ARC Book Review: GOING DEEP by Anne Calhoun

Going Deep
by Anne Calhoun
Alpha Ops, Book 5

SHE’LL ROCK HIS WORLD

After weeks on a sold-out tour, singer Cady Ward is coming home for the holidays. But after one too many episodes of fan-craziness, Cady’s manager decides that she needs protection—in the form of muscled cop Conn McCormick. Longing for peace and quiet to prepare before her next album drops, Cady doesn’t need a bodyguard just to deal with some vague email threats…though she can’t deny that close proximity to Conn’s body is a very nice place to be. 

Conn is in the midst of a career scandal when his boss assigns him to pop-star guard duty. It’s a poor use of his skills, even though Cady’s feisty nature proves the perfect distraction for Conn while Internal Affairs investigates his case. What begins as a sizzling attraction becomes something deeper than either Conn or Cady could have expected. But when Conn uncovers the sinister plan behind the threats to Cady, he’s faced with a professional dilemma: To save her life, will he risk having a future with the only woman who’s ever touched his soul? 

REVIEW

On the surface, the pairing of this stoic, hard-ass cop and soulful, easy-going singer is unexpected. However, what they do have in common, is that they are often judged by their appearances instead of the content of their character. Conn McCormick is a hard charger. He's a pro-active officer and that occasionally gets him into trouble. He's also a guy who is values loyalty; he just has to be sure that it is not blind loyalty. Recently, he is being asked work security for Cady Ward, a breakout singer dealing with the consequences of growing fame and a hit debut album. 

My favorite part of the book is reading Conn's development. I like learning about his past and how that makes him the gold-hearted, yet misunderstood, man. His pursuit of his father's record reveals the heart of his dysfunction. The awkward, bad-boy side of this character appeals to me. 

If Conn is a bit on the dark side, then Cady is in the light. She is naturally optimistic, maybe it's the artist in her who can see the beauty in every day moments. But she is a nice foil for Conn. She has her own challenges in making choices for her own career. 

My biggest critique is that there is a lot going on in this story and the ending is wrapped up a little too neatly. However, it is minor distraction to a good read. 

Thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.