I wasn't sure if I'd like this book or not, but I do tend to like courtroom novels and the blurb/summary made it sound like a very interesting one, and so I gave it a try.

It's mainly about Monica and Shelby. They don't actually meet anywhere near Monica's lawyer life/courthouse, which was great in my mind. There was tension in their romantic subplot, but, it wasn't 'am I going against you in court or do I have to charge you/defend you from criminal stuff' tension. Instead they meet at a Crossfit studio.

They're not the main story through. That's a court case where Monica's job is to prepare the local physicians to testify (she's the lawyer for the hospital).

Some fo the plot points and where the story went was a little too pat and easy (even the ending didn't totally surprise me), but, on the other hand, there's something to be said for familiarity in a story and it was definitely a fun read.

It's also titled on the front sorta like a series, and if it does become a series I'd definitely try to read more about Monica, Jim, Shelby, Nathan, Matt, and everyone.

I received this book via Netgalley thanks to eBookIt and AuthorBuzz.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review. Monica Spade is a well developed and beleiveable.

I hope there will be a sequel to continue exploring and developing the characters.

The topic of bias influences everyone differently - ethnicity, sexual identical, religion, privilege. The author deftly handled the pleasant AND unpleasant aspects of bias while building an enjoyable, suspenseful story line.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

It's the first time I'm reading something from this author and it certainly won't be the last. The story was very intriguing, it literally kept me reading and finishing the whole book in a day. The chemistry between the two MCs was sizzling hot even though the romance was not the main plot but it was satisfying and well executed.

Monica Spade is keeping a secret. To protect her chances of someday making partner at the prestigious law firm controlled by men whose attitudes are trapped in the homophobic hysteria of earlier centuries, she’s not “out” in her professional life. Conscious Bias mixes workplace drama, personal crossroads, small-town politics and quirky humor into serious social commentary about identity and power. Recurring minor comedic threads add lighthearted elements to this tale of many flawed aspects in the pursuit of justice in the United States. Some missing connective tissue in transitions and sudden swings in tone will likely smooth out in the second entry in this series that shows potential for greatness.

CrossFit, the irresistible allure of baked goods and alcoholic beverages, along with searching for love occupy Monica’s thoughts when she’s not negotiating through a minefield of sexism, homophobia, and xenophobia in her professional career. Treacherous office politics, questionable loyalties, all kinds of inappropriateness, and violent threats keep Monica scrambling from one crisis to another while exposure looms closer every day. Underlying all of the dynamic confrontations and snappy dialogue are these questions: Are non-hetero people obligated to disclose their sexual orientation to everyone? Why? That’s not an expectation imposed upon hetero people.

Monica’s internal brooding about “outing” herself in her professional life resonates as being authentic to present-day concerns. Her next case should lead to another engaging adventure for readers.

I don’t think I’ve read a book using this style for quite some time and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Monica Spade is a lawyer whose biggest client is the local hospital. When a foreign, Muslim student dies after being punched it falls to her to prepare the doctors who treated him for their testimony at the trial. Monica’s life is quite full with her new cross-fit class, some monkey business at the hospital and having to put up with the bigoted, self-important partners at the law firm she works at. But Shelby is a beautiful distraction.

The story follows pretty much every minute of Monica’s day to the point that if a period of time is skipped it is labelled as so with a header like, ‘The next morning’. It’s a style that makes me feel involved and privy to everything the main character is privy to. There were a couple of times though, where a person’s testimony was given in practice and then repeated in the trial and perhaps there is a better way to deal with that.

It’s Monica’s point of view that is followed and she’s a likeable character but all the information gained about her is through her actions. If this is the start of series I’m looking forward to and hoping for more of her backstory. There are some unexpected moments of humour and quirkiness like the journalist and her malapropisms. I enjoyed the realism of the courtroom scenes and the handling of bigotry.

And then there’s the romance. Even though it takes a backseat to the crime and trial it is still wonderfully sexy. Monica and Shelby have tangible, sizzling chemistry. It is an easy, well-paced read.

Book received from Netgalley for an honest review.

I really had no idea what to expect from this book, and if I had looked at it closer (though I did take a close book before pulling it off NetGalley), I might not have tried it (for a specific reason I’ll mention later). I knew the book involved a lawyer, and that she was somehow involved in a case that involved an individual connected to a ‘popular’ small town family (the father has a construction business and directly or indirectly employees a good many members of the town). Oh, and I knew three more things: 1) while those on my friend list who had read the book apparently liked it well enough: a) none had written a review; b) there were very few of them who had read it (3?; … heh. Oops. So, nine people have rated it and I was right about how few of my friends have read/rated it, I was just wrong to believe any had – I could have sworn at least three had rated it. mmphs); 2) two is connected to that 9 number – I knew very few people had read it at all; 3) the book cover involves legs and a hint of a not exactly appropriate for court room dress (more the color red than anything else; oddly enough, no one is described as wearing a red dress in the book (at least what I recall being mentioned were conservative court outfits, workout clothing, and the like); 3) I’ve never read this author before.

