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Collier's Creek #3
Sheriff of the Creek
A grumpy, small-town sheriff loves his dispatcher with the heart of sunshine. And no one is ever going to find out, especially the man he loves. Then danger rolls into town. Will the sheriff step up and protect his love?
Sheriff JD Morgan loves his job as the sheriff of Collier’s Creek. It may be a small town, but he loves the place and its people. His roots run deep, and he can’t see himself living anywhere else.
He’s a little grumpy as he settles into middle-age, but that’s okay. He has two passions in life. One secret, one not. Everyone knows about his addiction to coffee, but no one knows he has a secret crush on his young dispatcher, Ben. JD fully intends to keep it that way. He’s too old for the kid.
Ben has two ambitions in life. The first is to become a deputy sheriff somewhere far from Collier’s Creek, and the second…that one’s proving more difficult. He makes it his mission to make his sheriff smile every morning as he hands him coffee. JD is his, make no mistake about it. The sheriff just doesn’t know it yet.
Then trouble rolls into town on the back of a Harley and JD discovers Ben has been hiding a secret past. A husband who wants Ben back and won’t take no for an answer.
JD is crushed. Ben is terrified.
Will they handle the unexpected husband problem together or will JD leave Ben to face danger alone?
Find out in the small-town romance, the Sheriff of Collier’s Creek.
Sheriff of Collier’s Creek is the third book in the multi-author series. Each book is stand-alone, but if you enjoy swoon-worthy romance set in a small town, then stay a while. You’ll fall in love with the men of Collier’s Creek.
Sheriff JD Morgan loves his job as the sheriff of Collier’s Creek. It may be a small town, but he loves the place and its people. His roots run deep, and he can’t see himself living anywhere else.
He’s a little grumpy as he settles into middle-age, but that’s okay. He has two passions in life. One secret, one not. Everyone knows about his addiction to coffee, but no one knows he has a secret crush on his young dispatcher, Ben. JD fully intends to keep it that way. He’s too old for the kid.
Ben has two ambitions in life. The first is to become a deputy sheriff somewhere far from Collier’s Creek, and the second…that one’s proving more difficult. He makes it his mission to make his sheriff smile every morning as he hands him coffee. JD is his, make no mistake about it. The sheriff just doesn’t know it yet.
Then trouble rolls into town on the back of a Harley and JD discovers Ben has been hiding a secret past. A husband who wants Ben back and won’t take no for an answer.
JD is crushed. Ben is terrified.
Will they handle the unexpected husband problem together or will JD leave Ben to face danger alone?
Find out in the small-town romance, the Sheriff of Collier’s Creek.
Sheriff of Collier’s Creek is the third book in the multi-author series. Each book is stand-alone, but if you enjoy swoon-worthy romance set in a small town, then stay a while. You’ll fall in love with the men of Collier’s Creek.
198 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 10, 2023
About the author
Sue Brown
146 books841 followersHot guys, big hearts, Sue's world.
Sue Brown is a Londoner with a dream to live on a small island. Coffee fuels her addiction to writing romance with hot guys loving each other, and her Adorkadog snores in harmony as she creates.
Sue Brown is a Londoner with a dream to live on a small island. Coffee fuels her addiction to writing romance with hot guys loving each other, and her Adorkadog snores in harmony as she creates.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
October 18, 2023
This is book three of the Collier Creek series, this series is multi-author. This is my first book by Sue Brown, I love series like this and getting introduced to new authors. This series can be read as stand-alones but you might learn things from other books, if you read them out of order.
MM Romance
Pining
Age Gap
Small Town
Boss/Employee
Grumpy/Sunshine
Sheriff/Dispatcher
Unexpected Husband
I’m loving this small town series of Collier’s Creek. This book follows Sheriff JD Morgan and his young dispatcher, Ben’s love story. These two tried to fight their attraction for each other, but it’s inevitable. They are just meant to be together. The 20 year age gap bothers JD but not Ben, Ben has always had a crush on him.
This was such a sweet story, with a bit of suspense behind Ben leaving college early and coming back home. That is until his husband, president of a motorcycle club, shows up and tries to make him leave with him by force. Ben only agrees to go when he threatened his beloved sheriff.
Ben and JD have so much chemistry, I loved getting to read their story.
Gloria is the real mvp of this story, I just loved her character. All the side characters were great. I’m sad we didn’t find out what happened with Eric Kent.
Thank you GRR for an ARC, this is my honest review.
MM Romance
Pining
Age Gap
Small Town
Boss/Employee
Grumpy/Sunshine
Sheriff/Dispatcher
Unexpected Husband
I’m loving this small town series of Collier’s Creek. This book follows Sheriff JD Morgan and his young dispatcher, Ben’s love story. These two tried to fight their attraction for each other, but it’s inevitable. They are just meant to be together. The 20 year age gap bothers JD but not Ben, Ben has always had a crush on him.
This was such a sweet story, with a bit of suspense behind Ben leaving college early and coming back home. That is until his husband, president of a motorcycle club, shows up and tries to make him leave with him by force. Ben only agrees to go when he threatened his beloved sheriff.
Ben and JD have so much chemistry, I loved getting to read their story.
Gloria is the real mvp of this story, I just loved her character. All the side characters were great. I’m sad we didn’t find out what happened with Eric Kent.
Thank you GRR for an ARC, this is my honest review.
January 14, 2024
This series is frustrating me now!
For 60% of this book it's like groundhog day but not entertaining at all - every chapter is almost identical and literally nothing happens!
Sheriff gets up, dresses in uniform, goes on foot patrol where he proceeds to spill his coffee over himself EVERY DAY!!!! Then goes to the cafe to get a new coffee, returns home to get a clean uniform and then goes to work where he's mocked. Ben then provides another coffee and cannolis. Both dance around each other and refuse to admit their feelings. THAT'S REPEATED FOR 60%!!!
I wanted to cry from boredom 😐 I also questioned how a forty something man could have the same routine and mishap every single day for years and never twig that maybe he shouldn't drink and walk at the same time, or he should wear something different.... I think it was meant to be comedic but I just found it totally unrealistic.
After that the plot just got weird and it was like watching a car crash you can't look away from but know you really should for your own good.
This book also portrayed the town as being super unaccepting of same sex relationships, when there were no issues at all in book one, and the only issue raised in book two was hitting on strangers in a bar when you're drunk. Not really sure why all of a sudden it's a preachy religious town now...
I'm so fucking confused at this point because with every book the town is completely changing in tone and I've never read a collaborative series set in the same location that does this. It's baffling and I'm hesitant to keep reading them as though they're in any way connected now, because everything changes from one book to the next.
For 60% of this book it's like groundhog day but not entertaining at all - every chapter is almost identical and literally nothing happens!
Sheriff gets up, dresses in uniform, goes on foot patrol where he proceeds to spill his coffee over himself EVERY DAY!!!! Then goes to the cafe to get a new coffee, returns home to get a clean uniform and then goes to work where he's mocked. Ben then provides another coffee and cannolis. Both dance around each other and refuse to admit their feelings. THAT'S REPEATED FOR 60%!!!
I wanted to cry from boredom 😐 I also questioned how a forty something man could have the same routine and mishap every single day for years and never twig that maybe he shouldn't drink and walk at the same time, or he should wear something different.... I think it was meant to be comedic but I just found it totally unrealistic.
After that the plot just got weird and it was like watching a car crash you can't look away from but know you really should for your own good.
This book also portrayed the town as being super unaccepting of same sex relationships, when there were no issues at all in book one, and the only issue raised in book two was hitting on strangers in a bar when you're drunk. Not really sure why all of a sudden it's a preachy religious town now...
