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The Kelley Legacy #1

Private Justice

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288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

8 people are currently reading
137 people want to read

About the author

Marie Ferrarella

1,230 books276 followers
Marie Rydzynski-Ferrarella
aka Marie Charles, Marie Michael, Marie Nicole, Marie Ferrarella

Marie Rydzynski was born on March 28 in West Germany to Polish parents. She moved to America at the age of four. For an entire year, Marie and her family explored the eastern half of the country before finally settling in New York.

Marie swears she was born writing, "which must have made the delivery especially hard for my mother." From an early age, Marie's parents would find her watching television or tucked away in some private place, writing at a furious pace. "Initially, I began writing myself into my favourite shows. I was a detective on '77 Sunset Strip,' the missing Cartwright sibling they never talked about on 'Bonanza' and the 'Girl from U.N.C.L.E.' before there was a 'Girl from U.N.C.L.E.,' not to mention an active participant in the serialized stories of 'The Mickey Mouse Club.'" Marie began to write her first romance novel when she was 11 years old, although she claims that, at the time, she didn't even realize it was a romance! She scribbled off and on, while dreaming of a career as an actress.

Marie was only 14 when she first laid eyes on the man she would marry, truly her first love, Charles Ferrarella. During her days at Queens College, New York, acting started to lose its glamour as Marie spent more and more time writing. After receiving her English degree, specialising in Shakespearean comedy, Marie and her family moved to Southern California, where she still resides today.

After an interminable seven weeks apart, Charles decided he couldn't live without her and came out to California to marry his childhood sweetheart. Ever practical, Marie was married in a wash-and-wear wedding dress that she sewed herself, appliqués and all. "'Be prepared' has always been my motto,"the author jokes. This motto has been stretched considerably by her two children, Nikky and Jessi, "but basically, it still applies," she says.

In November of 1981, she sold her first novel for Harlequin. Marie, who now has written over 150 novels, has one goal: to entertain, to make people laugh and feel good. "That's what makes me happy," she confesses. "That, and a really good romantic evening with my husband." She's keeping her fingers crossed that her reader's enjoy reading her books as much as she enjoyed writing them.

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5 stars
14 (19%)
4 stars
17 (23%)
3 stars
28 (39%)
2 stars
9 (12%)
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3 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
451 reviews4 followers
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June 11, 2011
I've been cheated. Private Justice is not a complete story. Dylan and Cindy have just been shot at. Dylan's sister has been kidnapped and his father has been warned. End of story. I think not. This book is only part of the story.

I do not read first chapters of books found in the back of other publisher's books. I want to read the whole story or none of it. This incomplete book only made me angry when I got to the end of what was in print. I don't know if I'll ever find the rest of this story or know if the rest of the story will be in print sometime. I feel cheated. When I start a story, I want to read it till the end.
Profile Image for EC.
30 reviews
March 27, 2023
Story was fine (understanding it’s book one in a novella story) but sheesh the FMC was terrible. Not likeable in the slightest.
Profile Image for Carmen Long.
157 reviews11 followers
May 1, 2012
I wish I had read the other reviews before starting this book. I realize that in a series, all the story lines might not end up all neat at the end of a book; there may be plots that continue into the next book. I get that, I really do. But this book (sigh)- I guess the best way convey what I mean is this:
Definition of EPILOGUE
1: a concluding section that rounds out the design of a literary work

That means not a place to start new plot lines (or twists, etc) so that people will buy your next book.

I rather liked the idea for this book, and I think it could be really good, but it irritated me enough that I don't plan on looking for the rest of the series.

Now, I did think the romance part was alright. I don't normally read much in the romance genre, but a few months ago I was given two big bags full of books, mostly romance, and I can't seem to leave a book unread. So, after many years of rarely reading romance, I've recently read quite a bit. A lot of it has been rather cheesy, and some of it was just plain awful. This book was at least believable.

All in all, if you don't mind the leave-you-hanging ending, this is a decent, quick read. But if you prefer to read the whole story at once, you might want to pass on this one. Or at least make sure you have the complete series before you get started.

Profile Image for Pam.
2,211 reviews33 followers
November 21, 2015
AUTHOR: Ferrarella, Marie
TITLE: Private Justice
DATE READ: 11/21/2015
RATING: 4/B
GENRE/PUB DATE/PUBLISHER/# OF PGS Romance/2011/Harlequin/218 pgs
SERIES/STAND-ALONE: #1 The Kelley Legacy
CHARACTERS AUTHOR: Dylan Kelley/attorney son to Hank Kelley senator; Cindy Jenson/ senator Kelley's Chief Staff Assist
TIME/PLACE present; CA
FIRST LINES Just when I thought there were no surprises left when it came to you, you had to show me I was wrong, didn't you, Dad?
COMMENTS: This is the 1st book in the Kelley Legacy. Senator Kelley is a wealthy man and also married into wealth -- he has been an absentee father and really doesn't have a good relationship w/ any of his sons only his daughter. When there is a media circus going on exposing all sorts of mistress and fund misappropriations … Dylan feels it is time to step in to help his Dad out … more to protect his mother than for his father's benefit. The more he tries to find the motivation for what is going the more he his baffled and knows his father his hiding something. Meanwhile, Cindy and Dylan work closely together. Cindy had been in an abusive relationship w/ her 1st husband and the senator had helped her escape from that marriage. She is very loyal to the senator and suspect of Dylan's motivations.

Profile Image for Livia.
331 reviews8 followers
March 31, 2012
Book one of the Kelley Legacy iniatially moves at a snails pace, more than a half of the book takes place in one day. However, once the background descriptions are handled the mystery and intrigue, along with the romance takes over and we start to really get into the story. Senator Kelley is in quite a mess which certainly does not end in PRIVATE JUSTICE. The romance between his son Dyland and his Chief Staff Asst Cindy has more coming I think but it's going to take reading book two in this series to find out.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews

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