the cop and the geekRating: 4 stars
Buy Link:
Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novella


After his brief brush with the law—aka almost getting arrested for throwing down with a drunk bigot—James O’Brien went against his conscience and accepted a ride home from the pretty cop. By the end of the forty-five minute drive, James had broken two of his cardinal rules—don’t date a cop and don’t date a man with kids. Especially don’t date a cop with kids.

When Scott and his son, Tory, burst into James’s life, he discovers that some rules are made to be broken. But even as he finds himself falling for Scott and Tory as well, James is waiting for the other shoe to drop. With his family history, trust does not come easy to James and the second Scott gives him a reason to run, James has to find what’s more important—his pride or his heart.

challenge monthI have to say that when JJ brought up Challenge Week, I was ecstatic. Finally, I’m getting to dig into my TBR mountain. For week one, New-to-Me Author Week, I had a difficult time choosing. But I finally settled on Cat Blaine. I know very little about this author, other than I’ve heard great things about this series. So I’m going to review both books.

If you’re looking for a short and sweet story with no angst, look no further. Blaine’s The Cop and the Geek is an adorable story of finding love when least expected.

James has been hurt by the men in his life—namely by the actions of his father and grandfather. For that reason, trust does not come easy to him. Especially when it comes to cops. I like him. And while his ability to fall for Scott seems a little simple with his family issues, I can also see the desire to move on. Scott is amazingly patient and forgiving. I think what I like most of all is that he’s not perfect. He makes mistakes, but he owns them. And Tory… well, it’s impossible not to fall in love with the kid. I appreciated the adorableness of his character that had James breaking all his personal rules. I expect to see a puppy in James’s house one day.

This was a cute story, nothing spectacular. The plot easily revolves around gaining trust and finding love. But happily, it ends with warm, fluffy feelings. If you’re looking for a feel-good story to pass the time with, this is a great one to hit up.


the cop and the geek 2Rating: 3.25 stars
Buy Link:
Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novella


James has been with Scott for a month. After the awful experience of being introduced to both paintball and Scott’s jealous work partner, Jack, Scott comes up with the disastrous idea of camping. Camping! James doesn’t camp. Except for Scott, the man he’s falling in love with, James will camp.

The wilderness isn’t that bad until day two. Hiking a long trail seemed like a good idea until Scott falls and breaks his leg. And it’s up to James to not only patch Scott up, but to get them both back to camp then to get Scott to the hospital. The struggle should be too much. The more difficult things get, James finds himself wondering why he’s going through this. Even more shocking to James is the answer he comes up with.

For my second New-to-Me Author Challenge book, I’m jumping into the second book in Cat Blaine’s series. I like this one for the relationship building. James and Scott have been dating for a month and James has moved past his issues with cops—for Scott at least. I like the new level they’ve reached. Meeting the friends is not all that bad, save for Jack’s jealousy. But the best part of this story is the camping trip and the way James steps up and becomes more than even he thought he had in him. I think the camping trip is what saved the story for me.

There are a few holes in this book. The biggest one is the lack of resolution with Jack. I’m disappointed that the author introduced this obvious antagonist, but did nothing with him. I have so many questions that have no answers. I expected a huge blow up—unrequited love, hatred, a fight… something. But there was nothing on that front.

Overall, this story is good for the new level of trust and emotion that James and Scott reach, but the holes are distracting. I’m hoping a third book will answer those questions and put so issues to rest.

This review is part of our September Reading Challenge Month for New-to-Me Author Week! Leave a relevant comment below and you will be entered to win this week’s fabulous prize sponsored by Samhain Publishing, as well as our amazing grand prize sponsored by Riptide Publishing. You can get more information on our Challenge Month here, and more details on New-to-Me Author week here. And be sure to check out our prize post for more about the awesome prizes! 

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