If She Plays His Game

After Twelve #1

by Laney Wylde

Not everyone can get justice the traditional way—that’s where Estlyn Collins comes in. A young lawyer in Santa Monica, her "legal" service, After Twelve, works outside the courtroom to tip the scales when the justice system has failed.

For a price.

Thanks to her powerful underground network, Estlyn's success rate is stellar, and her inbox stays filled with inquires from the desperate and vengeful. But when one of those names is a ghost from her past seeking vengeance against her, she’s shaken to her core. Off balance and scared to be alone, she makes an impulsive move for a guy. He’s a complication she doesn’t have time for, but it turns out he may also be an unlikely—if unwitting—asset.

Treading the rapidly thinning line between personal and professional, Estlyn pursues her target while outrunning the one on her own back—only to find she may be running into a lot more than she bargained for.

IF SHE WERE BLIND is the first book in the engaging New Adult series AFTER TWELVE by author Laney Wylde. Perfect for fans of THE HATE YOU GIVE by Angie Thomas, and television shows like REVENGE, SCANDAL, and VERONICA MARS, the AFTER TWELVE Series is a gritty social-issue drama that delivers steamy romance, intrigue, and the most bittersweet revenge plots. Estlyn's determination to right every wrong is sure to quench your thirst for justice, yet leave you wanting more.

Genres: Romance, Suspense, Fiction, Crime, Mystery, Amazon, Mystery Thriller

244 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 22, 2018

About the author

Laney Wylde is enamored with all things southern California––the traffic, smog, surprise earthquakes, and nonindigenous palm trees. Consequently, it’s the landscape her strong and sometimes lovable female leads paint their stories on. Her New Adult novels Never Touched and the After Twelve series are bright with provocative themes, steamy romance, and inappropriately timed humor.
When Laney isn’t writing, she’s singing Taylor Swift with her little boy or asking her husband not to tell her about his work as a surgical resident while she’s eating. She daydreams about using her math degree to get into law school, then realizes that would be too much work and that she should just play pretend court on paper instead. While she loves a good book, nothing beats 30 Rock with a bag of popcorn and M&Ms.

Reviews

[Coco.V]

💝 FREE on Amazon & on iBooks today (11/25/2018)!💝

Blurb:
Not everyone can get justice the traditional way—that’s where Estlyn Collins comes in. A young lawyer in Santa Monica, her "legal" service, After Twelve, works outside the courtroom to tip the scales when the justice system has failed.


For a price.


Thanks to her powerful underground network, Estlyn's success rate is stellar, and her inbox stays filled with inquires from the desperate and vengeful. But when one of those names is a ghost from her past seeking vengeance against her, she’s shaken to her core. Off balance and scared to be alone, she makes an impulsive move for a guy. He’s a complication she doesn’t have time for, but it turns out he may also be an unlikely—if unwitting—asset.


Treading the rapidly thinning line between personal and professional, Estlyn pursues her target while outrunning the one on her own back—only to find she may be running into a lot more than she bargained for.

[Elizabeth Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have yet to read book 2 so far, hope 2 do that soon, when i find the time, always so book busy around here, I am such a new fan of Laney's. I find it wild how I had never heard of her before and now I have read 2 books of hers so quickly. I must admit I enjoy Never Toughed a bit more than this one. You can see they are both written from Laney ...they have such a similar feel. Both are talking about rough subjects. I am normally a person who does prefer mysteries or humor. u will not find humor here. It is a gritty filled read of murder and rape. Abuse by one parent, arrest and conviction of another. Ends in foster system that continues the abuse. At times hard to read 'cause come on, we have hearts and it is just so hard to see and know it happens in the real world. I appreciate that Laney doesn't shy away from tough topics, her characters do face those challenges head on. such well developed. such a fan. great read.

