I enjoyed Trusting the Badge well enough and am always up to read a new-to-me author. Dorothy Shaw writes well, there is no question about it. The words flowed easily and I was caught up in the sweet love story between Tish Beck and Jeffrey Pearl. There is a chemistry neither can deny especially after a very hot night between them but Tish is determined to keep as friends no matter what.

I loved that Jeff didn't give up when he wanted his 'mami' despite her protests that it would ruin their friend dynamic, especially with their other coupled-off besties. Tish has a ton on her plate but there were just too many times I wanted her to stop putting Jeff off and really enjoy her life. The author finally gave Tish the tools needed to move on from her troubled brother and the horrific childhood they shared but it was almost too little, too late for me. When a heroine can't see what is right in front of her and the hero is beyond wonderful that it makes zero sense as to why said heroine can't just go with it and be happy, then my frustration makes me just want to get to the end and not necessarily enjoy the complete journey to that HEA.

I would have loved an epilogue or at least a chapter or two more to see how these two would fare in the future. But perhaps there is more to come if the series continues.

I wouldn't hesitate to read more from this author as her characters are memorable even if just a bit frustrating at times.

3.3 stars.

This story could have been so much better. I have to give it credit for presenting a sound view of people with addiction and those who try to support them. I was not a fan of the way the characters were presented especially the way they spoke. I thought Jeff and Tish to a lesser extent were made to sound overly annoying. As a reader I found it annoying to read and wanted to put the book down. Even though he turned out to be a super boyfriend for Tish and stuck around to help her through the rough times, he could have been made more like able.

Although I really enjoyed the first two books in this series, this one did not hold my interest as had the other two. The story revolved around Tish Beck’s attempts to locate and help her brother Steven. Steven is an addict who disappears for periods of time, finally ending up in jail…again. At least she knows where he is and that he is safe. Her love interest is Jeffrey Pearl who is a K9 officer. He charms her and tries to lighten her mood when she is dealing with the stress caused by her brother’s choices and life. Will he be able to hold her together when her brother’s actions test her one more time? I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

Another fun read in this series all set in the world of the K9 of the Arizona police force Tish and Jeff have an instant attraction but they both fight it for as long as they can Jeff is at heart a goofball and in real life I do believe he could become a little annoying as we all have those friends that take it just to far. A little bit of angst and drama but at heart this is a romance and a hot one at that I do think this is a better read if you have read the earlier books in the series

Trish’s childhood has marked her life very badly. Addicts parents, foster care and now her baby brother is missing and an addict too. Can handsome and goofy police officer Jeff show her how to Oenone her heart and be happy? Steamy and tender love story

3.5⭐

This is my first introduction to the author and series, and it certainly got off to a good start. So, I had high expectations for what was to come, especially as the hero Jeff is a K9 officer unfortunately though they never fully materialised and although I was hooked in the beginning my attention did soon start to waiver. As the more I read, the more it became clear this is not a mystery, it's just a steamy romance, which don't get me wrong is no bad thing; but it wasn't what I was expecting. Yet, I was engaged, and it was certainly full of steam, and the two main characters for the most part were likable, although I did find the pet names ‘mami’ and ‘papi’ a little off-putting.

But all in all it was a well-written romance. That was a touch angsty, but still easy and quite fun to read, and the camaraderie between Jeff, Tish and their group of friends was great. I just wish there had been more made of Jeff's job as a K9 officer, particularly as Tish's brother was firmly on the other side of the law.

Trusting the Badge is the third book in the Arizona K9 Book series by Dorothy F. Shaw. A fast-paced steamy romance that kept me turning the pages.

Ok so I struggled with this one from the start if I’m honest.

I could “get” Tish to a point, but really could not bring myself to like Jeff. He was just an absolute horses rear end for most of the book. I get she thought he was “goofy” but honestly his behaviour was juvenile and downright rude at time. The nickname he gave her grated on me and the texting….. Never mind him going over there when she was drunk!! also…”for realsies”!!!

I started to like the group interactions between the characters, but then again I found it tough when the so called best friends didn’t seem to see what was happening and when Tish got upset at a night out her bestie had invited her to and stormed out, she just let her go without even bothering to ask what was wrong. It all just seemed strange and forced for me.

I genuinely struggled to work out how old these people were it was so childish at times.

