I loved the characters and the storyline development of this book. It was absolutely one of my favorites so far and I can't wait to delve in to the next one that this author writes. The storyline was simple, enjoyable, and entertaining.

Title: Redeeming the Badge
Series: Arizona K-9 Book #2
Stand alone: yes
Author: Dorothy F. Shaw
Genre: Romance
Blurb: SHE WAS ALWAYS THE GIRL OF HIS DREAMS

In high school, she was the girl most likely to live happily ever after—rich, popular, beautiful…and maybe just a little mean. But Heather Winters’ dreams of marriage and motherhood haven’t worked out as she hoped. Now she’s back in Arizona, trying to reinvent herself. She knows what she doesn’t want: a serious relationship. She doesn’t remember Robert Caldwell from high school, but the good-looking K-9 officer is everything she’s looking for in a short-term fling.

A routine traffic stop brings Rob face to face with the girl who fueled his teenage fantasies—and she’s even more ravishing than ever. The former homecoming queen didn’t know he was alive back then. Now she’s changed—and she’s hurting. Despite how great they are together in bed, Heather isn’t letting him anywhere near her heart. But he’s got a plan—and with a little help from his canine partner, Tricks, he’ll show Heather that together, they have all the happiness they’ll ever need…

Thoughts: This is the second book I've read by this author, and I have to say I didn't enjoy this one nearly as much as the previous one.  The reason I grabbed this one is because of the first book in the series Avoiding the Badge which I really enjoyed.  This one I found lacking in a lot of ways - the first of which is how we have a slow sexual burn between these characters but then job to BDSM - without any hesitation or discussion or anything.  They are just magically at that point in their relationship.  I was also just expecting more from the story overall - more suspense, a larger role for Trick, more in depth about the past between our two characters, etc.

Overall, it's an decent book, but not quite what I was expecting.

Rating: B-

3.5 stars. This was a pretty good book, while not my favorite by Ms. Shaw. Still, I enjoyed it in general. Redeeming the Badge is Heather and Rob's story. Heather is recently divorced and moved back to her hometown. Rob is a K-9 cop there. The two of them went to high school together, but Heather never knew he existed. She was a mean girl then, but Rob still lusted after her from afar. Now, when they meet again, Rob can see that Heather has changed and sparks fly between them. But Heather has some pretty heavy emotional baggage from her past that she must overcome before she and Rob can enter a healthy, loving relationship.

I liked this story. It is not a light one. There are several triggers, like infertility, endometriosis suffering, and miscarriage. There are some extremely heartbreaking moments. The really deep, emotional hits kept coming right up until the very end. I didn't think the resolution was realistic in the time frame. I thought the characters could have used some therapy, instead of "fixing" themselves. Also, to me, there was not enough resolution in general and no epilogue. I found the ending abrupt. But, otherwise, the book was good. I liked Heather and Rob together and felt the love between them. I felt very bad for them and everything they had to go through.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I was very happy to see Heather and Rob fall in love and get their hard won HEA. I look forward to more from Ms. Shaw and this series in the future!

Redeeming the Badge is second chance romance that is hot as Hades and with a backstory that will twist your heartstrings. Rob was kind of scrawny in high school but he lusted after the mean girl Heather Winters. Fifteen years later Heather is back in town and has changed. Rob has changed too. He is no longer that scrawny kid he is a K9 cop and in top shape. When he and Heather meet again she doesn’t remember him and he can’t believe she isn’t the mean girl anymore. I felt for Heather and fell for Rob. Break out the ice water this one is steamy.

Man, this book was NOT what I was expecting! I also felt like although the book had potential that it didn't totally get there. At least not for me.
On the bright side, Heather, and Rob were good main characters. Even Tricks added to the story. It had a few good moments but I like my story a certain way. I don't mind a small amount sex scenes built around the story. But I really don't like it when the sex scenes seem to be the main focus with a small amount of story added. I began to feel like I was reading erotic material; not what I signed up for. I'm sure that the scenes could be considered well written but after awhile, I found myself flipping through those rather quickly. And I feel like I got that along with quite a bit of swearing. I don't think I've read a book in quite a while that was so filled with the *F bombs. And that wasn't the only language bomb.
Towards the end it did get more personal dealings with emotional issues. That part WAS good and I liked that Rob was always there for her.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

There will aspects of this book, I enjoyed and others I didn’t. The first being the wariness that Heather and Rob seemed to dance around each other with. And then out of nowhere their relationship goes to light speed, and they’re already into the hard stuff.

