Leo Byrne is a cop, Jason Banks is an ex-con. Even after one stolen kiss, something has to give before Leo can convince Jason that falling in love is even an option.
Adopted at a young age, Leo is part of the sprawling Byrnes family. With his dog Cap, three siblings and a whole mess of nieces and nephews, he is never lonely, and his life is full. Love is the last item on his to-do list, but seeing his best friends Sean and Eric happy and making new families makes him want things he doesn’t think is possible. Kissing Jason at an event to honor his bravery was one thing, but anything other than that is off limits. Until Jason has no one left to turn to, and it’s Leo who helps him at his lowest. Taking Jason and his daughter into his home is one thing, but falling for the ex-con is something else altogether.
Jason made a deal to keep his daughter safe and spent years behind bars as a result. Volunteering as a convict firefighter was as much about helping the community as saving his sanity, but now that he’s out, he doesn’t even have that. He’s lost his future, his self-respect, and has no friends or a place to call home. Worst of all, even after rescuing his daughter he still can’t keep her safe from the man who wants to use her as a bargaining chip for money. Meeting Leo might give Jason a way to keep Daisy safe, but falling for the stubborn cop means the truth has to be revealed, and he could lose everything all over again.
Length: 57,000 words approx.
Cover Design: Meredith Russell
Amazon – Kindle Unlimited
Book #1 – Single – Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link
Book #2 – Today – Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link
Oooh, single dads, how I love you!
So, if you’re jumping into book three, then I’ll assume you’ve read books one (the doctor) and two (the firefighter) and now this one, best friend/roommate/chosen family of the others, Leo (the cop). In saying that, I loved the other stories but I didn’t so much remember the situation between Leo and Jason, (the cop and the convict) that happened last book. It gets brought up in this one, a lot, so I suppose I should’ve went back and had a refresh, I didn’t feel like I needed to with as often as it was brought up…..So, I don’t necessarily remember what happened, but apparently, Jason and Leo shared a kiss in what Jason thinks was gratitude and afterward Leo regretted it. Instead of talking about it like adults, it was a pretty big misunderstanding that lasted half the book… however, it also took a backseat to the real problems, which is where this book begins.
While Sean has been busy at the hospital and Eric is away, fighting the wildfires in California, Jason, who you should remember from last book, who was running and hiding with his almost four year old daughter (you will be reminded of this a lot), and he helped save Eric… who told Jason that if he ever needed help, to come find him…which he does… beaten up, exhausted from running, broke and just broken.. he’s gotta keep fighting to keep his daughter safe, but he doesn’t know who to trust.
Working with the FBI who hasn’t done a whole lot to keep them safe and Daisy’s mother in a coma from the guy he’s currently running from, Jason has no choice but to go to Eric and hope he’ll help them. Not counting on Eric not being there, he runs into Leo, Eric’s friend/neighbor/old roommate/chosen brother, and him being a cop is the last thing he needs, because remember, law enforcement hasn’t been able to keep them safe up until then… and the kiss they shared, it left things awkward and misunderstood on Jason’s part.
Leo takes one look at Jason and his daughter and his instincts to turn him in are strong, but Jason asks him to trust him and to give him a little bit of time. Seeing that he’s about to drop and is in no shape okay to take care of his little girl, he gives them someplace to settle until they can figure out what they need to do… of course, Leo hasn’t been able to get Jason out of his head since the kiss, and Jason thinks that Leo couldn’t possibly want him because he’s a cop and Jason’s a criminal….two sides of very different coins, eh?
It bugged me that everything was so secretive for so long, when Leo was doing everything he could to get Jason to trust him. What he’d done wasn’t even that bad and it would’ve made so much more sense for Jason to tell him what was going on so he could help. He needed someone to help him so badly, and here was Leo begging to help and Jason wouldn’t let him. I wanted to shake him so many times, but I understood that he has a child that he had to put first and things hadn’t gone his way when he’d trusted before. So, understandable to a point, but still frustrating. While staying with Leo, both Daisy and Jason learned to trust Leo and it was cute to watch them both warm up to him, especially when Leo was done letting Jason hide from him…. Hello, hot toppy cop. Bonus!
Another thing I loved was Leo’s faith and the way he talked to God. Now, it’s not a big part of the story, but it also kind of is. As most LGBT+ stories kind of shun the community and ruin relationships and self-worth, I loved that Leo not only still believed in God and had faith in Him, but also used it in everyday his everyday life and didn’t think twice about it. He has a great family, too, an adopted one that didn’t care if he was LGBT++++++ or any letter that it might entail. They encouraged him to be who he is and they loved him no matter what. I love love loved that! Great seeing it in a same-sex read. (at least to me)
Overall, I enjoyed the trope…. the guy on the run who ends up with the cop who keeps him safe… I love the single dad, the cute kids, the awesome family and slow burn, as it took Jason a while to trust Leo… so, it was a very cute read if you don’t mind some things being repetitive. This will always be a sweet series for me and I’m so glad that Leo got his HEA and that Jason and Daisy were safe and accepted into the growing family of men in uniforms and their partners and babys.
I can’t wait to see who’s next!
4 Pieces of Eye Candy
USA Today bestselling author RJ Scott writes stories with a heart of romance, a troubled road to reach happiness, and most importantly, a happily ever after.
RJ Scott is the author of over one hundred romance books, writing emotional stories of complicated characters, cowboys, millionaire, princes, and the men who get mixed up in their lives. RJ is known for writing books that always end with a happy ever after. She lives just outside London and spends every waking minute she isn’t with family either reading or writing.
The last time she had a week’s break from writing she didn’t like it one little bit, and she has yet to meet a bottle of wine she couldn’t defeat.
She’s always thrilled to hear from readers, bloggers and other writers. Please contact via the links below:
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I just read Love Happens Anyway, and liked that. I read The Christmas Throwaway some time ago. I’ll have to look into this series. 🙂