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The Truth Duet #2
The Way Things Are
"GOOD COPS DO EXIST..."
Camden City Police Officer Levi Alistar Raymond has a Superman complex. He is determined to serve and protect even if that means, risking his career to support his girlfriend, Ava Marie Greene, in making sure a fellow officer who murdered her friend is brought to justice. Good cops do exist but if good cops stand by and allow the bad cops to harass, abuse, and kill the very people they are meant to serve and protect, they are not good cops. They're accomplices.
"I'M THE WIND IN YOUR CAPE..."
Falling in love with a cop was the last thing Ava wanted or needed in her life, but somehow, loving Levi came to her as naturally as breathing. Keeping their relationship intact while everything in the world seems to want to pull them apart feels impossible, but she is determined to be the wind in his cape, no matter what adversity they face.
Camden City Police Officer Levi Alistar Raymond has a Superman complex. He is determined to serve and protect even if that means, risking his career to support his girlfriend, Ava Marie Greene, in making sure a fellow officer who murdered her friend is brought to justice. Good cops do exist but if good cops stand by and allow the bad cops to harass, abuse, and kill the very people they are meant to serve and protect, they are not good cops. They're accomplices.
"I'M THE WIND IN YOUR CAPE..."
Falling in love with a cop was the last thing Ava wanted or needed in her life, but somehow, loving Levi came to her as naturally as breathing. Keeping their relationship intact while everything in the world seems to want to pull them apart feels impossible, but she is determined to be the wind in his cape, no matter what adversity they face.
- GenresRomance
343 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 23, 2019
44 people are currently reading
132 people want to read
About the author
Tasha L. Harrison
30 books432 followers#Author of dirty talking, nasty, where-do-you-want-me-to-put-it, cinnamon roll heroes | creator of #20kin5Days | host of #Wordmakers Community
tashalharrison.com
@tashalharrison on Twitter and Instagram.
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@tashalharrison on Twitter and Instagram.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 17, 2019
I was so conflicted when leaving this review. First off, I wasn't sure I'd even pick up this book. I waited for a long time and let's just say, I wasn’t encouraged to wait on it any longer, but I digress.
I'm giving this a solid 3, but as you can see, it's also marked as a 'favorite'. I don't think any book rated below a 4 has ever made it to my fav list. Superb plot, memorable characters, drama to yuck your heart out, but the rating was knocked down due to poor editing. The one thing that got on my nerves the most was the fact the author wrote in 1st AND 3rd person interchangeably throughout the book. It was so bad, the POV could switch within the same paragraph; that got on my last nerve and irked the sh*t out of me, but only because I really like the story itself, I continued on. The other errors are plentiful as well and it just makes such a good story lose its luster.
Ok, now to something good...
Levi and Ava stirred my literary soul. The nail-bitting drama that encroached upon their relationship had my chest tight! With every gut wrenching turn of events, I rooted for them. I loved how even in brokenness they both were able to mend each other back together. Their relationship was one of my favs to read because from they met, they didn't have a chance to even just breathe, but in that they still found a way to generate life into each other.
Additionally, the entire cast of minor characters who stole scenes also stole my heart as well. The warm dynamics of Levi's family and the lack thereof on Ava's side made the meshing so beautiful. I love how though Ava came from nothing, she was lucky enough to have everything.
The themes of social injustice and mental illness was detailed and added greatly to the plot. The air of mystery and the heightened sense of fear was so palpable; it made for great conflict which was all resolved by the end of the book. The epilogue was fitting to the characters, but even in that I wish I had more...more of them, ugh.
Strange review right? I wish for better editing with this book; it could easily be a 5 if so...
I'm giving this a solid 3, but as you can see, it's also marked as a 'favorite'. I don't think any book rated below a 4 has ever made it to my fav list. Superb plot, memorable characters, drama to yuck your heart out, but the rating was knocked down due to poor editing. The one thing that got on my nerves the most was the fact the author wrote in 1st AND 3rd person interchangeably throughout the book. It was so bad, the POV could switch within the same paragraph; that got on my last nerve and irked the sh*t out of me, but only because I really like the story itself, I continued on. The other errors are plentiful as well and it just makes such a good story lose its luster.
Ok, now to something good...
