REVIEW: Borrowing Trouble by Stacy Finz

In Borrowing Trouble (Nugget #6) by Stacy Finz, after reporting a bunch of crooked cops – men that she’d worked with day in, day out – Sloane McBride has finally had enough of the harassment she’s endured since. Starting over in Nugget, and working for the local police department seems perfect. Yet, with her past bound to catch up with her, she knows she can’t let her guard down. Except when she’s around her sexy neighbor, Brady, she finds herself doing the complete opposite.

”So that’s Clay McCreedy, huh?” She nodded her head in his direction.
“Yeah.” Harlee raised her brows. “What do you think?”
Sloane’s lips quirked and in a low voice she said, “If word ever got out about this place, single women would flock from all over the world.”

Brady Benson has his own fair share of trouble that now has him calling Nugget home. As the target of a stalker, he was forced to give up his dreams as the executive chef in one of Los Angeles hottest restaurants. Ever since, he’s been determined to lay low and remain single. Yet, his neighbor and Nugget’s newest cop manages to get under his skin. If he’s not careful, she might just change his mind on relationships.

Right from the beginning, I was swept into the fast-pace of this story, as Sloane faces a dilemma. She’s grown cynical and jaded of men like her soon-to-be boss. Men that are good-looking and cocky, yet, she desperately needs the job he’s offering. And once she makes her decision to stay and meets Brady, I found the pages really flew by. Although, like in book five of this series, there was another couple’s story being narrated that got me frustrated, as it kept taking me away from the main story, of Brady and Sloane.

“I always wondered why you never invited me.”
“To go skiing or to eat here?”
“Since there hasn’t been any snow, at least to eat,” Sloane said. “You were a bit standoffish in the beginning.”
“What? Are you used to men falling at your feet?” He grinned at her. Truthfully she probably was. Smart, beautiful, charming, athletic, self-sufficient. A man’s dream woman.
“No. But I thought we could be friends.”

As for the dialogue, I really enjoyed it as Brady and Sloane share something in common. Neither is looking for love, and yet, they find themselves falling hard. Even though, Brady does his best to deny it because he’s concerned for her safety. Knowing that his stalker will hurt anyone he gets close with. There were some light-hearted moments throughout from both the main and secondary characters, which had me smiling. Yet, the dialogue was also intense due to the threats Sloane receives and Brady’s protectiveness that gets her annoyed at him, Brady’s stalker and her persistence that they’re in a relationship as well as the incidents around the small town Sloane deals with and the investigation she handles of a skeleton that’s been found.

I really liked both characters. Having been intrigued by Brady in Getting Lucky, the fifth book of this series, I couldn’t wait to read more about him. And I’ve got to say that he’s the best hero, so far, of Ms Finz’s adventures based in the small town of Nugget. There’s an air of mystery to him, and as the story progresses, it becomes palpable why he likes his privacy. If too many people know about his stalker, it would make it all the more real. At least while in Nugget, he can think about it, for what it is – a nightmare.

Both are protective once they learn about each other’s troubles, most especially Brady with how he convinces Sloane to have more protection than her gun. He’s also kind, caring in the way he makes sure Sloane is taking care of herself. It was actually quite endearing every time he cooked her meal, because it felt a little sneaky. Felt like his way of keeping an eye on her, so he knew she wasn’t in danger, even when Sloane insists she can take care of herself. While Sloane, she’s a great cop and I liked how dedicated she was to her job. Doing everything she could to solve her case, so the family of the skeleton discovered could finally have some closure. She’s also a great role model to a bullied teenage girl that she takes under her wing after the girl does something that gets her in trouble at school.

In the end, I really enjoyed this book, which included some really hot sex scenes that did justice to this couple’s intense chemistry. The ending was wonderful, as Brady shows Sloane just how committed he is to their relationship. However, I was disappointed by the resolutions to Brady’s stalker and the threats to Sloane. Both felt anticlimactic, since neither the hero nor heroine faced the sort of danger I was expecting.

I would recommend Borrowing Trouble by Stacy Finz, if you’ve read the previous books of this series; or enjoy books with couples that aren’t looking for love, yet find it when they least expect it.

Book Info:

Publication: February 2nd, 2016 | Lyrical Shine | Nugget #6

Some towns aren’t big enough to hide your heart…

In the beautiful mountain town of Nugget, California, staying out of the limelight is easy, but staying out of love is a bit more challenging…

Back in Los Angeles, Sloane McBride was a great police detective, but after she uncovered corruption on her own squad, the job became nearly impossible. In the bucolic hills of Nugget, she can start to imagine a life after all that, where she keeps her head down, does her work, and doesn’t bother anyone. But her delicious next door neighbor isn’t going to make it easy to keep to herself…

Brady Benson’s wildest dreams came true in LA—but they were paired with a living nightmare. As executive chef of a searing-hot restaurant, he was lauded, adored… and then found himself caught in the sights of a lovelorn stalker. Now, laying low in Nugget, he finds his own heart ensnared by the beautiful new cop with her own reasons to start over.

Neither Sloane nor Brady came to town looking for love, but it seems to have found them. Trouble is, so have their pasts. And they’ll have to stop hiding from both if they hope to come out the other side together…