3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Head and shoulders above the rest****, March 23, 2010
For readers of this blog, you would know I read alot of Harlequin and Mills&Boons before bed - I have done this from as long as I can remember and I don't normally say anything about them here - However Carolyn McSparren is the exception, and BACHELOR COP is a book that just needs talking about.
Ms McSparren starts off BACHELOR COP with an immediate introduction to the hero and the heroine in literally arm to arm combat, yup you heard me right. Why, because Detective Randy Railsback is a Shelby County cop and also a self defence class teacher who just happen to be the immediate target of one Dr Helena Norcross, who Randy has cheekily nicknamed Streak.
Streak has a chip on her shoulders a mile wide and Randy knows if there is one thing that will work against her moving on in the class is the amount of rage that she channels in the wrong direction, not only is he concern about her progressing in the class - he is also fascinated by her, she looks like a bag lady, dresses like a bag and for the oddest reason, does not give him a second glance at all.
Randy is a cop through and through and knows just after meeting Streak for one class that something was off with her, not known for his staying power and not upset about the fact, Randy does not want to get involved in Streaks life in any way shape or form - but when duty calls coupled with natural attraction, Randy had to get his priorities right.
Helena is not happy about the name that Randy has labelled her with on her first day of class - Streak is not a big deal, what grates her the most is Randy just being Randy, however Streak has the good sense to have a friend who does not sugar coat the truth and makes her see that any man would be subjected to the same outpouring of anger that Streak laid on Randy.
Streak is trying to get her life together and one of her first step is the self defence class, after that she has a plan A, B, and C but some things are unexpected and one of them is Randy, then there are the new friends that she is making and then there is a killer out for blood that Streak cannot forget.
Randy and Streak are caught in a trap of connecting at a point in their life's when they need each other. Streak is plotting and her first step is knowing how to defend herself and ultimately taking out the man who has cost her so much. Randy unexpectedly finds himself privy to information about one Helena Norcross that makes him being a cold case detective the best place for him to be - because as much as Streak has her issues, he cares about her and there is a stalker turned killer who has not forgot her and who knows who else might get in his way before he gets to her. Randy is literally in a race against time.
When a book starts off with a group of trigger happy women right within the first three pages, I knew I was going to be in for a great time and BACHELOR COP did not let me.
The main theme of the book is quite dark and deals with not only physical abuse although told in hindsight, but also lots of emotional issues that I thought was masterfully crafted into the storyline.
What worked for me.
The protags were a pleasure to be around, they were not chipboard people. McSparren not only gave them their own personalities but they were flawed and everyday enough to really like. Randy was just as randy as his name suggest and he was not shy about the fact " that he did not do baggage nor commitment" and he has been true to that statement for too many years to change. Helena was just the right balance between neurotic and hard ass bitch to make knowing her an adventure...
The support cast were the heart and soul of this book - there was a whole slew of them and they all came with their own history and little planet of baggage.
Time was clearly invested in finding out not only about the investigative side of what and how the police deals with cold cases, but also the inner workings of a traumatised victims was well thought out and well describes.
The humour in BACHELOR COP was black enough to suit the plot - there was not enough of it in my opinion, but the little snippets every now and then was a nice way to break up some of the more tension filled parts of the book.
I also liked the consistence of the book - I know it sounds silly but let me explain - this book was more than a love story - It has a stalker, a woman trying to get her live back together and lots of emotional drama happening. Ms McSparren kept to that angle of the story all the way through - there was no jumping into the stalker mind or little burst of scenes from the stalker point of view - nope none of that. I thought that was really good, while I will admit I like the balance of victim and stalker POV, but getting caught up in the hunt and the finer details of getting a life and a family back together was worth the read.
The mystery was really well done - not only was the who done it kept until the end but with each new male introduction - the wording was crafted in such a way that any two or three people could have been the killer.
The book takes place over a fairly decent amount of time and this makes Streak growth more believable, as well as other subplot line more realistic. Where the timing worked the best is in the developing attraction between Streak and Randy...
People not happy with really traumatic events being told or even being relived will not have a problem with this book - there is retelling of the tale but from more an investigative stance point, so very clinical and matter of fact about it.
BACHELOR COP is the second is McSparren COUNT ON A COP series - and it can be read as a stand alone book - I was really impressed with Randy's colleagues and I will be reading the first book that I missed and looking out for the next book in the series.
Niggles
The ending was tied up too quickly and mostly too conveniently - I do get quite annoyed when after a wonderful detail plotline the ending is wrapped in a page or two and the culprit makes it too easy. That said it was only a niggle, because the emphasis was of the book was on other things - so it was genuinely only a niggle.
While I know what to expect from a Harlequin book- every now and then one jumps out of the mould and does something magic for me - the name BACHELOR COP so did not suit this book. Hardcore readers of Harlequin might say - it is a reflection of the protag and his lifestyle, and that is what the readers will get - but this book was so much more and I honestly think a pretty decent book is buried by this titled..
Bottom Line
If you are looking for a book where from the moment you open the first page you are dragged through a series of emotion and events - coupled with a really strong support cast who are not unwilling to be vocal and demonstrative, BACHELOR COP is the book for you.
I am a fan of Ms McSparren's work and with every book I read she only gets better and better, her style is not sugary, she write about real people and with real emotion, tying in family, kids and all the other challenges that will and can affect anyone trying to live right and do the decent thing.
BACHELOR COP is a nice balance between victim recovery and a police team caught and trapped by time and evidentiary politics. However what I absolutely love about this books is that as much as the plotline was about trying to stop a stalker turned killer - the stalker turned killer was not the story and I got to see the aftermath of what is left and can happen after a live is torn apart.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mcsparren delivers a "knockout punch" with Bachelor Cop, February 26, 2010
This was another surprising great Harlequin Super Romance. A great sexy cover and back cover blurb are the top 2 selling points for me when trying to decide whether I buy a book or not when trying an unknown author. Bachelor Cop gets top marks on both counts. Good think I don't hold the title of the book accountable as it was the only thing I had issue with in this book (for me the title was meh - I thought this book deserved a better one).
Helena Norcross is an English College Professor, a single mom to 2 engaging kids, Milo and Vi and she's also the survivor of a vicious sexual assault. Adding insult to injury her no-good husband left her after the attack to raise their kids on her own without providing her any child support.
After 2 years of "hiding" from herself and the world, wearing baggy clothes and neglecting her appearance for the most part, Helena's decided she's not going to take it anymore. She's done being the victim and signs up for self-defence classes.
Randy Railsback is a cold case detective whose work has always been his top priority. On his off hours, he teaches self-defence classes to women. As for serious relationships - they aren't for him; he's definitely a one-night stand kinda guy.
Randy's got a cute nickname for the Helena - he calls her Streak, but not because she rammed him and knocked him on his ass (she's got a lot of pent up anger) the first night she attends his self-defence class, but because she's sporting a streak of white hair amongst her brown locks.
As Randy gets drawn in Helena's life he starts to realize that maybe work and being alone is not all it's cracked up to be. Their relationship builds slowly as Helena has to learn to trust again and let Randy into not only her life, but her children's lives.
This was an amazing satisfying read. The suspense/mystery aspect of this book was high as Helena was determined to exact revenge against her attacker and make him pay and Randy was just has determined to stop Helena from taking the law into her own hands.
You won't be disappointed if you decide to read Bachelor Cop!
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