This was the first book I’ve read by this author. I am always excited to read something by a not so seasoned indie author. I was taken aback by the subject matter, as it was so Real and relevant for what’s happening to Black men and women today. I had to refocus my mind to be prepared. So I though.
In this story there were two prevailing issues running simultaneously or parallel with the other story.
The heroine, a photojournalist, fell for a street beat cop who patrolled her neighborhood. The hero, had a life legacy to uphold as his father and grandfather were cops. The hero was one of the good guys.
So how would the two opposites come to terms with whether their varied opinions about life, and his career choice be able to coincide in a relationship? That was the tough question encapsulated.
Ava Green met Officer Levi when she was body slammed to the ground and harassed by a bad cop female officer. I was so upset with Officer Stevenson, all I could see was a Blue Blob of Energy moving about spouting hatred. Just think about this for a moment, and then read on..
When Officer Levi Raymond rolled up on the situation to offer back-up assistance, he quickly surmised the female bad cop was out of control and unless he stepped in, things would go south. He was able to deescalate the situation, but the young men who caused the ruckus were arrested. Ava was allowed to leave with broken equipment and a mean mugging from officer bad cop. Ava lived closer to the part of town a few blocks from where gentrification had begun, but not far enough away from being treated like a BPW (black person walking).
This entire situation with police harassment, and other things caused Ava to believe it was not a good look to date a cop, henceforth- her vow to never date a cop. But, having officer friendly walk her home and ask her out for coffee was out of the norm, and her bodies reaction to him was out of character for certain. When she saw him later at the precinct, she ran into sweat pants wearing Levi, and she noticed his man parts on full display. Oh my! and her opinion was swaying in the wind.. So to speak.. Later, she and her friend Yves had a long discussion about his Best Asset for a relationship. I laughed and howled.. The way she described his Big friend had me wanting to say hello! Hello IVEL! Ha Ha.. You saw that right?
As the story progressed, Ava, did in fact begin a relationship with Levi, but she also became involved with the young man Emil- who’d saved her the night of his arrest. Ava saw something in Emil that would later be a blessing and a curse. I can’t say more as this would spoil the story.. I liked the way the story flowed and kept my attention. Especially her crazy friends- Yves and Elijah’s open relationship. Lately this seems to be the rage these days.. Ava’s bestie was a trip to say the least. Then there was Ava mentoring Emil to want to be better, and Levi low-key worried about the corner boy being involved with his lady. The chemistry between Ava and Levi was on point. I could feel the love growing between them… I could also see the love and respect Emil felt for Ava. Begrudgingly, Emil learned to accept Ava being involved with Officer Levi. And vise versus for Levi. Ava recognized Emil had an artistic eye. Maybe he reminded her of her as a young adult. And did I mention Levi was more than the man in blue? His desire to be a better cop and a better man made him easier to love by Ava, and Emil to accept.
The story moved slowly at times, and at other times, the story took on rapid fire situations with a coolly irreverent zealousness. I liked the storyline and the backstory, which reminded me of a movie plot. A few editing Issues pulled the story below 5 stars. But don’t worry too much about that. I am confident in my belief in this author’s future development. Overall, the story was worth a read. This was not a cop hating story, it was a female facing the truth about life and the consequences of her actions. This was also a love story. I urge you to give this author a try…
Still absolutely drooling over this book. Fantastical. A note… Tasha is far from unseasoned. I dare say she writes circles around me. Thanks for popping up this review… a great read, one my new faves.
It was a really good book, I’m going to check out her other books now