to leave readers breathless.

My review (based on an ARC provided by Omnific Publishing)

I have been a fan of the series since I discovered it in late 2012. It was such a refreshing read after surrounding myself with troubled billionaire alpha males. Grant, a beta hero, was a breath of fresh air and was so endearing that even I wanted to protect him from the big bad wolves, aka his family. Sophie, on the other hand, was very relatable that it’s easy for women like me to identify with her. Together, they were wonderful. You couldn’t help but just root for them and wish that they would ultimately get the happy life that they deserve.

Thankfully, it would only take me months to find out. It must be said, they felt like a year, especially because I was also itching to read more about one of my favorite supporting characters in the story, good ol’ Uncle Joe (ehem!)

The first third of the book was a little rough for me. There were scenes that seemed unconnected. I found myself going back and forth to see if I missed a page or a paragraph. It felt that some parts were cut in the editing process.

However, as the story progressed, the flow got smoother and I just enjoyed reading the increasingly complicated story.

Grant and Sophie were apart most of the time, though the reason they had to be away from each other was understandable and justified. Sophie’s doubts and insecurities felt very natural. On the other hand, Grant was too perfect. He was so considerate of Sophie’s feelings and almost always thought of her before he acts on anything. Surely, if a man like that exists, he deserves to have his own statue in a church!

I especially liked the therapy sessions and Sophie’s conversations with other psychologists. I learned a lot from them and was delighted to realize that their analyses are usually similar to mine. The frustrated psychologist in me really wish that Dr. Lane was my professor *wink*

The flashbacks were heartbreaking. There were moments I found myself tearing up for Grant, but there were also times that I couldn’t help but smile because Uncle Joe was in it. *sigh* Hey, who doesn’t like a kind-hearted man in uniform?!

Ben’s story arc was also a good addition. His emotions and reactions are typical of a teenager. I must commend the author for creating authentic characters and believable dialogues. I am crossing my fingers that there will be a spinoff for the young Barberi someday, with Grant, Sophie, and a married Uncle Joe (preferably to me) making cameos, of course. Hint! Hint!

Though he doesn’t deserve it, I’m devoting four sentences for Enzo Barberi. He has been a fairly one dimensional character to me in the previous books, which made it easy for me to plainly hate him. We see another side of him in this book. I admit I was surprised with how much I softened up, even a little for him here.

Fans of romantic suspense novels will definitely not be disappointed, there are enough scary Russians and creepy villains to keep you awake and reading until you find out that Sophie and Grant are safe.

On Best Behavior has been, over-all, an engaging read. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it scared me, it made my heart ache (in a good way), it made me feel giddy, and it left me with a smile on my face as I reached the final chapter of Grant and Sophie's heartwrenching and heartwarming story.

Recommended for book lovers searching for intelligent romance novels.