I asked for When in Doubt by V.K. Powell as soon as I saw the author’s name. She is such an accomplished author; I always know I’m going to like her books. With her novels, I find some of my favorite genres: mystery, intrigue, police procedural, and romance. This story has them all.

This book is about two women who meet at a time when both need help and have little time for romance. Jeri Wylder is a police officer who finds herself in trouble when she is accused of a crime she didn’t commit. Simone Sullivan is the owner of a historical apartment building that is being targeted for demolition to make way for a high rise condominium complex. When the two meet, there is a definite connection, but can love overcome all that is happening to them both?

Both main characters are well-written and easy to connect with. I especially connected with Jeri. She had so much happening to her as well as dealing with possible PTSD symptoms. I didn’t always agree with her actions, but the author gave me the info I needed to understand why she acted the way she did. The mystery and intrigue of the tale is well done and had me guessing until near the end. The romance is heartwarming, and fit into the overall story.

The only real problem I had with this novel is that the first part of the book had moments that seemed a bit fragmented and interrupted the flow of the story. Luckily, this only seemed to happen occasionally during the first quarter of the book. After that, the flow and pace of the story was fine.

I really enjoyed When in Doubt. It’s a good read for all who love police procedurals with mystery and romance.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to read and review "When in Doubt",

This was the first novel I have read by this author, and it won't be the last. This was such a cleverly penned novel. It had an interesting premise, great primary and secondary characters, and plenty of suspense and a slow burn romance simmering away throughout. Lots of different twists and turns maintained the level of suspense and the secondary characters were used well to further the storyline and maintain the dramatic storyline.

I really enjoyed the layering aspect of the storyline and the surprises along the way. The characters were well-drawn and the chemistry underpinning the two main characters also maintained the levels of uncertainty and strengthened the plot. Jeri had character flaws which the PTSD incident and follow through had definite tricky responses. The author didn’t shy away from exposing Jeri’s coping mechanisms and Simone’s professional experience and understanding did place her in the best position to be supportive. 4.5*

A police mystery and slow burn romance with an interesting plot and good writing technique. I recommend.


Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for this ARC.

This novel is good for the suspense aspect, but it lacked when it came to romance. I didn't feel as the relationship with Jeri and Simone was fully developed before they professed their undying love for one another. I am all for insta-love but only if it makes sense. They meet briefly and reconnect after Jeri experiences a serious professional trauma. She is completely unstable, therefore their relationship shifts. It seems as though Simone's main role becomes being a support system for Jeri. In return, I didn't think Jeri offered as much in return.

The book quickly takes a turn about 80% through when they are realizing the intensity of their feelings. Also, the resolution of the crime fell a little flat. It seemed too easy considering all the moving parts and the seriousness of the crime(s). Suddenly the book ends and it felt awkward. It was too much with too little. The novel needed to be longer to truly flesh out the characters and the plot ending.

All in all, I can only say it was an okay book. My favorite thing will have to be the overall suspense surrounding Jeri's trauma and the "whodunnit".

I received this ARC from Netgalley for an honest unbiased review.

Jeri is a police officer who attended a break and enter during which a man was shot and killed with Jeri being accused of murder yet she has no recollection of the shooting. Simone is a psychologist who wants nothing more than to help Jeri through her emotional turmoil.
I found this book a little indifferent.  By the time I got to the end of it I felt like if I never read it I wouldn't have missed anything.  I found the dialogue a little bland.  Simone's friends were pretty vile and I couldn't understand how she was friends with them and that part didn't resonate. Also I didn't find the connection and chemistry between Jeri and Simone particularly strong. The storyline was ok, I did wonder after the first few chapters was it going to hold my attention but I must admit I was curious throughout the remainder of the book so definitely a positive.

Jeri is a police officer who been accused of killing a man while in the job the problem is she can’t seem to remember doing it.

Simone is a owner of a historic building she dealing with the city and land developer who wants to tear down her building.

Jeri and Simone lives intersect as they both deal with their problems. You feel for Jeri as she deals with her PTSD but she does it in the wrong way that it could become more danger to her. Simone is there for her as she is patient and supportive even with her being harass.