[Mary Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book! This book had me hooked from the start to the end. The author jumps right into the story and I love that. Right away I was involved. Our main character Estlyn is a lawyer but not your typical one who works for a regular law firm. She has a side business called After Twelve that gets justice for those who don't get it from the normal justice system. She wants to help others. She has her own terrible past of justice system failing her. She is a victim of sexual abuse. Her need for justice has made her into a strong woman and advocate for others. She meets a bartender by the name of Linus aka Cal. Their one night stand turns into more. Real feelings are developing. It turns out he is somewhat involved with one of her cases because of his family. She isn't using him for information but she is at the same time. Then everything hits the fan. That's all the information I can give you. This book had so many twist and turns. I couldn't put it down! And there were so many parts that shocked me. I will warn there is a cliffhanger but it's not a bad thing. I am hungry for me. I need it. And we will get it in December. I am counting down the days. I am so addicted to these characters. Estlyn is strong and totally a badass. And Cal is swoon worthy. I fell for him right away. I just want him to know the truth! Curious about what I mean? Read this! I promise you will love it as much as me.

[Anja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

Great writing, a different and unusual story line that doesn't shy away from difficult subjects, the characters are described really well. It's overall a good stand-alone book, with a good conclusion at the end which does introduce the second book, but thankfully is not one of those cliffhangers that basically only tell half the story. I'm looking forward to reading more of Laney's books.

[Kesley Rowe · Rating 2 out of 5]

ngl, though the storyline was heavy for me, i did really enjoy it. i can’t lie, i did feel that it wasn’t really super?? well done? like the content of the topic outdid the writing quality

anywho, i did like estlyn and cal. it wasn’t so clear to me michael was supposed to be a minority😭but other than that, i feel like the main relationship is what really kept me reading

that ending was atrocious though 🥲at least to me. it doesn’t wrap the story up at all and feels more like a way to get people to buy a second book. this is the first time i’ve read a book where they didn’t wrap up the plot in that arc before ending it😭

i might also just be disappointed bc i didn’t think my first time getting to finally read a book w a black protagonist that had no trauma in the summary would end up being this heavy. it’s weird but part of me doesn’t feel like it even needed the heavy topic? like rape in the book doesn’t have to be a heavy topic and have meaning all the time, but they brought up rape and sex constantly and so much of the book was sexual. even the way the characters talked casually and it just has me sitting here like “what’s the point🧍🏾‍♀️” like is it shock? i get the point of displaying the justice system but it feels like by the end those plot points affected nothing. and it’s not like it was written like in the perks of being a wallflower, all the depictions were really graphic but technically had nothing to do with the main plot? it felt more like they were thrown in for shock vs. being an actual commentary on the world

[Samhita Argula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant, fast paced book. The narration kept me hooked till the last page was flipped. A modern, thinking hat kind of book. Hats off to the author!

[Ethan Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

It isn't often in my line of work that I get the opportunity these days to enjoy the debut work of an up-and-coming author. Thankfully life slowed down a bit to give me the incredible chance to devour IF SHE WERE BLIND and, boy howdy. I couldn't have been more impressed.

From the word go, Wylde astounds and delivers with one heck of a plot. When Estlyn Collins unique legal career is pushed to the limits, she must fight her heart and mind to come to a decision that will solve the crime and keep her heart safe.

But what does that mean? Great question. This series fits into so many categories that I’m really not comfortable putting it anywhere but on its' own. And truly, it does stand on its' own. Ignore the comparisons, if you love a good mystery, crime-stopping, high octane, laugh-out-loud good time with just a little bit of romance, this is the series for you! IFWB has a very episodic-feel to it which will leave readers begging for more and more. Thankfully we won’t have too long to wait with book two releasing later this year. I know this reader will be comping at the bit for his copy.

As per the writing, Wylde delivers with fun prose and some of the most original executions I have seen in some time. Wylde is a much-needed breath of fresh air in a long-stale medium. I am so excited to see where she goes with this series. This is one new author you're going to want to keep a very close eye on!

A read that will leave you cheering for all the right reasons. Angst, grit, passion, and some all-to-poignant feels, Wylde has read the social landscape of our contemporary world and delivered a story sure to impress any who take the plunge. If you're looking for a story that packs a punch without all the gore, drama, and monotony that can bog down a good mystery, you'll love ISWB! Hold on tight, you're in for a WYLDE ride!

I will say that in some respects I believe the story to have a dated aspect with the multiple allusions to current events, but I definitely think with a developing story we could see a lot of awesome things come from Estlyn and her adventures with AFTER TWELVE.