Levi and Ava stirred my literary soul. The nail-bitting drama that encroached upon their relationship had my chest tight! With every gut wrenching turn of events, I rooted for them. I loved how even in brokenness they both were able to mend each other back together. Their relationship was one of my favs to read because from they met, they didn't have a chance to even just breathe, but in that they still found a way to generate life into each other.
Additionally, the entire cast of minor characters who stole scenes also stole my heart as well. The warm dynamics of Levi's family and the lack thereof on Ava's side made the meshing so beautiful. I love how though Ava came from nothing, she was lucky enough to have everything.
The themes of social injustice and mental illness was detailed and added greatly to the plot. The air of mystery and the heightened sense of fear was so palpable; it made for great conflict which was all resolved by the end of the book. The epilogue was fitting to the characters, but even in that I wish I had more...more of them, ugh.
Strange review right? I wish for better editing with this book; it could easily be a 5 if so...
January 5, 2023
This duet is an RS and is thematically heavy with a Black MMC who is a cop and is also a community police advocate that works with kids in his off time (and caught up in the middle of police corruption and brutality) and how he navigates his (very swoony) romance with the Black FMC, a photographer who also works with neighbourhood kids in her spare time - she was a victim of police brutality at the start of the first book and this almost stopped her from going on that first date with him.
There is a lot packed in here, but the romance between them was palpable with lots of believable and totally understandable missteps along the way, but in the end, those who slay together get their HEA and I loved it. Also, the writing is great IMO.
It is also a rare example of a romance between a woman and a man who is shorter than her (he's still buff tho!) and the man is also an alpha personality without all the domineering nonsense that is often included along with that.
(Re-up from export file following the Great GR Data Loss of Oct 2023)
There is a lot packed in here, but the romance between them was palpable with lots of believable and totally understandable missteps along the way, but in the end, those who slay together get their HEA and I loved it. Also, the writing is great IMO.
It is also a rare example of a romance between a woman and a man who is shorter than her (he's still buff tho!) and the man is also an alpha personality without all the domineering nonsense that is often included along with that.
(Re-up from export file following the Great GR Data Loss of Oct 2023)
March 13, 2022
When I started reading this, I wondered whether a true structural HEA was possible. I consider book 1 to be a game-changing romance. I was happy with the way Levi and Ava’s HEA came together but there were huge unresolved issues that needed to be addressed. It’s a big ask when those issues include police corruption and racism. Unfortunately, it pains me to say this didn’t hit the mark.
The first half of the book was much stronger and it didn’t really fall apart for me until around the last 25%. This was all over the map tonally, going from wedding planning to Ava’s anxiety over the grand jury trial to Levi realizing the depths of corruption within his department. It would have benefited from a tighter storyline. There were so many external conflicts and none of them got the attention they deserved, if they even needed to be included in the first place. I vehemently disagreed with the way Lorraine was handled. Ava should have cut her out of her life for good after that first family therapy session. If Lorraine was going to have a chance with me, we needed to see her doing the work in rehab from the start and owning up to what a horrible mother she’d been. Without that, I didn’t believe in her redemption at all, much less that she’d done enough to be invited to the wedding. If I could send one message to authors, it would be that they don’t need to redeem toxic parents. Some people don’t need to be in your life, regardless of blood.
Then there’s the aftermath of Emil’s murder by a cop. The grand jury trial was compelling and I’m glad Harrison showcased that aspect. But everything after that was over the top or used as a dramatic reveal.
One of the more interesting parts of this series is the depiction of anxiety. Ava and Levi both deal with it in varying degrees. We get to see them meditate together and Ava and Indigo go to restorative yoga. Ava has various tools in dealing with her panic attacks, although I wish marijuana wasn’t one of them. Regardless, it was great to see a positive portrayal of mental illness and the ways people live with it.
While this didn’t work for me the way I wanted it to, I still highly recommend the first book.
Characters: Ava is a 28 year old Black photojournalist and wedding photographer, Levi is a Black cop and former boxing champ. He’s average height, around 5’8 or 5’9. This is set in Camden, NJ.
