Then Came You by Kate Meader

In the courtroom, they’re rivals. In the bedroom, they’re... divorced. But could the road trip from hell lead to a second chance at love?

Aubrey Gates is the hottest divorce lawyer in Chicago, a barb-tongued stiletto with legs that go on for miles. When her cool gray eyes meet mine across the battlefield, I want her like I’ve never wanted anyone or anything. Then I remember who she is: the woman who brought me to my knees. The woman who destroyed my faith in relationships.

The woman I used to call... wife.

And she needs a favor from me, Grant Lincoln.

It seems my ex forgot to mention the demise of our marriage to her dear old grammie, and now we’re both expected to attend her ninetieth birthday party. In Boston. And because it isn’t already awkward enough, Aubrey and I are driving there together from Chicago. That’s more than a thousand miles of tension, heartbreak, and barely concealed lust.

A little piece of paper might say we’re over, but this road trip is the true test. I intend to get my wife back... and I won’t stop until “I do.”

Book 3
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆☆
This was a complete pleasure read. I love this series and Aubrey and Grant are wonderful together. The second-chance romance is sweet and gritty, and I love the combination of playful banter and the darker themes that give the story some depth and maturity.

Over the past year, I’ve become a massive fan of Kate Meader’s writing. Whether it’s firefighters, lawyers, or hockey players, Meader writes fabulous characters and addictive romances. My favourite thing about Meader’s writing is her women. Too many romance writers focus solely on writing interesting, attractive men. Kate Meader actually writes convincing women. Meader’s women are wonderfully familiar but they’re also strong, successful, and aspirational characters. Meader’s women don’t need heroes to save them, they want partners who can meet them as equals. Aubrey is a perfect example. As a lawyer, she’s driven and formidable. But she also struggles with insecurity and emotions she can’t express. Aubrey is complicated, likeable, and uncompromising.

Grant and Aubrey’s relationship is complex and much of the story sifts through the past, reliving their courtship and examining the ultimate divorce. It’s not an easy read and probably the most challenging of the three books in this series. Readers dealing with grief, infertility, or relationship problems may find this book triggers them but I felt like most of the darker themes were handled sensitively and carefully. The lighter moments – Aubrey’s obnoxious cat, Grant’s Southern Charm, and the relationships between the men and women from the previous books – made this story feel more accessible and more enjoyable than most books about divorce and grief.

My one reservation is the fairy-tale epilogue that wraps up the series. I know we want happily ever afters in our romance, but I feel like Charlie, Trinity, and Aubrey deserved more than the clichés we’re given at the end. All three are fierce and unique in their stories so I’d kinda hoped for happily ever afters that reflected their identities and their relationships.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆☆
This is the third book in the series and I have loved them all, but this one is by far my favourite. It is such a change from the others, being a had-love-but-got-divorced, rather than don't-believe-in-love-at-all story. It sets the scene totally differently and for me worked beautifully.

Aubrey and Grant – on the face of it two powerful lawyers who once had it all, and each other – now pitted against each other in court and avoiding each other in life. Inevitably, mutual friends getting married means that they have to be in the same room and appear to get on. There is no clear reason for them getting divorced – although, sadly I guessed quite quickly why, and I thought it played out in a very moving way, with a few twists to catch me out... be ready with tissues!

When we get to learn about Aubrey's heartless family, and her strained relationships with her parents and why, it is easy to understand how Grant filled a hole in her soul – and that no one else has since come even close. For Aubrey that is agony, for Grant it gives him hope. And he has healed enough that he is ready to take the chance to restore their proper lives to where they were.

From the very beginning, I was utterly engaged in this story, to the extent that I read it in one go, finally turning my bedside light off at 2.30am, utterly exhausted, but completely satisfied. Thank you, Kate Meader, for a beautiful book.


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆
M/F Second Chance Romance
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

Aubrey and Grant had an amazing relationship... until it all fell apart. Despite their breakup, they have had to interact with each other in divorce cases. Also, they share a friends group. Aubrey has tried to stay away as much as possible, but when it becomes apparent that she has to attend her grandma's birthday party, she knows she'll have to come clean about her divorce. Aubrey has felt like a failure all her life. Her parents were not helpful in that department.