I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Jeri Wylder is an honest police officer patrolling the central business section of Greensboro, NC. All she wants is to do her job and find someone to love.
Simone Sullivan is the owner of a downtown historic apartment building which the city and a land developer want to tear down and redevelop. They need her to sell and be gone.
Jeri’s life gets turned upside down at a routine drug bust gone wrong. Simone is facing threats and harassment to push her into selling. These are the two parallel story lines which cross and intersect throughout the novel.
Both stories are intriguing and well worth the read however the most interesting part to me is the up close and personal view of Jeri’s self destruction as she is traumatized and begins her battle with PTSD. It is frightening to see how her body and mind tries to cope with the symptoms while she refuses any help.
VK Powell knows police work. She understands the machoism and sense of duty to hold the blue line which all officers hold dear. Watching the devolution of Jeri is as real and raw as only a writer of VK Powell’s stature and background could possibly create.
When in Doubt is a suburb blend of mystery, romance and psychological insight.
4⭐️

Excellent book, good story, great characters, hot sex scenes. I'll definitely read more of this author.
Recommended.

I’ve never read VK Powell, but have wanted to for some time. I am a big for of a police drama/mystery.

Jeri is trying to find a way forward after being accused of killing someone while on the job as a police officer. Her internal struggle is hard and she makes a series of bad decisions in order to cope. (One bad decision in particular is spending time with a woman by the name of Tom... I mean, Tom and Jeri? Lol, really?) Anyway, the only person who Jeri seems to trust is Simone, who remains patient and supportive through the entire endeavor.

This book had me until about the 85% mark. I was all in. Everything was great, well written and the relationship progressed appropriately for the plot, until it didn’t. At about 85% the slow progressing relationship does a 180° turn and in 24 hours they are saying I love you, meeting parents and spending their lives together. That’s even fast in the lesbian world! Although the relationship had a far out conclusion, I like the way the plot and policing story line wrapped up. I’ll go ahead and say 4 stars as I really felt this story for the most part. I liked the raw struggle and emotional vulnerability displayed in the characters.

V.K. Powell is great when it comes to writing police orientated books since she's very knowledgeable when it comes to police procedures and that is no different in this book. The plot surrounding Jerri who killed a man but can't remember the incident is very well written. As is the insecurity that follows in her personal and professional life leading to PTSD and destructive coping mechanisms.
Yet the book didn't pull me in completely and that had to do with several things:

1. the suspect pool is limited and it is clear very early on where the problem lies
2. it not only insta-love, it's superinsta and not based on anything for me as a reader
3. the main character is not someone it's easy to root for in a romantic setting. Even before the
shooting her actions towards her girlfriend are a bit shady if you ask me.

So basically; if you like to read a nice enough, uncomplicated mystery this book could appeal to you. If you are only in it for the romance side of the book I'd recommend skipping this one and going for another.

*** An ARC was provided by Netgalley in exchange for a honest review ***

I rate stories on how much I enjoy them and this story did not meet the mark!

This is the first book by this author that I’ve read and in terms of plot and grammar it’s good. The writing is okay though I felt like at times it was not only choppy but did not paint the whole picture. More descriptive writing definitely could’ve raised my bar.

Now the characters are solely where it went wrong for me. The main character, Jerri, is a cop in the middle of an investigation where it is assumed she killed someone but she doesn’t remember it. Now left with dread of the possibility that she did this Jerri spirals out. She sleeps around despite being in a relationship (that she pathetically argues isn’t exclusive), she drinks a lot (despite that not being built on in the book) and rejects the very idea of therapy.

Now I get it, all characters have flaws and that’s just that but in this book the execution of those flaws just made her an absolutely dislikable character. She even boarders on the line or sexual assault at one point. I don’t know if this was the authors attempt to paint Jerri’s way of coping but it did not help her character build and just resulted in her being even more annoying.

Simone, the secondary character and love interest of this book was bland and boring in my opinion. In this book Jerri and Simone are faced with a kind of instant attraction scenario and for some reason they just kept denying themselves the pleasure of that attraction. In my opinion this was a failed attempt at angst. Jerri’s unlikable character made it hard to even want them together. I’ll admit there was chemistry but there was no build to their relationship. The author painted an instant attraction scenario where the attraction didn’t seem much different from Jerri’s relationship at the start of the book with Megan.

Another thing with Simone was her hypocrisy with the whole shooting situation which I will not build on to keep this spoiler free but let’s just say she was okay with Jerri doing something to protect herself but when someone else did it she suddenly couldn’t understand their side.

Now this is all my personal frustration with the characters of this book.

That being said this book may not be for me but it can totally be for you. VK Powell does an amazing job at writing the investigation of Jerri’s incident but unfortunately for me she did not hit with the romance and character development part of this book.

