Have you ever picked up a book, with no intention of reading it, but needing something to occupy you for a moment and then get sucked into the story? That’s what happened to me with Hot Shot by Charlotte Hughes. I had the book listed up on Bookmooch and someone requested it so I had dug it up in order to ship it. Well, while I was waiting for my laptop to reboot (stupid wireless issues), I picked up the book and read the first couple of pages. Well, 200 pages later I realized I couldn’t send it out until I finished reading it.
The story involves Atlanta PD Detective Frankie Daniels, who just made the stupidest mistake ever in relation to her career. I mean, what else would you call it by sleeping with the police commissioner’s son-in-law? With her job and reputation on the line, Frankie pulls up stakes and takes the transfer to Purdyville PD. I’ll give you one word that describes Purdyville….Mayberry. Needless to say, Frankie isn’t exactly thrilled with the prospects. However, there is one very fine bonus and that is Police Chief Matt Weber. Going from the Atlanta PD to the Purdyville PD is going to take some adjustment and it takes a little while for that to sink in for Frankie.
Frankie and Matt are not the only characters in Hot Shot, obviously, but I’m using the term “characters” as broadly as I can. The entire town of Purdyville has some interesting individuals and Hughes writes them really well and gives each one their own personality that shines through the pages even when they are not center stage. The plot itself isn’t action packed but it really doesn’t need to be. Instead, we’re given an idea of what happens when a big city detective goes small town. The every day troubles have their own unique solutions and we get to see how Frankie adjusts.
Overall, it was a good story. Heavy on the romance and not really focusing on any kind of plot, but isn’t that the case with most romance novels are? This isn’t a bad thing and it was a good diversion from what I’ve been reading lately. There are times when just straight romance is good and a person needs a break from all the gun-toting, ass-kicking heroines. I really enjoyed Hughes’ story. The only other time I have ever read anything by Ms. Hughes was her collaboration with Janet Evanovich and their Full series. I enjoyed those novels as well, so I definitely will be giving her other novels a closer look.
It was a good book. Got NUTCASE coming out soon