I guess the author thought this made the characters endearing and loveable, and lots of people may absolutely suck this up, unfortunately for me I was the complete opposite and couldn’t wait to get to the end of this book

In terms of the storyline..I couldn’t find much of one. The first 2/3 of the book was mainly them hiding the fact they were sleeping together and the last part included some brother drama that wasn’t that dramatic.

Sorry, not one for me I’m afraid.

I was gifted an arc of this book and am leaving an honest review

Oh my, Jeff is down right hilarious. Tish gives him a run for his money playing hard to get. I'd get caught in a heartbeat for someone that yummy. Trusting the Badge, is a great romance novel.

Sigh. Told by Jeff and Tish, this is the story of a couple who push against one another until,,,,well, you know what happens, don't you? Jeff is a K9 officer (his dog is Rio) but that is, regrettably not explored, Tish has issues due to her horrible childhood and she worries, rightfully so, about her brother Steven. I didn't read the preceding books and I'm not sure if that made a difference, Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.This has more potential than bite.

I love me a steamy romance!!!! And why doesn’t right?? The book was a quick read, and reading it as a stand alone book can be a little annoying, it’s part of a series. But their connection was amazing. It was mainly more chemistry between Tish and Jeff than anything. Their relationship moved so fast, but then again I never read the other books maybe their true love story starts there. But anyway their chemistry and connection was awesome. Being that Jeff is a cop with a K9, I’m here thinking there was going to be more battle, or fighting crime, but there was none of that. I love happy endings but this one left me hanging, like “what happens with them? Do they get married? Do they move in? Does she finally express how she really really feels?”

I really enjoyed my first Dorothy F. Shaw book. Trusting the Badge follows Tish as she is chased by police officer Jeff. Jeff is goofy and cocky and will do anything to catch Tish's eye. Tish has a lot of emotional baggage and issues from serious childhood trauma and isn't interested in risking their mutual friend group by seriously dating Jeff. Tish eventually agrees to try – as long as no one else knows about it.

Tish and Jeff have great chemistry and I really appreciated their story arc and Tish's emotional journey and development. Like most contemporary romances, the main plot of the story is their relationship and the will they or won't they tension. This one has a pretty heavy subplot that deals with Tish's younger brother, a struggling addict.

If you enjoy contemporary romance, you will probably enjoy this book.

Honestly, in this climate, I can’t read this. The cop is referred to as deadly more than once in the first two pages. I’m not a huge fan of cops on my best day so I wanted to try this and see and I just can’t. The writing was good so I’ll give it a 3 for the first 3 pages but down a star for being basically copaganda in 2021 after countless black people have been (and are continuing to be) murdered by the police.

I received a complimentary copy of Trusting the Badge in Exchange for an honest review. I read this as a standalone without any problem. I really wanted to enjoy this story, but I didn't see a very strong plot, or character development. It was more about the dialogue between Tish and Jeff, which I did enjoy. Jeff was such a smarty pants which made this read worthwhile.. The ending when Tish began therapy felt like it was an add on, and would have worked if it was incorporated into the plot earlier, or just left out of the novel.

I have not come across this author before, but really enjoyed the book. The main characters have have some challenging emotional issues to deal with, but eventually help each other to overcome these. There is plenty of chemistry and banter, which makes this a fun book to read. I hadn’t appreciated that it’s part of a series so will now try to get hold of the first two books to read.

I always, ALWAYS give new authors (to me) a chance. Found this ARC via NetGalley, read the blurb and it sound interesting (plus the cover is hot) and I'm a huge fan of romances with K9 in them. Unfortunately I couldn't beyond 25% and I had to delete this book from my Kindle. The author made both MCs so unlikeable, especially the H. The H came across as a creepy stalker-ish and alcoholic with beer breathe. So nope, not for me. Maybe this book is for you but I'm staying away from this author. Not a very good first impression.

Nevertheless thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Jeff has a bit of a reputation, with a very happy go lucky, goofy personality. Tish is the more reserved, uptight, untrusting female MC. The 2 have good chemistry, although I found myself sometimes lost in their banter. I suspect this is because I am not familiar with all the references they make. If this is because I am an older reader or not from the United States, I am not sure. That being said, the book did read well and the story arc was not bad.

