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stang_gt3 's review for:
Love & Loyalty
by Tere Michaels
This book kinda feels like it’s only vaguely tied in with the first book in the series. It really could be a stand alone. Other than one phone call back to Mark, this book takes place in a whole ‘nother city with a completely different cast of characters. Plus it really didn’t feel like the same Jim we met in NY running away from his best friend, and the man he’s in love with, getting married. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the book, I did, it just wasn’t anything I expected based off of our introduction to Jim in Faith & Fidelity.
Detective James “Jim” Shea is a devoted Seattle homicide detective. He is the job, he’s rarely home and when he is it’s to hopefully sleep. He does the work and rarely does a case get under his skin. This one though, this one did. They knew they had the bastard dead to rights for strangling the girl, but because of his golden boy status and the fact that she was a runaway turning tricks justice was not served. Losing the case ended up killing her mother and Jim’s done his best to be there for the victim’s father, Ed, since. Everyone familiar with the case knows how much of a gross miscarriage of justice it was, there’s just nothing they can do about it. Jim’s lost himself in even more work and his friends, the Heterosexual Cabal are determined to break him out of it some how. They all wish they could do something to hook him up with someone, give him something else in his life.
Griffin Drake is a successful Hollywood screenwriter. He’s made a name for himself penning action packed summer blockbusters. But he wants more out of his writing. This new plan is the perfect opportunity to get both himself and his best girlfriend out from under the studio boss’ thumb. Griffin is familiar with the tragic case and is going to do his best to win over everyone involved to finally let someone tell their side of the story. But first he has to also convince Jim who was lead detective on the case and become Ed’s close friend. Ed’s has asked Jim to be involved in making it all happen. Not usually lucky in love himself Griffin ends up surprised at how easy it is to get along with the man and sparks my just fly.
So I really liked Griffin and Jim together. They’re cute in their own awkward meets surly way. I liked how Griffin’s energy gets Jim to open up a bit and how Griffin finds the strength to take charge and give Jim a little bit of relief from always being the leader. This is one of those super sweet romances without any real rough edges. The two just blend together and find a natural harmony with each other. The support is there and I never really questioned that everything would work out for them.
All the drama happens in Griffin and Daisy’s relationship. Talk about screwed up! Living in LA myself there were parts of this that rung true and other parts that were a little “stereotypical” Hollywood without really being the reality of the way it works. For a fiction story they were fine and enjoyable in that they added tension to this otherwise sweet romance. I enjoyed Griffin waking up to the reality of his friendship and realizing he needed to move on no matter how painful it was. There was a lot of growth for Griffin in that moment.
I have to admit I adore the Heterosexual Cabal. I know we don’t spend a lot of time with them or anything, but they all so clearly care about Jim and it’s just such a funny name for a group of friends. I think a large part of my enjoyment comes out of the way Jim thinks about them in his head. There’s this exasperated fondness for them all as if he can’t quite wrap his head around the way they all think en-mass. It’s was cute and funny and made me giggle all the time.
This is a light sweet read that I enjoyed despite it not quite fitting in with the Jim I had in my head after book one of the series. I mean Jim certainly got over his obsessed love feelings for Ben pretty dang quick and with little angst at all. There really wasn’t a lot of pining or questioning his relationship with Griffin based on those past emotions. It was more a convenient plot device to get Jim to NY for book one and then became obsolete in its’ need in book two. I don’t mind too much since I liked these guys, but everything came together so smoothly and easily for them it felt a little odd to have Jim never really address it.
Still I enjoyed the book and am curious to see what happens with our couple from book one in book three. I will be continuing on in the series of course. They writing is very enjoyable and is a wonderful escape from reality when you need it.
Detective James “Jim” Shea is a devoted Seattle homicide detective. He is the job, he’s rarely home and when he is it’s to hopefully sleep. He does the work and rarely does a case get under his skin. This one though, this one did. They knew they had the bastard dead to rights for strangling the girl, but because of his golden boy status and the fact that she was a runaway turning tricks justice was not served. Losing the case ended up killing her mother and Jim’s done his best to be there for the victim’s father, Ed, since. Everyone familiar with the case knows how much of a gross miscarriage of justice it was, there’s just nothing they can do about it. Jim’s lost himself in even more work and his friends, the Heterosexual Cabal are determined to break him out of it some how. They all wish they could do something to hook him up with someone, give him something else in his life.
Griffin Drake is a successful Hollywood screenwriter. He’s made a name for himself penning action packed summer blockbusters. But he wants more out of his writing. This new plan is the perfect opportunity to get both himself and his best girlfriend out from under the studio boss’ thumb. Griffin is familiar with the tragic case and is going to do his best to win over everyone involved to finally let someone tell their side of the story. But first he has to also convince Jim who was lead detective on the case and become Ed’s close friend. Ed’s has asked Jim to be involved in making it all happen. Not usually lucky in love himself Griffin ends up surprised at how easy it is to get along with the man and sparks my just fly.
So I really liked Griffin and Jim together. They’re cute in their own awkward meets surly way. I liked how Griffin’s energy gets Jim to open up a bit and how Griffin finds the strength to take charge and give Jim a little bit of relief from always being the leader. This is one of those super sweet romances without any real rough edges. The two just blend together and find a natural harmony with each other. The support is there and I never really questioned that everything would work out for them.
All the drama happens in Griffin and Daisy’s relationship. Talk about screwed up! Living in LA myself there were parts of this that rung true and other parts that were a little “stereotypical” Hollywood without really being the reality of the way it works. For a fiction story they were fine and enjoyable in that they added tension to this otherwise sweet romance. I enjoyed Griffin waking up to the reality of his friendship and realizing he needed to move on no matter how painful it was. There was a lot of growth for Griffin in that moment.
I have to admit I adore the Heterosexual Cabal. I know we don’t spend a lot of time with them or anything, but they all so clearly care about Jim and it’s just such a funny name for a group of friends. I think a large part of my enjoyment comes out of the way Jim thinks about them in his head. There’s this exasperated fondness for them all as if he can’t quite wrap his head around the way they all think en-mass. It’s was cute and funny and made me giggle all the time.
This is a light sweet read that I enjoyed despite it not quite fitting in with the Jim I had in my head after book one of the series. I mean Jim certainly got over his obsessed love feelings for Ben pretty dang quick and with little angst at all. There really wasn’t a lot of pining or questioning his relationship with Griffin based on those past emotions. It was more a convenient plot device to get Jim to NY for book one and then became obsolete in its’ need in book two. I don’t mind too much since I liked these guys, but everything came together so smoothly and easily for them it felt a little odd to have Jim never really address it.
Still I enjoyed the book and am curious to see what happens with our couple from book one in book three. I will be continuing on in the series of course. They writing is very enjoyable and is a wonderful escape from reality when you need it.