New York's Finest #3
By: Lauren Layne
Releasing March 29, 2016
Forever
Cuff Me
New York's Finest
Vincent knows he's not the most charming of the Moretti brothers. He prefers brooding to flirting, reading to talking, and he sure as hell isn't about to give into his mother's insistence that he 'settle down with a nice girl.' Luckily, Vincent's gig as one of the NYPD's top homicide detectives keeps him busy. As does his long-time partner, Jill Henley–a tough-as-nails cop with the face of an angel and smart mouth that makes Vincent crazy in all the worst ways.
After six years of working the homicide beat with the tight-lipped Vincent Moretti, Jill figure she knows him better than anyone. Which is not at all. But when their most recent case points to a potential serial-killer situation, the higher-ups send them on a rare undercover mission to a place no NYPD officer dares go: the Upper Eastside.
Now the bureau's most antagonistic set of partners is posing as Mr. and Mrs. Brooks of Park Avenue. Spending 24/7 in the suspect's territory brings them closer and closer to their killer . . . and closer to each other. Soon Vincent and Jill are playing good cop/bad cop in and out of bed, and Jill's falling hard. But can she convince Vincent to give her a shot as partner in life, as well as at the bureau?
Vincent was damn good at his job. It was why he’d been assigned a trainee during Jill’s leave of absence despite the fact that his lack of people skills was as legendary as his ability to sniff out even the most clever of murderers.
In truth, Vincent had been dreading his three months with the near-rookie, but it had been less painful than expected. Dansen was a good cop. A little green, but when Dansen was assigned his new partner tomorrow, Vin had no doubts that the guy would be able to handle whatever came his way.
And then Vincent’s life would finally get back to normal.
Not that these three months without Jill had been abnormal, precisely.
He still worked the same backbreaking schedule. Still saw death more days than not.
Still went to breakfast with his family after Mass every Sunday, and argued with his brothers and occasionally with his sister during said breakfast.
He still watched sports most evenings, still worked out most mornings.
So really, his life wasn’t different without Jill at all. Except that it was. Wildly, horribly different.
He glanced at his watch. Two hours until her plane landed. Three hours, maybe four until he’d see her again. Not that he was counting.
“So you’re good from here?” Vincent asked. “If you need anything, I’ll be ...”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll call ya. You never did tell me where you were going.”
“Probably because it’s none of your Goddamn business.”
Dansen put a hand to his chest. “I’ve come to love these heart-to-hearts of ours. The way we count on each other. Confide in each other—” “My cue to leave,” Vincent grumbled.
He started to get in the car, when Dansen called his name again.
Vin shot him an impatient look and was surprised when the usually confident Dansen looked away briefly before meeting his eyes.
“Hey, I just wanted to say.. .” Dansen cleared his throat from across the hood of the car, and Vin tensed, knowing what was coming.
God, he hated shit like this.
“You can drop the detective,” Vincent said roughly. “Just call me Moretti. Or Vin. Whatever.”
Dansen’s smile flashed white across his dark face. “Do you know how many cops dream of the day when they’re given permission to call one of the members of the royal family by their first name?”
“Oh Jesus. Don’t start that again.”
For the most part, Dansen had done a remarkable job of not irritating Vincent to the extreme over the past three months. But Dansen’s ridiculous hero worship of Vincent’s last name grated on his nerves. Yet another reason he couldn’t wait for Jill to get back.
Jill, who’d never cared that Vincent’s father was the recently retired police commissioner. Or that his older brother was a captain. Or that his younger brother was the NYPD’s most famous officer.
Or that his grandfather had been a cop and his mother had been a police dispatcher.. .
Okay, so maybe Vincent could sort of understand where Dansen was coming from. The Morettis were kind of NYPD royalty.
And Vincent was proud to be a part of it. Proud to carry on the legacy.
He just got damn tired of the ass kissing.
“Seriously though, thanks,” Dansen said. “Couldn’t have asked for a better detective to show me the ropes. A nicer one, sure. A better-looking one, definitely. And you can be a real—”
“Asshole, I know,” Vincent said.
Dansen held up a finger. “Not what I was going to say. I think that’s the first time you’ve tried to finish my sentence and gotten it wrong.”
“I’m never wrong,” Vin said out of habit.
“Fine.” Dansen rolled his eyes. “You’re an asshole. Happy?”
Vin didn’t bother responding, just lifted his hand in a final farewell to Dansen before the younger man could say whatever it was he’d wanted to say, and lowered himself into the car.
Vincent slid on his aviator sunglasses as he fastened his seat belt.
Vin kept his face perfectly blank until he’d pulled away from the curb and merged into traffic.
Only then, only out of sight of prying eyes, did he let a smile overtake his face. A smile that quickly became a grin as he headed toward his longtime barber for a very overdue haircut.
He told himself that his decision to get his hair cut after weeks of putting it off had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he’d be seeing Jill in a few short hours.
Vincent had never really given two thoughts to what Jill Henley thought of his looks.
But then, he and Jill had never spent three months apart. He’d never had a chance to realize just how much he’d . .. missed her.
Not that he’d be telling her that.
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Highly
anticipated, Cuff Me exceeds my expectations and more as
the spotlight for this final book in the New York's Finest series
falls on homicide DT Vincent Moretti. His relationship with Jill
is everything I expect it to be; sexy with lashings of
mental anguish!
"Absence makes the heart grow fonder." A painful realisation for Vincent Moretti. He's missed his partner during her three months absence from work, not that he'd made much effort to keep in contact whilst she was away. Now Jill's back, eating the doughnut he bought for her with her left hand adorned with a sparkling diamond engagement ring!
