"Light Suspense And A Fiercely Loyal Hero In Touch With His Emotional Side And Knows What He Wants"
Reviewed by Mahvish Saeed
Posted March 29, 2015
Mystery Police Procedural | Mystery | Romance Suspense
APD Detective Jared Manning loves being single and able
to have one-night stands. That is till he meets a woman
whose laugh intrigues him and who left him the next
morning without so much as a goodbye note. He loves his
job too because he is so good at it till he finds out the
latest case has his estranged brother as the primary
murder suspect. Can things get any more complicated?
School teacher, Melody Renee Nash has issues. Major
issues with commitment. Thanks to the number her ex-
fiancé pulled on her, she has not been in any
relationship since then. For her, the one-night stand
was a massive mistake and most likely one of her friends
asked Jared to come on to her. She cannot believe when a
man like him can possibly be interested in someone like
her.
Fate intervenes when Jared and Mel come face to face in
her school. Never been serious with anyone, Jared is
sure Mel is different. Convincing her to give him a
chance though, is a task. She keeps running away. Then
there is his missing brother and the need to lie to his
partner about the relationship. On a cross roads with his
duty as a cop and his duty as brother, what will he
choose? With both his personal and professional life in a
hurdle, Jared needs to find the correct balance or he
just may end up losing everything.
Jared is a very well-developed character. I loved how Ms.
Szarek showed the conflict he was facing and how she
beautifully balanced his personal and professional life.
At no point during reading COLLISION CONTROL did I feel
that may be Jared's professional dilemma influenced his
change from free-flying playboy to someone wanting to go
steady. While I did not agree with his decisions
regarding his brother and job, I completely empathized
with him on why he did what he did. He is handsome,
funny, smart, caring and incredibly loyal. Loved his
interactions with everyone, his internal struggle and the
emotional breakdown.
Mel on the other hand felt less
focused upon. The book seemed to more or less revolve
around Jared instead of both H/h. Mel is sweet and caring
as long as she is not focusing on her hang-ups and
insecurities. At times it felt forced. I would have liked
to at point see an interaction between her and her ex who
was constantly mentioned to be back but never shown. For
me, their relationship needs further work upon where they
actually discuss and get over their pasts. Nonetheless,
theirs is a sweet passionate romance thanks to Jared who
forced her out of her shell despite repeat rejections.
COLLISION CONTROL is written with multiple POVs which I
admit added to the dimension of the story making it a
very enjoyable read. The story is fast-paced and reads
smoothly. The ending on the other hand felt very rushed
and quickly wrapped up. Instead of reading the summary in
the epilogue I would have liked some closure between
Jared, his partner and brother to be shown. The final
showdown and emotional outbursts showed how the
characters are all humans not cold hard-asses or
superheroes with no feelings. Felt sorry for Joe. He had
it tough and so did Taylor. Looking forward to seeing
their stories and if they finally catch the bad guy who
got away. COLLISION CONTROL is an enjoyable read for all
those who like light suspense, stubborn hero who is not
afraid to show his emotions and some great secondary
characters.
SUMMARY
This edition is no longer available. A one night stand can't possibly mean forever… Detective Jared Manning met his match at a bar. After a
night of passion, she sneaks out of his bed without so
much
as a note. Problem is, now he can’t find her. Kindergarten teacher Melody Nash doesn’t do one night
stands. Embarrassment gets the best of her and she lies
about her name. When they collide at her school, Mel resists his pull. She
won’t risk her heart on the obvious playboy, even though
she
can’t stop thinking about the night in his arms. Stress engulfs both Jared’s personal and professional
life.
His brother is at the centre of the joint case he and his
partner are working in cooperation with FBI. He puts his
job
on the line when he fails to share his blood relation—a
complication he doesn’t need, considering the FBI agent on
the case is convinced his brother killed her fiancé. Balance is the name of the game. Can Jared save his
brother
and convince Mel they’re meant to be together? Reader advisory: This book contains references to past
sexual abuse and rape that happened when the character was
a
child.
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