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A Southern Kind of Love #1

Hiding from the Sheriff

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An alternative cover edition for this ASIN can be found here.

It was an uncomplicated favor: Go bail Addie Johnson out of jail.

I had no idea that the charges against my best friend’s little sister meant I’d have to take her into my custody for two weeks.

Two weeks living in my parents’ house in my hometown in Georgia.
Two weeks to figure out what the heck happened to the sweet computer nerd who captivated me that one summer.

But that shy girl is gone. Now, the blonde bombshell with the crappy boyfriend and ditzy exterior is hiding something. Something BIG. Addie tries to use me the same way she plays every other man, but I’m not buying it.

I know her. The real her. And I’m not going to stop until I figure out what she’s keeping from me.

But I can’t cross that line. My job, sanity, and (if her brother finds out) my life all depend on it.


This is a Romantic Comedy between a computer genius, hiding her nocturnal hacking career from everyone, and a brooding sheriff, who makes even his ugly tan uniform look good.

248 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 26, 2019

754 people are currently reading
563 people want to read

About the author

Palmer Jones

28 books85 followers

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5 stars
443 (41%)
4 stars
350 (33%)
3 stars
195 (18%)
2 stars
50 (4%)
1 star
21 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
Profile Image for Stephanie Bolen.
2,129 reviews28 followers
September 22, 2019
Just a little not enough

The flirtatious Hollywood was there for a minute. But he didn't like it so she changed. The hacker was there for a minute, but can't have that either. He was a handsy grump that never pulled the stick out of his bum. Did he change? Nope cause he's perfect--yack. The most realistic parts were cooking with his mother. The villain was just sad and the most exciting bits weren't covered. Overall, a pretty sad tale of a girl who allows men to control her and a man that really should leave his home town.
Profile Image for Coco.V.
50k reviews116 followers
Want to read
January 5, 2025
🎁 FREE on Amazon today (11/30/2019)! 🎁
Profile Image for Alyxandrya Prynce.
Author 1 book35 followers
April 11, 2020
Beautiful Story

Addie and Cameron's story is incredibly realistic, and Palmer Jones did an incredible job making their story come to life. That southern romance mixed with forbidden love really had me from the get go. Plus, Addie was so absolutely relatable. It was like almost reading about a close friend. The way they come together, regardless of obstacles gives us all hope for their happily ever after. I really enjoyed this story! I'd love to read a part 2, if there will be one.
Profile Image for Kat.
776 reviews47 followers
March 29, 2025
Hiding from the Sheriff bk 1 ( A Southern Kind of Love)
This series follows a different character

This book follows Cameron and how he finds love.. This book is Sweet, steamy, romance with a bit of mystery, Fast read, sassy characters, Strong family Relationships and Strong friendships..

Cameron works as a Sheriff, He has got hurt in the past and does not let anyone close to his heart, He is sweet, caring, kind, thoughtful, Grumpy and funny, He is always there to help anyone that needs help, He looks out for his family and friends, He falls for his friend's sister Addie

Addie works with computers, she is strong, smart, sassy and does not put up with any shit, she runs from the bad guys but also helps catch bad guys, She looks out for everyone that she cares about, Always there for anyone that needs help, she falls for her brothers friend Cameron

This book is packed full of:
⦁ Awesome characters
⦁ Sheriff/Hacker Romance
⦁ A second chance at Love
⦁ Friends to Lovers
⦁ Brothers best friend
⦁ Forced Proximity
⦁ Some Steam [closed door]
⦁ No 3rd act Break-up
⦁ Drama [Heroine's Ex]
⦁ Grumpy Hero
⦁ Protective Hero
⦁ Tattooed Hero
⦁ Cute Dog called Lacy
⦁ Fast Read
⦁ Action packed
⦁ Mystery
⦁ Each book follows different character

I really liked the friendship between Cameron and Addie because it was so sweet and sassy.. I also liked seeing them getting closer as the story goes along because it was amazing to see both of them happy and the chemistry between them is amazing..

