Captain’s Choice by VK PowellCaptain’s Choice by VK Powell is the first book in the Fairview Station series.

Bennett Carlyle has just been promoted to Captain with the Greensboro Police. Her first project is to oversee the development of their new substation and since she sees herself as a street cop (and only a street cop), it’s the last thing she wants to do. Bennett gets the shock of her life when the architectural firm’s rep shows up and it’s none other than her first love, Kerstin Anthony.

Kerstin can’t work with Ben when she meets her at the Municipal Office Building (and with zero warning of who her project liaison will be, by the way), since she was wrecked by the way she and Bennett parted ways seventeen years ago. But when Kerstin’s back in New York City, her boss won’t let her off the project. She knows she needs the experience if she’s going to eventually open her own design firm, so Kerstin digs deep so she can get through spending so much time with the one person who crushed her heart, and who she never thought she’d see again.

Bennett isn’t the same carefree, popular girl Kerstin knew in high school who never took things seriously. She’s all grown up and still seems to have eyes for Kerstin. Can they put the past behind them while figuring out minor details like building budgets, getting the right design in place, and living in different cities?

The Characters

Bennett and Kerstin are both easy to connect with. They’re very likeable and both have strong relationships with their families that are foundational to who they are. I enjoyed seeing them grow, especially how Kerstin warms up to Ben throughout the course of the book.

The Writing Style

I found Captain’s Choice a little hard to get into at first, although I don’t know how much of that was the story itself or because I was listening to it. I’m glad I stuck with it, however, because I really got into it by the third or fourth chapter and really liked the story.

The Narration

Hollis Elizabeth isn’t my favourite narrator, and so like I just mentioned, it wasn’t really doing it for me at first. Overall, she did a good job, and I didn’t find my mind wandering once I did get sucked in or have any problems keeping track of who was saying what.

The Pros

I really enjoyed seeing Kerstin and Bennett interact with their families and seeing how close they are with them.

The Cons

No real cons for this one.

The Conclusion

I’ve never read anything by VK Powell before, so I’m glad I picked this one up. It’s a nice, easy starting point, especially if you like second chance romances. I’ll definitely be reading more from this author in the future, starting with the next book in the series!

Excerpt from Captain’s Choice by VK Powell

Kerstin inhaled sharply as a tall, lean woman with observant whiskey-brown eyes and plump lips that evoked memories walked toward her. Kerstin backed away as if distance would change the situation.

“Kerstin Anthony?” the woman asked.

She pressed her fingertips on the tabletop to steady herself. “Ben…Bennett Carlyle?”

“Hi, Kerst.” Bennett openly stared her up and down with no hint of subtlety before settling on her lips. “What are you doing here?”

The last time she’d seen Bennett, her eyes and intentions were full of mischief and teenage rebellion, and Kerstin had been terrified. “It’s Kerstin.” Formality and structure kept her grounded and in control, and right now she needed those traits desperately.

“Okay, Kerstin.” Bennett offered a slight smile, and the dimples on either side of her mouth blossomed. “How have you been? Where have you been? What are you doing in Greensboro? At the police station? That didn’t sound right. You’re just…unexpected.”

The sociable Bennett, who’d been so popular in school, babbled nervously, and Kerstin just wanted to escape. She couldn’t pretend they were old friends picking up where they’d left off. Too much had happened. Her face heated, and the strong coffee she’d had for breakfast churned in her stomach. She gathered her drawings, willing her hands to steady. Sliding the plans to the edge of the table, she reached for her bag, but the pages fell and scattered across the floor.

“I’ll get them.” Bennett stooped beside her, and Kerstin inhaled the vivid musk scent she’d always associated with Bennett.

Kerstin stood quickly, pulling for a breath not filled with Bennett’s scent and the past. “I won’t waste your time or mine. This isn’t going to work.” Her carefully constructed façade quivered. Her life was already complicated enough.

Bennett rolled the drawings and offered them to her. “What’s not going to work?”

“The project. Us. Together.” She was a professional and worked with a variety of difficult and challenging people on assignments. She could handle the situation, if she wanted. The question tumbled over and over in her mind. Did she want to? Any person or thing from years ago controlling any aspect of her life rankled.

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Series

Fairview Station

Captain’s Choice

Second in Command

Bits and Bobs

  • ISBN number: 9781626399976
  • Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
  • Audiobook Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Inc
  • Narrator: Hollis Elizabeth
  • VK Powell’s Amazon Profile

If you enjoyed this book then you should also look at

No Greater Love than Mine by Harper Bliss

 

 

 

 

 

Note: I received a free review copy of Captain’s Choice by VK Powell. No money was exchanged for this review. When you use our links to buy we get a small commission which supports the running of this site