I'm so fucking confused at this point because with every book the town is completely changing in tone and I've never read a collaborative series set in the same location that does this. It's baffling and I'm hesitant to keep reading them as though they're in any way connected now, because everything changes from one book to the next.
October 8, 2023
I enjoy grumpy/sunshine and don’t generally object to age gap. The hints in the previous books about the sheriff and Ben made me look forward to this book a lot. Unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations.
Part of this is me: from a general notion in previous books that the sheriff is crushing on his dispatcher as an open town secret, in this book, it’s suddenly clarified as a 42-year-old boss crushing on a 21-year-old subordinate. I can handle the 21 year gap, but Ben’s really quite young. (I mean, his brain isn’t fully developed yet, lol.) It was hard for me to dismiss this power imbalance, especially when there was no early discussion of how they could address this (just claims they would resist that culminated in kissing in public spaces while claiming they were being careful and wanted to protect one another. It felt very juvenile. I would have been much more impressed with a genuine discussion, with JD coming up with his plan to address this much earlier and actually discussing it with Ben.)
For the second major issue I had, to be fully transparent, I was so sure I wanted Ben and JD’s story that I didn’t read the blurb for the book, which meant I was completely blindsided by the announcement 62% of the way through the book that one of the MCs is married (which we learn right after he’s slept with the other MC). (Infidelity is a hard no for me, and while I don’t believe that Ben owes anything to his abusive husband, I don’t like that JD was put in that position without his knowledge.) I don’t feel like it should be necessary to read the blurb to understand the book. I get this was meant to be a big shock for JD, but there were only the barest of hints with Ben that there was anything in his past up to this point (one sudden mention at 47% that he “might need to run again”, but otherwise, he doesn’t really seem to react to the unusual presence of bikers at all, despite having been present for a brief bar fight with them at 14% when he apparently recognised none of them.) Now at 62%, he’s got an abusive husband and he’s being described as always having been “fragile” and “vulnerable” underneath when this has never been even hinted at before. (Also, when he ran, he went back to his hometown, kept his name, and served his husband with divorce papers. Was it really that hard to find him?) With half of the book from Ben’s POV, I really felt like there should have been more hints leading up to this.
The cast was a bit odd. We have Ben, then the Sheriff who apparently every single day spills his coffee on himself somehow immediately and has to change and get a new drink, Gloria who is cool except that she blocks off the Sheriff’s spot *every day* by badly parking her car, then the harassing deputy who was fired, the flirty deputy who pushes coworkers against the wall as he tries to pressure them to go out with him but it’s okay because he’s a good deputy and he gets a talking to periodically, then the homophobic deputy who’s near to retirement and has been told as long as he shuts up he can stay (but he doesn’t shut up), the whole fleet of MC bikers that rolls in and out of the small town occasionally (not actually doing anything most of the time), the mother who won’t hear that her son’s husband is abusive, just gets excited about a son-in-law, the townsmember with a dog that routinely bites the sheriff in tender spots…. They sometimes felt more like caricatures than fleshed out characters.
This book was written in the present tense. Except for all the times that it wasn’t. There were sentences and sometimes whole paragraphs that were in past tense instead. This brought me out of the book constantly and made it hard for me to read.
I liked Gloria and Ben’s friendship, Ben’s silly courtship/support with daily coffee and cannolis, stargazing, and the town’s people’s wonderful moment of supporting their own. But for me, there weren’t enough moments of Ben and JD truly connecting, communicating, and spending time together versus trying to resist before giving in to lust or being upset or distant with the whole MC plot.
I received an ARC from GRR. This is my honest review.
Part of this is me: from a general notion in previous books that the sheriff is crushing on his dispatcher as an open town secret, in this book, it’s suddenly clarified as a 42-year-old boss crushing on a 21-year-old subordinate. I can handle the 21 year gap, but Ben’s really quite young. (I mean, his brain isn’t fully developed yet, lol.) It was hard for me to dismiss this power imbalance, especially when there was no early discussion of how they could address this (just claims they would resist that culminated in kissing in public spaces while claiming they were being careful and wanted to protect one another. It felt very juvenile. I would have been much more impressed with a genuine discussion, with JD coming up with his plan to address this much earlier and actually discussing it with Ben.)
For the second major issue I had, to be fully transparent, I was so sure I wanted Ben and JD’s story that I didn’t read the blurb for the book, which meant I was completely blindsided by the announcement 62% of the way through the book that one of the MCs is married (which we learn right after he’s slept with the other MC). (Infidelity is a hard no for me, and while I don’t believe that Ben owes anything to his abusive husband, I don’t like that JD was put in that position without his knowledge.) I don’t feel like it should be necessary to read the blurb to understand the book. I get this was meant to be a big shock for JD, but there were only the barest of hints with Ben that there was anything in his past up to this point (one sudden mention at 47% that he “might need to run again”, but otherwise, he doesn’t really seem to react to the unusual presence of bikers at all, despite having been present for a brief bar fight with them at 14% when he apparently recognised none of them.) Now at 62%, he’s got an abusive husband and he’s being described as always having been “fragile” and “vulnerable” underneath when this has never been even hinted at before. (Also, when he ran, he went back to his hometown, kept his name, and served his husband with divorce papers. Was it really that hard to find him?) With half of the book from Ben’s POV, I really felt like there should have been more hints leading up to this.
The cast was a bit odd. We have Ben, then the Sheriff who apparently every single day spills his coffee on himself somehow immediately and has to change and get a new drink, Gloria who is cool except that she blocks off the Sheriff’s spot *every day* by badly parking her car, then the harassing deputy who was fired, the flirty deputy who pushes coworkers against the wall as he tries to pressure them to go out with him but it’s okay because he’s a good deputy and he gets a talking to periodically, then the homophobic deputy who’s near to retirement and has been told as long as he shuts up he can stay (but he doesn’t shut up), the whole fleet of MC bikers that rolls in and out of the small town occasionally (not actually doing anything most of the time), the mother who won’t hear that her son’s husband is abusive, just gets excited about a son-in-law, the townsmember with a dog that routinely bites the sheriff in tender spots…. They sometimes felt more like caricatures than fleshed out characters.
This book was written in the present tense. Except for all the times that it wasn’t. There were sentences and sometimes whole paragraphs that were in past tense instead. This brought me out of the book constantly and made it hard for me to read.
I liked Gloria and Ben’s friendship, Ben’s silly courtship/support with daily coffee and cannolis, stargazing, and the town’s people’s wonderful moment of supporting their own. But for me, there weren’t enough moments of Ben and JD truly connecting, communicating, and spending time together versus trying to resist before giving in to lust or being upset or distant with the whole MC plot.
I received an ARC from GRR. This is my honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 25, 2025
I’m a big Sue Brown fan, but this wasn’t one of my favorite stories. I liked JD the grumpy sheriff. I liked Ben at first. That is until his big secret came out. That really didn’t work for me because it made him a lier and a cheat. I also didn’t care for Ben’s mother. She refused to see that his brother needed help, and she wouldn’t listen when he she showed up at the police station. It was an ok read.
October 12, 2023
Sheriff of the Creek is part of the ‘Collier’s Creek’ collection series written by various authors. It stars Sheriff JD Morgan, and Ben, dispatcher. This is told in first person from JD and Ben’s povs.
The blurb describes the plot well enough so I won’t go over it. My understanding is that JD and Ben show up in a previous book, but since I’ve only read this one from the collection, I can’t tell how accurate their personalities are in conjunction with the other book.
I want to talk about the pov and tenses in this story. The tenses were all over the place. It starts out in present tense in JD’s voice, and Ben’s seems to be in past tense, then the tenses start to jump all over the place. There wasn’t any consistency, thereby making this book difficult to read and taking me out of the story.
