I'm a big fan of Jo Davis's Firefighters of Station Five
series so I was thrilled when I heard she was returning to
Sugarland, TN in a series featuring police officers. Even
better, the series was starting with Shane Ford's story, a
character who appeared in several books in the first series.
In SWORN TO PROTECT, Shane is regretting his love 'em and
leave 'em attitude towards Juvenile Officer Daisy Callahan
(see the novella Armed and Dangerous) when tragedy
strikes. His best friend, NFL Star Brad Cooper, is found
dead by his son Drew. Shane finds himself mourning his
friend, responsible for raising a hurting and angry
teenager, and leading an investigation into an illegal drug
that contributed to Brad's death. Daisy steps in as a friend
to both Shane and Drew. Shane quickly realizes life is too
short and he must work to prove himself worthy of Daisy's
devotion.
I reached the end of SWORN TO PROTECT with mixed feelings. I
found it to be an engaging story that filled a craving for
romantic suspense. Shane has strength of character,
conviction, and charm. Daisy is a good partner for him;
strong, independent, and caring. A number of familiar
characters make appearances which is always the best part of
a series for me. What I found lacking was the depth and
intensity of emotion and suspense that characterized the
books in the first series. Some of it comes from splitting
the story of Shane and Daisy's relationship into two parts.
The novella was too short to adequately build interest in
the relationship or the investigation and removes the core
of the conflict between Daisy and Shane (his fear of
commitment) from the book. By the time SWORN TO PROTECT
begins Shane has worked through the issues that caused him
to walk away in the first place. Overall, I was left with
the impression that Ms. Davis was still finding her footing
when it came to writing a police story. I look forward to
seeing what she does with the next book in the series,
Hot Pursuit.
From the author of the Firefighters of Station Five novels... Sugarland loves their men in blue, especially Detective Shane Ford. But Shane’s mission to protect and to serve has just gotten personal.... Detective Shane Ford, Sugarland’s favorite cop, has been blindsided by the sudden death of his best friend, NFL star Brad Cooper, and by becoming the legal guardian of Brad’s son, Drew—a bitter, angry sixteen-year-old with a dangerous secret. Shane is determined to pry the truth from Drew, but he manages only to alienate him—and winds up going head-to-head with Juvenile Officer Daisy Callahan, whose job is to protect the teen’s best interests. Shane has always been drawn to Daisy’s beauty and strength, but he’s determined not to allow their intense attraction to interfere with his duty ever again. It’s a vow that will prove difficult to keep, as the realities of Shane and Daisy’s blossoming love and their growing bond with the grieving teen propel Shane headlong into danger for the new family he has sworn to protect.
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