With such a large cast of characters and a whole world to discover, fans will clamor for IF SHE WERE BLIND. It was definitely a five-star read from me and I can't wait to follow the career of debut author Laney Wylde. Add this one to your TBR today!

[Maurice · Rating 2 out of 5]

What I wanted from this was a book about someone getting justice when the actual justice system has failed. But what I got was more of a romance than anything else, and didn’t like it at all.

Everything that was actually connected Estlyn’s work and the revenge plotline was really good. The book had quite a bit of good commentary on rape culture, as well as how the justice system discriminates against people of color.

Unfortunately I found all of the characters super annoying (with the exception of the stuffed lion, but I doubt that counts as a character). It was one of those cases where everyone in the book kept talking about how great and badass the protagonist was, but I just didn’t see it. There was a lot of horrible stuff that has happened to her in the past, but I still felt very unemotional about it all, simply because I couldn’t stand her as a person.

The romance was a way bigger part of the book than I had hoped, and it was a hook-up to lovers trope, which is one of my least favorites. There also didn’t seem to be much of a romantic connection at all, their relationship felt entirely sexual. And I don’t have a problem with sex in books, but the sexual stuff in here felt very unnecessary most of the time. It also really got on my nerves how every time Linus saw Estlyn with a guy he was like “oh no she has a boyfriend”. Just in general the characters’ views on sex and relationships didn’t always sit that well with me.

[Deliah Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

A friend of mine thought of me when she read the book’s description (protagonist who works outside of the law in the vein of Scandal and Revenge to right various wrongs). But the title was what really intrigued me to read it. Anyway, the gritty social-issue threw me for a loop and brought to mind the movie Precious depicting physical and emotional abuse by the hands of those who should care about you.

Diving into the book: the setting is LA and rotates around actors, directors, blackmail, folks using sex as favors, “Me too” movement, etc. I liked the voice of the protagonist (Estlyn Collins/Dillion Hayes) but I found it very unrealistic that at 25 years old she would have the wealth of experience as a lawyer to wheel and deal like she did throughout the novel. The other characters were colorful enough (foster care brother Rory, good friend Dean, lover Cal/Linus) and via their POVs and flashbacks gave readers insights into who Estlyn is and why she acts the way she does.

Overall, the pacing was good. However, there were some holes in the story. A big one for me was the way the traffic stop went down with Michael. It was just not the norm (without giving away any spoilers) especially based on the description of the characters, Estlyn is black and Michael I’m assuming is white (“Your grandma hates me.” “She doesn’t hate you, she just…” “Doesn’t like that I’m a different color than you.”). Another hole for me was Estlyn describing herself as “legally orphaned” yet she fought viciously to have her father released from jail for killing her mother. Yes, he was alive and well, but I guess she felt he was not available on the outside to protect her. This was somewhat contradictory for me.

Nevertheless, I liked the spunkiness of Estlyn although her manipulative behavior at times was over the top. There was a lot going on in this book but it was a fun read.

My favorite lines:

What’s a good name? Why the hell did I call her before I had a plan? Maybe After—? Okay, After something. After justice fails? After twelve people failed to give her husband the verdict he deserved.
“…After Twelve. We work to get justice for those who couldn’t find it in the court system. If you’re interested in our services, give me a call at this number.”
On my way back to the office, Mrs. Rahal’s number lights up my phone.

[Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

a hard read but intriguing story which is what kept me going. it almost felt like the author was just throwing a bunch of trauma around. i was excited to read a book about a powerful black woman but was already disappointed 2 pages in after reading the “luckily he has a thing for dark girls with tight pussies”. then there was michael dying due to police brutality (confusing because he grandmother didn’t like est due to the colour of her skin?) which held no weight and just seemed to be a random race based murder to add to the plot.

we also don’t learn much about estlyn other than trauma. we know she likes to read, that she’s hot and sneaky. it would’ve been nice to go deeper into good parts of her (also didn’t like how it was made to seem there isn’t much good of her).

i wasn’t shocked to see that the author is white, and while i don’t think there is an issue with an author writing a book with topics about race, i think there is a way to go about it. a lot of estlyns trauma is related to her race, with michael’s death and her father’s incarceration, to her adoptive parents siding with the police, just for the book to end with estlyn and her white saviour, going back to her racist family.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was available for free when I got it. It was sitting on my digital bookshelf for some time before I decided to read it, and when I did, it was an interesting read that kept my attention.

