Frisk Me by Lauren Layne (New York’s Finest #1)
Releases: July 28, 2015
Contemporary Romance
Forever
Reviewed by May
Ava Sims isn’t impressed with or in love with the NYPD’s latest star Luc Moretti. The son of the former police chief was caught jumping into a river to save a girl – and the video went viral making him an instant hero and heartthrob. Ava is convinced he’s hiding something, and that he can’t possibly be the wonderful man who shies away from the spotlight and just wants to do his job quietly.
Luc is tortured by his past, including the death of his former partner, and the last thing he needs is some snoopy reporter following him around with a camera crew for some TV special. He has DARK SECRETS that simply mustn’t be revealed. Unfortunately the department demands it of him, so he’ll have to be careful to keep his distance…
I wanted to love this story, and I wish it had worked for me beyond a decent read on an airplane. Luc is the strong silent type and he’s got a big wonderful family I enjoyed spending time with. He’s got great ethics and you know I love me a hard working tortured past hero man. Outside of that though, he just wasn’t all that interesting of a person.
Ava is a strong, independent, and smart woman. I wanted to like her a lot, but her parent issues and her lack of enthusiasm for her career path was a real turn off. Instead of strengthening her as a character it made me question her. In fact, the whole conflict between them in the end boils down to Ava making choices based off something she doesn’t want to do anyhow.
Her parents were proud of all their children. Their annual Christmas card was an embarrassing brag fest.
But Ava knew that she was their darling. The one who was really living the dream. The one who would do what they hadn’t been able to:
National Anchorwoman.
And this story would get her there. Ava was sure of it.
So pursuing a big story she doesn’t want, for a job she has no interest in, Ava gets in Luc’s way and quickly the pair can’t deny they have a simmering tension between them. I really wish beyond her doing a story on him they had been given a bit more real world or “off the record” get to know each other time. The scenes at his family home were nice, but I would have liked to see more of these two as real people and outside of their jobs.
There is no one big flaw with this story – I do so enjoy a Lauren Layne tale. It’s smexy, it’s fun, it’s got interesting supporting characters and moves quickly. But with this one it was just kind of tired and fell flat for me. Good components were here, but for me it was nothing I hadn’t read before with characters I liked better. If you’re into cop + reporter romance or looking for a decently steamy contemporary though – this one might be just what you want.
Grade: C+
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