Review: Beautifully written
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 6, 2014
Reviewed by Laurie Pfor TheRomanceReviews.comA beautifully told story, dealing with one character's coming to terms with who he really is as a man and as a cop. And as someone who has been around law enforcement most of my adult life, I found the author did a great job of showing the prevailing attitudes still found in that profession.Brody is confused. Being a cop is what his family does, but how can he be a cop and be gay at the same time? According to his dad, the best cop ever in Brody's mind, you can't. So you feel his fear and anger, along with his want and need of Zack. You also get caught up in his police work, as he needs to return to duty, and how much of his identity is caught up in being a detective.Zack was a fun character, whom I never got a firm handle on. He walks the fine line between being lovable and being needy. As a physical therapist, he's forceful and professional, yet he can't get around his attraction to Brody. As a gay man, he's out and proud and is not going back into the closet. So how does he help Brody understand that he can be gay, in a relationship and still be a cop? Sometimes I thought he pushed too hard on Brody and I wanted him to back off. But for me that is the sign of a character that engages me and pulls me into the story.The first half of the book deals with the two of them coming together. Since Brody is off the job, and he needs to get past his need to hide being gay and having a relationship with Zack. In the world of law enforcement, being gay is still not done.I found the dual plotline of Brody and Zack's relationship and the murder mystery well done. I would have liked a bit more emphasis on the murder case, but given that Brody was off work, it was understandable with how the storyline was written. SLOW BURN was an enjoyable book and I look forward to reading more from this author.