Foster Justice by Colleen Shannon

December 20th, 2014 Kimberly Review 26 Comments

20th Dec
Foster Justice by Colleen Shannon
Foster Justice
by Colleen Shannon
Series: Texas Rangers #1
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star

That’s the Texas Ranger motto, but when Chad Foster’s rebellious brother goes missing, it’s time to put his elite training to use investigating a crime that strikes much closer to home. Turning Los Angeles inside out to retrieve Trey and save their ranch from a ruthless land grab is a no brainer, even if it puts his badge at risk. His only lead is a heart-stoppingly sensuous exotic dancer with a very tempting butterfly tattoo, the woman who helped scam his brother out of their ranch. But staying on top of this redhead's every suggestive word and sensual move means putting his case—and his heart—right in the line of fire . . ..A Texas Ranger, complete with quarter horse, is as out of place in downtown L.A. as a lawman is in the bed of a suspect, but with both their lives at risk, Chad has to put his trust in the one woman who could bring him down for good, and pray that somehow hard evidence is really just a pack of lies. . .

I love a good romantic suspense and when you add in a Texas Ranger, I get curious. Foster Justice is the first in Colleen Shannon’s Texas Ranger series and despite not connecting to the romance the case itself kept me flipping the pages.

Caffeinated Aspects:

  • Brothers, swindlers, and an exotic dancer had me intrigued. When Chad Foster’s brother goes missing the Texas Ranger has no choice but to turn in his badge and head to California to find him. The plot drew me in with compelling characters.
  • Chad Foster is a born and bred rancher and lawman. Chad has a reputation hunting cattle thieves and uses those skills when he enters California. The man brought his horse with him, and I could not help but giggle. Chad could be charming, and the man was tenacious trying to find his brother and capture a crook.
  • Jasmine is so much more than an exotic dancer and the girl does not mess around. She completely upended Chad and I loved her role in the case.
  • Riley is a local police officer and his interactions with Foster where comical in the beginning. The banter made me laugh and I enjoyed their interaction as the case deepened.
  • While this is dubbed a romantic suspense, it leans heavier to the suspense side. Foster did a great job of provided clues, ramping up the tension and adding some twists to the story. The tale flowed well despite my disconnect to the romance and I enjoyed all of the character interactions. The villain was slimy and I cheered the good guys on.

Decaffeinated Aspects:

  • I liked Jasmine and Chad together and could see them working as a couple but some scenes and the rushed romance (in part because the action and suspense were heavier) I was never really swept up in the romance.
  • Jasmine used something to prove that Chad was interested in her as a woman and it just did not work for me personally. I felt in a way it degraded her. Not for the act, but because she saw it as validation he liked her. It is only one scene and the author clearly showed more sides to them as a couple but for me it fell flat.
  • Chad was a tad bull-headed and got himself in some mighty sticky situations while trying to solve the case and while I loved his tenacious persistence, some of it was just a bit over the top. Hotheaded and stupid are two different things.

Despite some issues I enjoyed Foster Justice and look forward to trying the next Texas Ranger book.

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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

26 Responses to “Foster Justice by Colleen Shannon”

  1. Lorna

    My first thought was-what the heck did he do with the horse in the big city? Not so sure about a romance with an exotic dancer either-although I have seen it done one other time-and done well. It sounds like fun characters though, and I am glad you liked it well enough to read the next one!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Throw out the exotic dancer image..all is not what it seems…as for the horse it was interesting

  2. Candace

    The action and suspense sounds great! I haven’t read a book with a Texas Ranger, but I’ve seen some shows and movies so I’m definitely intrigued!

  3. Bookworm Brandee

    Sounds pretty good, Kimba. I admit to having “Texas Rangers” catch my eye. 😉 I’m glad you enjoyed the suspense aspects since the romance didn’t work for you. The characters do seem compelling. And I’m glad you’re going to give the next in the series a shot. 🙂

    • kimbacaffeinate

      The characters were fun, and yep I have a soft spot for any man in uniform

  4. Siiri

    I’m glad you liked this as a whole, Kim! I like suspense stories that don’t make you feel like you’re smarter than the characters all put together (meaning it’s all so easy to figure out and characters make stupid mistakes one after another) or so clueless you don’t know what’s going on and nothing really gets explained. Sorry yu didn’t really love the romance. I think that’s an essential part to like a romantic suspense. Hopefully next time 🙂

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Yes, I liked it enough to try again which is a good thing 🙂

  5. Sophia Rose

    Oh, how fun! It’s one thing to read about a Texas Ranger in Texas, but to see him out of his element solving a case sounds great. I’ll have to look this one up.

  6. Sharon Greene

    Your very detailed review got me interested in a book that normally I wouldn’t take a second glance at. I thought your analysis of the book was fair, showing clearly what was good and what was not so great. 2 thumbs up for a great review!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Thanks Sharon, if I have issues I try to fairly share so you can decide for yourself. For me the suspense made this work, but I know others really want the romantic aspect of romantic suspense. 🙂 appreciate the feedback!

  7. Melliane

    Oh Texas Rangers are fun! I always love to read about them. I didn’t know about this one though. Now I’m curious. Maybe I’ll wait to see how the others are. thanks for the review!

  8. Benish K.

    “Hotheaded and stupid are two different things.”

    HA, I loved this line from your review & I agree. Great post!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      If the suspense interests you than you will be fine…if you need the romantic element I fear you will disappointed.