There were other subplots that were odd. Every day JD spilt coffee on himself for one reason or another. I suppose it was meant to be added in for humor, but I found it ridiculous. Coffee shops use plastic lids to cover cups, even fast-food places use lids. Why didn’t the town’s coffee shop use lids? Also, if JD is spilling so much coffee on himself, he must be getting burned quite a bit unless he drinks cold coffee. Why not just use an insulated mug with a lid for his coffee? Using this subplot in the story didn’t really add anything to it because JD never learned anything from the accidents.
I liked the grumpy/sunshine trope, but not how the characters were written. JD’s voice was flat with a tremendous amount of repetitive monologue about being attracted to Ben. No, JD shouldn’t date Ben for reason one, then JD would give in, then no, he shouldn’t date Ben for reason two, then he’d give in again. Over and over, back and forth, it was like whiplash with JD changing his mind. It only made JD and the plot annoying.
I liked Ben as a character. The weird part was the way he was described. Throughout the story, he was bouncy and happy, but near the end he was described as vulnerable and fragile with no indication of that previously throughout the plot. I also found it odd that he didn’t react with fear when the motorcycle club came to town since his husband was in an MC. And when he went to the club, wasn’t his husband there at the club too? And how is Ben going to get his husband to sign the divorce papers unless the state Ben lives in doesn’t require a signature if the soon to be ex is notified? The author never explains how it works out. As to Ben and JD together, they were okay. The only reason I could believe them as a couple was because of Ben, there just wasn’t enough depth to JD to believe in him as a person who could form an attachment to Ben other than physically.
There was some character growth career wise, with Ben looking forward to becoming an assistant deputy and his BFF, Gloria, who was a good character, becoming a dispatcher.
Overall, Sheriff of the Creek was a mishmash of odd tenses, repetitive monologue, and ideas that didn’t fit together. I give this story, 3 Stars with the hope that a lot of the errors in the ARC were fixed before publication, which is the only reason I'm not giving it two stars.
I received an ARC from the author and am giving my honest and unbiased opinion.
The blurb describes the plot well enough so I won’t go over it. My understanding is that JD and Ben show up in a previous book, but since I’ve only read this one from the collection, I can’t tell how accurate their personalities are in conjunction with the other book.
I want to talk about the pov and tenses in this story. The tenses were all over the place. It starts out in present tense in JD’s voice, and Ben’s seems to be in past tense, then the tenses start to jump all over the place. There wasn’t any consistency, thereby making this book difficult to read and taking me out of the story.
There were other subplots that were odd. Every day JD spilt coffee on himself for one reason or another. I suppose it was meant to be added in for humor, but I found it ridiculous. Coffee shops use plastic lids to cover cups, even fast-food places use lids. Why didn’t the town’s coffee shop use lids? Also, if JD is spilling so much coffee on himself, he must be getting burned quite a bit unless he drinks cold coffee. Why not just use an insulated mug with a lid for his coffee? Using this subplot in the story didn’t really add anything to it because JD never learned anything from the accidents.
I liked the grumpy/sunshine trope, but not how the characters were written. JD’s voice was flat with a tremendous amount of repetitive monologue about being attracted to Ben. No, JD shouldn’t date Ben for reason one, then JD would give in, then no, he shouldn’t date Ben for reason two, then he’d give in again. Over and over, back and forth, it was like whiplash with JD changing his mind. It only made JD and the plot annoying.
I liked Ben as a character. The weird part was the way he was described. Throughout the story, he was bouncy and happy, but near the end he was described as vulnerable and fragile with no indication of that previously throughout the plot. I also found it odd that he didn’t react with fear when the motorcycle club came to town since his husband was in an MC. And when he went to the club, wasn’t his husband there at the club too? And how is Ben going to get his husband to sign the divorce papers unless the state Ben lives in doesn’t require a signature if the soon to be ex is notified? The author never explains how it works out. As to Ben and JD together, they were okay. The only reason I could believe them as a couple was because of Ben, there just wasn’t enough depth to JD to believe in him as a person who could form an attachment to Ben other than physically.
There was some character growth career wise, with Ben looking forward to becoming an assistant deputy and his BFF, Gloria, who was a good character, becoming a dispatcher.
Overall, Sheriff of the Creek was a mishmash of odd tenses, repetitive monologue, and ideas that didn’t fit together. I give this story, 3 Stars with the hope that a lot of the errors in the ARC were fixed before publication, which is the only reason I'm not giving it two stars.
I received an ARC from the author and am giving my honest and unbiased opinion.
October 8, 2023
I enjoyed the premise of this book and was excited to read it, especially since I liked other books I've read by this author. I liked the MCs, and Gloria was definitely entertaining.
Unfortunately, there was more internal dialogue of why one MC felt they shouldn't be together than scenes of them actually being together and developing their relationship. As another reviewer mentioned, it's a pet peeve of mine when a book takes place in America with all American characters, yet the spelling and vocabulary are British. It definitely takes me out of the story.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily gave my honest review.
Unfortunately, there was more internal dialogue of why one MC felt they shouldn't be together than scenes of them actually being together and developing their relationship. As another reviewer mentioned, it's a pet peeve of mine when a book takes place in America with all American characters, yet the spelling and vocabulary are British. It definitely takes me out of the story.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily gave my honest review.
October 16, 2023
SHERIFF OF THE CREEK is part of the multi-author Collier's Creek series. You don't necessarily have to read them in order, but you might get some surprises about other couples if you don't.
JD is the Sheriff. He has his nook in the town and is very happy with it. Ben is the one who left and came back home for reasons of his own. There is an age gap between these two, that bothers JD more than Ben.
There were behaviours and inconsistencies from characters in here that I just didn't get, and it was that more than anything that affected my rating. Maybe I just don't understand the politics involved in a Sheriff's office, but surely, someone coming on too heavy to someone would get the same treatment/talking to/punishment/whatever as someone who was openly homophobic? And mothers aren't perfect, nor are the relationships with them, but surely you would listen to your SON when he says the marriage was a mistake! Maybe find out why before going behind his back? Just a thought.
I did enjoy this story and am glad I've read it. I just have to not get too deeply involved and let things wash over me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Oct 10, 2023
JD is the Sheriff. He has his nook in the town and is very happy with it. Ben is the one who left and came back home for reasons of his own. There is an age gap between these two, that bothers JD more than Ben.
There were behaviours and inconsistencies from characters in here that I just didn't get, and it was that more than anything that affected my rating. Maybe I just don't understand the politics involved in a Sheriff's office, but surely, someone coming on too heavy to someone would get the same treatment/talking to/punishment/whatever as someone who was openly homophobic? And mothers aren't perfect, nor are the relationships with them, but surely you would listen to your SON when he says the marriage was a mistake! Maybe find out why before going behind his back? Just a thought.
I did enjoy this story and am glad I've read it. I just have to not get too deeply involved and let things wash over me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Oct 10, 2023
October 10, 2023
JD is the sheriff, and Ben is the dispatcher of the town police station. They both secretly want each other, but JD worries he’s too old, and Ben worries he’s too much of a mess with his past mistakes.
Things finally hit a peak when bikers come to town and crimes start happening. Ben’s secret from the past is revealed, and it leads to a lot more danger and uncertainty for their new relationship.
This book isn’t very well written, so many grammatical errors that it’s distracting. The story is also a bit jumbled, lots of back and forth with what’s happening, so that consistency is lost.
The characters are good, I like Gloria best, but the writing in the other books in the series is better than in this instalment.
I received this ARC for free, and am providing my honest review in appreciation.
Things finally hit a peak when bikers come to town and crimes start happening. Ben’s secret from the past is revealed, and it leads to a lot more danger and uncertainty for their new relationship.
