Falling in Love with a Police Officer

Rich & Rugged: A Hawkins Brothers Romance #4

by Ellie Hall

She doesn’t want another hero. He believes relationships can ruin lives.

Brynn Powell had a tough childhood and after her husband died in the line of duty, she leaves the city for the small-town of Hawk Ridge Hollow to start over as a teacher. Aside from her lively classroom, she leads a quiet life fixing up an old house and would like to keep it that way.

Owen Hawkins, former Olympian, cop, and single father moves to the town where he grew up to give his daughter a sense of belonging even though he’d turned his back on his brothers. He isn’t looking for anyone to replace his ex-wife, especially not the pretty kindergarten teacher.

She needs a room parent and he’s perfect. He needs someone to look after his little girl because he works the night shift. The arrangement suits them just fine until they start turning to each other for laughs, for friendship, for something more...

Brynn’s thankful that she has Owen in her life. He and his daughter are like the family she’s always wanted. Then she makes a mistake and oversteps a boundary. Owen isn’t sure he can forgive her. But he hasn’t told her his entire story either.

They’re both keeping secrets. Can they trust each other? Can they trust themselves to love again?

This is book 4 in Rich & Rugged, Hawkins Brothers Romance series. Each book stands alone but reading them in order provides a deeper, richer experience. It is a sweet, “clean and wholesome” romance without swearing or mature content and contains a HEA.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Grief, Divorce, Billionaire Romance, Contemporary Romance

162 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 15, 2019

About the author

Ellie Hall is a USA Today bestselling author. If only that meant she could wear a tiara and get away with it. ;) She loves puppies, books, and the ocean. Writing sweet romance with lots of firsts and fizzy feels gives her joy. Oh, and chocolate chip cookies are her fave. Ellie believes in dreaming big, working hard, and lazy Sunday afternoons spent with her family and dog in gratitude for God’s grace.

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Newsletter: http://bit.ly/EllieHallNL
Website: http://www.elliehallauthor.com
Facebook: http://www/facebook.com/elliehallauthor
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/elliehallauthor

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Series and suggested reading order:

The Only Us Sweet Billionaire Series
•these billionaires have everything, but will they find love...?•

1. Only a Date with a Billionaire
2. Only a Kiss with a Billionaire
3. Only a Night with a Billionaire
4. Only Forever with a Billionaire
5. Only Love with a Billionaire
6. Only Christmas with the Billionaire
7. Only New Year with the Billionaire

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The Hawkins Family Clean Romance Series

•five brothers, torn apart and the women who help put them back together...•

1. Second Chance in Hawk Ridge Hollow

2. Finding Forever in Hawk Ridge Hollow

3. Resort Getaway with a Bodyguard

4. Going Home to Hawk Ridge Hollow

5. Christmas in Hawk Ridge Hollow

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The Blue Bay Beach Reads Romance Series

•a small-town restaurant, a dating dare, and happily ever afters...•

1. Summer with the Marine

2. Summer with the Rock Star

3. Summer with the Billionaire

4. Summer with the Cowboy

5. Summer with the Carpenter

6. Summer with the Doctor

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Ritchie Ranch Clean Cowboy Romance Series

•Cowboy hats & kisses with small-town charm•

1. Rustling the Cowboy’s Heart

2. Lassoing the Cowboy’s Heart

3. Trusting the Cowboy’s Heart

4. Kissing the Christmas Cowboy

5. Loving the Cowboy’s Heart

6. Charming the Cowboy’s Heart

7. Saving the Cowboy’s Heart

8. Wrangling the Cowboy’s Heart

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Falling into Happily Ever After Rom Com

• Sweet, heartwarming & uplifting romantic comedy

1. An Unwanted Love Story

2. An Unexpected Love Story

3. An Unlikely Love Story

4. An Accidental Love Story

5. An Impossible Love Story

6. An Unconventional Christmas Love Story

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Forever Marriage Match

• Five friends have to find true love or else...romcom

1. Dare to Love My Grumpy Boss

2. Dare to Love the Guy Next Door

3. Dare to Love My Fake Husband

4. Dare to Love the Guy I Hate

5. Dare to Love My Best Friend

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Home Sweet Home Small Town Romantic Comedy Series

Mr. & Mrs. Fix-It Find Love

Designing Happily Ever After

The DIY Kissing Project

The True Romance Renovation

Extreme Heart Makeover

Building What's Meant to Be

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The Costa Brothers Cozy Christmas Comfort Romance Series

Tommy & Merry and the 12 Days of Christmas

Bruno & Gloria and the 5 Golden Rings

Luca & Ivy and the 4 Calling Birds

Gio & Joy and the 3 French Hens

Paulo & Noella and the 2 Turtle Doves

Nico & Hope and the Partridge in the Pear Tree

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The Love List Series

The Swoon List

The Not Love List

The Crush List

The Kiss List

The Naughty or Nice List

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Love, Laughs, and Mystery in Coco Key