Jill Henley's leave of absence in Florida turned out to be much more than just time spent helping her mother recuperate from a nasty fall. She began a whirlwind relationship with Tom and accepted his unexpected proposal of marriage. Now back in NY, she's happy to be amongst all that's familiar, the Moretti gang, Vincent. Especially her partner Vincent Moretti because she missed him. Something she hadn't realised until now.
Jill and Vincent's first day back at working together is an eventful one. The crime victim was once famous...a Hollywood star from another era. Something is wrong, very wrong! Vincent's instinctive detective skills are off and Jill's are rusty. All Vincent can truly decipher and be 100% sure about; Jill can't fool him she's as happy as she claims!
Vincent is a complex character. He's viewed differently by many people; To strangers, he comes across as unsociable and gruff. His work colleagues… "Robot. Machine. Automaton." Those that see him as "Quiet, Reserved. Broody." Yet he's confident and intuitive but shyness has crippled him emotionally, when is comes to matters of the heart. Something his mother can see in her second son, prompting her to say some appropriate words to the right person.
Jill is the sunshine to Vincent's darkness but his social awkwardness hasn't been a barrier until now. She's getting married when the one she's always wanted is Vincent. Only he can't give her what she wants because he's incapable of showing his feelings. I sympathised with Jill and her desire to want what other women have in their lives...romance. To feel included and instead of excluded on Valentine's Day...chocolates, red roses and candlelit dinners. To come to the realisation that a random gesture of buying you your favourite doughnut is his way of telling you he cares. It's random. It's spontaneous. It's a sign to take fate into her own hands.
One of the high points in this humorous series has been the banter and witty dialogue between the characters. Ms Layne doesn't disappoint. Nonna is as inappropriate as ever! Brothers Luc and Anth, are now settled in their own domestic bliss offer unwelcome advice when they see fit. We also get to meet Marco, the laid back brother who followed his wannabe-actress girlfriend to California and works for LAPD. Oh, not forgetting the parental interference.
Every once in a while, a book overwhelms me simply because the protagonists are so relatable. Their actions trigger memories and similarities in my own life, it's unsettling, but in a good way.
Cuff Me is a standalone novel so if you haven't read Steal Me and Frisk Me then I recommend you do because why settle for just one Moretti brother?
***arc generously received courtesy of Forever (Grand Central Publishing) via NetGalley***
"Absence makes the heart grow fonder." A painful realisation for Vincent Moretti. He's missed his partner during her three months absence from work, not that he'd made much effort to keep in contact whilst she was away. Now Jill's back, eating the doughnut he bought for her with her left hand adorned with a sparkling diamond engagement ring!
Jill Henley's leave of absence in Florida turned out to be much more than just time spent helping her mother recuperate from a nasty fall. She began a whirlwind relationship with Tom and accepted his unexpected proposal of marriage. Now back in NY, she's happy to be amongst all that's familiar, the Moretti gang, Vincent. Especially her partner Vincent Moretti because she missed him. Something she hadn't realised until now.
Jill and Vincent's first day back at working together is an eventful one. The crime victim was once famous...a Hollywood star from another era. Something is wrong, very wrong! Vincent's instinctive detective skills are off and Jill's are rusty. All Vincent can truly decipher and be 100% sure about; Jill can't fool him she's as happy as she claims!
Vincent is a complex character. He's viewed differently by many people; To strangers, he comes across as unsociable and gruff. His work colleagues… "Robot. Machine. Automaton." Those that see him as "Quiet, Reserved. Broody." Yet he's confident and intuitive but shyness has crippled him emotionally, when is comes to matters of the heart. Something his mother can see in her second son, prompting her to say some appropriate words to the right person.
Jill is the sunshine to Vincent's darkness but his social awkwardness hasn't been a barrier until now. She's getting married when the one she's always wanted is Vincent. Only he can't give her what she wants because he's incapable of showing his feelings. I sympathised with Jill and her desire to want what other women have in their lives...romance. To feel included and instead of excluded on Valentine's Day...chocolates, red roses and candlelit dinners. To come to the realisation that a random gesture of buying you your favourite doughnut is his way of telling you he cares. It's random. It's spontaneous. It's a sign to take fate into her own hands.
One of the high points in this humorous series has been the banter and witty dialogue between the characters. Ms Layne doesn't disappoint. Nonna is as inappropriate as ever! Brothers Luc and Anth, are now settled in their own domestic bliss offer unwelcome advice when they see fit. We also get to meet Marco, the laid back brother who followed his wannabe-actress girlfriend to California and works for LAPD. Oh, not forgetting the parental interference.
Every once in a while, a book overwhelms me simply because the protagonists are so relatable. Their actions trigger memories and similarities in my own life, it's unsettling, but in a good way.
Cuff Me is a standalone novel so if you haven't read Steal Me and Frisk Me then I recommend you do because why settle for just one Moretti brother?
***arc generously received courtesy of Forever (Grand Central Publishing) via NetGalley***
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Lauren Layne is the USA Today Bestselling author of more than a dozen contemporary romance novels.
Prior to becoming an author, Lauren worked in e-commerce and web-marketing. A year after moving from Seattle to NYC to pursue a writing career, she had a fabulous agent and multiple New York publishing deals.
Lauren currently lives in Manhattan with her husband and plus-sized Pomeranian. When not writing, you'll likely find her running (rarely), reading (sometimes), or at happy hour (often).
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