The main character, Estlyn, is written nicely. She is complex, not a flat one-dimensional character. Her motivation for what she does becomes more clear as you read the story and I found her to be a relatable character and one you want to root for.

I wasn't familiar with the author, and didn't look at any pictures of her until after I finished the book. I think it is great that she did some research and spoke to trusted friends about the context of her character's journey in this country, as it came across as quite genuine in the story and definitely helped to make the character's life and motivation understandable.

When I finished the book, I was a little disappointed at the ending for about two seconds, but then realized it was actually a really great way to end the book, especially if you have intentions of writing, or already wrote, a sequel...so good on the author on that one. I definitely will be checking out books two and three in this series down the line.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, lots of details with back stories. Estlyn is in the business of getting justice for people who have been failed by the courts system. She finds a way to make people(the bad guys) come clean &/or make them pay. You hear about characters in this book that are slowly revealed to you...Michael, Rory, Dean, Zoe, Dillon, etc. What we are privy to at the beginning is a take down by Estlyn of a guy who raped a woman who worked for him. Then, you get glimpses of what happened to Estlyn when she was a kid, how she wound up in foster care at 12 and the 9 yr. old who was placed in the same foster home. This might sound like a depressing story, but it is told with much wit and humour. Estlyn is not about to let her past define her, she's determined to make a better life for herself and her "brother". The only thing that bothers me about this book is that it's part of a series, so there is no conclusion. It's 211 pgs. but it feels like it ended short of the conclusion because there are questions by one of the characters. Stay tuned for the next installment, book 2.

[Krystyna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read but not what I was expecting

This wasn't the light read that is thought it was going to be. This is a hard gritty tale of rape, murder and the way that the law seems to favour one part of society over another and a young woman who decided to take justice into her own hands and bring equality back to the little, powerless people, take on the big boys and win. Plus getting paid to do so. How she survives abuse by one parent, the arrest and conviction of another and ending in foster system that carried on the abuse. Can she survive the latest - an arrest of her and her adopted brother by a cop out for revenge? Will the new love in her life ever forgive her for using him to get justice against those in charge in the film industry who use the casting couch.
I expected something with a few laughs but this certainly didn't have any. In fact it left you feeling that society is on a very slippery slop heading for hell.

[Evelyn Grabas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story and a nice beginning to what appears to be an exceptionally good series. Loved Estlyn (or whoever she is at the moment). Was not happy, but could understand why she let Monroe off the hook, Dad being the most important, but it sticks in my craw that he got away with out and out murder.
What I like most about the premise of this book is that it emphasizes the statement that was made by a judge once when a plaintiff stated that all he wanted was justice. The judge's reply was "this is a court of law, not of justice". And, that is a true story and so often is what occurs. Estlyn deals out justice but manages to stay within the law and I love it.
Look forward to reading more of this series.

[Marieke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a serviceable story, definitely in the line of Scandal as the summary mentions. It's a combination of romance and legal mystery I guess, but the genre is a bit hard to pin down. I feel like Michael's flashbacks weren't super necessary to the story, but Estlyn's did help to flesh out her character, At the same time, she recalls the exact flashbacks in the live timeline which makes sense as they're a part of her, but does make the flashbacks slightly superfluous. I also feel like the father character could have been fleshed out a lot more. And the sex scenes were much too brief for a romance, and might have been better as a fade to black structure. Either go all in or don't do them is my view with these.

