Pretty Policeman by Fifer Rose

Estimated release date: December 1^st 2022

My oh my.

This was an amazing read!

It’s not profound or anything, but the way it engaged me was something else!

It was all suck-me-in-take-me-for-a-ride-then-spit-me-out engaging. And I still haven’t recovered fully.

Now, this story requires you to suspend disbelief. Which is quite alright with me, because it’s so very well done. It’s M/M, Mafia-police Detective romance. I didn’t even know that was a thing before Pretty Policeman, but this book opened my eyes and introduced me to a whole new world (Craving? Kink?).

So there’s Micah, a very young Detective (I’ll get back to the young part later) in NY. Micah’s gone undercover as a prostitute in an attempt to flush out a serial killer dubbed the Hooker Hunter by the press. But in doing so, he draws the attention of a big hunk of delicious man who seems determined to save Micah. And Micah can’t very well blow his cover by admitting the truth. Damon Romano is the epitome of tall, dark, handsome and filthy rich (that’s how the saying goes right?). He has a protective streak a mile wide and Micah is drawn to him instantly. Unfortunately, Damon also turns out to be a Mafia Don. And the only way for Micah to keep seeing Damon is to keep up the pretence of being a prostitute…

The premise of this story is incredibly juicy, and the read lives up to all my expectations and then some. It doesn’t exactly hurt that I’m partial to the young-twink-meets-big-domineering-guy (I refuse to say Alpha male unless it’s ABO we’re talking about).

Anyway. There are several parallel story arcs in here, which all together makes for a reasonably complex and incredibly interesting and entertaining storyline. The main one is obviously Micah’s and Damon’s relationship, with Micah upholding his ruse only to get more time with Damon, all the while Damon despises everything law enforcement. But there’s also the suspense part, with a serial killer on the loose, the dynamics at the precinct and Micah’s father being a Police Captain and Micah’s boss. There’s Micah’s best friend and work colleague, Tessa, who adds levity to the mix, and Damon’s family who adds drama galore.

Micah is too adorable for words. The entire story is viewed from his perspective, and his inner monologue is hilarious. It’s also what brings a rom-com feel to the book, despite the serial killers and the mobsters. Damon on the other hand is overprotective to the extreme. He has two personalities, the soft, indulgent side only Micah ever sees, and the brutal persona of a mob boss.

This story pretty much held me captive from the very first page. The storyline is entirely absurd and yet so yummy it’s impossible not to love it. Also, it’s exceedingly well written and composed. I tried to google the author but couldn’t find anything. So either Fifer Rose is a pseudonym, or this is indeed Rose’s debut novel. And if that is the case I’m thoroughly impressed! Either way, I will definitely keep my eye out for more of her books.

Luckily, there will be more. Sometime next spring there will be a sequel. Pretty Policeman has a happy-for-now ending. It’s possibly a bit abrupt. Personally I would have liked slightly more of a resolution between Micah and Damon. I mean, it all ended on a high note but I’m usually all for the lovey dovey epilogues and there’s none of that here. Meaning that I’m impatient as heck for the next book.

My one objection (apart from the fact that there’s always room for more steam) is that Micah is actually a 23-year old Police Detective. A fresh, low-ranking one, sure, but a Detective none the less. And I think that’s what I had the toughest time to accept. Maybe it’s because I’m prejudiced and thought Micah was too much of a twink. Or maybe because there’s no way a 23 y.o. ever could have gained enough experience to become a good Detective, no matter how brilliant he was during training. So that didn’t sit right with me and struck me as unnecessary. He could still have been in law enforcement in another capacity, it would have been more believable somehow. As it were, I thought the clash between Micah’s work an responsibilities and how he acted in private was too noticeable. As I said, he’s just so bloody young.

But in the end, Micah’s age doesn’t matter. This is a fabulous romance and a wild ride for sure.

5 stars.

Highly recommend!

* A complimentary e-book was kindly provided by Gay Romance Reviews *