Grant knows that he is still attracted to Aubrey. But does attraction equate to love? He wants to know where they went wrong. When he is presented with an opportunity to help Aubrey with her family, he jumps at the chance. He wants her back and he'll do whatever he can to show her that he's all in again.

This is a story about love, loss, and healing. It was nice to see Grant and Aubrey able to talk out their past. Being attorneys, they could argue both sides, but when their true emotions were laid bare, it was difficult to argue that they hit a rough patch and didn't know how to come out the other side. I did wish that there was more chemistry. Their interactions seemed forced at times.

I have not read any of the previous books in this series, but didn't feel that it was necessary to know who the characters were or their dynamics.

Also Available in the Laws of Attraction Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our Down with Love post.

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our Illegally Yours post.

Originally from Ireland, USA Today bestselling author Kate Meader cut her romance reader teeth on Maeve Binchy and Jilly Cooper novels, with some Harlequins thrown in for variety. Give her tales about brooding mill owners, oversexed equestrians, and men who can rock an apron, a fire hose, or a hockey stick, and she’s there. Now based in Chicago, she writes sexy contemporary romance with alpha heroes and strong heroines who can match their men quip for quip.

Connect with Kate

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Then Came You (Laws of Attraction #3) by Kate Meader to read and review.

Illegally Yours by Kate Meader

Rule #1: Never fall for your client.
Rule #2: Never fall for your client’s fiercely protective, smoking hot sister-in-law.

I’m the kind of guy who believes that everyone deserves the best legal representation money can buy—which just so happens to be me, Lucas Wright. Give me your henpecked, your cuckolded, your irreconcilable differences yearning to break free! And if you’re the bad guy in your marriage, that’s cool too. Your green is as good as anyone’s.

Tell that to Trinity Jones. It’s my job to destroy her sister—the soon-to-be ex-wife of my a-hole of a client—and Trinity’s “big sis” instincts are dialed up to the max. I admire that. I admire her. But she won’t stop me from representing my client to the best of my ability.

Not even if my chemistry with Trinity is undeniable. Not even if we can’t keep our hands off each other. Not even if she injects life into a heart assumed to be long dead.

Because when faced with a choice between love and duty, the job will always win—or at least that’s what I thought before I met Trinity... and suddenly conflict of interest never felt so right.

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

I’m on the periphery of both these conversations, wanting to contribute but having too little expertise, when I’m nudged by an elbow.

“Bad luck there, Ms. Jones,” Lucas says. Whispers, really, which makes it all seem so much naughtier.

“I wouldn’t say that. You won fair and square with your oddly encyclopedic knowledge about a children’s book. Not weird. Not weird at all.”

Something flashes across his face, a shadow that disappears as quickly as it came. “Can I help it if I’m a master of all trades?”

“Hmm, not the phrase.”

“It is when we’re talking about me. I’m very good. At most everything.”

“Modest, too.”

He tilts his head. “You have problems with self-confidence?”

“Just braggarts.”

“Don’t you consider yourself an expert in whiskey? Don’t you advertise yourself as such? What’s the point in pretending you’re only somewhat knowledgeable at something when you’re the best there is?”

I seek to unpack that. “People are put off by overconfidence,” I say carefully.

“Should I substitute men for people in that sentence?”

A foreign heat warms my chest while Lucas’s blue-on-blue eyes cut through me. My friends don’t condescend about my ambitions, but my family—my sister—has never really understood why I chose my profession (So manly! Unless it’s a strategy to find a man? Is it?).

I respond with, “A whiskey sommelier isn’t a traditional job for a woman.”

“Harry Potter’s not the traditional reading material for a divorce lawyer,” he shoots back.

“So why do you love it?”

“Why do you love whiskey?”

I think of my granddad and the time when I felt safe and secure. “Nostalgia. Longing. Soothes the senses and feeds the soul. It also feels good to... understand an entire world of taste. Of sensation. It’s a world I can dive into and control.” I shake my head. “I’m not making much sense.”

But I am to Lucas. I can tell what I’ve said has struck a chord somewhere deep inside him. A private place I’d like to visit. I curl my hand into a fist to stop from touching him.

“You, too?” I whisper, the intimacy of the moment shocking me. “With Harry Potter?”