Tish refuses to make their one night stand and subsequent affair known to their mutual friends. And when her brother gets in trouble, she focuses all her attention on him as she believes nothing good ever lasts except family. Jeff on the other hand shows immense patience while dealing with Tish and her issues. He hands her most of the power in their relationship and really does worship the ground Tish walks on. I felt this power dynamic was interesting and unusual in the romance genre.

The title of the book as well as the blurb makes a big deal about Jeff being a K9 cop and Rio his service dog. All said, this does not really feature in the storyline and did disappoint me. What is dealt with well is the secondary trauma that family (and friends) of alcoholics and drug addicts suffer. I have to commend this author for this.

This is a new author for me and one I will keep coming back to enjoy! Dorothy is a fantastic storyteller having the ability to tell the story as these two build their relationship. I did not read the earlier novels in the series but did not feel like I was missing anything as Dorothy was able to weave in the history and context in a way the did not feel like she was "over telling" the story. I also loved that the hero knew who he wanted and was focused on making that happen. I loved this story and will read Dorothy again and again!

To Whom This May Concern:

I would first like to say that this is my first time reading a product of Dorothy Shaw. This is book 3 in the Arizona K9 series, but I read it as a stand-alone and will only judge the information presented.

The couple in this book is Jeffrey Pearl and Patrice Beck, Tish. Their relationship was more of a cat and mouse relationship. Jeffrey is chasing Tish and Tish is reluctant to give into the chase. It is not an enemy to lovers trope because she doesn't really "hate" him. Although Jeffrey has a police background, nothing about his job really comes into the plot line. Also, I would like to say that Jeffrey calls Tish "mami" a lot in their book. I do not find this endearment sexy or alluring of any sorts, so that hinders my interest in reading the book.

In this book, Tish is trying to locate and take care of her brother Steven. It is the typical scenario of someone who is an addict that doesn't want to get sober. There was not much of the plot in this book. Steven shows up sporadically in the book with about 5 chapters that he is involved in. The "conflict" that Tish is facing is more internal from her constant years of dealing with other people's problems. This book is written from a dual point of view, between Jeff and Tish.

The "romance" scenes were soft-core steamy. I will never judge on the amount of romance scenes in a book, but rather the quality of the scenes themselves. There were about three romance scenes, with similar positions and dialogue. It was about a chapter long with the book only having 29 chapters in the first place.

The ending of the book was expected and everybody did get their happy ending.

With that being said, I give this book a 2 out of 5. It was a readable book, but it lacked plot and more of a courtship between a couple. I think the book title and description of the book lead readers on to assuming that the book was more interesting than it actually is.

With thanks.

Disclaimer: I did get this book for free through NetGalley. However, I did not get paid for a skewed review. This is an honest review with no intentions to sway readers to persuade sales.

This is book three in the series, but can easily be read as a standalone. Trish is a single and very independent gal. She has had a rough life that left her with no one to count on except herself. She puts the sole responsibility of taking care of her troubled younger brother on her shoulders, even though he is a grown adult. Being the older sibling and making excuses for him, she makes it her job to always be there for him, even when he’s not deserving.

She may have a posse of friends ready to be there for her, but trusting others is a struggle. She prefers safety behind her shield. Jeff is the handsome K9 officer who is part of her posse. He desperately wants a chance to show Trish their potential. But the only attention she will give him is their witty banter over drinks. Until one night when things get a little hot and their potential is revealed.

Scared to risk her heart or lose the opportunity to help her brother when he needs her, she pushes Jeff away. Jeff fights for her in every way he can.

“Let me be clear and spell it out for you: I want every night. I want every day. I want all of you.”

He knows she’s guarded and needs room to work things through on her own. To he gives her space and takes things slow.

“My yielding to you is not because I am weak. It’s because I know it’s what you need, and I ‘m strong enough to give that to you. It’s because I know I am the only man who can give that to you.”

Just when Jeff thinks he is making some inroads into her heart, her brother reappears, and Trish puts Jeff and her friends mute. What will happen to bring Trish back? Will Trish finally give Jeff a chance? Will she finally open her heart?

This is a new to me author. The story line had lots of potential! But I must admit I struggled with parts of this book. I found some of Jeff’s dialogue immature and annoying and I got frustrated with Trish’s coldness towards him. There are parts where she is flat out mean and undeserving of his attention. Those issues made it difficult to really like the characters.