Melissa reviews Long Shadows (Common Law #1) by Kate Sherwood Published December 31st 2016 by Riptide Publishing, 184 pages.
LA cop Jericho Crewe got the hell out of Mosely, Montana, when he was seventeen. Fifteen years later, he’s back, and everything is just as messed up as when he left. He planned a quick visit to deal with his injured father, but of course things are never that simple. Family complications, police complications, social complications—and, as always, Wade Granger complications.
Jericho and Wade had been so close, once upon a time. First friends, then more than friends—and then, after Jericho’s escape, nothing. Wade’s magnetism hasn’t been lessened by a decade and a half apart; even when Jericho learns that Wade is the prime suspect in the death of Jericho’s father, the old connection still sparks.
When Jericho’s newly discovered half siblings are kidnapped, he needs to trust someone to help him find them. Wade’s a terrible choice, but Jericho’s never been known for his good judgment. Anyway, he’d rather make a bad decision with Wade than a good one with anybody else.
A copy of this was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Why I read this book: The blurb sounded interesting, and I do love me some cop/bad guy action. 😉
First, I feel I should warn you that there is no sex – there isn’t even a relationship. Don’t read this one expecting there to be anything romantic here.
The premise to the story is this: Jericho left Mosely when he was a teenager (not sure exactly when because at first he left 10 years ago, then 15 years was said), and he left behind Wade, his not exactly boyfriend, but certainly sex buddy. Jericho’s dad isn’t a stand up citizen. He is a criminal, to put it bluntly. And all these years later when Jericho returns home he learns his father was murdered, had remarried and had two kids (Jericho’s young half-siblings). The blurb gave me the impression these kids would be teenagers, but they were around 6 years old. Way younger than I expected.
Jericho is a detective with the LAPD and when he returns home, he is dragged into investigating what happened to his father, how he can help his “step-mother,” and dealing with seeing Wade again – who isn’t a straight businessman either. Who can resist a bad boy?
This was an ok read for me. All I can say is it was average. Average plot, average characters, average writing. Nothing earth shattering, and I will admit to skimming a little because I didn’t need a lot of the minute details. This story turned out to be nothing like I expected and it didn’t exactly end on a cliffhanger, but yet it did. The crime was solved, the bad guys found, but his relationship with Wade isn’t resolved, his half-siblings need his help if they are going to turn out even somewhat civilized, and there is still the criminal element in the town.
Clearly this is a continuous series and the characters keep growing (I think) with each installment. I just don’t know where it all ends. I really think Book 2 is where the action is, so I plan to at least give it a try, and see what happens with the romance and the characters.
Where to buy: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo
Kate Sherwood started writing about the same time she got back on a horse after almost twenty years away from riding. She’d like to think she was too young for it to be a midlife crisis, but apparently she was ready for some changes!
Kate grew up near Toronto, Ontario (Canada) and went to school in Montreal, then Vancouver. But for the last decade or so she’s been a country girl. Sure, she misses some of the conveniences of the city, but living close to nature makes up for those lacks. She’s living in Ontario’s “cottage country”–other people save up their time and come to spend their vacations in her neighborhood, but she gets to live there all year round!
Since her first book was published in 2010, she’s kept herself busy with novels, novellas, and short stories in almost all the sub-genres of m/m romance. Contemporary, suspense, scifi or fantasy–the settings are just the backdrop for her characters to answer the important questions. How much can they share, and what do they need to keep? Can they bring themselves to trust someone, after being disappointed so many times? Are they brave enough to take a chance on love?
Kate’s books balance drama with humor, angst with optimism. They feature strong, damaged men who fight themselves harder than they fight anyone else. And, wherever possible, there are animals: horses, dogs, cats ferrets, squirrels… sometimes it’s easier to bond with a non-human, and most of Kate’s men need all the help they can get.
After five years of writing, Kate is still learning, still stretching herself, and still enjoying what she does. She’s looking forward to sharing a lot more stories in the future.
Rainbow Gold Reviews 