School teacher, Melody Renee Nash has issues. Major issues with commitment. Thanks to the number her ex- fiancé pulled on her, she has not been in any relationship since then. For her, the one-night stand was a massive mistake and most likely one of her friends asked Jared to come on to her. She cannot believe when a man like him can possibly be interested in someone like her.

Fate intervenes when Jared and Mel come face to face in her school. Never been serious with anyone, Jared is sure Mel is different. Convincing her to give him a chance though, is a task. She keeps running away. Then there is his missing brother and the need to lie to his partner about the relationship. On a cross roads with his duty as a cop and his duty as brother, what will he choose? With both his personal and professional life in a hurdle, Jared needs to find the correct balance or he just may end up losing everything.

Jared is a very well-developed character. I loved how Ms. Szarek showed the conflict he was facing and how she beautifully balanced his personal and professional life. At no point during reading COLLISION CONTROL did I feel that may be Jared's professional dilemma influenced his change from free-flying playboy to someone wanting to go steady. While I did not agree with his decisions regarding his brother and job, I completely empathized with him on why he did what he did. He is handsome, funny, smart, caring and incredibly loyal. Loved his interactions with everyone, his internal struggle and the emotional breakdown.

Mel on the other hand felt less focused upon. The book seemed to more or less revolve around Jared instead of both H/h. Mel is sweet and caring as long as she is not focusing on her hang-ups and insecurities. At times it felt forced. I would have liked to at point see an interaction between her and her ex who was constantly mentioned to be back but never shown. For me, their relationship needs further work upon where they actually discuss and get over their pasts. Nonetheless, theirs is a sweet passionate romance thanks to Jared who forced her out of her shell despite repeat rejections.

COLLISION CONTROL is written with multiple POVs which I admit added to the dimension of the story making it a very enjoyable read. The story is fast-paced and reads smoothly. The ending on the other hand felt very rushed and quickly wrapped up. Instead of reading the summary in the epilogue I would have liked some closure between Jared, his partner and brother to be shown. The final showdown and emotional outbursts showed how the characters are all humans not cold hard-asses or superheroes with no feelings. Felt sorry for Joe. He had it tough and so did Taylor. Looking forward to seeing their stories and if they finally catch the bad guy who got away. COLLISION CONTROL is an enjoyable read for all those who like light suspense, stubborn hero who is not afraid to show his emotions and some great secondary characters.

Book Summary