Strictly Justice
Fighting for Innocence: A New Orleans Romantic Suspense
Book #7 in the Strictly... Series
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Strictly Justice
Released: April 9, 2026 • Available in Kindle, Paperback & Audible
Strictly Justice — At a Glance
If you love Julie James' smart, lawyer-driven romances but wish the stakes were higher and the tension even hotter, Strictly Justice is your next binge read.
She's chasing the story. He's arguing the law. Neither of them expected to fall for each other.
Kendra Pierce has built her true crime podcast on one rule: follow the evidence, not your feelings. But when a tip leads her to Darius Brooks — a man on death row for a murder she doesn't believe he committed — she finds herself face to face with Nate Reeves, a Georgetown law professor who plays strictly by the rules.
Nate hasn't taken a case in five years. Not since the last one cost an innocent man his life. But Darius Brooks is running out of time, and Kendra Pierce is impossible to ignore — brilliant, relentless, and determined to blow open a case that powerful people want buried.
As their investigation pulls them deeper into New Orleans' corridors of corruption, the tension between them becomes impossible to deny. But with enemies closing in and a man's life on the line, love may be the most dangerous risk of all.
Perfect for fans of slow-burn romance with high-stakes legal suspense.
Readers who love the following will devour Strictly Justice:
- •Slow-burn romance with explosive tension
- •High-stakes legal thrillers and courtroom drama
- •Atmospheric New Orleans settings
- •Age gap and protective hero tropes
- •Wrongful conviction mysteries with unpredictable twists
Strictly Justice is a standalone novel — the seventh book in the beloved Strictly Series. No cliffhangers. Guaranteed HEA.
"It blends two things that don't always coexist smoothly — a gritty fight for truth and a slow-burn romantic tension that feels earned rather than forced. New Orleans isn't just a backdrop here — it's a living, breathing presence. The romance is slow, simmering, and full of that 'I shouldn't want you but I do' energy."
"The vivid imagery brings New Orleans to life, making it feel like a place I'd love to visit, or even call home."
"This true crime thriller had me feeling a variety of emotions: suspicion, anger, despair and hope."