Now his smile is tinged with sadness. “Me, too.”

My heart contracts. Behind the clown in the ridiculous plaid pants is a man in pain. Worse, I want to know him.

Lusting after him was safer. Despising him after discovering his mission was logical. But this? Peeling back a layer in Lucas’s good-time-lad façade gives me chills.

“I should go,” I say, which conveniently coincides with Gid and Pete offering me a ride home.

Lucas nods, pulls away. Something shudders between us, and I tell myself it’s for the best. “Yes, you should. See you around, Trinity.”

Not if I can help it. I’m starting to realize that Lucas Wright is a hundred times more dangerous than I previously thought.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆☆
This is a wonderful romantic romp with surprising depth and heart. Lucas Wright is a high-powered divorce lawyer – who just happens to be representing Trinity’s soon-to-be-ex brother-in-law. Chemistry crackles between these two from the start but legal ethics and Trinity’s loyalty to her sister make things complicated.

Full of banter, crossed communication, and colourful supporting characters, this is a fun romcom. But it is also a thoughtful read. Trinity is black, female, and working in a white male industry. While the book doesn’t ever get too dark, I love that the author doesn’t shy away from the complexity of Trinity’s work life. I love that Lucas observes and appreciates the intersectional challenges that Trinity experiences in various aspects of her life. As always, Kate Meader writes intelligent and reflective romance and Trinity is both a challenging and an inspiring character.

It took me a while to warm to Lucas. I was initially put off by his arrogance and he feels like a player at first. But Lucas is more complex than he initially seems, and I fell in love with the more vulnerable character we see later in the book. To a British reader, some of Lucas’ ‘Britishness’ feels exaggerated and unnecessary. Some of Lucas’ British slang is a little bit over-the-top and not always used appropriately. Lucas is also an impossibly successful 28-year-old and there are moments where his perfection is both unbelievable and incredibly irritating. But his personal life is messy enough to make him loveable and he’s got enough depth to make him interesting.

This is a book as much about family as it is about romance. Before Lucas and Trinity can commit to a relationship, they both have to work through their family relationships. I love the personal growth in this story and I love the way these two challenge each other to deal with things they’ve avoided for too long.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the second in the series, and is definitely worth reading. I have enjoyed all the Kate Meader books I have read, and this is no exception. I would recommend that you read Down with Love first, as it is a fun book and sets the scene for the divorce lawyers' playground.

Meader writes hot, sexy, and intelligent male leads, and Lucas fits the criteria perfectly. In fact, he is also British, which ups the levels even more (I have to admit at times his use of language is not quite right to this Brit's ear, but I forgave him!). Add in the fact that he is fun, coaches kids’ soccer, and yet has issues from his past, and he is swoon-worthy. His immediate chemistry with Trinity, and his understanding of the issues she faces are sexy too. However, the conflict of interest is huge, and his career and ethics are important.

With this kind of set up, it is always going to be fun seeing how the author manages to swing the situation around, as we know that they have to get to the happily ever after they so deserve; it is just the method that has to be discovered.

There is an interesting extra dimension and depth to this book due to the recognition of the issues which Trinity faces in her job. She is an African American woman working in the white male dominated world of sommeliers, and whilst exceptional at her job, she faces discrimination for both, It is a poignant reminder of how the outward facing still influences expectation, and is a point well made.

For an intelligent, sexy read this will serve you well. I am excited to see what comes next!

Also Available in the Laws of Attraction Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our Down with Love post.

Originally from Ireland, USA Today bestselling author Kate Meader cut her romance reader teeth on Maeve Binchy and Jilly Cooper novels, with some Harlequins thrown in for variety. Give her tales about brooding mill owners, oversexed equestrians, and men who can rock an apron, a fire hose, or a hockey stick, and she’s there. Now based in Chicago, she writes sexy contemporary romance with alpha heroes and strong heroines who can match their men quip for quip.

Connect with Kate

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Illegally Yours (Laws of Attraction #2) by Kate Meader to read and review.

Down with Love by Kate Meader

Sparks fly when the hot-shot divorce lawyer meets the high-powered wedding planner. The only question is, what kind?