Tricks. I loved how Tricks became a character in his own right. Yes he’s a dog, but there’s definitely a personality.

I loved how the author draws attention to a topic that not many talk about. She writes Heather’s struggles with her fertility issues beautifully. At the start of the book there’s a trigger warning. So if this is a topic that will bother you, I wouldn’t read it or be careful on how you approach.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ability to read in exchange for an honest review.

At school Heather Winters appeared to have everything she was voted to be the one who had the best marriage family and life but it hasn't quite worked out like that . While they where at school Robert Caldwell had a crush on her but she didn't even know that he existed Now he is a K9 cop in the town that they grew up in ans she has been forced to return in an effort to get her life back together. He pursues her and she says no but at the same time she can't let him go. Do they have a future together can he get her to give him a chance You will have to read to see. As a side note the cover gives the impression this could be a suspense but there is non what so ever just some really hot sex scenes

Okay, let me start by saying I liked, Redeeming the Badge, I was just disappointed by a couple of things. First, you have this super hot police officer yet in the book it's just his job. At least give him someone to protect his lady from. Second, Redeeming the Badge, led me to think that Rob did something wrong. That he had to redeem himself in some way. Nope not even close.
This book was about a second chance for Heather to find happiness. Rob does a fantastic job of giving her all the happiness she can handle plus being there for her when she's miserable.

I loved the concept of the book and it started out really great. However, the book started to slow down...too slow for me and I had a really hard time finishing this book. The book just didn't end up capturing my attention and it definitely isn't for me. However, I believe the book has an audience out there that would absolutely enjoy it!

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Not what I expected.
There were several underdeveloped storylines in this book. The first is the second-chance romance element. Heather was Rob’s dream girl in high school . He described her as hot but mean. How was she mean? What was it about her other than her appearance that made her so special?
Secondly, the cover and description gave me the impression there would be a suspense element-not so. The cover model is holding a gun on the cover like he is going to kick butt and take names, nope, just traffic stops.
Third, Tricks seems like a dog with some extra sniffing powers. Law enforcement dogs are trained to find drugs, take down criminals and a myriad of other tasks. I wish Tricks was given a serious role
Lastly, Heather and Rob circle around each other for weeks because they are scared to make the first move. Then all of a sudden, they have a bdsm sexual dynamic 🤔.
I did love the authors description of fertility struggles. The trigger warning at the beginning was fantastic and I loved the author for it. Rob’s tenderness and loyalty toward Heather was so heartwarming.
I gave this book three stars because of the awesome way the author handled a very emotionally sensitive topic.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So the concept of this story drew me in. It sounded great. And it was at first. But then it was too slow for me. I gave up on this story at 32%. I did read the last chapter thinking it might capture my attention and help me finish the book.
Nope.
Didn’t work.
Not the book for me.

Rob was the geeky boy in high school who fell in love with the prom queen. She was a beauty and she was mean.. Heather was the prom queen, but after 15 years she no longer mean. She is pulled over by a gorgeous K9 cop. He’s not geeky any more. Does she remember him.? Can him and his partner when her heart? What has happened to her to make her change so drastically? A read that will make you smile and bring a tear or two as well!

This book was given to me as an arc from NetGalley

This book wasn't what I expected and honestly I couldn't get past the while lusting and opps bumped into you again by accident story line. The romance scenes were repetitive to the point of boring having readers skip pages to find something interesting to read in the book. To be honestly wasn't easy to find. The story lacks focus, excitement and a desire to read after the first few chapters.



The romance is just unbelievable and the story lacks anything that will keep readers wanting to come back for more.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Lyrical Press for the advance of Dorothy F. Shaw Redeeming the Badge.

REDEEMING THE BADGE by Dorothy F. Shaw is an unexpected surprise! Unbelievably hot, with off the charts sexual chemistry and heartbreaking, thought provoking. This story will remain in my head for a long time to come. Wonderfully written!

Title: Redeeming the Badge
Series: Arizona K9#2
Author: Dorothy F.Shaw
Genre:Romance
Page: 226

SHE WAS ALWAYS THE GIRL OF HIS DREAMS

In high school, she was the girl most likely to live happily ever after—rich, popular, beautiful…and maybe just a little mean. But Heather Winters’ dreams of marriage and motherhood haven’t worked out as she hoped. Now she’s back in Arizona, trying to reinvent herself. She knows what she doesn’t want: a serious relationship. She doesn’t remember Robert Caldwell from high school, but the good-looking K-9 officer is everything she’s looking for in a short-term fling.

A routine traffic stop brings Rob face to face with the girl who fueled his teenage fantasies—and she’s even more ravishing than ever. The former homecoming queen didn’t know he was alive back then. Now she’s changed—and she’s hurting. Despite how great they are together in bed, Heather isn’t letting him anywhere near her heart. But he’s got a plan—and with a little help from his canine partner, Tricks, he’ll show Heather that together, they have all the happiness they’ll ever need…

My thoughts
Rating:3.5
Would I recommend it?Yes
Would I read more by this author?maybe
This one took me a little while to get into even though I liked the characters , the main thing was I couldn't understand what the main character Heather was going , but I did fell in love with the male main character Rob and his beloved K9 partner Tricks, especially Tricks because I know and understand how smart his breed is in fact his breed is one of my favorite dogs to have as a pet, I loved how Rob and Tricks worked together and how they both won Heather over and showed her that no matter what they loved her and wanted her , this story does hit hard on some of the things that Heather went there and on some hard topics that needs to be talked about , but over all I enjoyed the story .with that said I want to thank Netgalley and Kensington for letting me read and review it exchange for my honest opinion.

I received a copy of Redeeming the Badge by Dorothy F. Shaw from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, this novel missed the mark for me. I felt that the plot should have been interesting given the story's summary, but the plot wasn't evenly paced and the main characters' chemistry was just not believable. Also, their steamy scenes were repetitive (same same same...boring). Just struck me as a flat novel altogether.

I'd give Redeeming the Badge by Dorothy F. Shaw 3 stars.

Heather was the mean girl in school but life has slapped her down and now she is a shell of the person she used to be. Divorced, jobless, and childless, Heather is just going through the motions. Rob is a cop with the K-9 division, went to school with Heather, and has been in love with her since school. He pulls her over but she doesn’t remember him, they bump into each other and finally starts seeing each other. Heather doesn’t want a relationship but does want a one night stand. Rob wants her forever but she pushes him away even as she pulls him closer. She keeps secrets from him and when he finds out, she breaks up with him even though he still loves her. Can she get her life together or will she be miserable for the rest of her life?
Good story with lots of sex. A woman who thinks her life is over and the man who loves her anyway. The beginning is a little childish to me but it gets better.
* Voluntarily read and reviewed this for NetGalley *

This is Heather and Rob’s book, heather was the rich popular spoiled girl back in high school. Her dreams of marriage and motherhood haven’t worked out quite the way she thought it would! Now she’s back in Arizona trying to reinvent herself. She knows that she definitely does not want a serious relationship! she doesn’t remember the hot cop from high school that pulls her over! But hey she’s definitely looking for a short term fling! Rob is a k-9 officer who was the pimple geeky dork in high school. After a routine stop brings rob face to face with his teenage fantasy, the former homecoming queen, she didn’t even know he was alive back in the day! Now she’s changed, and she’s hurting ! Despite how hot they are together she’s not letting rob in at all! But With a little help from his canine partner tricks he’ll show Heather that together they can have all the happiness they will ever need! This book was really good! There was some heartache and some heartbreaking moments! I definitely enjoyed reading this one! Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me!