LAW MAN

LAW MAN                                                 KRISTEN ASHLEY
Posted:  Jan. 16, 2014

  Four years ago, Mitch Lawson moved across the breezeway from Mara Hanover and she fell in love with the tall, good-looking police detective who had an uncanny ability to dress well even though he’s single. It was not a stalker kind of love; she knows she has no hope since Mitch is way out of her league. That doesn’t change the fact that he’s her dream man.

Then one day Mara’s faucet won’t turn off and she knows nothing about plumbing. Being a good guy, Mitch offers to help then he invites himself over for pizza. Mara gives it a go but finds herself running away from him (literally) on their first date, standing him up their second and then she runs into him (again literally) on her way to save her ne’er do well, criminal cousin’s kids who’d just run away from their ne’er do well, criminal Dad.

Suddenly, Mara finds she has on her hands the guardianship of two kids and a gorgeous police detective who’s willing to do anything to help out… including giving fabulous foot rubs.

But Mara knows who she is and where she came from and she knows Detective Mitch Lawson is better than her. Hot law man Mitch disagrees and his challenge is to convince Mara to let go of her past and he sets about building a family at the same time he finds he also needs to protect them all against known and unknown adversaries that would tear them apart.

MY REVIEW:

     What an exceptionally good writer Kristen Ashley is.  Her gritty real way of storytelling grabs you at the beginning and holds you hostage until the end.  There’s not to say there weren’t things that didn’t bug me with this book because there was one that stands out above anything.  Mara Hanover’s thick skull and her scale system, but it was totally important to the story which I get.  What wasn’t important was how long it dragged on though, one chapter less might have been nice but at the end I got it I really did.  So, hold tight you will be glad you did.

   Other than that I loved all the characters.  Mara was a lady with a past no one knew about but her cousin Bill.  Once they left their hometown in Iowa for Colorado, Mara never looked back.  After 13 years her luck was about to change.  She thought maybe in a more positive way because Detective Mitch Lawson her neighbor for the past 4 years from across the breezeway, noticed her.  This for her was huge because she has lusted after him for so long, but knowing she was 1.5 to a 2.0 at the most to his 10.5 was disappointing.  Plus he was once again walking out of his apartment with another overnight guest, of which was never under an 8.0 on the scale in Mara’s world.

     Since he was staring at her as she was backing out she waved goodbye to him.  Her thought being, him wondering why, she a 1.5-2.0 would ever think she could way at him a 10.5.  NOT!  You see Mitch has had a crush on her too for about 3.7 years of the 4 years he has lived at the apartments where they both lived.  At first she was dating an ass and then she was just so overly shy he couldn’t find an in.

     When her sink breaks and he overhears her asking a friend he offers to fix it.  She agrees and so be it they are circling each other.  She just can’t figure out what he would want with her.  So, all the advancements he tries she doesn’t get at all.  So, to test the waters she offers to make her famous BBQ chicken pizza from scratch he asked her about.  It’s labor intensive so they agree on Sat. since she doesn’t work.  When she goes over to get him not only had he forgotten he had a women over.  Embarrassed she races back to her apartment he catches her and says give him 15 minutes.  In fifteen minutes she is wrapped the pizza to freeze, changed to comfortable clothes, and left.  Not coming home till midnight.  Not wanting to be second best, a second thought, and unimportant to anyone ever again.

     No sooner had she gotten in the door when Mitch orders her to open up so they could talk thus starting the whole alpha male pattern.  Mara stands her ground once she opens the door, basically saying he could go back to his flavor of the day since there is nothing ever going to happen for them.  Then she closes the door in his face.  Then, she avoids him and her apartment for days.

     Starting the fancy rollercoaster ride, called the alpha male relationship but with the kindest heart ever.  Mitch could be an ass especially when he was telling Mara she needed to pull her head out of her ass.  He was their strongest protector.  Do something to her and her little cousins and forget about it there was hell to pay.

     The emotions run high and scattered in this story piece.  That’s what I loved so much though.  Feeling the shame Mara got when her mother and aunt showed up on her doorstep.  Nor the joy and tears when the children when Mitch finally made a break through to Mara about his staying power for and with the children.  Or the loyalty, friendship, and sense of family when Mara was surround by her friends who loved her.  Knowing how much and how far Mitch wanted Billie and Bud to be his but Bud asking first and the joy that gives him.  Wow!  That he goes to Tack to use a marked to save his kids and his woman at all cost to life, limb and career was great.

     Loved this story which was provided by netgalley.com