This book isn’t very well written, so many grammatical errors that it’s distracting. The story is also a bit jumbled, lots of back and forth with what’s happening, so that consistency is lost.
The characters are good, I like Gloria best, but the writing in the other books in the series is better than in this instalment.
I received this ARC for free, and am providing my honest review in appreciation.
November 13, 2024
3.75/5 ⭐
Sheriff on the Creek is Sue Brown's contribution to the Collier's Creek multi-author collaboration. It can be read as a standalone. However, there is a note in the front of the book to read this book before Elle Keaton's Mandatory Repairs. Here's what you can expect from JD and Ben:
🚔 MM contemporary, small town romance
🚔 Third person dual point of view
🚔 Guaranteed happily ever after
🚔 Sheriff and his dispatcher
🚔 Pining
🚔 Grumpy/sunshine
This was just a very sweet, easy read! It was my first time reading a book by Sue Brown, but after briefly meeting the JD and Ben in I'll be Boned for Christmas, I definitely wanted to go back and get their story. I loved both characters, even though JD could be incredibly frustrating at times. It was evident how much he cared for Ben, but he was so torn in his duty to the county as sheriff. When JD and Ben finally got together for the first time, I thought the spice was fantastic! I'm glad they were both able to get exactly what they wanted in the end, and it was well-deserved by both parties. My only minor issue with this story was the conflict with the biker gang seemed a bit haphazard and not totally flushed out. It did lead to a very sweet declaration of love at the end of the book though. Loved the small-town vibes and supporting characters - I feel like Gloria would be an amazing friend! I was definitely laughing at JD's...er, special relationship with Barky. I look forward to checking out some other stories in this small town multi-author collaboration!
Sheriff on the Creek is Sue Brown's contribution to the Collier's Creek multi-author collaboration. It can be read as a standalone. However, there is a note in the front of the book to read this book before Elle Keaton's Mandatory Repairs. Here's what you can expect from JD and Ben:
🚔 MM contemporary, small town romance
🚔 Third person dual point of view
🚔 Guaranteed happily ever after
🚔 Sheriff and his dispatcher
🚔 Pining
🚔 Grumpy/sunshine
This was just a very sweet, easy read! It was my first time reading a book by Sue Brown, but after briefly meeting the JD and Ben in I'll be Boned for Christmas, I definitely wanted to go back and get their story. I loved both characters, even though JD could be incredibly frustrating at times. It was evident how much he cared for Ben, but he was so torn in his duty to the county as sheriff. When JD and Ben finally got together for the first time, I thought the spice was fantastic! I'm glad they were both able to get exactly what they wanted in the end, and it was well-deserved by both parties. My only minor issue with this story was the conflict with the biker gang seemed a bit haphazard and not totally flushed out. It did lead to a very sweet declaration of love at the end of the book though. Loved the small-town vibes and supporting characters - I feel like Gloria would be an amazing friend! I was definitely laughing at JD's...er, special relationship with Barky. I look forward to checking out some other stories in this small town multi-author collaboration!
October 8, 2023
This was another amazing addition to this small-town series and although it was my first book by the author, I enjoyed it so much. It was great going back to Collier's Creek and meeting some of the characters from the previous books and also got some glimpses of the characters who will have their story told in the upcoming books which I am looking forward to reading.
This book is about the Sheriff of the town JD & his young, cute dispatch officer Ben. From the start, the chemistry between the characters is spot on and I loved this grumpy/sunshine trope. Though both of them had feelings for each other, there were other factors which were keeping them from pursuing more. JD, because he was much older than Ben was worried about what the town would say when they got to know about their relationship and he wanted to protect Ben. But I loved it when they found their way to each other, it was so beautifully written.
There was an unexpected husband appearance once they started seeing each other, which only intrigued me more in the plot of the story and also the relationship between JD & Ben and how they handled the situation. There were some confrontations but in the end, they both found each other and had each other's back.
Overall, I enjoyed going back to Collier's Creek and recommend you check out this book.
* I received an ARC copy from GRR and this is my honest review *
This book is about the Sheriff of the town JD & his young, cute dispatch officer Ben. From the start, the chemistry between the characters is spot on and I loved this grumpy/sunshine trope. Though both of them had feelings for each other, there were other factors which were keeping them from pursuing more. JD, because he was much older than Ben was worried about what the town would say when they got to know about their relationship and he wanted to protect Ben. But I loved it when they found their way to each other, it was so beautifully written.
There was an unexpected husband appearance once they started seeing each other, which only intrigued me more in the plot of the story and also the relationship between JD & Ben and how they handled the situation. There were some confrontations but in the end, they both found each other and had each other's back.
Overall, I enjoyed going back to Collier's Creek and recommend you check out this book.
* I received an ARC copy from GRR and this is my honest review *
October 9, 2023
We are back in Colliers Creek to see another couple finally take the plunge.
JD Morgan the sheriff in this small country loves his job and his life in Colliers Creek, except he’s in love with his 21 year old dispatcher, Ben. But Ben can never find out. Why?? Because 1. There’s at 20 year age gap, 2. He is his boss and 3. The people in collier creek would have a field day with the above.
What JD doesn’t know is the long standing crush Ben has on him, I mean he brings him (only him) coffee and cannolis every morning at work,he works in dispatch he doesn’t make that much money! And then trouble rolls in to town in the form of a motorcycle gang, Ben’s secret is out and his husband has found him. The sheriff is crushed but will the state of Ben’s marriage help the sheriff decide whether he fights for him or let’s him go?
After seeing these two moon over each other in a couple of previous books you knew it was only a matter of time before their story came along. I did not read the summary of this book before I read it I saw that it was the next Collier Creek book and clicked on it so I was shocked to find the twist of the motorcycle gang pop up. I throughly enjoyed this book, it’s a quick fast paced read, flows well with the other books in the series, with the continuous small town feels set up in the first book of the series.
I want to thank GRR for an opportunity to read this book, this is my honest review!
JD Morgan the sheriff in this small country loves his job and his life in Colliers Creek, except he’s in love with his 21 year old dispatcher, Ben. But Ben can never find out. Why?? Because 1. There’s at 20 year age gap, 2. He is his boss and 3. The people in collier creek would have a field day with the above.
What JD doesn’t know is the long standing crush Ben has on him, I mean he brings him (only him) coffee and cannolis every morning at work,he works in dispatch he doesn’t make that much money! And then trouble rolls in to town in the form of a motorcycle gang, Ben’s secret is out and his husband has found him. The sheriff is crushed but will the state of Ben’s marriage help the sheriff decide whether he fights for him or let’s him go?
After seeing these two moon over each other in a couple of previous books you knew it was only a matter of time before their story came along. I did not read the summary of this book before I read it I saw that it was the next Collier Creek book and clicked on it so I was shocked to find the twist of the motorcycle gang pop up. I throughly enjoyed this book, it’s a quick fast paced read, flows well with the other books in the series, with the continuous small town feels set up in the first book of the series.
I want to thank GRR for an opportunity to read this book, this is my honest review!
October 4, 2023
A favorite trope of mine is grumpy/sunshine mixed in with an age gap and sign me up, also small town romance, seriously had to give this a go. The story keeps you engaged the entire time of these men trying to work on how to be together in such a small town who may not be okay with their elected sheriff being with a much younger man. The two are sweet for another, and their chemistry is spot on. The side characters are great and keep you laughing throughout. It's worth a read to visit more of Colliers Creek and visit with the sheriff we've heard about in the other stories.
July 19, 2025
Boring book overall.