Fav characters are:
⦁ Cameron [Works as a Chief Deputy but soon to be sheriff]
⦁ Addie [Works with computers, sister to Trevor]
⦁ Jimmy [Sheriff, Married to Tanya, Dad to Cameron]
⦁ Tanya [Teacher, mum to Cameron, Married to Jimmy]
⦁ Lacy [Cameron's Dog]
⦁ Trevor [Has his own business as a Manger for his best friend Grayson , Brother to Addie]
⦁ Nash [Owns his own business, owns some land and is a Farmer, Helps out at the fire station if needed]
⦁ Dewey [Deputy Cop, Works with Cameron, Helps out at the fire station if needed]
⦁ Becky [A baker, Works for Iris]
⦁ Iris [owns the bakery]

I really liked the strong friendship between Cameron, Nash, Becky, Dewey and Juliana because they have know each other for years and there friendship is awesome.. I am glad that Cameron and Addie got their happy ending..
68 reviews
April 12, 2020
I almost didn’t finish it

The writing was okay and the storyline was decent. The side characters were very superficial.

Few things bothered me:
- why did people assume that Addie was “sweet” when they had never even talked to her?
- Cam and Addie’s attitude towards her job as a perfume sales assistant. Why is that considered superficial or even bad?
- Cam was constantly mocking Addie’s looks and her life in California. Just because HE didn’t like it, makes it somehow wrong? Makes her somehow less of a person for having that life?
- What was the point of making the ex-boyfriend show his ugly side but then never doing anything with that storyline?
Profile Image for Justine Freund.
52 reviews
April 5, 2021
It was ok

I read the book it wasn't really my kid of book but got through it. They really kept it clean. I was hoping for more action
Profile Image for Emily.
5,841 reviews543 followers
May 18, 2021
Chief Deputy Cameron Dempsey is doing a favor for his friend, picking up Addison "Addie" Johnson from prison and keeping her close by until the mess she has found herself with is fixed. What Cameron expect is the girl he knew is now a siren. Cameron thinks Addie is superficial but the more he gets to know her the more he realizes she is not what he initially thought.

This was fun, had a few funny moments but Addie's story is a bit convoluted in the beginning. I thought the chemistry was there and had some really great moment. Would check out the next book.
Profile Image for Ela (Mouse333).
2,049 reviews10 followers
March 2, 2022
I didn’t like this book at all. It was dramatic and I didn’t like how it was written.

Addie keeps saying that she needs to have a cover, meaning she flirts with everyone and acts dumb. I didn’t really understand the need for the cover but I just went along with it. After the first chapter, she acts normal. So, all that talk about how important the cover is and how all the men fall for it was pointless and dramatic because you don’t actually see it.

There was a bit in the book where she’s talking to her brother who’s hired a lawyer and she says that she’ll pay for the lawyer. She starts thinking about how it will be tough but she’ll get the money together. Then she talks about how she has millions because of the job she does. So, what is it? Is she just barely scraping by or is she a millionaire?

Addie’s relationship with Brian was another thing that made no sense. At first, it’s said that their relationship is superficial and they’re just using each other (she’s using him as part of her cover). Then he appears out of nowhere and suddenly the relationship turns out to be abusive. This didn’t make sense and it was clearly done to be dramatic.

Cameron wasn’t a good character either. He keeps changing his mind about how he feels about Addie’s job. So, there are those mood swings, then suddenly he has a change of heart and will do anything for Addie.

There was no relationship development at all.

Also, the side characters weren’t developed either.

I didn’t like this book at all and since I didn’t like it because of the writing, I’m definitely not going to be continuing with this series and I probably won’t read any other books by this author.
Profile Image for Christy Bailey.
662 reviews23 followers
February 22, 2020
Must read!

This is the first book I have read from this author but she blew me away so it definitely wont be the last! This was everything! Well almost...I do have a few unanswered questions. Mainly just about Trevor. Throughout this book Cam kept saying Trevor would kick his butt for being with Addie but yet we dont even know if he was ever told about his sis and bestfriend so we have no idea about that outcome. It's nothing major but I feel like that should of been put into this story.

Other than that this was epic! I didnt want it to end but am so glad of the outcome. These two were perfect for each other! The banter and back in forth was great. The secondary characters were awesome as well. Especially Moma Dempsey! She is my idol and made this book what it was! All in all I can't wait to read more from this author!
Profile Image for Rogetwhi.
1,232 reviews11 followers
June 16, 2020
1.5 stars!!! This was poorly written. I felt no real chemistry from the H. I don’t even think he wanted her very much but she kept throwing herself at him.
665 reviews
May 1, 2020
Addison (Addie) and Cameron (Cam)

