About the book:

 

Title: Shake Up: An Edison Bay Romance

Author: Joyce Palmer

Published: September 1st 2017 by KDP (first published March 11th 2011)

Source: ARC received from Book Unleashed

Format: e-copy

Blurb:

Motivations and tenacity collide in this passion-filled Edison Bay Romance by Joyce Palmer.

Shake Up is a contemporary love story packed with a myriad of emotion, plenty of sensual detail and an abundance of humor.

Lacey Parker’s new position with the DEA earned her career independence. Will vocational freedom be worth the sacrifice of her former boss, the only man she ever loved?

Sheriff Jonathan Parker is less than thrilled with his wife’s new job and the boundaries she’s imposed upon him. He witnesses the danger she faces while trying to take down a brutal drug-dealing killer. He must resist the urge to protect his woman. A concept he finds almost unbearable.

While sexual compatibility alone is not the basis for a healthy relationship, the insatiable lovers struggle through their perspective emotional preconceptions to function as equal partners while an unstable admirer attempts to sabotage their delicate family foundation.

˃˃˃ A hero with a protector complex and his feisty, risk-taking heroine mix it up in this high-spirited love story.

Lacey, a gifted marksman and law enforcement professional, is tired of the sheriff (who happens to be her husband) assigning her to ‘the safe zone’. Like most cops, she wants to see some action. It is obvious to her the only way that will happen is for her to change agencies, and that’s exactly what she does. She never expected, though she should have, her overprotective husband’s meltdown as a result of the deal. Fate intervenes, and for the sake of their family, the couple is forced to learn the meaning of compromise.

˃˃˃ There’s plenty of trouble to be found in the booming beach-bordering town, Edison Bay.

Whether Lacey’s out with her girlfriends at their favorite hangout, Barney’s Pub, horny as all get out when John slips in beside her, or skinny-dipping at night on a public beach with said friends, and her husband shows up just as a bunch of randy cops are stripping down to join them, or at The Shoot Out, her father’s gun club, when her undercover target crosses her path, the woman has no problem finding trouble.

Check it on: Amazon  & Goodreads

 

My Review:

I loved this story quite a lot. It has quite nice characters, both knowing what they want and doing what it takes to achieve it. Yes, it does have some issues, in my opinion, but it is a very enjoyable read, that will stir some of those romantic feelings.

A protective husband, a much determined wife, these are our main characters and they are quite a couple. When Lacey is accepted as a DEA agent, you can imagine how furious her husband had become. Especially since his protective nature wanted her as close as possible. His possessiveness becomes unbearable so Lacey needs some time away to figure things out. When divorce becomes an issue, John realizes they may have bigger problems than he thought. In parallel with their issues, we have undercover agents trying to capture a big time drug dealer. Who’s a husband supposed  to deal with that?

Lacey started as a confident woman, but later in the story she proves to be weaker and always in need of a savior. I appreciated the connection Lacey and John shared and his willingness to do what it takes to recover their marriage. This comes in contradiction with the image of a DEA agent, willing to fight crime. Their love life is quite intense and the way the author describes it is weaved greatly in the story.

Beginning was great and action packed and the characters seemed very strong and developed. But towards the end, the book becomes predictable and it reduces the action part of the story. However, the focus is more on the main characters and how they find common ground.

Even if there may be some items that did not stand quite well with me, I cannot give this book less than 4 stars, as it made me feel good, it made me feel emotions and it kept me focused on both levels – the relationship between the main characters, but as well the case waiting to be solved by the agency. I can’t wait to read more about the other characters and more by this author. Hope you like it as well! Enjoy J

About the Author

 

A native Floridian and Christian conservative, Joyce Palmer is an avid reader who loves stories of romance. She has no problem writing in her favored genre, sensual/erotic romance with wide-open bedroom doors. She finds the open honesty of the matter refreshing. She is a proud member of Romance Writers of America, Passionate Ink, and Savvy Authors. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing and English from SNHU.

For over 30 years, Joyce has been happily married to her personal hero with whom she shares a construction company. They live in southwest Florida where she writes fast-paced contemporary erotic romance with feisty heroines and alpha heroes. Joyce believes her characters are enhanced and their humanity further developed through intimate and explicit sexual detail. There is always a happily ever after, and all romantic relationships in her stories are heterosexual and monogamous