If you ever get married, remember my name: Max Henderson. In my line of work, you acquire a certain perspective on supposedly everlasting unions...

1. Pre-nups are your friend.
2. The person you married is not the person you’re divorcing.
3. And I hope you didn’t spend much on the wedding because that was one helluva waste of hard-earned cash, wasn’t it?

But some guys are willing to take a chance. Like my brother, who thinks he’s going to ride off into the sunset with the woman of his dreams in a haze of glitter on unicorns. And the wedding planner—the green-eyed beauty who makes a living convincing suckers to shell out thousands of dollars on centerpieces—is raking it in on this matrimonial monstrosity.

The thing is, Charlie Love is not unlike me. We’re both cogs in the wedding-industrial complex. As the best man, I know her game—and I can play it better than her. But after one scorching, unexpected kiss, I’m thinking I might just want to get played.

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
I love Kate Meader's books and this is no exception. Her character driven story about Charlie and Max is a wonderful look at love from two vastly different perspectives.

Max is a high-powered divorce lawyer who sees what happens to couples after the "bright and shiny" wears off. His view of love is very cynical, and he has no use for people he believes exploits people's love for money – especially wedding planners.

Charlie loves helping people plan the wedding of their dreams. She likes knowing that she's had a small part in making their day – "their" day. For her, it’s all about making memories, something that the couple can share with their families years down the road.

Max's cynical attitude leads his brother to reluctantly share the news of his wedding proposal and introduces him to Charlie, their wedding planner. It bothers Max that his own brother has shared his concerns about telling him about his news with Charlie, enough so that Max acts like the cynical a$$hole that he's known to be in the courtroom.

As Max and Charlie's relationship develops, you can see how much Max struggles with seeing the world around him change. He's been hurt and duped, by people claiming to love him and it’s only after Charlie walks away does he realize that all change isn't bad.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the first in a new series by Kate Meader and has her winning style stamped all over it. I really am looking forward to the upcoming installments – and hope that she will be finding happily ever afters for the other partners in the law firm with Max.

The set-up is perfect, and we get some of the expected jabs and jibes between the two leads – Max, the love-averse divorce lawyer, and Charlie, the wedding planner for Max's brother's wedding. But there is only so much of the obvious, and lots of funny and original twists in their nature, their view points, and their expectations for the future. We soon learn that they are both people with bad track records with romance, but where Charlie still believes she will find the one, Max is doing all he can not to fall into that trap again. It makes for some interesting conversations, that is for sure, both before they succumb to their chemistry and afterwards too.

I loved the humour, the camaraderie, and the revealing of what a good guy Max really is – I love the idea of the PP and would have released a lot of my anger in there!!

Thank you, Kate Meader, for giving us the first in what I am sure will be another great series.


Sarah – ☆☆☆☆
This book feels like a classic movie romcom. It’s the story of a successful divorce attorney who finds himself unwillingly attracted to his brother’s wedding planner. Max and Charlie are both beautiful and successful but while Charlie is a romantic, Max has facilitated too many messy divorces to believe in true love.

There is great chemistry between Charlie and Max in this story. I loved the banter between them and I enjoyed watching Charlie unsettle Max. Their relationship is fairly predictable but it is good fun watching them get over their hang-ups so they can finally be together.

Max and Charlie’s families and colleagues are wonderful and I loved the sense of fun in this book. I found Max’s easy privilege a little bit annoying at times and his career success at 29 is more than a little bit implausible. Fortunately, Charlie balances Max’s privilege and she forces him to be more self-aware.

This is an easy, fluffy, feel-good read with likeable characters, a little bit of heat, and some laugh out loud moments. It isn’t a complicated story, but it is a great summer holiday read.

Originally from Ireland, USA Today bestselling author Kate Meader cut her romance reader teeth on Maeve Binchy and Jilly Cooper novels, with some Harlequins thrown in for variety. Give her tales about brooding mill owners, oversexed equestrians, and men who can rock an apron, a fire hose, or a hockey stick, and she’s there. Now based in Chicago, she writes sexy contemporary romance with alpha heroes and strong heroines who can match their men quip for quip.

Connect with Kate

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Google+  ~  Instagram

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Down with Love (Laws of Attraction #1) by Kate Meader to read and review.