Review: A Worthy addition to this series
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 28, 2012
My review from GuiltyPleasuresbookreviews.comI enjoy books with complex characters; characters with faults, hang ups, and doubts.  The main characters in Donna Alward's In the Line of Duty completely fit the bill.  Without a doubt, no two people ever seemed more wrong for each other but were exactly what the other needed.Jake Symonds is a veteran turned pub owner.  He's dedicated to his customers, his family, and the community.  He has a sense of honor and duty but one drunken stunt a few years back also gave him a reputation that he doesn't want.Kendra Givens is a constable, she's tough and fair but she has issues with Jake. She still remembers having to arrest him a few years back and she can't get over the fact that he returned from his military stint to open a bar.From the first chapter we understand that these two do not see eye to eye on almost everything.  They verbally spar and seem to enjoy it.  Their first date is far from perfect but when Kendra comes to Jake's bar and acts totally out of character, he dives in to get to the bottom of things.  What results is the start of a pretty special relationship.  We learn a lot about these characters and it becomes quite clear just how damaged they both are and why.  Their stories are complex and sad but this just draws them closer together.  I really enjoyed when Jake figured out that sharing with Kendra freed him to start living again.  Kendra is a tougher nut to crack and her learning to believe Jake and put her trust in him was very hard for her.Despite the length of this book, I didn't feel cheated.  It seemed as if these characters really spent a lot of time getting to know each other but I think that was because of the intensity of their "confessions".  I thoroughly enjoyed In the Line of Duty; the characters were rich, their backgrounds intriguing, and their story captivating.