Found this a very long read, felt a couple of times it could have finished sooner, saying that it was well written by the author. I struggled to engage with the main character, considering how successful she is supposed to be, she's a bit haphazard with her health and her life, I'm not sure why she got away with some of the things she did.

Really enjoyed this book, I read it in one day. The main character Francine a divorce lawyer being dragged into her clients private life risking her career when his ex wife goes missing. The ending was a shock I didn't see coming.

This was a bit AppleTree Yard and fifty shades in a way with a female character I hated more than most. I have a thing about people who drink themselves stupid and wake up wondering what they've done. Boring. But this woman is a hot shot lawyer and trying to get promoted, is bi -polar and yet still drinks despite being on strong meds. Nope.

This is a personal bugbear of mine so perhaps that's why the novel didn't work for me. I know this is fiction but she seemed so obsessed with the client she then launched into an affair with, that I wondered if she was 15 rather than the 36 year old or so she is in the book.

The writing I have to say though is very good and carries you along with ease. Cliff hangers, twists etc just not the ones I felt anything for. God help us all if people like this are in the legal profession.

I requested this book after seeing lots of glowing recommendations about it. Very gripping with lots of twist and turns

Thank you to Netgalley, JL Butler and Harper Collins for my ARC of Mine.

Publication Date: 26th June 2018

This was a great psychological thriller. Truly trippy! Francine Day has built her reputation up piece by piece. Coming from a Northern town with a Comprehensive school education she's had to fight to gain respect from her colleagues in chambers and to save enough money for her tiny flat in the area of the city she wanted to live. When she meets the devastatingly handsome and devastatingly rich Martin Joy, when she is asked to represent him during his divorce, she goes against everything she believes in and falls in love with him.

Francine becomes obsessed with Martin's relationship with his ex wife, after she follows them back to their house, Francine mixes alcohol with her medication and the next thing she's woken up in her neighbours apartment, covered in blood with no recollection of what happened. Then she receives some terrible news, Donna, Martin's ex wife has gone missing and Martin is the main suspect.

This story dragged me along at a super fast pace, particularly in the last half of the book. I had no idea who to suspect but I did guess it in the last few chapters and it left me reeling! I liked Francine's character but she was very untrustworthy and unreliable as a narrator.

I'd definitely recommend this book for fans of Kathryn Croft.

Oh what a tangled web we weave, when at first we do deceive and how quickly it can spiral downwards out of control taking careers, friends and your dignity with it. A sizzling story of betrayal, blackmail and greed that has you reading faster and faster as the climax of the story is reached. Liars and friends, but how do you tell one from the other, the ones you want to believe need you to get them out of the frame. A great read that will stay in the memory for a long time, every loose end is tied up - nothing left unanswered in this complete story with some really lovely descriptive writing.

Wonderful, page turner of a book. Mystery, intrigue and suspense in spades. I would not expect anything less from this accomplished author. Next book soon please ...

Mine by JL Butler a five-star read that you will want to claim. This was a thrilling and suspenseful read, be warned you won’t want to put this down once you start reading it, so don’t start it before bed or else you will be mainlining coffee the next day!! Francine Day is a string character, she has fought hard for what she has, a great career but she is lacking something, but will that be the thing that breaks her. The legalese in the story was well done and understandable, the whodunnit aspect was great, if you guess then you are need to be looking into a career as a detective. This is one of the best gritty dark reads that you will read this year. It’s one I know I will be buying my mum as she loves this type of story.

A brilliant psychological novel, full of suspense and well developed characters. A divorce lawyer meets a client, there is intense attraction and although against the rules, she gets involved, which leads to many twists. A gripping page turner and a highly recommended read.

This is a very dark book with a twisted plot that keeps you enthralled. I enjoyed it, the characters were very well developed. The storyline kept you hanging to the very last to reveal the ending.

Many thanks to Netgalley and JL Butler for the copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

Great story with twist i didn't see coming. Some great characters who gave me those "what were you thinking" moments about their behaviour and responses!! Really loved the book and topic. Well written and researched. Will definitely be looking for more books by this author. Thank you for writing a great book and letting me review it x

The beginning had me hooked. From the moment Fran gives into lust that’s where things go wrong. She endangers her career and her mentality. A moment of weakness destroys everything. From the start the little clues are there and everything goes spiralling down. Fran has blood on her hands and a scumbag in her bed. It wasn’t the supposed murder or mind games that got to me, it was the disgusting blackmail. This isn’t a fairytale or a romance, it’s dark gritty and full of shadows. Favourite character was Tom, that guy is awesome. Second to that Phil. I think Fran getting involved made things worse. I didn’t like how she risked everything for a guy she barely knows or how obsessive she became.

Whilst I found the book very well written, I failed to like Francine one bit. I cannot imagine that a high flying barrister would be so stupid as to walk into an affair with a new client, it goes against all understanding of the strict rules for lawyers/clients.
Francine did not appeal to me at all, being so self involved and so needy. Her lover, Martin seemed selfish and self centred.
It is however, a very readable book even if you do become impatient with some of the characters.
Thanks to NetGaley for a preview copy in exchange for an honest review.