The Romance Situation

The Romance Fiasco

The Romance Game

The Romance Gambit

The Christmas Romance Wish

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On the Hunt for Love

The Grump and the Girl Next Door

The Bitter Heir and the Beauty

The Secret Son and the Sweetheart

The Ex Best Friend and the Fake Fiancé

The Best Friend’s Brother and the Brain

Select titles are available in audiobook, paperback, hardcover, and large print formats. Happy reading!♥

Reviews

[lf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Sweeeeeeeeet Romance

Falling in Love with a Police Officer is a very sweet and clean second chance romance between Brynn and Owen. They both have things in their past that they keep locked away deep down. Brynn has moved to Hawk Ridge Hollow to be the kindergarten teacher and to start over leading a quiet life by herself after her police officer husband died in a life of duty incident. Owen has come back to where he grew up and where he turned his back on when he left. He also has his young daughter Harper who he is raising as a single father after a divorce. He is one of the local police officers and as he works nights he and Brynn come to an arrangement for her to watch Harper.
Harper is a very precocious child who longs to have a mother like all the other kids in her class. So she sets about doing that by being a mini match-maker between Brynn and Owen.

AS I have not read the previous books in the Hawkins Brothers series I was not sure about reading this one but it does work as a stand-alone but I did sort of fell like I was missing some background to some things. However, I still enjoyed this sweet and clean story.

I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are all my own.

[Katja Labonté · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 star & 1/10 hearts. Sorry, this wasn't my thing. I really just found it boring and confusing. The romance was way too touchy for me, but even if that hadn't been there, I still wouldn't have liked the book. The characters were pretty flat; I didn't care about any of them except the John who passed away. Harper was a total confusion--how old was that kid?? Sometimes she was like 5 and sometimes she was like 10. The whole will/Hawkins issue was really confusing. And then there were some theological things that made me quirk an eyebrow. To be frank, I picked up this book because it was about a police officer; but it really barely mentioned his job, which I found disappointing. On top of all that, the writing was very poor--some missing punctuation that was quite confusing and some sentences were so badly written they made no sense even when I reread them a couple of times. In short, I was disappointed all round and wasted my time. Glad I got this free & I won't be reading any more by this author without very good recommendation.

[Aurélie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brynn is the new kindergarten teacher in Hawk Ridge Hollow. She expects a new child in her class, Harper, who is accompanied by her father, Owen. He is a police officer, like her deceased husband. She swore to herself she would never fall for a guy in a uniform ever again. Until she meets Owen who represents everything she ever wished for, a family. While Brynn deals with her past, Owen fights his own demons, which include not wanting to get married again to avoid the heartache that follows the loss. Will Brynn and Owen find a way to make their dreams happen or will their past continue to hinder their present?
I appreciate how Brynn deals with her personal issues as well as her wish of an own family and the courage she has when she opens up to Owen, although she is used to a lifelong trail of rejection. Brynn was an amazingly loving character.
I loved this story ☺ and hope you will too.

[Maria Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm reading these completely out of order but lucky for me, they work as stand alone books. The story is Hallmark-esque in nature. It is a sweet clean romance and fairly predictable but a good and entertaining read. I hope to read the whole series.

Potential triggers: grief due to death of spouse, divorce and parental abandonment.
No sex, language or violence

[Pam Jackson-gorsline]

Falling in love

This is a good story with many emotional twists and turns that keeps you reading. The characters were complex and likable. Interesting how the author out the story together. Nice read for a lazy afternoon.

[Pat Christie · Rating 4 out of 5]

ebook

She’s the new teacher in town, a widow without children of her own. He’s a widower with a daughter in her class. They are drawn to each other but both have secrets and huge trust issues. But they need each other and that leads to a romance.

[Tricia Cox garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Falling in Love

She wanted a family more than anything else, but she didn't think it would ever happen. Then she gets a new child in her kindergarten class, and falls quite literally for the dad. Good clean romance.

[Rhonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet romance novel, easy read, delightful, and enjoyed!

[Linda Rae Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming

Holidays, building a family, and love. What more could you want? Nice novella length book with a little of everything we look for in romance

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great love story



Sweet love story. Enjoyed reading about the lives of the the main characters. Loved the lovely give year old daughter.

[Donna Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet romance about taking a second chance on love. I loved little Harper. This is a sweet, clean romance with great characters.

[Renee Helton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet story

I received a copy of this book.
Sweet story and characters.
Looking forward to reading more books by this author.

[Duffinwoman · Rating 4 out of 5]

clean love story

Quick easy read. Clean romance and a story of how lives are interconnected. A second chance at love for the main characters.

[Rebecca White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet

A beautiful sweet romance showing a family formed when 2 people are willing to trust again even after hard times.

[Tammy Niederhauser · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Michelle Ferrari-Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Small World

Only someone who has never had anything will pull people out of their misery to set things right again. Brynn is definitely who the doctor ordered~

[Franki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to “gobble” up the entire book in one sitting! This sweet story is a story of loss, tragedy, and forgiveness; showing that we can be grateful because God has a plan for our lives, even when we are at our worst.
Brynn was raised in the foster system. She always wanted a family. When she married John, everything should have changed. Then tragedy struck and John was killed in the line of duty one night in a Chicago mini mart. She was left alone again.
Owen’s mom abandoned him and his brothers. Nadine abandoned him and their daughter.
Can a woman who feels unworthy of having a family that will stick around and a man who struggles with trust be able to work together to fix the puzzle of their lives?

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Home wasn't just a place...but people too '

Can Owen trust that home for himself and Harper may not be a place...but is actually Brynn? Is she willing to place her heart on the line again?
With Harper on a mission I am not sure either one has a choice, she may be cute and precocious but is also very devious, just what two wary adults with lots of emotional baggage and a tendency to overthink need. This is a sweet romance, a second chance at finding love, if only they can listen to their heart rather than their head.
I got this on a free download, it is book 4 in the series but is pretty much a stand-alone, there is one plotline that I am assuming runs through all the brothers books and will be resolved in book 5....the whole series is available on Kindle Unlimited, so I will be reading the rest of the series but it wasn't required to enjoy this book.

[Larissa (That Baker That Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Synopsis:
Owen Hawkins returns to the town of his childhood with his daughter, afraid to face his past. But when He meets his daughter's teacher, they feel like they might have a second chance at life.

Includes:
✨Single Dad/Teacher
✨Small Town
✨Autumn Romance
✨Hallmark Vibes
✨Found Family
✨Billionaire
✨Police Officer
✨Grief

🌶️Heat Level:
Just (Sweet) Kisses
Attraction/Tension:🔥🔥

My Opinion:
I could see an improvement in this one, the writing and plot became more cohesive, I like how their attraction and feelings grow slowly, better than the rushed narrative of the previous ones. And I also liked the character growth and how they dealt with trauma, it helped the story not feel superficial. But it's still very hallmark-y, light and sweet.

TW:Death of Spouse, Infertility

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story of new beginnings.

This was such a touching story of 2 people who have both been through their fair share of heartache. Who both struggle to open up and let people in.

It taught a valuable lesson, that we all have a deep longing and a need to be loved and to love in return.

Well written and great depth of characters. I will have to go and read the rest of this series now. I did it again and read it out of order. But it didn’t matter at though I don’t think

Highly recommend

I received a complimentary copy and I am giving my honest review voluntarily

[Michaela | Reading in the Heartland · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing story of hope after loss. Family reunited. The characters were amazing as was the backstory. I have not read the first three books in the series, and while I could tell where they fit in when reading this story, I did not feel like I was missing way too much to be able to enjoy this book. I wish that the book was longer and we heard more about the future. All in all, this book was a wonderful, clean, sweet, holiday romance and I would enjoy reading it again.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Marie Bourgery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brynn and Owen both lost their spouses; hers in the line of duty as a police officer and his to divorce and mental illness. Owen’s daughter Harper was adorable as a pint sized matchmaker. All of Brynn’s kindergarteners were precocious and I could tell she really loved them and ached that she couldn’t be a mom. This was another clean romance in this wonderful series with plenty of funny and sweet moments.

[Doni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a special love story. I truly
enjoyed reading it. It's a heartwarming,
sweet & moving romance.
Brynn & Owen, met when he brought
his daughter Harper, to her new classroom.
They both have suffered
losses in their lives. As the begin a
new friendship, will they be able to
open their heart to something more?
I loved it from beginning to end!!

[Tayra Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brynn moves to a small mountain town. It is a resort area so rents are high. She lucks into renting an old family home that is a bit run down. She is teaching kindergarten at the local elementary school. All is running according to plan until she gets a new student. That student comes in with a gorgeous Dad.

[Melissa B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brynn and Owen have had baggage be it their childhood homes or the way they lost their spouses.
A touching story with good characters and a pint-sized little girl that's just adorable.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

When two people need new starts. Owen came home with daughter after his ex wife died he knew he needed his home town. Brynn needed a new start after her husband died in the line of duty. But what happens it how lives twist together in some of the strangest ways.

[MaryEllen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The characters are well done and the dialog was good.

Oh man, these two had so much baggage to sort through.

I loved the silliness tossed in among the serious stuff.

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good continuation of the series. I love the Hawkins brothers stories.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet romance

A schoolteacher and a policeman plus his little girl, become acquainted. Strong themes of family and faith made me enjoy this story.

[Pat Babcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Falling in Love With a Police Officer

Couple who have both had their spouses die me when they ended up I the same town. Very well written story.