Title: Slow Dating the Detective (Cowboys and Angels #3)
Author: Sue Brown
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: October 29, 2019
Genre(s): Contemporary
Page Count: 189
Reviewed by: Kristin F.
Heat Level: 3 flames out of 5
Rating: 4.0 stars out of 5
Blurb:
A gentle bartender might have what it takes to mend a relationship-phobic detective’s broken heart… but first they have to admit they’re dating.
Keenan Day could kick himself for letting the hot, dark-haired stranger he met outside a strip club get away. Instead of a phone number, he gets a punch in the face—from the boyfriend of his prospective employer at the Cowboys and Angels bar. When two cops come to check up on him, one is the sexy stranger, Detective Nate Gordon.
The initial attraction hasn’t cooled, and though Nate is leery of commitment, one hookup turns into another until they’re seeing each other in everything but name. After a recent nasty breakup, Nate balks at being part of a couple, and Keenan agrees, even though that’s all he’s ever wanted.
Just as they reach a standstill, a crisis shows them what their friends have known all along—they’ve already moved way past hookups. Now they just have to decide how to move forward.
Book #3 in the Cowboys and Angels series. While this could be read as a standalone, having read the earlier books will give context to the characters and situation.
This is almost straddles the line of romantic comedy, where we have two characters interested in each other, but the universe seems to conspire against them each time they try to go out. Where it stays firmly on the serious side is Keenan wanting to hear the words “date” and Nate keeping things firmly in the “hook-up” realm.
This installment has a lovely pace, where the plot just rolls along carrying the reader with. I enjoyed both characters – Keenan as he struggles to figure out what this “thing” is between him and Nate; and Nate as he’s saying one thing to Keenan, but his actions are contradicting him. This dynamic tension was perfect.
One contention I had with the story was Keenan’s nosy and overprotective family. I found them annoying more than engaging. Perhaps it was because there was so many of them. Three sisters, his mother, his sister’s work partner, it was like everyone had their business in Keenan’s business and that rubs me the wrong way. Totally my quirk.
There was also one plot thread left totally blowing in the wind, where a paragraph would have neatly resolved and tied that tendril up.
While this book doesn’t have a Big Misunderstanding, it does have a Melodramatic Overreaction since our two characters seemed unable to actually talk to each other. It totally works for the plot and characters, but had me definitely rolling my eyes.
Overall, this is probably my favorite in the series. Perfect pacing, I enjoyed the romantic dance between Nate and Keenan, and all our favorite characters from earlier books made an appearance that didn’t seem forced. If you liked the first two, you’ll probably like this one.
Cowboys and Angels
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