This had me hooked from the first page! It's starts off with Francine being hired as a divorce lawyer to Martin ,handsome rich ,there is a instant connection between them which quickly escalates into something more,which is against the rules as far as Francine is concerned. You just don't get involved with your client without losing everything...which almost was the case. Throw in a missing wife and you have the perfect who done it with so many twists and turns that you really don't know who is the villain or victim.
One thing that frustrated me was the ending! So much left unsolved. It could have carried on a few more chapters!

A good read.

Francine Day is a highflying barrister who is from a poor background. Her character is flawed but nevertheless believable. She gets herself into a difficult situation with a client, Martin, who she falls in love with. When his wife disappears he becomes the prime suspect. The author dragged me into the storyline and I loved most of it.

As the story develops I was unable to understand some of the characters and their development, especially the downstairs neighbour.

I love unusual endings and unbelievable finishes but this one didn’t really sit right with me. It is probably my own interpretation but I was left disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK and JL Butler for my ARC in return for my honest review.

Good read.

My CLIENT
My LOVER
KILLER?

Francine Day is a high flying lawyer about to apply for silk a big step up in her career she is ambitious and brilliant. and just needs her next case to be big bigger then an other case she has worked on one that grabs the headlines to seal her place as queen's counsel then one day she bags a new high profile client.... Martin Joy. The attraction is instant. Obsessive. intense. deadly!

They embark on a secret affair an affair that Francine knows is wrong one that could cost her her job even her chance at making Silk but Francine thinks she can hold it together. But then Martin's wife goes missing. And Martin is the number one suspect, Francine is now his lawyer, lover and the last person to see Donna Joy alive, trying to prove martins innocence is starting to get harder but with Francine being the last the last person to see Donna alive will a memory of that night prove to be the key to finding Martin innocent or if she keeps looking will she find out something she will live to regret digging in the the disappearance of Donna Joy!

Guilty
innocent
Dead
Alive
with so many secrets someone is hiding something As the case unravels so does Francine.

Her HUSBAND
My OBSESSION....

okay i'm giving Mine 3.5 Stars the story started off a bit slow it didn't grab me straight away it took me sometime to really get in to the book i didn't find any of the characters likeable i thought the ending and the revealing the killer/kidnapper could have been more gripping more dramatic but i did end up liking the book i did enjoy it i could see where the writer was going with the story and i liked it but apart from a few little things then the book would of been perfect i will read it again soon and recommend to friends ... thank you to Netgalley and The book publishers for my copy of the book! :)

mine by j. l. butler.
Francine Day is a high flying lawyer about to apply for silk, ambitious and brilliant. She just needs one headline grabbing client to seal her place as queen's counsel … Martin Joy. The attraction is instant. Obsessive.
They embark on a secret affair and Francine thinks she can hold it together. But then Martin's wife goes missing. And Martin is the prime suspect. Francine is now his lawyer, lover and the last person to see Donna Joy alive.
As the case unravels so does Francine.
a fantastic read. Loved the story and the characters. 5*.

Francine as the lead character is brilliant, confused as to her part to play in the disappearance of her boyfriends soon to be ex wife. Made worse by her being his lawyer and her bipolar condition.
Then there is martin with his lies and sometimes erratic behaviour.
Her best friend Clare hiding her own resentments.
Then their is the secretive Alex and Sophie cole.
The story spins so manybwebs you don't know where it leads you and are forever guessing though never right.
An engrossing, and thrilling read.

An excellent whodunit with plenty of plot twists. The legal background was well researched and the detailed locations were well described - making the whole story very believable. I thought I had guessed the outcome but was mistaken and the denouement was better than I expected. I was able to devour this in two sittings and thoroughly enjoyed it

Oh dear. I can find very little to recommend in the clique ridden, charicature filled novel.

The main character is Fran who has dragged herself up by her northern bootstraps to forge a successful career as a barrister in the mecca that is London. She is portrayed as clever and sharp but one smoldering look from Martin, a client consulting her about his divorce proceedings, turns her into a simpering wreck. He is, of course, very good looking and very rich.

Part way through the divorce proceedings his wife vanishes and he becomes a major suspect in her disappearance. We are constantly reminded that she only married Martin for his status and money. Only Fran can save him now!

This book does nothing for strong female characters. Most submit to the concept of the alpha male and in one excruciating scene Fran yields to the sexual advances of a spotty PhD student in order to save her man, Martin and her reputation.

The throw away references to mental health are unnecessary and seems to be an excuse for the way Fran behaves. In this day and age this is really not acceptable. The sympathetic background drove me slightly nuts. There are only so many ways to describe a wet and cold day in London.

I only finished this book to see what happened and the ending was predictable and equally sexist. The term ‘psychological novel is banded around far too frequently and it does not describe this book which is more Mills and Boon gone a bit wrong.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley and publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.