Addie can't believe she's in a jail cell and has been for over 10 hours for something she didn't do! Yeah, yeah, that's what everyone says., but, she really didn't steal the car she was driving. Her boyfriend Brian said she could take it to Florida from California since she doesn't like to fly. Now he isn't even answering his phone! How important could his ski trip be? He better have a really good reason for doing this AND not answering his phone!!! The next thing she knows she is being let out of the cell and being given over to Deputy Sheriff Dempsey, Cameron, oh no, not Cam. Her brothers best friend, the one she's had a crush on for the longest time. Travis her brother has asked him to come get her and take care of her till her court date two weeks away! He informs her that she will be staying at his parents house and she will behave! How much trouble can she get into in two weeks? Will she let him know of her feelings? Will he? What about Brian? Will she continue to be with him? What about her job? Palmer Jones has done a great job of writing this story for us, you wont want to put it down!
Profile Image for Crazypetlady.
468 reviews
February 17, 2022
Another book written by someone who dislikes women. I keep saying that in reviews and it's true. So many of the "romance" books I read are written by women who fundamentally dislike women.

In this one, the h keeps repeating that she flirts and acts like the blonde bimbo to hide her true intellect and job from the world. But she doesn't have a contingency plan in case there's a problem, like the whole plot of this book. So she can't do her job to continue to collect her astronomical income because even though she's a really smart person, she didn't expect to ever have a problem in life. Um...okay? I guess that's possible. I know lots of smart people who are slightly life skills lacking. I mean, not to this extent, which seems to scream genuinely dumb, but okay.

I'm dnf-ing at chapter 4 and will skim and skip through the book and then delete off my device.

Moral of this review: stop downloading free books off Amazon.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
549 reviews
June 8, 2025
Cameron
Addie

Cameron is a Deputy Sheriff and a good friend of Addie’s brother Trevor. When Addie gets arrested and put in jail for stealing an auto Trevor calls Cameron to go bail her out. Cameron always had a soft spot for Addie but he knows she is off limits as his friend’s sister and she was released to his protective custody. Addie is a hacker that works for a company called White Rabbit, that gathers information to help put criminals away. Addie is mad because the car she was accused of stealing belongs to her boyfriend, Brian and he’s to busy on a ski trip to get the mess straightened out. Cameron and Addie have great chemistry and fight to keep from starting a relationship. I liked Cameron and Addie both had a strong love for both their jobs and families. Addie immediately wanted to help Cameron solve his case and Cameron wanted to protect Addie. This is a fast paced, good read. I would read more books by this author and this series.
729 reviews4 followers
May 10, 2020
Cute beach read.

If you're looking for a break between your other go-to series this story is it. Both leads are nice people- everyday good guy, Chief Deputy Cameron Dempsey and California rich girl- who doesn't own a car (huh?) and computer hacker Addison Johnson. Sometimes the dialog was confusing especially around his friends, and details in scenes seem to slip away or skip around sometimes, but you get the general drift. He seemed to have an anger management issue that he barely kept intact in stressful situations, and a "Dudley do-right attitude" the rest of the time, and she seemed like a secret hacker that talked a good story, but seemed to be away from her computer more than she was hacking and gave up her secret life a little too easily, and to a cop to boot. Like I said, cute story. Will I read more or remember it in a week? Probably not.
Profile Image for Brigitte .
1,611 reviews23 followers
May 25, 2021
Cameron is not easy to relate to. He is so focused on his ultimate goal that he is able to push away his feelings. Addie is not who she appears to be. She is quite happy acting dumb when there is more to her than meets the eyes. She doesn't mind being judged by her appearance! The story development leaves certain gaps. No closure in certain areas. Maybe those will be addressed in subsequent books in the series.

Despite all reservations, they get their HEA. It's a light and easy to read romance.
Profile Image for Marie.
4,986 reviews52 followers
April 17, 2022
Impossible. Incredible.....His kryptonite?