Content notes: , physical assault/attack, attempted murder, past officer-involved shooting resulting in death of FMC’s friend, grand jury trial, police corruption and harassment, MMC is a cop (called to scene of domestic disturbance and indecent exposure), FMC’s mother is in rehab for substance abuse, FMC’s mother has borderline personality disorder (this was not addressed), anxiety, panic attacks, ableism (Levi is painted as mentally unstable by the police), racism, microaggressions, colorism, shooting range, family planning discussion (FMC decides not to resume birth control when her Mirena ring is removed; she’s not pregnant at the end but MMC thinks she will be), MMC’s sister falsely arrested for DUI (targeting him), past child neglect, FMC’s father was never involved (married to someone else and denied paternity ), past hospitalization of FMC’s mother for depression (she had postpartum depression after FMC was born but FMC was 5 when this happened and it’s not clear if this is related to Lorraine’s borderline diagnosis), on page sex, marijuana, alcohol, inebriation, cigarettes (secondary character), N word (not used as a slur), penis referred to as male, gendered insults, gender essentialism, ableist language, “Indian summer”, past death of sister-in-law (complications from childbirth), mention of possible infertility for secondary character, mention of past death by suicide of secondary character’s mom, reference to hearing upstairs neighbor beating up his girlfriend as a child, reference to secondary character’s wife dying of pancreatic cancer (past)
The first half of the book was much stronger and it didn’t really fall apart for me until around the last 25%. This was all over the map tonally, going from wedding planning to Ava’s anxiety over the grand jury trial to Levi realizing the depths of corruption within his department. It would have benefited from a tighter storyline. There were so many external conflicts and none of them got the attention they deserved, if they even needed to be included in the first place. I vehemently disagreed with the way Lorraine was handled. Ava should have cut her out of her life for good after that first family therapy session. If Lorraine was going to have a chance with me, we needed to see her doing the work in rehab from the start and owning up to what a horrible mother she’d been. Without that, I didn’t believe in her redemption at all, much less that she’d done enough to be invited to the wedding. If I could send one message to authors, it would be that they don’t need to redeem toxic parents. Some people don’t need to be in your life, regardless of blood.
Then there’s the aftermath of Emil’s murder by a cop. The grand jury trial was compelling and I’m glad Harrison showcased that aspect. But everything after that was over the top or used as a dramatic reveal.
One of the more interesting parts of this series is the depiction of anxiety. Ava and Levi both deal with it in varying degrees. We get to see them meditate together and Ava and Indigo go to restorative yoga. Ava has various tools in dealing with her panic attacks, although I wish marijuana wasn’t one of them. Regardless, it was great to see a positive portrayal of mental illness and the ways people live with it.
While this didn’t work for me the way I wanted it to, I still highly recommend the first book.
Characters: Ava is a 28 year old Black photojournalist and wedding photographer, Levi is a Black cop and former boxing champ. He’s average height, around 5’8 or 5’9. This is set in Camden, NJ.
Content notes: , physical assault/attack, attempted murder, past officer-involved shooting resulting in death of FMC’s friend, grand jury trial, police corruption and harassment, MMC is a cop (called to scene of domestic disturbance and indecent exposure), FMC’s mother is in rehab for substance abuse, FMC’s mother has borderline personality disorder (this was not addressed), anxiety, panic attacks, ableism (Levi is painted as mentally unstable by the police), racism, microaggressions, colorism, shooting range, family planning discussion (FMC decides not to resume birth control when her Mirena ring is removed; she’s not pregnant at the end but MMC thinks she will be), MMC’s sister falsely arrested for DUI (targeting him), past child neglect, FMC’s father was never involved (married to someone else and denied paternity ), past hospitalization of FMC’s mother for depression (she had postpartum depression after FMC was born but FMC was 5 when this happened and it’s not clear if this is related to Lorraine’s borderline diagnosis), on page sex, marijuana, alcohol, inebriation, cigarettes (secondary character), N word (not used as a slur), penis referred to as male, gendered insults, gender essentialism, ableist language, “Indian summer”, past death of sister-in-law (complications from childbirth), mention of possible infertility for secondary character, mention of past death by suicide of secondary character’s mom, reference to hearing upstairs neighbor beating up his girlfriend as a child, reference to secondary character’s wife dying of pancreatic cancer (past)
June 6, 2019
As far as book bae’s go, Levi definitely makes the list as a top choice. He’s genuinely a beautiful human being, and Ava Marie Greene was put on this earth to be his other half. Levi was everything, and I couldn't imagine Ava having to navigate this world another day without him. On the other hand, Ava was it for Levi, and he leaned on her (more than she realized) for strength as well. Folks were out to get them and take them down, but together, along with help from his family, they refused to concede. And that was what this story was about, never giving up even when others thought they should. There was a lot of substance to Levi and Ava Marie individually, but jointly, they were a force of strength. As a reader, you just wanted what was best for them.
