This book seemed like it would be my jam.... buuuuut it wasn't. I was expecting the writing to be more crisp and cohesive. And the romance was kind of smutty to me. Guess I should have sampled one of the authors books before reading this.

I was excited to read this story especially since its a new author for me, even though its part of a series it can be read separately but I believe its easier to read from the start of the series so you are familiar with all the characters.

Tish and Jeff are part of a group of friends, Jeff is a police officer who is head over heels for Trish ever since they had a one night stand, and it was only a one night stand because that's all Trish would let it be. She is commitment shy because of the childhood she had and she doesn't share anything about her background with him and her friends. These two are something together she definitely needs someone like him and she rings all the bells for him.

I want to really like this book but I struggle in some places. I will get the first book and read it just to see if it was just this story I struggled with. It can get a little raunchy in the language at times and Tish can be a little too much but I believe its part of the characters.

I really enjoyed this book, it was totally different than what I'm used to reading, so I read it in one sitting! I couldn't put it down!

2.5+ stars.

Trusting the Badge is a readable story that I thought I'd like more than I did. It follows Tish and Jeff's relationship from flirty friends to more, mostly keeping it a secret from their mutual friends (who were presumably the protagonists of the first two books in the series).

The basic story has a lot of potential. Tish is a survivor of a very difficult childhood that has left her wary of trusting Jeff (or any man). Jeff is a K9 officer (his furry partner Rio might be my favorite character) who flat out adores Tish to the point where she can do no wrong.

Unfortunately, the elements that should make them interesting are mostly glossed over. Jeff and Rio might be a K9 team, but aside from going to or coming home from work (or taking a donut break), the job never comes into play. The most action we get is Jeff undoing the Velcro on his tactical vest.

Tish's history is told mostly as an aside until later in the book when there's a small bit of drama related to her brother and then again near the book's end. Mostly, however, the story is really hot sex, some inappropriate endearments (mami and baby? a yick combo), and a lot of drinking at a cowboy bar.

I liked Jeff for the most part; a hero that will do anything for the heroine is my kryptonite. However, I had trouble accepting that Tish was worth it. Even giving her a bit of a break due to her history, I still thought she was a jerk to Jeff and didn't really deserve him. I think that had the author allowed Tish to explore her past throughout the story (both in therapy and with Jeff), I might have felt differently.

So, rating this book was hard for me. It started out around a 4, but as it became apparent that much of the plot developmentt was two steps forward and two steps back, I got little bored. In the end, it's somewhere between 2 and 3 stars for me.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Thanks!

Trusting the Badge by Shaw, Dorothy F.
This was a book I was looking forward to reading but quickly changed my mind once I got started. 15 minutes in the " F " word had been used at least 10 times and for no good reason except a lack of adjectives. Then they author threw in a "GD" and it was time for me to close this book. There is really no excuse for the "F" word every other sentence. Pull out your Thesaurus and find a non offensive word. For me this book is a big NO !!!!
Thank you to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

This was a new to me author and a pleasant story. It’s the third book in the series but I still enjoyed it without reading the first two books. Jeff is a K9 officer who has a bot of a player reputation. Tish is very guarded and is always trying to clean up her younger brothers messes. Jeff and Tish had a one night stand but Jeff wants it to be a real relationship. They eventually try to decide but Tish wants to keep it casual and doesn’t want their friends to know. They have tremendous chemistry but must work through Tish’s trust issues. The story progresses at a good pace and the conflicts are eventually resolved. This was a nice book.

A short read.
Jeff wants nothing more than to be with Tish, but when she finally gives him a chance she wants to keep it a secret from all their friends. When her brother starts causing trouble in her life, she puts him first, as she always does, so where does that leave Jeff?

Trusting the Badge has Jeff a K9 police officer and known as a player where woman are concerned falling hard for Tish.
Tish has severe trust issues, with her younger brother Steven they’d had a horrific childhood due to both their parents being alcoholics and drug addicts, and although Tish has always protected Steven he himself became an addict in his teenage years.Due to this, although very attracted to Jeff she resists starting a relationship with him. So begins the story of them coming together as a couple.
For me this was a story with little depth and to honest not a lot going on, yes there’s drama with her brother but little else. Full of sex scenes that are very well described but as characters I just couldn’t connect. Jeff was describe as a goofball which gives rise to some of his dialogue becoming for me a little cringeworthy, one minute he’s like an overgrown puppy next he’s being all alpha.
Not for me I’m afraid but I’m sure there will be other readers that will enjoy this book.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

I received an arc from NetGalley and this is my honest review.
Tish and her brother Steven were raised in an abusive and alcoholic home. The idea that Tish believed anyone would love her and stay with her was hard for her to conceive. When Jeff enters her life with his charming sarcasm she is scared and it’s hard for her to believe he will fall in love with her and stick around. She tries to battle him with more sarcasm but he wears her down and proves true love is worth it.
Tish and Jeff have a lot of bumps in the road and a great loss but love prevailed in this one.
4.5 stars

3.5 stars.

I received an advanced reader's copy of Trusting the Badge by Dorothy F. Shaw from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was the first novel by Dorothy Shaw that I had read, but I enjoyed it mostly.

The story was a quick, easy read, and dialogue was usually entertaining. I liked the storyline, but the ending (to wrap up the conflict the female main character, Tish, was involved in) was anticlimactic. It really sorted of frizzled at the end. Also, I was disappointed that the police K-9, Rio, wasn’t a factor at all.