I'll read the reviews tomorrow, and everyone who has to be appeased will give this book four to five stars. So much more could have been done with the premise of this story, but the author botched it up. There were way too many repeats of things, you're left hanging about the bikers, as well as the dirty deputy sheriff. Then you've that dog that should have gone to dog training classes, but everyone thinks it's so cute... BS. And of course, sex that ends the story. The editor should've trashed the book!
I'll read the reviews tomorrow, and everyone who has to be appeased will give this book four to five stars. So much more could have been done with the premise of this story, but the author botched it up. There were way too many repeats of things, you're left hanging about the bikers, as well as the dirty deputy sheriff. Then you've that dog that should have gone to dog training classes, but everyone thinks it's so cute... BS. And of course, sex that ends the story. The editor should've trashed the book!
September 17, 2025
September 2025
Kindle edition
This was almost a two star. The blurb gave away the answers, so reading through it was like where is this shitty husband then. No surprise there. My initial thought after reading the blurb was ah a 9-1-1 Maddy then. Wasn't far off. Kent was scum and dodgy from the off. The miscommunication between JD and Ben oof. Gloria was harsh but she did pretty much get them together. Ended surprisingly civil which was a surprise. The mother was awful and I didn't see what was to forgive. Ben tried telling her.
Kindle edition
This was almost a two star. The blurb gave away the answers, so reading through it was like where is this shitty husband then. No surprise there. My initial thought after reading the blurb was ah a 9-1-1 Maddy then. Wasn't far off. Kent was scum and dodgy from the off. The miscommunication between JD and Ben oof. Gloria was harsh but she did pretty much get them together. Ended surprisingly civil which was a surprise. The mother was awful and I didn't see what was to forgive. Ben tried telling her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 11, 2023
Good Age Gap Story
I'm rounding this up from 3.5. I did enjoy the story but the ending seemed a little bit rushed to me. I am glad I read it though.
I received an ARC and this is my unbiased opinion
I'm rounding this up from 3.5. I did enjoy the story but the ending seemed a little bit rushed to me. I am glad I read it though.
I received an ARC and this is my unbiased opinion
Did Not Finish
October 10, 2023DNF 32%. I was looking forward to the Sheriff's story but this is a big miss for me. Since not too much has happened yet it's mainly the writing style. It's choppy and doesn't flow well. The daily happenings are a bit odd.
November 2, 2023
How do you get a refund for time wasted?
The O N L Y reason I didn’t DNF this book?
Stupidity.
I thought if I just stuck it out, finished it, tried to overlook every single wrong thing about it, bartered with the book gods, and forced myself to find one good thing about it by the end, everything would be fine.
Spoiler alert! I was wrong. Please do not tell my husband I said that, thanks. He already thinks he’s The King of Everything.
Where do I even start? Do I talk about the inconsistency? The complete disregard and disrespect of the English language? The confusion I’m feeling? The lack of a coherent and cohesive plot? No? How about we talk about the obvious lack of detail? The fact that there’s absolutely no substance to the “romance”?
Still undecided?
There’s the laughable spice, if that’s even what you can call whatever this book tried to pass off as such, the worst pacing/timing in a book this year, I AM STILL CONFUSED, the fact that the plot from the previous book was unresolved still hanging over your head when you pick this book up, nonsense trying to stuff the pages to distract from…all of the wrongness…
I. Am. Still. Confused.
I seriously cannot think of one good thing about this book. I’m honestly kind of at a loss. It was awful, and I’m struggling to find a way to be polite about it, but I’m pretty sure using the word “respectfully” before I shred it isn’t going to work this time.
I can’t even put all of the blame on poor editing this go round, because if I had been the editor I also wouldn’t have known what to do with it. I would’ve thrown in the towel and walked away, too. It’s called self care and knowing your limits, and FOR SURE knowing you can’t clean up an oil spill with a cocktail napkin.
I really hope that whoever set this collaboration up uses it as a learning experience, because so far it’s come across as a bad anthology that got sold in pieces to up revenue. The fact that no one checked these books before slamming the publish button like it was going to magically make everything perfect shows.
0/5. I’m legitimately offended. I’ve read better essays on what third graders did over summer vacation, and that’s as polite as I can be.
The O N L Y reason I didn’t DNF this book?
Stupidity.
I thought if I just stuck it out, finished it, tried to overlook every single wrong thing about it, bartered with the book gods, and forced myself to find one good thing about it by the end, everything would be fine.
Spoiler alert! I was wrong. Please do not tell my husband I said that, thanks. He already thinks he’s The King of Everything.
Where do I even start? Do I talk about the inconsistency? The complete disregard and disrespect of the English language? The confusion I’m feeling? The lack of a coherent and cohesive plot? No? How about we talk about the obvious lack of detail? The fact that there’s absolutely no substance to the “romance”?
Still undecided?
There’s the laughable spice, if that’s even what you can call whatever this book tried to pass off as such, the worst pacing/timing in a book this year, I AM STILL CONFUSED, the fact that the plot from the previous book was unresolved still hanging over your head when you pick this book up, nonsense trying to stuff the pages to distract from…all of the wrongness…
I. Am. Still. Confused.
I seriously cannot think of one good thing about this book. I’m honestly kind of at a loss. It was awful, and I’m struggling to find a way to be polite about it, but I’m pretty sure using the word “respectfully” before I shred it isn’t going to work this time.
I can’t even put all of the blame on poor editing this go round, because if I had been the editor I also wouldn’t have known what to do with it. I would’ve thrown in the towel and walked away, too. It’s called self care and knowing your limits, and FOR SURE knowing you can’t clean up an oil spill with a cocktail napkin.
I really hope that whoever set this collaboration up uses it as a learning experience, because so far it’s come across as a bad anthology that got sold in pieces to up revenue. The fact that no one checked these books before slamming the publish button like it was going to magically make everything perfect shows.
0/5. I’m legitimately offended. I’ve read better essays on what third graders did over summer vacation, and that’s as polite as I can be.
October 16, 2023
DNFd at 65%. Very disappointing. The romance wasn't particularly romantic with no real will-they won't- they or uncertainty about the other's interest or affections, which for a workplace story seemed to skip a big part of their story. Went very quickly into a physical relationship which seemed surprising given the way these characters were teased in other books.
But most importantly, the lead law enforcement in a rural town reacted to a secret husband that one of the MCs is immediately VISIBLY AFRAID OF with essentially a 'well, you're on your own'. How is this not immediately assumed to be a domestic violence situation?
Surprise is certainly warranted but the reaction is mostly about feeling betrayed and acting like the secret husband has a legitimate claim etc etc instead of focusing on safety or even asking basic questions to confirm what's going on. This failure to immediately recognize the obvious physical threat to a person they theoretically love would be bizarre enough with a regular MC but this is law enforcement! Bad news husbands should be extremely familiar!
A different approach to create emotional distance and conflict on this would have been to have the sheriff move into work mode and be too focused on Ben as a victim but nope went for massively incompetent. Didn't stick around for resolution.
But most importantly, the lead law enforcement in a rural town reacted to a secret husband that one of the MCs is immediately VISIBLY AFRAID OF with essentially a 'well, you're on your own'. How is this not immediately assumed to be a domestic violence situation?
Surprise is certainly warranted but the reaction is mostly about feeling betrayed and acting like the secret husband has a legitimate claim etc etc instead of focusing on safety or even asking basic questions to confirm what's going on. This failure to immediately recognize the obvious physical threat to a person they theoretically love would be bizarre enough with a regular MC but this is law enforcement! Bad news husbands should be extremely familiar!
A different approach to create emotional distance and conflict on this would have been to have the sheriff move into work mode and be too focused on Ben as a victim but nope went for massively incompetent. Didn't stick around for resolution.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2024
Shallow and uninteresting character and story development.