Bah, I got distracted by work related stuff for a longish time so now have to figure out how to get back into review.

This book here falls into the ‘legal thriller’ category, with a strong Romance subplot (though, unlike what might be implied by the book cover (maybe?) this is not an Erotic Romance (some touchy-feely stuff occurs, and much time is spent thinking about kissing and/or kissing/and or touching, but both dives around actual displays of a sexual nature, while also going deep into public displays of fondling.

The legal thriller part is where I’d, if I’d read closer, have stepped around this book. Not because I haven’t read and liked those types of books, but because I am quite reluctant to read for pleasure a book set in my own line of work. Add in the part where the main character works in the health care legal field, and I work . . . well, I do not wish to get into my personal life – for the last little bit of time I’ve worked healthcare fraud field. Prosecuting it. Soooo, not exactly a book I’d sit back, read, and relax with, eh?

Monica Spade works as a lawyer for a particular law firm in a small town in Wisconsin named ‘Apple Grove’ (I actually forgot we were in Wisconsin until I looked at the book description, though I’d recalled we were in the Midwest). While aware that the place is very conservative (the law firm), she also has overlooked certain things you’d think she’d have noticed (like how she’s the only female in the firm – the token female), but let’s move on. Most of her work involves a hospital, and she tackles anything and everything they wish for her to tackle (like a joint-building project to build a sports stadium, loose monkeys in the hospital, and doctors testifying in murder trials). All three of my examples play roles in this book, though it’s the last one that plays the largest role (legal-wise). A good portion of the book involves Monica involved with a murder trial (as the lawyer for the hospital, not as a trial lawyer), mixed with the thing that distracts Monica greatly, and the thing I’ve not yet mentioned (well, I did mention a Romance subplot) – a woman. The woman causes deeply distracting thoughts in Monica’s brain.

How’d Monica fit in a romance into her ‘hiding her lesbian-nature from her conservative firm?’ while also dealing with a murder trial? Well, Monica notices that her pants appear to be shrinking on her, so she starts going to a gym (she immediately joined the gym she was touring when a very gorgeous woman happened to wander out of the women’s locker room). That would be Shelby St. Clair, ‘sexy art teacher’. The two spend most of the book flirting and sending lustful looks towards each other, and eventually take things to the next level. Takes a while. Again I note the lace of explicit sex (as some need to know that information) while also noting, for the first time, that everything is from one person’s point of view (though there were some odd drifting moments when Monica seemed to be out of a scene (having just walked out of a room, or the like), and the ‘POV lingered’ in the room she’d just left; that was rare though).

Hmm. This book might be more of a slice of life book than a Legal Thriller or a Romance. But, eh, whatever it was, it worked for me more than I expected. I liked the story, characters, and . . . um . . . the stuff I read.

Getting back to that ‘wasn’t sure what to expect’ part – labeling this as the first book in a series, and putting ‘Spade’ as the name of the character and series (Monica Spade), led me to believe that there’d be more ‘Spade-like’ stuff going on (you know, like Sam Spade, Dashiell Hammett’s private detective, made famous in the Maltese Falcon book and film). This Spade, Monica, is not like that Spade, Sam.

Rating: 4.96

June 20 2019

This was an enjoyable legal drama with a little romance on the side. Monica Spade is a lawyer at a conservative law firm in small-town Wisconsin; the first female lawyer employed at the firm. She is also a lesbian, a fact she has kept secret in order to keep her job. However, a potential love interest, Shelby, and the behavior of some of the attorneys in the firm towards Nathan, a male attorney, when he comes out as gay has caused Monica to question whether she needs to be true to herself and "out" herself, consequences be damned. The main legal drama revolves around a felony murder trial where the accused, Trevor McKnight, is the son of one of the most influential businessmen in town (David McKnight of McKnight Construction) and the deceased, Abdul Seif, is a Saudi foreign exchange student who died from injuries incurred in a bar fight. Monica Spade is the lawyer for the local hospital, and therefore has been asked by the DA to help prep the doctors for their testimony. This does not go over well with one of the named partners in the firm, who is good friends with the McKnight family, has done legal work for them, and does not want to risk losing McKnight Construction as a client.

