Review by Dottie: Law Man by Kristen Ashley

Law Man

The Dream Man Series Book 3

By Kristen Ashley

Genres:

Erotica, Suspense

****

Teasers

 ****

Synopsis

Love is just around the corner . . . 

Sweet, shy Mara Hanover is in love with her neighbor. For four years, she has secretly watched her dream man from afar. Handsome police detective Mitch Lawson is way out of her league. She's a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, and there's no way a guy like Mitch would want anything to do with her. But when Mara has a leaky faucet that she can't fix, it's Mitch who comes to her rescue. 

Mitch has been eyeing his beautiful neighbor for a long time. He jumps at the chance to help her, and soon their formerly platonic relationship gets very hot and heavy. But when Mara gets a disturbing phone call from her cousin's kids, she gets pulled back into the life she's tried so hard to leave behind. Can the hot law man convince Mara to let go of her past-and build a future with him?

Dottie's Star Rating

(4.75 Stars)

Review

Can a woman from a troubled childhood; two children running from their shitheel dad, and a determined police detective build a family? This is Mitch's book (if you're reading along in the series, we met Mitch in Gwen's kitchen where he started vying for her attention). Once again, for me, this book is a reread. I think I gave it 4.5 stars last time but somehow this one seems to improve with reads and made me pretty misty-eyed at the end so it bumped up by a bit. Mitch is pretty amazing (and in a very small spoiler for book 4, he eventually dons the nick-name Big-Hearted Mitch). But do not let that fool you...Mitch is awesome, sexy, and amazing! He's honestly the type of guy most women would sell their ovaries for.

Mara grew up in a trailer in a small town. Her mom, if you'll pardon the expression, is a fine example of trailer-trash. She grew up where she was treated like trailer-trash from the town in general just because of whom her mother was.  She had a cousin, Bill, who grew up in just about the same situation. They both left the small town as soon as they were able; Mara determined to make something of her life, Bill not so much. Bill is trouble. He has two kids, that he named Billy and Billie (see, told you he is an assclown). Bill's kids run away regularly and talk an adult into calling their "Auntie Mara" to come get them. She does, feeds them, takes them back home, and has a talk with her cousin Bill. But this time, Mitch, her neighbor sees her on her way out to get them and stops her.  Mitch has a thing for Mara. Mara has a thing for Mitch but she's so shy, it's kept them from getting to know one another. Mitch sees an opportunity to both help Mara as well as to make his move as she tears out of her apartment to go get the kids and pretty much forces Mara to take him along. As I said, he's determined.  But he gets more than he bargained for because these kids really need help.  Mara really needs help with them and Mitch finds himself wanting to help them.  Wanting to be part of their lives, wanting to be a part of this new family that starts to grow. He just needs to make Mara understand how serious he is about her (and the kids) and arranges a night out for just the two of them, to talk, and later...he hopes things will heat up between them...

 "That's Penny's" he said, tipping his head to Design Fusion, the shop I already knew was his sister's. A shop I'd been in once and left because the stuff in it was awesome but the price tags were more than a little scary. I stared at the shop, all its cool furniture and even cooler accessories then I looked up at Mitch.  "That's a great shop," I whispered. "You know she furnished my apartment," Mitch stated, I nodded and he went on. "You're pathologically shy and Penny's a pathological decorator. She's redecorated each of her kids' rooms about five times.  She has three and her oldest one is seven. And that's just her kids' rooms. She's redecorated other rooms in her house so many times, I've lost count. Her husband, Evan, has declared a citizen's divorce twice. I was there both times.  It wasn't pretty."  "Yikes," I muttered, looking into the windows at the expensive but gorgeous wares on display and thinking if her kids' rooms had that stuff in them, five times over, the unknown Evan must be a bazillionaire or he should be nominated for sainthood. "He's an excavator," Mitch continued, giving me the information Evan was far from a bazillionaire and therefore sainthood was forthcoming. "They have a sofa in their house that cost nearly ten thousand dollars."  I gasped and my eyes shot to his. "She's a nut.  She's a pain in the ass.  She's got champagne tastes and Evan's never gonna be able to afford anything other than a beer budget. So he talked her into opening this shop so she could get the champagne wholesale."  "Smart move," I noted.  "Yeah, now she can talk other people into spending their money. But it's still her drug, sweetheart, and he's made it so she can get her fix every day."  Mitch kept talking.  "Penny's the type of woman you don't ignore because Penny's the type of woman who doesn't like to be ignored and won't allow it.  But, during the NCAA basketball playoffs, Evan disappears. You do not disturb Evan during any basketball game but to the outside world he ceases to exist during the playoffs."  I waited for it. MItch gave it to me.  "She gets this about him and ties herself in knots making sure nothing stops Evan from getting his drug of choice. Not kids. Not phone calls. Not the need to get up and get another beer.  Nothing."  "So they enable each other," I remarked, Mitch smiled and turned me so we were both front to front and both his arms were around me.  "No," he said softly.  "They love each other. They know what the other likes, they know what the other needs to feed whatever is hungry in their soul and they give it to them...I put my hands on his chest and asked, "What's your drug of choice?"  "I've no idea," he answered.  "It's not up to me to figure it out.  But whoever I decide to share my life with needs to be a woman who ties herself in knots to give it to me."  Oh boy. There it was. "Mitch-"  "But only because I know I'm a man who'll figure hers out and give it to her in return."

(I know that that's a long quote - I shortened it where I could but I really wanted to share it)

Mara has a very difficult time believing Mitch would be interested in her...

"I look like a man who doesn't know what he wants?" Miich asked and I blinked.  No, he not only didn't look like that kind of man, he didn't act like that kind of man, and this was because he wasn't that kind of man. "No," I whispered. "Okay, then do I look like a man who woudn't recogize he's got what he wants when he finds it?" Ohmigod! My chest started burning and I forced out another, "No."  Mitch held my eyes and drew in a short breath.

I think the appeal of this book is in the sense of self-doubt Mara has that I think we have all experienced in one form or another in our lives. Her character is easy to relate to and you find yourself rooting for her deep within yourself as you watch her struggle and to watch her overcome that self-doubt and find her true self; a strong, intelligent woman, a survivor but a lot more.  To see her come out of her shell is pretty cool. The connection between Mitch and Mara (along with the bond each of them develops with the kids) is heart-warming.  Another thing...Kristen Ashley writes kids really well (I know I've mentioned this before) but she does.  Billy is an old man in a kid's body, Billie is just a joyous human being, and neither are annoying. It's very easy to see how this group of people was so appealing to Mitch! The connection Mitch develops with each of the kids, especially Billy (whom has never had a good man to look up to in his life), is touching.  But know, it has it's dark side...there are kidnappings, villains, and then there's some people from Mara's past who darken the doorstep too. This is one of those heartwarming, feel-good, good overcoming evil type books. And I enjoyed it very much!

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