Reviewed by Tara
TITLE: Love & Loyalty
SERIES: Faith, Love, & Devotion # 2
AUTHOR: Tere Michaels
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 200 pages
BLURB:
Seattle Homicide Detective Jim Shea never takes work home with him—until now. A judge banged his gavel, declared a defendant not guilty, and laid waste to a family. The emotional fallout of the trial leaves Jim vulnerable and duty-bound to the victim’s dying father. It’s that man’s story that screenwriter Griffin Drake and his best friend, actress Daisy Baylor, see as their ticket out of action blockbusters and into more serious fare. But to get the juicy details, Griffin needs to win over the stoic and protective Detective Shea. Their attraction is immediate, and Daisy encourages Griffin to use it to their advantage: secure the man, secure the story. Neither man has had much luck when it comes to love, and when their one night together evolves into a long weekend of rapidly intensifying feelings, both Griffin’s fierce loyalty to Daisy and his very career is put to the test. Because the more Griffin is drawn into a new life with Jim, the more his Hollywood life falls apart. Secrets and broken trust threaten Griffin’s relationships, and he’ll have to choose between telling the truth or writing a Hollywood ending.
REVIEW:
In the second book of the Faith, Love, & Devotion series Love & Loyalty, we have Jim Shea, a Seattle homicide detective, middle aged and married to his career. In a trial involving a not guilty verdict involving the murder of the Kelly’s teenage girl, Jim Shea watches the murderer walk away and for the first time brings his work home with him. He becomes close to the victim’s father Ed Kelly, watching him lose everything from his daughter and then his wife. Jim steps in to take care of Ed and because of this meets Griffin Drake. Griffin is a screenwriter who has been brought into Hollywood by his beautiful best friend, actress Daisy Baylor. They are both tired of being in the b films and want a chance to start into the real aspect of Hollywood. They see Ed Kelly’s story as their breakout. But first they have to get through the gruff Jim Shea.
Griffin and Daisy secure the story deal and go back to Hollywood. But Griffin has hit a writer’s block. He arranges to meet with Jim Shea and after a date that wasn’t a date stays at Jim’s apartment for a long weekend. They have the attraction but what they both didn’t count on was for that attraction to blossom into feelings. After being gone for a couple of days, Daisy pushes Griffin to use that attraction in order to get the story that they need. But going back home to Hollywood, Griffin finds out life isn’t what it seems, and the one thing he can count on is Jim.
I really did enjoy this book. Jim was the perfect guy you wanted to root for, gruff on the outside but a real teddy bear on the inside. He thought his life was meant to be spent alone, with back room meetups, and nothing like what his partner Terry has with his wife. Meeting Griffin blindsided him and was just what he needed in his life. Dealing with the trial and meeting Ed Kelly helped him as well. The relationship he developed with Ed helped to fill the void that he missed with his own family. Griffin grew as well. In the beginning he was all about building his career and stepping out from the fluff pieces he wrote for his friend Daisy. Secrets come to light that push him even further in his pursuit of Jim. The original plan of two people just enjoying their time with each other grew into a beautiful relationship. I loved how Griffin wasn’t deterred by the one word sentences, and stuck around to peel the layers away from Jim. Jim helped to temper Griffin as well. He was there as Griffin had to find out some harsh life lessons, and his fluffy life crumbled around the edges. Although it moved a bit fast, you will definitely enjoy the fun loving Griffin and the rough around the edges Jim. Be prepared to laugh a bunch, shed a few tears, and jump for joy when these two find their happy ever after.
RATING: 
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