The character development was there, the storyline was there, but mainly, it was a well written unpolished book. It was just so much wrong with the execution of The Way Things Are. The attention to detail was not there, and unfortunately, the story suffered from it. And that pains me to write that because after anxiously waiting for the rest of Ava and Levi's story, I'd hoped for more.
Let’s start with all of the errors... there were so many, so much so that it disrupted the flow of the story. Certain parts I had to reread several times and am still walking away not fully understanding what the author was conveying. Dates didn’t add up, and details were skewed, it was overall just kind of a mess. I’m wondering if it had been edited at all.
I also struggled with keeping up with the characters... THERE WERE SO MANY OF THEM. I was confused about the gender, names, and some parts I had to read several times to try and discover who was talking and what was supposed to be happening. It got hard to follow during certain parts.
It wasn't all bad though, there were some beautiful moments in the book and you could the author has a familiarity with South Jersey. Just as in book one, the author did an excellent job highlighting the intricacies and nuances of Camden... right down to the part of detailing how the Feds took over the police department and how they are no longer the CPD (Camden Police Department), but now, CCPD (Camden County Police Department), or better known as "Metro" to its residents. I even enjoyed the notes about all of the cities and towns close to Camden... those that are 'down the highway.'
In a nutshell, I think could easily be a five-star novel... if it was thoroughly edited. I would even gladly reread it once it's updated and republished because it's truly a great story.
The character development was there, the storyline was there, but mainly, it was a well written unpolished book. It was just so much wrong with the execution of The Way Things Are. The attention to detail was not there, and unfortunately, the story suffered from it. And that pains me to write that because after anxiously waiting for the rest of Ava and Levi's story, I'd hoped for more.
Let’s start with all of the errors... there were so many, so much so that it disrupted the flow of the story. Certain parts I had to reread several times and am still walking away not fully understanding what the author was conveying. Dates didn’t add up, and details were skewed, it was overall just kind of a mess. I’m wondering if it had been edited at all.
I also struggled with keeping up with the characters... THERE WERE SO MANY OF THEM. I was confused about the gender, names, and some parts I had to read several times to try and discover who was talking and what was supposed to be happening. It got hard to follow during certain parts.
It wasn't all bad though, there were some beautiful moments in the book and you could the author has a familiarity with South Jersey. Just as in book one, the author did an excellent job highlighting the intricacies and nuances of Camden... right down to the part of detailing how the Feds took over the police department and how they are no longer the CPD (Camden Police Department), but now, CCPD (Camden County Police Department), or better known as "Metro" to its residents. I even enjoyed the notes about all of the cities and towns close to Camden... those that are 'down the highway.'
In a nutshell, I think could easily be a five-star novel... if it was thoroughly edited. I would even gladly reread it once it's updated and republished because it's truly a great story.
March 1, 2020
Probably would’ve rated this higher but there were still so many errors like with the previous book. I found myself having to reread so many sentences over again to figure out what was said to the point of confusion. Errors don’t tend to bother me too much in books but when they happen so consistently it takes away from the story way too much for me. There was also this weird thing with switching POV’s abruptly which I’m still not sure as to why. The switch would happen within the same paragraph, even the same sentence going from 1st to 3rd. Reading it just felt extremely clunky, add in the other errors and I had to take my rating down a bit. Overall a pretty good continuation to the previous story.
October 3, 2019
Love at its best
A great read and follow-up to the first book, which was also brilliant. The emotions conveyed through these words was often felt in my soul. Made me love and appreciate my own ‘Levi’ even more. And Ava’s family structure,anxiety and feelings resonated deeply with me. I kept this book for months until I would have the time to savour it and it didn’t disappoint. However, it has been a while since the first book and I wish I had reread it before this one, as there are quite a few references to earlier times that at times, I just didn’t remember. Reading both books together would have been awesome!
A great read and follow-up to the first book, which was also brilliant. The emotions conveyed through these words was often felt in my soul. Made me love and appreciate my own ‘Levi’ even more. And Ava’s family structure,anxiety and feelings resonated deeply with me. I kept this book for months until I would have the time to savour it and it didn’t disappoint. However, it has been a while since the first book and I wish I had reread it before this one, as there are quite a few references to earlier times that at times, I just didn’t remember. Reading both books together would have been awesome!
