REVIEWED by Jen B.

TITLE: Ground Zero

SERIES: Zero Hour

AUTHOR: Aimee Nicole Walker

PUBLISHER: Chasing Rainbows Press

LENGTH: 287 Pages

RELEASE DATE: September 22, 2019

BLURB:

Ground zero, noun: the center or origin of rapid, intense, or violent activity or change.

Heat, humidity, and homicide are things veteran detective Sawyer Key expects to encounter on his first day with the Savannah Police Department, but the hostile reception from his new partner catches him by surprise. Sawyer isn’t a stranger to heartache and recognizes that Royce Locke is a wounded man who’s reeling from a devastating loss. Relentless and patient in all things, Sawyer is determined to make the new partnership work.

Savannah, Georgia is known for her quirky people, oak trees draped in Spanish moss, and antebellum architecture. Beneath the Southern charm and hospitality, festering hatred and violence is soaring with the summer temperatures. Locke and Key find themselves at the epicenter when their first case involves the death of a former shock jock who appears to be the victim of vigilante justice.

Opposites in nearly every way, the two detectives set aside their differences to take back their city and restore law and order. From this reluctant truce, an intense attraction grows that will either tighten or shatter their tenuous bond. Falling for his partner spells inevitable disaster, but Sawyer’s always been a sucker for wounded things. Sawyer could be the key to the life Royce has always wanted, if he’s brave enough to trust him. The fuse is lit, the clock is running, and the zero hour is upon them. Tick tock.

Ground Zero is the first book in the Zero Hour series, which follows Locke and Key’s investigations and evolving relationship. Ground Zero has a happy-for-now ending with no cliffhanger. It contains mature language and sexual content intended for adults 18 and older.

REVIEW:

I’m a sucker for a good police partnership turned lovers story, as unrealistic as they may be. This was a fantastic start to a new series that I enjoyed from the get go. One of my favorite things in a story is good banter, and Sawyer and Royce deliver in that department. They are both quick witted and entertaining, and I can’t wait for them to really get rolling.

They start out on pretty thin ice when Sawyer is assigned to be Royce’s partner after his previous partner committed suicide. That was a pretty big pill for Royce to swallow on a number of levels, and he is still grieving the loss pretty hard. Likewise, Sawyer has not gotten back into the dating scene since his husband passed two years prior. That’s about all they have in common, but they are just about perfect for each other and clearly exactly what each other needs. Royce is clearly hiding some things, and Sawyer is struggling with his attraction to the seemingly straight guy with a major chip on his shoulder. There are definitely sparks, but Royce is throwing off some major mixed signals.

In the meantime, they are figuring out how to work together to solve a number of homicides. They are really just getting to know one another and learning to work together in this installment, but the foundation is there, and the rest is just starting to be built. There is quite a bit of back and forth, especially with Royce. But, when it counts, and the tables are turned, it is Sawyer who looks like he’s going to run and Royce who stands his ground and makes the big play. I really liked seeing these guys figure things out and not take forever for it to haLike I said earlier, I can’t wait to see how things go once they really get moving forward.

RATING:

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