Title: Avoiding the Badge
Series: Arizona K9 Book #1
Stand Alone Title: yes
Author: Dorothy F. Shaw
Genre: Romance
Blurb: Rayna Michaels may be a veterinarian, but she knows a little something about the human heart—especially when it comes to worried pet owners. Law enforcement’s bonds with their K9 partners are legendary, and Derek Hansen is a perfect example—he’s had his dog Axle in more times than she can count in the last few months. And Derek’s sculpted muscles and heart-stopping smile would be truly irresistible, if only he wasn’t an officer of the law…
Derek can’t get Rayna’s stunning face and no-nonsense smarts out of his mind. Any excuse to see her will do, until he works up the nerve to ask her out. He’s not sure where her resistance to cops comes from, though he’s more than willing to prove he’s one of the good ones. But when casual dating turns into explosive lovemaking, Derek knows he has to come clean about his past before the woman he loves finds out what he’s been hiding and turns tail to run…
Favorite quote(s): “Can I take you out on a date? Dinner, lunch, coffee….anything. Just please, can we go out and talk when we’re not in uniform?”
Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book…it just had an old-fashioned sweetness to it that I sometimes miss from other books. Derek constantly taking his canine partner to the vet to have an opportunity to be around Rayna – and try to work up to asking her out – just had a charming ring to it that I found endearing. In many ways, this book is a bit of a slow-burn that simmers for a while before it gets really good. Sure, as other readers have pointed out, it had some inconsistencies to it, but it just wasn’t enough to ruin the book for me. I think my biggest issue was the fact that the daughter didn’t play as big a role in the book as I felt she needed to. But really, I couldn’t help but love this book anyway! I will definitely be looking for more from this author.
Rating: B+
