Interesting story

So I stumbled upon this story and thought I'd give it a go. It was an okay read for me. I tried to get into it but found myself skimming the read. There was a lot in this story. It was a heavy read and covered a lot. I still had some nagging questions that didn't fully get answered.
Mitch - he's definitely your straight laced alpha male in here. I did like how as the story evolved he changed some but still had that straight shooter about him. It wasn't an unrealistic change for him. He faced some heavy stuff and overcame a lot as he let himself face his fears.
Cassie - I liked her compassion and personality. I missed not feeling like she fully divulged her past with Mitch. You get the sense she told him from the reading but it felt anticlimactic.

Loved this book. It moved slower than my most recent books but it was filled with so much.

This one was just OK for me. I got this as a freebie, and I guess it's been around for a while, because this is set in the 90s -- no cell phones, no internet. Kinda weird, lol. There were also a lot of references to Vietnam, which threw me a bit because I didn't realize Mitch was so old. Not that he was "old" old, but I think in his 40s, and I originally presumed he was early 30s. Anyway, the story is sort of about Cassie, who teaches at-risk kids, learning to trust law enforcement again and Mitch learning to deal with his demons from war. There's gang activity and former gang members trying to do the right thing. Interesting story, but I found myself bored a bit of the time. This is the first in a series, but I'm not interested enough to continue with it.

A small town romance that touches on the tricky issues of gang membership and dysfunctional families. The hardened cop and the feisty English teacher make a terrific couple even though they but heads on a number of issues. It is really sweet to see how the teens change their mind about the Captain and how they change him as well.

Actual rating: 4.5

This book really surprised me. It had complex characters, danger, love, and a great plot. I'd never read this author before, but I'm looking forward to reading more of her novels.

1.5 stars

There were just so many things that bugged me about this book. I found Cassie highly annoying and Mitch was sort of blah. But the big thing to me was how unrealistic the portrayal of gangs were. They played a major role in the plot and yet their depiction was like how a kid would describe them. Gangs are ruthless and brutal. They hold grudges; it's blood in, blood out. They don't just pull small pranks or make idle threats or let someone come and go as they please.

I enjoyed this one. As a teacher, I loved Cassie's class and approach with at risk kids. Fun plot line with Mitch too. A fun read!

DNF 64%

I usually finish books but this was just awful.
First of an, the heroine is entitled, annoying, and nosey.
She teaches a delinquent class in a high school. She is constantly going to the principal and getting involved in things. She acts like no new policies should be made without her approval and Amgen the principal disagrees with something she says, she rants about how he doesn't respect her. She needs to learn her place.
She acts like she is entitled top know everyone's business. When someone doesn't want to talk her something she just digs and digs until they just tell her to get her to leave them alone.
She has to be one of the most annoying main characters I've ever read about. I hate her.

The hero was just dull. He was a 45-ish year old cop who for some reason was spending all of his time in a classroom instead of protecting the town. There is nothing exciting or mysterious about him. I can't even think of his name right now, but a bland name like Norman or Glenn fits him well.

Secondly, this book is really outdated. It says it was published in 2011, but they all have pagers and the hero is a Vietnam veteran. I don't like being lied to...

I like books with 1-2 POV, but this book had 3. The hero, the heroine, and one of the delinquents. The 3rd pov was just unnecessary. It also didn't help that the kid was dumb (common sense wise) and frustrating as well.

There were a couple spelling and grammar issues.

The book dragged on. There were long stretches where both I'll my happened that furthered the plot. The author was so focused on making filler chapters that she lost track of the actual storyline.


Overall, I don't recommend this book. There were no redeeming qualities at all. The storyline isn't good. The characters are one dimensional and just unlikable.

Even though, it was for free, just don't waste your time.

Honestly, the only reason I read this book is because the series is $.99 on Amazon right now. It wasn't very well-written - almost like the author was previously a romance novelist or something. I was glad of the absence of explicit scenes though. Generally, it was a good story, if not one that's been retold a thousand different ways.

Loved this story. The characters are gritty and real, the setting is well done and the story arc is well paced. As a 34 year high school teacher it is nice to read a book set in a high school that is realistic and accurately portrays struggles of students and teachers. I find it interesting that some of the programs described in this book, written in 1997, are just now being tried in many high schools in my area.

I really liked these imperfect characters and the way that Shay details their traumas and the impact it has on their life decisions. She does a great job of sucking you in and making you invest in these characters. Strongly recommend.