June 6, 2019
Ava and Levi...their story made me laugh and definitely made me cry, police corruption is such a prevalent issue at least for people of color that it was hard not to get caught up with emotion. I'm glad they didn't allow the chaos and stress to destroy their love. I can't wait to hear more from these characters and their friends and family. Deuce needs a second chance at love and Indi needs a man to be soft for and Yves needs to give Elijah her full heart.
June 9, 2019
Part 2.
This. Story. Was. Bomb.
Full disclaimer: I wanted a red ink pen a few times but if you read my reviews, you can clearly see my glasshouse why I note that stuff but won't stop reading a book because of it.
The synopsis tells you what this is abt so nothing to add there. I love the well developed characters and story. I loved the realness of their relationships. I would to read more about the siblings and Marcelo.
This. Story. Was. Bomb.
Full disclaimer: I wanted a red ink pen a few times but if you read my reviews, you can clearly see my glasshouse why I note that stuff but won't stop reading a book because of it.
The synopsis tells you what this is abt so nothing to add there. I love the well developed characters and story. I loved the realness of their relationships. I would to read more about the siblings and Marcelo.
December 12, 2019
4.5 stars! Amazing (and heartbreaking at times) duet that tackled a realistic issue and how two people handled their relationship in the midst of it. I laughed,cried, and swooned (for Levi). I am curious about Marcelo and what the future holds for him (hint hint...lol).
Why not 5 stars? I had to take off for the numerous grammatical errors. I did notice the message regarding updating the book, but I didn’t see that option when I went to “manage content”.
Why not 5 stars? I had to take off for the numerous grammatical errors. I did notice the message regarding updating the book, but I didn’t see that option when I went to “manage content”.
July 6, 2019
I enjoyed this book despite the very heavy subject matter. The thing that was most difficult was the author mixing, first, second, and third person together. It took a minute to realize why my mind was overwhelmed. There were several times I had to reread passages, but I got through it. A little lite on the character development and plot in this book, however it’s a duet worth reading.
June 3, 2019
A fantastic conclusion
The story was worth it's weight in gold. It took a little while to tell this story about this mismatched couple. With all the drama and corruption, this couple wow! They're a perfect match for this story. Fabulous, a must read!
The story was worth it's weight in gold. It took a little while to tell this story about this mismatched couple. With all the drama and corruption, this couple wow! They're a perfect match for this story. Fabulous, a must read!
June 10, 2019
Worth the wait!
I enjoyed reading Ava and Levi’s story. Very in-depth and was a very good story . I would have given it 5 stars but the editing wasn’t that good. That being said I’m glad I read it!
I enjoyed reading Ava and Levi’s story. Very in-depth and was a very good story . I would have given it 5 stars but the editing wasn’t that good. That being said I’m glad I read it!
June 18, 2019
Amazing and Emotional
This could be a stand alone book,it's written that well by Tasha L. Harrison. Seeing the conclusion of Ava's & Levi's story had me clutching my chest, crying and laughing out loud here and there. Definitely a series worth reading and watching!
This could be a stand alone book,it's written that well by Tasha L. Harrison. Seeing the conclusion of Ava's & Levi's story had me clutching my chest, crying and laughing out loud here and there. Definitely a series worth reading and watching!
June 27, 2019
Speechless
Loved the story of Levi and Ava! The ups and downs, twists and turns...! I can’t begin to tell you how many time I was on the edge of my seat and/or biting my nails!
Loved the story of Levi and Ava! The ups and downs, twists and turns...! I can’t begin to tell you how many time I was on the edge of my seat and/or biting my nails!
June 13, 2020
Less compeling than the previous entry but very good as well.
August 24, 2019
This book was so good, and deep, and sensuous, and intriguing, and sit on the edge of your seat good! Levi and Ava got a lot of ish going on and it is a tale of overcoming a lot of odds to make it to the finish line. All of their messy, complicated, chaotic, intriguing relationship and mysteries have kept me toe-tapping and nail-biting to the very end.
The very real look at anxiety disorders and addiction was very thought out and well done. Those things made the characters real and personable, and very believable. This book was worth all my time.
The very real look at anxiety disorders and addiction was very thought out and well done. Those things made the characters real and personable, and very believable. This book was worth all my time.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews