Review: Officer Down by Erin Dutton


Note: This ARC was provided by Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Olivia Dennis's reputation for being a reckless and hot-headed officer precedes her, making it far too easy for others to believe she deserves being restricted to watching over camera monitors at the dispatch center after a man she arrested filed a complaint against her. The sooner the investigation can get wrapped up, the sooner she can return to patrolling the streets. Then she crosses paths with emergency dispatcher Hillary O'Neal and the two soon become friends. There's no denying that Hillary is attracted to Olivia and has been since they were in high school, and when Olivia makes a move that shows she's just as attracted, Hillary's torn. Olivia is more than hesitant to admit her sexuality to her family and peers and Hillary's been hurt by someone like that before, but can she walk away from the woman she's falling for?

Officer Down is a standalone F/F contemporary romance from author Erin Dutton and is about two women who encounter challenges, both professionally and personally, and how they find solace in each other. One of my favorite things about the story was the attention that was put into the details of each woman's work environment and what their respective tasks entailed. This made it possible for the reader to have a far better understanding of just how difficult a job both Olivia Dennis and Hillary O'Neal. It's easy to think that all dispatchers do is sit and receive and relay information, but there's much more to the job and some of those encounters do affect them. It's also important to point out the unfair but too real fact that a lot of women in law enforcement need to prove themselves twice as hard (or more) they belong.

The story was fast-paced and I enjoyed reading about how the relationship between Olivia and Hillary developed from being work acquaintances to much more. They clearly had feelings for each other but Olivia wasn't out and Hillary was, making it difficult for them to pursue an actual relationship without Olivia revealing her being a lesbian to her family. It wasn't purely about the romance too, giving it a more well-rounded story, because you could empathize with their professional responsibilities. There was one point in the story that reflected the current scrutiny law enforcement is undergoing with regards to white officers and black suspects, and while it was timely, it just felt a little lost in the overall story, especially since I thought something more was going to happen related to it. Still, Officer Down was a four-star read. ♥

Release Date: 14 September 2015

Date Read: 10 September 2015

Learn more about Erin Dutton here.

Pre-order Officer Down on Amazon | B&N | Kobo.

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