A Little Dare (Westmoreland series #2) (Silhouette Desire #1533)

Book: A Little Dare (Westmoreland series #2) (Silhouette Desire #1533 - September 2003)

Author: Brenda Jackson

Bookshelves: 2011, fiction, Georgia, police, romance,

Begun: October 28, 2011

Finished: October 28, 2011

Media Type: paperback (library copy)

Setting: Collegepark, Georgia

Characters: Sheriff Alisdare Julian "Dare" Westmoreland, Rochelle "Shelly" Brockman, Alisdare Julian "AJ" Brockman Westmoreland, Thorn Westmoreland, Stone Westmoreland (aka "Rock Mason"), Chase Westmoreland, Storm Westmoreland, Delaney "Laney" Westmoreland Yasir (aka "Princess Yasir"), and Prince Jamal Ari Yasir

Plot: Sheriff Dare Westmoreland has just about had it with the little hooligan in his office. After throwing rocks at cars from an overpass, AJ was hauled into the police station to face the well loved and respected Sherrif that AJ feels nothing but contempt for (after growing up in LA and seeing his mother racially profiled and then harassed by a police officer someplace in Texas while driving all their belongings to their new home in Collegepark, Georgia).

Turns out, AJ is Rochelle "Shelly" Brockman's 10 year old son. Shelly was the one girl that Dare has loved all his life (since they broke up when Dare was leaving Georgia to become an FBI agent). Dare is initially upset that Shelly wasted no time after they broke up to go and get pregnant with some other man's baby.

Then he does the math when he learns the boy's birthday and demands AJ's full name: Alisdare Julian Brockman. AJ is Dare's son.

Initially furious, Dare decides that, with Shelly's assistance, they will overcome Dare's hatred of authority figures. Shelly will tell AJ that Dare is his father but she will lie to her son and tell him that she can't decide whether to tell Dare about AJ. Ultimately, she will leave the decision to AJ when/if he thinks that Dare should know about him.

Over the span of the book, Dare and AJ become closer and closer (without AJ knowing that Dare already knows that AJ is his son). AJ gets to know the entire, very large, Westmoreland clan and finially starts to have a sense of family.

But what about Shelly and Dare? Dare is almost instantly in love with his old flame but how difficult will it be to convince Shelly to come back to him?

Good book. I really felt the emotion and the writing is not forced like so many romance novels are. Looking forward to the next book in this series.