3 stars because the plot is good, specifically the investigation of Jerri’s incident.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the arc in return for an honest review!

This is my first book by this author and I can tell you I will be reading more of her. If this book was any indication to her writing craft then I'm all in.I love a good exciting police story. It's always nice when a book pulls me right into the story from the first chapter. The MC's had great chemistry. I enjoyed getting to know both Jeri and Simone and watching their story unfold. If you're into an excellently written cop romance then this is the book for you.I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

This a love and mystery story. Jeri is a police officer and meets Simone on call about an arson attempt. The plot is interesting and keeps my attention. The characters are completely opposite in nature but fall in love. There is a lot of emotion both good and bad. I love the surprise ending and the blooming love between Jeri and Simone .I recommend this book for romance and mystery readers. I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley but my thoughts and opinions are my own

It took me a while to get onto this book, I almost stopped reading it twice. I didnt like the main character and for some reason, could not connect with her behavior.

However, about the 25% stage of the book, Jeri won me over.

This book is more about cops, their mindset than it is romance. While the attraction between Jeri and Simone is instantaneous, the romance is slow to develop.

I would recommend this book for the police/crime/psychology aspect than the romance.

I will be reading something else by this author to see if I can connect better with her writing style.

VK Powell police career has given her a unique perspective as a writer. She uses this experience to create a very realistic and in depth story about police involved shootings and its aftermath. the character depth and storyline grab your attention and keep it.

The romance is a slow burner. There were many obstacles, both self induced and from the crime story. I was drawn in and desperately waiting for a happily ever after.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

This is an intense action packed romance between office Jeri Wylder and psychologist Simone Sullivan. Jeri Wylder has been involved in an officer involved shooting. But there is a lot missing about it. One Jeri cannot recall the events that happened and the woman she saw at the time is gone.
So is her body camera.
As the story unfolds Jeri and Simone meet by chance at an earlier call to Simone's apartment building. They continue to run into each other after, including a dinner where Jeri's on again off again girlfriend invites her to dinner with her boss. Her boss happens to be the brother of Simone who he invited to dinner. There is a lot of misunderstanding, a lot.
Jeri is having trouble trying to remember what happened the night of the shooting and has developed PTSD, which is leading her down a dark road. Can Simone help? Or will she even let her? These are the questions Jeri must ask herself.
As their friendship and attraction finally begin to blossom Jeri is hit with recall of that fateful night and the consequences oh what really happened.
Absolutely a must read if you enjoy police action romance. You will not be disappointed.
I highly recommend this book and other books by VK Powell as well.

This story by one of the best authors writing about the police features Jeri Wylder is settled in her life, her job, and if only she could find her soul mate, she’d have the perfect life. She meets a woman, Simone Sullivan, at a crime scene when someone tries to torch the building the woman lives in. There is an instant attraction so neither woman wants to act on the attraction – for now. When Wylder is called to a drug house everything goes terribly wrong – and she can’t recall what went down caused by amnesia as a result of blow to her head.

Powell has written book that will pull any reader in from page one. The writing is excellent, the characters both likable, the unlikeable character is awful, and pacing is near perfection.

If you like a well-told story, this is the book for you. You will undoubtedly want to stay up late into the night reading this book and the next morning pick it up again and to hell with any errands or chores that need to be done.

My thanks to Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for an eARC.

Good story. Like VK Powell.s cop stories. Always seem to be a wee bit different. Not just a whodunnit type thing. Though I like those too. Would recommend this book.

Jeri Wylder loves being a police officer. She crosses paths with Simone Sullivan when an arsonist is trying to burn down her building. They meet for coffee but as they start talking Jeri is sent on a police call. Next thing Jeri knows she has been unconscious and has no memory of shooting a man or what happened to the woman she remembers being there. Jeri is put on limited duty until the shooting can be cleared but there are obstacles because she can't remember. Simone in the mean time is fighting to keep the apartment building she owns from being condemned so a new high rise can be built.

This is an exciting police drama/romance book. As usual in these types of books the attraction is mostly instant because so much else is happening in the story. Simone is a psychologist and recognizes the unhealthy PTSD symptoms in Jeri. I thought the mystery was fairly predictable as there weren't a lot possible suspects. Both Simone and Jeri are broken a bit from their pasts. The story is engaging and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to get to the finish. Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books, Inc for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.