[NubianJoí · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leverage

Foremost, I’ve gotten to read some incredible free books in the past couple of months thanks to https://www.freebooksy.com🤩‼️This book might just be the best read thru this platform to date…Hollywood scandals, suspense, murder, criminal versus social justice & corruption 😮‍💨‼️ “If She Were Blind (The After Twelve Series) - Book 1” was a slow burn 🔥 but worth the blaze🫣👀‼️It’s a necessary decent (fight fire with fire🤷🏾‍♀️) for leverage, victims & surviving families against a corrupt judicial system. More so, “After Twelve” is an underground, revenge-for-hire service. However, claims of its existence have yet to be substantiated.🤷🏾‍♀️

[K. Vincent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suspense Tears and Comedic Relief

Must read! I just knew that this story about how racism ends lives and families was written by a W.O.C. But I was wrong. Laney did her due diligence in order to adopt the feelings a P.O.C. may have when dealing with police injustice, a legal system that doesn't respect our life stories and how P.O.C. live in America knowing justice for us is never blind. This story has all of that!

[Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I wasn't sure what I would think about it but shortly after starting it, I was in to it. I love the concept of the book and I can't wait to get my hands on Book #2 to see how the series progresses. It's nice to have a story where a woman is confident and shows the power she has in her life.

[Antonica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Estlynn is my home girl

Interesting plot and characters. Estlynn is a fresh voice and compelling character. In some spots I felt like her blackness was overdone and in other spots she seemed lacking in racial identity. Overall I want to like her so I do. Cal/Linus was not what I was expecting at all. Love the atypical male portrayal.

[Naznin Azeez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!. I am all for justice. And this book has a protagonist who is into giving justice to those who were denied justice by the court and justice system.. If She Were Blind is a cleverly titles book. The story makes you feel pretty powerful, that anything is possible.. It ends with a cliffhanger.. looking forward to reading more form this author 💞

[Keturah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pleasantly surprised.

It was an unexpected gem. It held my interest throughout the book. The characters were flawed and still easy to like. I found myself wanting to know more about them. I would follow these characters and that’s what you want in a new series. Also, congratulations on hitting the mark on today’s issues.

[A.B. Shepherd · Rating 1 out of 5]

While this book is listed as book one in a three book series, there was no indication it ends on a cliffhanger, and cannot stand alone, which is one of my biggest pet peeves. Hence the poor rating.

Had it been able to stand alone, or had the description/blurb given clear forewarning of the cliffhanger ending I would have given it a four star rating.

[Marlys Van Dorston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wasn't Ready for it to End

A very strong and clever leading lady, who obviously has issues. I like the way the author kept taking us back to the past intermittently for us to understand the reasons for her issues. Very moving. Am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

[Meegan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Urgh, this was so painful. Think Olivia Pope of Scandal, but without any of the intelligence, wit, or sophistication. And the foreshadowing was so bad, you knew a certain character had died (and how) long before it happened. Yikes. The author tried SO hard to make the MC seem like a badass, but the characterisation was weak. I had to force myself to finish this. 1 star might even be generous.

[Jerome Maida · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent, soapy, compelling tale with a female black lead who pursues justice her own way. Solid story, but would be better if some tropes weren't used and if it did not make it obvious it is setting up a series of books rather than being a self-contained story.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book because I was bored and it was free on Kindle. I was pleasantly surprised it was actually pretty good! A little rough and disjointed in spots, but a fun read.

It kind of reminded me of John Grisham.

[anoop agrawal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay why this review is compulsory, i fail to understand yhe logic Okay kind of book. Was hopinqg for better selection of words. Hope to read better books of the author in future. All the best for the effortd.

I don't know why this review is compulsory
It's okay kind of book barring few paragraphs where brilliance of writer comes out.

[Doina Condrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will leave the rating at 5 stars but I just have to say this:

I am so mad!! And all it took was one line to make me mad at this book. Just ONE line. The very last one. Actually the whole last chapter. After all that, I was severely underwhelmed. Come on!!

[Teaguem2005 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Estylyn aka Dillon was a very interesting character. My kind of girl. She appears to do things her way. Beneath her carefree attitude is a deeply wounded girl who has learned to not wear her heart on her sleeve. Loved the writing style. Good story.

[A. Powers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I surprisingly enjoyed this book. I loved the idea of the revenge-for-hire lawyer who has been dealt a pretty crappy hand at life and gone through way too many horrible things. Some of the relationship stuff was a bit over the top, but I still enjoyed it anyway. Fun, quick read.