DNF at 17%
DNF at 17%
October 7, 2023
Sheriff of the Creek by Sue Brown is part of the Collier’s Creek series by various authors. JD Morgan is the sheriff of Collier’s Creek, Wyoming. He loves his job, even though he spills coffee on himself every day when out and about dealing with the townspeople and what is happening there. He also has a secret crush on his dispatcher Ben, who also has a secret longing for the sheriff. He is sunny and caring, always bring coffee and cannolis to him each morning. He is also close to his mother and brother who always seems to get in trouble. They dance around each other for a while until Ben can’t hold it in any more and even though JD wants to see where a relationship could go, he doesn’t feel that he can for several reasons: he’s a lot older than Ben, they work together, and there are some people in town who don’t like 2 men being together. They start meeting in secret because they can’t stay away from each other and then, when they think they might be able to go public trouble arrives in the form of a biker that is Ben’s husband from when he was in college. Ben escaped from him because of what he did to him and had even asked for a divorce, but the biker claimed he was his and that was that. What ensued as well as a talk from Ben’s mother caused JD to rethink what he was doing, but in the end he knew that Ben was his and he did what he had to do to make that happen. I really enjoyed this story. JD was strong yet caring and while Ben was young he knew what he wanted. He was also shy about revealing his feelings but kept trying to convey them through his actions. Once they got together their love scenes were hot. There were many strong secondary characters that helped or hindered what was going on. Gloria, the receptionist, was funny and pushy and seemed to always get her way. The other members of the sheriff’s department also played important roles in the story, with one in particular being a bad guy. Ben’s family were strongly protective of him, even though they didn’t really know what was going on. The other town members were also there to help out. There were many hilarious moments, like the multitude of ways coffee gets spilled on JD, and Barkasaurus Rex, the straggley mutt who his owner, Geraldine, thinks is a Bichon Frise, who seems to be the cause of many of the spills and problems in the town. There is also some angst when the bikers arrive and what they try to do to Ben, as well as a corrupt sheriff, and what happens when reelection time comes around. I highly recommend this book, especially if you like grumpy/sunshine age gap small town romances between a sheriff and one of his employees with a little angst and suspense thrown in. Collier’s Creek is the place to be.
October 14, 2023
A new set of tropes for this series, a silver fox sheriff has a crush on his young dispatcher so we get both age-gap and boss-employee tropes in this installment.
Ben is twenty-one and lives with his momma after a short stint away at college. A dropout, he hints at a dark reason for returning home, but we don’t get details until the latter part of the book. When we do, the reasons are surprising, and for some readers may be considered triggers.
Ben has a huge crush on the sheriff, his boss, JD, who seems to reciprocate at first but becomes very wishy-washy about returning Ben’s feelings as the story progresses. JD internalizes thoughts of loving Ben and is sometimes ready to commit to forever but then decides he can’t be with someone so young and definitely not with an employee. He then reverses his decision—multiple times. I found this vacillating decision-making off-putting.
There were a few other actions/scenarios in the book that affected my overall enjoyment, the most important of which is Ben’s desire to get JD to commit to being together long-term when he knows he’s already married and is keeping that fact from JD. Readers don’t learn more until midway through the story when we are also told that Ben’s husband is president of a shady motorcycle club seen in the area recently and Ben has been hiding from him. Ben has sent divorce papers but fears his abuse and doesn’t want to see him face-to-face. So why would Ben ever ask JD to commit to a future together without telling him he’s already married?! And then, when the motorcycle club was spotted around town, why didn’t Ben show any reaction to their presence? If he’s hiding from his ex, then why wouldn’t he feel some level of concern when a troublesome MC shows up suddenly?
There were also some oddities in behavior with other characters in the story, including two deputies and Ben’s mother. And I was not a fan of the spilled coffee repetition. JD spilled coffee on his uniform too often to continue being funny.
I did like revisiting Collier’s Creek, however, and I plan to move forward with the multi-author series to see more of this little town and which of its many residents might be in the spotlight next.
A copy of this ARC was provided through GRR Reviews. This reflects my honest opinion.
Ben is twenty-one and lives with his momma after a short stint away at college. A dropout, he hints at a dark reason for returning home, but we don’t get details until the latter part of the book. When we do, the reasons are surprising, and for some readers may be considered triggers.
Ben has a huge crush on the sheriff, his boss, JD, who seems to reciprocate at first but becomes very wishy-washy about returning Ben’s feelings as the story progresses. JD internalizes thoughts of loving Ben and is sometimes ready to commit to forever but then decides he can’t be with someone so young and definitely not with an employee. He then reverses his decision—multiple times. I found this vacillating decision-making off-putting.
There were a few other actions/scenarios in the book that affected my overall enjoyment, the most important of which is Ben’s desire to get JD to commit to being together long-term when he knows he’s already married and is keeping that fact from JD. Readers don’t learn more until midway through the story when we are also told that Ben’s husband is president of a shady motorcycle club seen in the area recently and Ben has been hiding from him. Ben has sent divorce papers but fears his abuse and doesn’t want to see him face-to-face. So why would Ben ever ask JD to commit to a future together without telling him he’s already married?! And then, when the motorcycle club was spotted around town, why didn’t Ben show any reaction to their presence? If he’s hiding from his ex, then why wouldn’t he feel some level of concern when a troublesome MC shows up suddenly?
There were also some oddities in behavior with other characters in the story, including two deputies and Ben’s mother. And I was not a fan of the spilled coffee repetition. JD spilled coffee on his uniform too often to continue being funny.
I did like revisiting Collier’s Creek, however, and I plan to move forward with the multi-author series to see more of this little town and which of its many residents might be in the spotlight next.
A copy of this ARC was provided through GRR Reviews. This reflects my honest opinion.
October 24, 2023
2.5 stars rounded up
I love age-gap stories, silver foxes, and second-chance romances, all of which are features of this story, in addition to a touch of romantic suspense. Yet the only reason I rounded this up to 3 stars is that I really liked the concept behind it and some of the supporting characters are enjoyable. JD, the sheriff, is in love with Ben, the department dispatcher, who's young enough to be his son. And Ben's not that old. Still, it's funny to watch him talk himself out of responding to Ben as he would like because of their boss/employee relationship and Ben's. Ben, for his part, is sweet and patient with the man whose feelings he returns, unbeknownst to either of them. He finally gets his own heart's desire, only to have it snatched away with that unexpected twist that has been brewing since the beginning of the story.
It's the twist and everything that goes with it that sours it for me. Ben isn't all he seems to be, though what emerges explains why he sometimes appears more mature than his years. I didn't like the shock, either for myself or for JD, and that it involved those mysterious bikers seemed a little too convenient. To top it off, the huge issue that the twist raises between them is far too quickly brushed aside in order to reach an HEA for the couple. The imminent danger in which Ben finds himself before JD and the townspeople swoop in to save the day is also way too easily resolved. I can't believe we're expected to accept that when the bikers ride away, they've given up and Ben can go ahead living without fear. That doesn't seem to be realistically resolved, any more than the quick resolution of the situation with the corrupt cop.
I love age-gap stories, silver foxes, and second-chance romances, all of which are features of this story, in addition to a touch of romantic suspense. Yet the only reason I rounded this up to 3 stars is that I really liked the concept behind it and some of the supporting characters are enjoyable. JD, the sheriff, is in love with Ben, the department dispatcher, who's young enough to be his son. And Ben's not that old. Still, it's funny to watch him talk himself out of responding to Ben as he would like because of their boss/employee relationship and Ben's. Ben, for his part, is sweet and patient with the man whose feelings he returns, unbeknownst to either of them. He finally gets his own heart's desire, only to have it snatched away with that unexpected twist that has been brewing since the beginning of the story.