Cam has always had a weakness for a damsel in distress but Addie is the furthest thing from a damsel in distress, she is packed with fire and sass. However, deep down she still dreams of a knight in shining armour who will sweep her off her feet! Can Cam be that knight?
I love Addie and Cam, both individually and together, they have a love you cannot deny.
This is the first book by Palmer Jones that I have read and I really enjoyed it, I look forward to reading more books in this series. I got this as a free download.
1,212 reviews3 followers
March 3, 2024
Enjoyed this different plot about a woman (Addie) who was shafted by her boyfriend resulting in her arrest for driving his vehicle. Taken in custody by her brother's friend Cam, who is an officer yet opposite of her in personality, she remains at his folk's house until her court date. There is an attraction and although not detailed, borders a bit steamy in nature. Bored, Addie who is involved with an undercover computer detection agency, attempts to solve a local serial burglary case also. Many ongoing scenarios makes the book interesting - a good bedtime read.
Profile Image for Nati.
2,880 reviews16 followers
April 3, 2020
When Cameron takes Addison out out jail little he knows that taking care of her from two weeks will turn his world upside down. She is wrong for him for so many reasons, she is his friend little sister, work in the wrong side of the law, but she challenges him. Addison is so used to hide her true self from the world that she is nor sure she care share who she is really is with anyone, let alone Cameron and his rigid beliefs in right or wrong. Sweet story.
105 reviews
May 28, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. The slow burn between Cameron and Addie was enjoyable to read. I also like how there was so much teasing and tension between the two of them. Cameron was a little strict and uptight but Addie was a great contract to him. Mrs. Dempsey is a really fun character who is incredibly hilarious and makes Cameron uncomfortable which is entertaining. A great light read and was really easy to get through
Profile Image for Will Decker.
Author 23 books15 followers
July 4, 2020
I found this to be a very entertaining story of two individuals that want and feel the same thing but don't know how to go about achieving it until the end when they're forced to communicate. There are times when the story drags, but then picks back up. The character development was okay, but could have been better with more depth. And the sub-characters were more stereotyped than actually fleshed out. All in all though, a good romantic story with a borderline PG rating.
Profile Image for Mzlegz.
756 reviews2 followers
October 16, 2020
Opposite sides of the law...

Just wow!! Cameron and Addie’s attraction took some guts to even want to make it work. He upheld the law and she broke it...repeatedly!! Lacy gave her bark of approval with some licks thrown in for good measure. Addie already has the love of Cam’s parents and friends which will help the foundation of their love journey!!

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
Profile Image for Evelyn Dotson.
2,062 reviews17 followers
March 23, 2022
Sweet Hometown Romance

Addie is in jail for stealing her boyfriends car. Her brother calls an old friend from Georgia to keep her safe in his custody. He is in law enforcement. Addie has a secret job that is dangerous amd somewhat illegal. Staying at Cameron's parents house brings her back to reality and into his arms. When her boyfriend shows up and a thirf on the loose...what will happen and how dangerous will things get?
Profile Image for Kim Yannayon.
Author 4 books15 followers
June 3, 2020
Fantastic Story

I loved the story. I loved the characters. I love their sense of humor.

*Spoiler*
Only issue I had with the book was that she, a professional hacker, left her laptop in another state, has a cell phone and has the funds to order herself a new laptop, doesn't, then complains about needing a laptop.
Profile Image for Mei.
315 reviews1 follower
September 14, 2020
I really enjoyed this one. Probably because it felt more like a suspense than a comedy. A few incorrect words, eg. desert/dessert and if/of.

Loved that Addie could be who she was and be comfortable round someone who would love her for it. Watching Cameron accept her and go through his emotions and compromises for her was beautiful. Loved his family and his dog.
Profile Image for Cynthia.
3,201 reviews99 followers
November 7, 2020
Loved it

Addie was arrested for supposedly stealing her boyfriends car. But she hadn't, and now she can't get him on the phone. While waiting, the one person she has seen in awhile show up, Cameron. He is taking her home to his parents place in Georgia until her hearing. Soon there will be an ex boyfriend, a new life and a safer job.
Profile Image for Milagro Lasa.
264 reviews
March 9, 2021
Loving Clean Story

Addie and Cam have known each other but due to Addie being jail-bate lol, he kept his feeling to himself. Years later he comes to rescue her at her brothers request. They stand for the same thing but in different ways. Can they come together. I gave this 4 stars cause it’s not what I usually read but enjoyed it very much.
Profile Image for Emma (thecaffeinatedbookaholic).
576 reviews10 followers
August 26, 2023
I couldn’t put this one down–I had to know all the secrets Addie was hiding! Addie and Cameron both had a thing for each other all those summers ago, when Cam stayed with Addie’s family and neither of them knew. Randomly back together years later, they get the chance to finally explore those feelings. This was a quick romantic suspense, and I enjoyed it!
Profile Image for Amy (amysbooksnthings).
1,598 reviews32 followers
June 29, 2020
This was sweet but not altogether memorable. Addie was a tad annoying for the first half of the book but she grew on me in the latter half. Cameron was kind of blah. He didn't bother me but I also didn't find anything particularly compelling about him. This was pretty much small town and cutesy.
440 reviews3 followers
September 16, 2020
Addie and Cameron

Loved the play between Addie and the sheriff. They are hot for each other but both have been burned by a former partner. His mom is playing matchmaker. She and his Dad see how happy Addie makes Cam.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews

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