Gideon by Kathryn Shay

 

Title: Gideon

Series: The Casella Cousins Book #5

Author: Kathryn Shay

Genre: Contemporary Romance Novella

Release Date: October 20, 2020

So, crucify him for it. He doesn’t like working with women in the harsh world of police law enforcement.

She sees herself as tough as any man. Then she becomes his boss.

Hidden Cove Police Officer Gideon Casella is a hard man. A divorce three years ago still has him grumpy and out of sorts. But he’s a top cop, which is why he thinks he’ll get the promotion to sergeant that’s being announced soon.

Anabelle Sanders is on her way up the law enforcement ladder right to the commissioner’s office. But she’ll settle for one step at a time, even if she does have to walk all over Gideon Casella’s ego and his barely-concealed chauvinistic attitude. Man, she’s been dealing with men like him all her life.

It comes as a shock to Gideon that the brass gives the position to Sanders, a tough-as-nails female in the department. When he’s assigned to work on a special task force with her—under her—he’s furious at the department, at her, and at life in general.

Will these two hardened-by-life cops be able to find a soulmate in each other?

Don’t miss all The Casella Cousins Books: Hayley, Seth, Finn, Alessia, Gideon and Ronan from the NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling author Kathryn Shay.

REVIEW
Rating: ☆☆☆☆

From the other books in the series we know a little bit about Gideon. He is a single father to three children after his ex-wife took off for a job in France. He was up for promotion alongside Annabelle until an injury takes him out of the running, but he still joined the major incident taskforce. 

Annabelle and Gideon had a wild and passionate night together but with Annabelle now his boss, it shouldn't happen again.  But it does time and time again. Plenty of action is taking place around them, the setting up of the taskforce, dealing with gangs infiltrating their town, a teenage daughter caught with her boyfriend and ex threatening to up-end everything. 

This was an emotional roller coaster of a read, with lots going on but plenty of familiar faces to help navigate the story. The hints we got of Gideon in the previous instalments showed a different man. Gideon has grown and evolved over time and his character reflects the man he is after his ex-wife abandoned her children. He has had to grow and be more mature and this is definitely reflected here. A great addition and I am now eagerly awaiting the Roman's instalment as he has been a mystery throughout.

Chapter 1

On the porch of a mammoth house, Sergeant Anabelle Sanders gave the nod to the Hidden Cove fire department.

“Everybody back.” Captain Nick Evans of the HCFD hefted the battering ram and drilled it into the front entrance. The wood splintered and the door flew open.

Three police officers rushed inside the front as two cops headed to the back with Evans.

The owner wielded a gun at them from three feet away.

“Put the gun down, Mr. Littman,” Anabelle ordered.

“She’s a fuckin’ whore.”

“Mr. Littman, you’re surrounded by police and firefighters outside.” Sanders didn’t call attention to T.J. Masters, who’d gone to stand front of the victim, arms out, to protect her.

Littman picked up a huge vase and hurled it at the police. 

Buck Brolin tried to dodge it but the vase hit him square in the chest. He stumbled backward.

Gideon Casella and Radford appeared from the back and they crept up behind Littman. Before the guy knew they were there, Casella raised the ram and hit him square on the back. As Littman dropped, the gun clattered onto the wood of the floor. Radford grabbed it. Casella yanked Littman’s arms behind his back. “Stay down.”

“All clear,” Anabelle said into the radio. “Send in the officers to take Littman.”

A social worker and EMT hurried in first and over to the victim. They helped Mrs. Littman out of the house.

Officers strode in behind and over to Littman, who was groggy and out of it. They carted him away.

Anabelle looked around. Not too shabby for the first call for the Major Incidents Task Force she now led. “Let’s gather outside,” she said to her colleagues still inside.

From the side of their vehicles, they watched the social worker lead Mrs. Littman to the EMT truck. She’d accompany her to the police station if the woman didn’t need to go to the hospital.

“Good job, all. You worked together like a well-oiled machine.”

They mumbled their agreement, and added grumbles about abusers.

“We’ll go back to the precinct and debrief.” She scanned the four of them. “Casella, ride with me. You two go with TJ.”

They got in their respective cars and headed out.

Gideon didn’t say anything as they drove. He’d been trying to adjust to the task force, reboot his relationship with Anabelle, and do the hard work of training for the task force.

“It went well,” Anabelle said. “You used just the right amount of force on Littman.”

“Yeah. Nick Evans did a great as the firefighter on call.”

“He’s a brave guy.”

Gideon didn’t say more.

Finally, she asked, “How’s your back?”

“Healed from rest and stretching. Only a twinge now and then?”

Another silence. Then, “You doing okay with all this, Gid?”

“You can call it what it is, Anabelle. You got the promotion, you’re my boss. I’d rather be leading this task force, but it is what it is.”

“Look, I know you getting hurt in the car crash took you out of the running.”

“Yeah. But I’m still not in charge.”

“Hell, Gideon. Why’d you accept the position? You could have stayed in your old job.” Her tone was exasperated.

“Because only a fool pass on being in the elite Major Incidents task force.” He quoted the press’s description of them. “Would you have passed if I got it?”

“No.”

“I’m trying. I’ll keep trying. Eventually I’ll adjust.” Like he did to his divorce and being a solo parent to his kids. In a surprise to everyone, Lisa, his ex, got a job in London and signed temporary full custody of the kids over to Gideon. He also got his house back.

“I heard your ex left town for Europe.”

“Out of the blue. She never told me she might do that. The kids are upset—I don’t blame them—and we’re all just trying to adjust to our new circumstances.”

“Tough for kids. You have them full time.”

“Which I’m grateful for.”

“Who’s watching them tonight?”

“The whole family’s taking turns. Seth and Julianne are on the night shift.”

“It’s great that you have so much help.”

“Do you have an extended family, Anabelle?”

“I have three brothers, but they don’t live in Hidden Cove. Actually, I’m closer to my ex’s family.”

“Interesting.”

They swerved into the police station just ahead of the others. They all exited cars, ending his talk with Anabelle.

Which was a blessing. He couldn’t get close to this woman again and they both knew it.

 

A NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling author, Kathryn Shay has been a lifelong writer and teacher. She has written dozens of self-published original romance titles, print books with the Berkley Publishing Group and Harlequin Enterprises and mainstream women’s fiction with Bold Strokes Books. She has won many awards for her work: five RT Book Reviews awards, the Bookseller’s Best Award, Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year and several “Starred Reviews.” One of her firefighter books hit #20 on the NEW YORK TIMES list. Her novels have been serialized in COSMOPOLITAN magazine and featured in USA TODAY, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL and PEOPLE magazine. There are over ten million copies of her books in print and downloaded online. Reviewers have called her work “emotional and heart-wrenching.”

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