It's the twist and everything that goes with it that sours it for me. Ben isn't all he seems to be, though what emerges explains why he sometimes appears more mature than his years. I didn't like the shock, either for myself or for JD, and that it involved those mysterious bikers seemed a little too convenient. To top it off, the huge issue that the twist raises between them is far too quickly brushed aside in order to reach an HEA for the couple. The imminent danger in which Ben finds himself before JD and the townspeople swoop in to save the day is also way too easily resolved. I can't believe we're expected to accept that when the bikers ride away, they've given up and Ben can go ahead living without fear. That doesn't seem to be realistically resolved, any more than the quick resolution of the situation with the corrupt cop.
October 10, 2023
ARC received from the author for an honest review.
Collier's Creek is small and has that small town feel. JD Morgan doesn't act like a sheriff and gives no confidence of one either. He doesn't even act like a strong deputy. He doesn't lead but follows. He even mentions that his deputies call him "Sheriff Last Resort". I didn't like his wishy washy attitude and actions. I didn't think he and Ben had any chemistry. I didn't like that one deputy was fired for being a sexual harasser but another deputy that was a sexual harasser got to keep his job because he "was a good deputy", even though he had had many warnings and counseling's from Sheriff Morgan. I didn't like that one deputy that was homophobic and constantly making inappropriate comments to co-workers got to keep his job because "he needed the money". I didn't like that this is another UK author writing about Americans in America but using UK English grammar and spelling. This is a big thing IMO. It's akin to someone going to a foreign country and expecting them to speak your language IMO. I didn't like the big secret Ben was hiding from everyone. I thought it was ridiculous. I didn't like Ben's mother at all. She was too easy and lenient on Ben's brother and too hard on Ben. I didn't like that Olivia wouldn't stop parking in Sheriff Morgan's spot claiming it was because she couldn't park her big car. It was a daily thing that I got tired of reading about. It was just disrespectful period. I didn't like that the town mutt daily jumped onto Sheriff Morgan and he always spilled his coffee making him go home to change. This was also a daily thing that was tiresome to read. Also disrespectful. I did like Ben and Olivia in their character and their relationship together, it was fun to read. I liked the premise of this story, I just don't think it was executed at all. There wasn't much I did like. Sorry I can't recommend this book. Several of the books in this series have been really good, just pass on this one.
Collier's Creek is small and has that small town feel. JD Morgan doesn't act like a sheriff and gives no confidence of one either. He doesn't even act like a strong deputy. He doesn't lead but follows. He even mentions that his deputies call him "Sheriff Last Resort". I didn't like his wishy washy attitude and actions. I didn't think he and Ben had any chemistry. I didn't like that one deputy was fired for being a sexual harasser but another deputy that was a sexual harasser got to keep his job because he "was a good deputy", even though he had had many warnings and counseling's from Sheriff Morgan. I didn't like that one deputy that was homophobic and constantly making inappropriate comments to co-workers got to keep his job because "he needed the money". I didn't like that this is another UK author writing about Americans in America but using UK English grammar and spelling. This is a big thing IMO. It's akin to someone going to a foreign country and expecting them to speak your language IMO. I didn't like the big secret Ben was hiding from everyone. I thought it was ridiculous. I didn't like Ben's mother at all. She was too easy and lenient on Ben's brother and too hard on Ben. I didn't like that Olivia wouldn't stop parking in Sheriff Morgan's spot claiming it was because she couldn't park her big car. It was a daily thing that I got tired of reading about. It was just disrespectful period. I didn't like that the town mutt daily jumped onto Sheriff Morgan and he always spilled his coffee making him go home to change. This was also a daily thing that was tiresome to read. Also disrespectful. I did like Ben and Olivia in their character and their relationship together, it was fun to read. I liked the premise of this story, I just don't think it was executed at all. There wasn't much I did like. Sorry I can't recommend this book. Several of the books in this series have been really good, just pass on this one.
October 15, 2023
Too much uncertainty and indecision, too many improbabilities
I like a good age-gap romance but this one was just not for me. JD was forty-two, Ben was twenty-one, and they both act their ages. There was a lot of pining on both their parts but as soon as anything happened, or might happen, between them, JD changes his mind and backs off. Neither of them were very certain of the other, and Ben was hiding a massive and extremely pertinent secret that JD should have been made aware of before anything happened between them.
Too much vacillating between JD and Ben, too many events happening without any groundwork laid to make them believable, too much klutziness and too many farcical dog-related accidents... It was all just too far-fetched.
What I did like was seeing Will and Burl again, from books one and two respectively, and I loved Ben and Gloria's friendship.
I like a good age-gap romance but this one was just not for me. JD was forty-two, Ben was twenty-one, and they both act their ages. There was a lot of pining on both their parts but as soon as anything happened, or might happen, between them, JD changes his mind and backs off. Neither of them were very certain of the other, and Ben was hiding a massive and extremely pertinent secret that JD should have been made aware of before anything happened between them.
Too much vacillating between JD and Ben, too many events happening without any groundwork laid to make them believable, too much klutziness and too many farcical dog-related accidents... It was all just too far-fetched.
What I did like was seeing Will and Burl again, from books one and two respectively, and I loved Ben and Gloria's friendship.
October 15, 2023
Independent reviewer for Gay Romance Reviews, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book 3 in the Colliers Creek multi author series, and to date, I have read 5 of the 6 books. You don't need to read them all, though, characters pop up along the way and its great catching up with them.
I loved this one, along with all the rest!
Sheriff JD has lusted over Ben, his dispatcher, for a long time. But there is a big age gap and JD thinks he's too old for Ben. Ben, however, wants JD, age gap and all. And just as they are getting their act together, Ben past rolls into town. While hurting, will JD help Ben, or let him go??
I loved that Ben wanted JD, and he made it his work to get a smile on his grumpy face every day. Coffee and cake did the trick. If only was as easy to get into his pants, his bed and his heart! When Ben's past rolls into town, JD shuts down for a brief time and I understand why he does that, but he should have given Ben a chance to explain BEFORE that happens.
I loved the way their relationship moved (before the past rolling in!) It flowed beautifully. Once JD lets Ben in, I loved it!
Since Ben's past is not nice, it does carry a little more angst, I thought, than the others. Still on the low side, though!
I think this might be the shortest of the series too, but maybe it just felt that way, cos I did read this in one sitting and I lost myself in JD and Ben's story. Even if its first person, present tense AND multi point of view! (my trifecta of hell, usually!)
5 stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
This is book 3 in the Colliers Creek multi author series, and to date, I have read 5 of the 6 books. You don't need to read them all, though, characters pop up along the way and its great catching up with them.
I loved this one, along with all the rest!
Sheriff JD has lusted over Ben, his dispatcher, for a long time. But there is a big age gap and JD thinks he's too old for Ben. Ben, however, wants JD, age gap and all. And just as they are getting their act together, Ben past rolls into town. While hurting, will JD help Ben, or let him go??
I loved that Ben wanted JD, and he made it his work to get a smile on his grumpy face every day. Coffee and cake did the trick. If only was as easy to get into his pants, his bed and his heart! When Ben's past rolls into town, JD shuts down for a brief time and I understand why he does that, but he should have given Ben a chance to explain BEFORE that happens.
I loved the way their relationship moved (before the past rolling in!) It flowed beautifully. Once JD lets Ben in, I loved it!
Since Ben's past is not nice, it does carry a little more angst, I thought, than the others. Still on the low side, though!
I think this might be the shortest of the series too, but maybe it just felt that way, cos I did read this in one sitting and I lost myself in JD and Ben's story. Even if its first person, present tense AND multi point of view! (my trifecta of hell, usually!)
5 stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
October 8, 2023
I really enjoyed heading back into the world of Collier's Creek after reading books 1 and 2. Although this can work as a standalone, I am definitely enjoying reading them in order and getting to see more of the fantastic world building take place. I knew from their brief introduction in Elle Keaton's book that JD and Ben would have great chemistry together and that definitely proved to be true. There were some very sweet moments between them and I thought it was cute how Ben took such care of JD (and how protective JD was in return). I also liked their HEA and it's left me curious to visit the book store next and learn more about Logan in book 4. One of the reasons I've marked it down slightly is that there were some moments that just felt a little unbelievable; some of the 'angst' the pair went through was a bit forced and their miscommunications didn't ring true. I also wanted to know more about what happened with Eric Kent in the end - this was definitely skimmed over in the name of rushing things along.
Overall though, this is a good MM romance with two great characters and lots of quirky secondary ones too. It has a good HEA and I'm looking forward to more set in this world.
I received an ARC and this is my honest review.
Overall though, this is a good MM romance with two great characters and lots of quirky secondary ones too. It has a good HEA and I'm looking forward to more set in this world.
I received an ARC and this is my honest review.
October 14, 2023
3.75 Stars
This story is has grumpy sunshine aspects to it. Sheriff JD is convinced he can't have what he wants. He has feelings for one of his dispatchers, Ben, but thinks he's too old for him. JD is a bit of a grump, but he is respectful and almost everyone in town respects and likes him. Ben is a ray of sunshine, and I'm glad that they finally give in a little even as they have obstacles to overcome. Unfortunately, while I understood that dating a subordinate was a problem, I really found the wishy-washy, hot-cold behavior of JD too much after a while. I also was dumbfounded that Ben didn't even seem concerned about the bikers until later. For someone in his position, I would have expected him to be on his guard whenever any kind of biker gang came through town. On the whole, I enjoyed the story and was happy that many of the sheriff's department and town helped Ben when he needed it most. I'm glad that Ben and JD worked through their issues and found solutions so they could be together, but certain aspects of the plot just didn't work as well for me personally.
I enjoyed the quirky town characters and when JD and Ben were on the same page. I'm intrigued by the other characters in town and can't wait to give the other books set in this town a read.
This story is has grumpy sunshine aspects to it. Sheriff JD is convinced he can't have what he wants. He has feelings for one of his dispatchers, Ben, but thinks he's too old for him. JD is a bit of a grump, but he is respectful and almost everyone in town respects and likes him. Ben is a ray of sunshine, and I'm glad that they finally give in a little even as they have obstacles to overcome. Unfortunately, while I understood that dating a subordinate was a problem, I really found the wishy-washy, hot-cold behavior of JD too much after a while. I also was dumbfounded that Ben didn't even seem concerned about the bikers until later. For someone in his position, I would have expected him to be on his guard whenever any kind of biker gang came through town. On the whole, I enjoyed the story and was happy that many of the sheriff's department and town helped Ben when he needed it most. I'm glad that Ben and JD worked through their issues and found solutions so they could be together, but certain aspects of the plot just didn't work as well for me personally.
I enjoyed the quirky town characters and when JD and Ben were on the same page. I'm intrigued by the other characters in town and can't wait to give the other books set in this town a read.
October 25, 2023
Sheriff JD Morgan loves his job as the sheriff of Collier’s Creek. He's a little grumpy but he has two passions in his life - his addiction to coffee and his secret crush on his young dispatcher, Ben, but he intends to keep that one secret as he is too old for him. Ben has two ambitions in his life - to become a deputy sheriff somewhere far from Collier's Creek and make his sheriff smile every morning as he hands him a coffee because JD is his he just doesn't know it yet. Then trouble rolls into town on the back of a Harley and JD discovers that Ben has been hiding a secret past in the form of a husband who wants Ben back and won't take no for an answer. JD is crushed. Ben is terrified. Will they handle the unexpected husband problem together or will JD leave Ben to face danger alone?
I loved this story with the two men who wanted each other but didn't admit it to each other (and in JD's case he was hiding in the closet). It was quite touching the way that Ben gave JD coffee and some food every day as part of showing his affection for him. In the end, they were both passionate men who were passionate about each other, they just needed the chance and opportunity to show it. Easy to read, feel and understand. This is an MM story with mature content.
I loved this story with the two men who wanted each other but didn't admit it to each other (and in JD's case he was hiding in the closet). It was quite touching the way that Ben gave JD coffee and some food every day as part of showing his affection for him. In the end, they were both passionate men who were passionate about each other, they just needed the chance and opportunity to show it. Easy to read, feel and understand. This is an MM story with mature content.
October 12, 2023
Sheriff Of The Creek is book three in the Collier's Creek shared world series. We've already met the hunky older lawman, but are introduced here to his epic levels of pining for the young sheriff's office Dispatcher Ben, who fortunately, feels exactly the same way. So, if it's not clear, this is a romance with a big age gap (42 and 21 years old) and a heavy dose of the grumpy/sunshine trope.
What do I like about this book? JD and Ben are very likeable characters: JD's honourable, protective and nurturing whilst Ben's loyal, earnest and has a food love language…I wish my other half would bring me coffee and cannoli every day!
Gloria is a really cool side character - I think everyone should have a well-meaning, take-no-nonsense friend like her. I also really like the premise of the shady past rearing its ugly head and our MCs have to fight for their future together.
What didn't work quite as well for me is, firstly, I would have liked the book to be longer to allow more opportunity for character and relationship development for Ben and JD. The bad guy character could have been fleshed out a bit more, too. He and Ben's family felt a little 2D to me. It's worth noting, as well, that the book's narrative is in the 1st person present, which isn't my favourite style, though I don't think this book suffered for it.
Overall, Sheriff Of The Creek is a quick, easy read which showcases small town romance and community and for me it's a good 3* story.
An ARC was provided by GRR. This is my honest opinion.
What do I like about this book? JD and Ben are very likeable characters: JD's honourable, protective and nurturing whilst Ben's loyal, earnest and has a food love language…I wish my other half would bring me coffee and cannoli every day!
Gloria is a really cool side character - I think everyone should have a well-meaning, take-no-nonsense friend like her. I also really like the premise of the shady past rearing its ugly head and our MCs have to fight for their future together.
What didn't work quite as well for me is, firstly, I would have liked the book to be longer to allow more opportunity for character and relationship development for Ben and JD. The bad guy character could have been fleshed out a bit more, too. He and Ben's family felt a little 2D to me. It's worth noting, as well, that the book's narrative is in the 1st person present, which isn't my favourite style, though I don't think this book suffered for it.
Overall, Sheriff Of The Creek is a quick, easy read which showcases small town romance and community and for me it's a good 3* story.
An ARC was provided by GRR. This is my honest opinion.
October 21, 2023
This is the third book in the Collier's Creek series and like all the others it can be enjoyed as a standalone. This is a sweet slow burn romance. This is the story of JD and Ben. JD is the town Sheriff and is happy being a small town police officer. It is really all he wants along with taking care of the town. Ben has returned to town after quiting college. He is quite good at his job as dispatcher. Ben has drama in his life through his mama and his younger brother. There is a 20 year age gap between JD and Ben that seriously bothers JD. Ben has had a crush on JD since he was in his mid teens. The age difference doesn't bother him at all. This is their story. Seeing as JD is his boss, he hesitates to act upon his attraction to Ben. Having a relationship could cost both of them their job. It makes it even more difficult for them to move forward. There is lots of chemistry between JD and Ben. I really enjoyed the side characters as well. The book is well written and easy to read. I enjoyed my time in Collier's Creek and look forward to the next book in this series.
I received a free copy from the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy from the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.
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