Read Your Writes Book Reviews: Review ~ AFTER LOVE by Kathy Clark

After Love (Austin Heroes, #1)

by: Kathy Clark

Series: Austin Heroes

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Release Date: January 19, 2016

Source: Loveswept via NetGalley

For romantic-suspense junkies and fans of Nora Roberts and Karen Robards, bestselling author Kathy Clark kicks off her Austin Heroes series with a pulse-pounding tale of two wounded souls tempted by a dangerous proposition: new love.

DEA agent Nick Archer puts his life on the line every day. A former Marine, he fears nothing . . . except commitment. Nick has no trouble finding women eager to warm his bed, and no problem sending them on their way the morning after. Relationships don’t mix with risky careers, a fact Nick learned the hard way after his marriage fell apart. He’d go it alone if it weren’t for his new K-9 partner—and the stunning trainer who makes Nick sit up and take notice.

Just like her service dogs, Jamie Chambers knows how to sniff out trouble. From the moment Nick swaggers into her kennel, she knows he’s heartbreak waiting to happen, and he wastes no time getting under her skin. Hell, he doesn’t even like dogs. As a cop’s widow, Jamie has felt the sting of loss in the line of duty, yet she recognizes something of her own pain in Nick’s smoldering gaze. Jamie knows there are no guarantees in life. But a moment of pleasure, however fleeting, holds the promise of forever—and for that, Jamie’s willing to take the plunge.

REVIEW

I have read several books by Kathy Clark. They were all the books in her Denver Heroes series where she focuses on three brothers in Denver; a fireman, policeman, and a paramedic. After Love is the beginning of her Austin Heroes series which focuses on one of three brothers in Austin. His name is Nick Archer and he is a lone wolf DEA agent that clears a lot of cases but tends to bend the rules and get himself into a little bit of trouble on occasion. When he thinks that he overhears two young guys about to make a drug heist while he is in a bar, what happens next gets him saddled with a four-legged partner.

While Nick reluctantly accepts his fate, he also meets a beautiful young woman named Jamie Chambers who owns and trains police dogs. Jamie comes with her own baggage because her husband was a cop who died in the line of duty a few years ago. Jamie believes that her husband was the only love that she deserves but Nick immediately gets her hormones in an uproar. Consequently, she decides to make him her personal sex toy with no plans for an emotional relationship. As she trains Nick on how to handle his new drug sniffing partner, Harley, Jamie and Nick try to hide their growing feelings for each other. In addition, Nick has to pose as a college student in order to find out who is peddling a dangerous new drug on a college campus.

Although it’s a romantic suspense, the book has some very funny moments. Nick has a hippie grandmother who openly smokes pot and doles out advice. She is a sweetheart and the sole matriarch since Nick’s parents died several years ago. The irony of her grandsons all being in law enforcement isn’t lost on her, she just doesn’t care. Nick’s new partner, Harley is a perfect fit for him and quickly becomes Nick’s best friend. I really felt like part of the family as I read After Love. It’s not all rainbows and sunshine though. Nick and Harley are put in grave danger and must fight for their lives. It’s always a pleasure to read a book as well-balanced as this one. I look forward to the next book in the series.

**Received a copy from Random House ~ Loveswept in exchange for an honest unbiased opinion.**

Rating: 5