As is evident from the title, bias is a major issue in the story -- racial/ethnic/religious bias toward Abdul Seif, the Saudi exchange student and homophobia towards Nathan (and his partner) and later against Monica. I thought the author handled the issues of bias well. Some of the characters say and do some pretty horrendous things, but the author avoids making the behavior over-the-top. Monica and Nathan's reactions to the prejudice they experience and witness feels realistic. The author does a good job of explaining the medical and legal aspects of the story -- not too technical, but also not dumbing it down too much. The romantic aspect of the story is well done and enjoyable. Monica is a character the reader will like. There is also a comedic element involving the hospital, but I don't want to spoil it by saying anything more.

The subtitle (A Monica Spade Novel) suggests that there might be further books involving Monica, Shelby, and other characters. I certainly hope so.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley.

I had not read anything from this author, but I will be looking for her other books now!

Monica Spade is an attorney in a law firm. She specializes in health care law and she represents the local hospital in the little town of Apple Grove, WI.

Shelby St. Clair is an art teacher at the elementary school in Apple Grove. Monica and Shelby meet at an early morning workout class.

Attorney Spade becomes embroiled in a case involving the hospital when a young man, Trevor McKnight allegedly causes the death of an exchange student from Saudi Arabia. The McKnight family is powerful in the town and it will be an uphill battle to prove that Trevor's actions caused Abdul's death. Did Trevor McKnight act with conscious bias against Abdul Seif because Abdul is from the Middle East?

There is also an interesting side story about the political clout that the McKnight family wields in the construction of the town's new sports arena and how it might impact the felony murder trial of Trevor McKnight.

Between the compelling courtroom machinations and the attraction taking place between Monica and Shelby, this is an impeccably well-written legal drama with a slow burn romance front and center. Look for a surprise twist at the end of this book, too!

I was given an ARC from Netgalley for an honest review of this book.

Conscious Bias dealt with many topics such as : homophobia, workplace harassment, hate crime, felony murder, bias in many forms, and intimidation tactics.

Monica Spade was an intelligent young gay lawyer on a fast track to make partner in an all male law firm. Initially, she decided not to come out at work, fearing her male colleagues would not accept her and possibly dismiss her. But after a lawyer friend was treated harshly when his sexuality was discovered, Monica knew she had to take action. Meanwhile, in the midst of this work drama, Monica was the lawyer representing a hospital in which a young foreign exchange student from Saudia Arabia died after a bar bias altercation with another university student, Trevor McKnight, who was a member of a well known and well connected family of their local community. Bias reared its ugly head in all directions.

I enjoyed the courtroom drama which took center stage with well written scenes involving the prep work and the trial itself. The romantic aspect had a secondary role and took place mainly during early morning CrossFit classes. Monica had to keep her priorities set on the trial even though she and Shelby, a high school art teacher, wanted to take their gym relationship to another level. Their simmering chemistry was present during all their interactions.

Since this was the first book in the Monica Spade series, the author did a good job of introducing her characters. I read other books by this author so I look forward to this series continuing with a more in-depth look into the characters’ background.

I was hoping for a little more romance, but overall it was an enjoyable read. The author certainly did her research in terms of the legal aspects. I am looking forward to the next one.

Wow, I did not expect that. I don't know I read many great reviews over this book, and true to their option it was. very very informative in the legal department. I skipped most tbh since i'm into romance books, the romance was soooo minimum and that the only critic i can give, It was that good. excellent writing

thank you for giving me free copy in exchange of honest opinion

This was the first of Alexi Venice novels I have read, but it shan't be the last. Interspersed within this relevant and gripping legal thriller is a lovely and subtle romance between a teacher and an attorney. The writing was exceptionally captivating and yet comfortable. Characters were likable and the events were believable.

Very enjoyable and thank you for the opportunity to review it

I have received an ARC copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book is a great read and in my opinion, would be a great subject for discussion in a sociology class. The book and its narrative covered it all from cultural alliances, conscious biases to great love while allowing us to see behind the scene how trials are conducted. The author did a great job developing the characters and allowing us to see their internal conflicts and their resolutions. The way characters experience conscious bias and the way they respond to it. And then comes love and whether it is worth to risk the career over. Overall it is a fantastic, well-developed book, I am definitely looking forward to the next.

Conscious Bias is a fantastic book. The characters are interesting and well developed. The book is well written. I hope to read more by this author.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.


Monica Spade is a well developed character. I love her inner monologue especially when she with Shelby at Cross fit.

All the supporting characters were great. I like the behind the scenes of how trail is conducting. How the characters experiences and responds to conscious bias. The author does a good job with this.

Hopefully there will be more adventures in the near future for Monica Spade. I was kinda hoping we see crossover with Amanda Jen and Tommy from her San Francisco series in this but maybe we will if this going to be a another series.