Gentle Persuasion

Detective Cole Brownfield walks a fine line between heaven and hell due to his occupation. As a member of the Narcotics Division at the Laguna Beach Police Department, he spends days at a time in the most run down parts of the city and comes home to a warm and supportive family which consists of his father and brothers. He has resigned himself to the belief that no woman could love him enough to overlook the danger that frequently permeates his life. He is convinced that the life expectancy of a cop makes it impossible to have a sustaining relationship of any sort with a woman. But when his sister's friend, Debbie Randall, arrives from Oklahoma to take care of his recuperating father, Cole finds himself confronting the simmering attraction between the two of them. An attraction that is slowly developing into an earnest and abiding love on her part. Cole, on the other hand, finds it hard to say the words Debbie longs to hear and harder still to commit to her. Sharon Sala has written a powerful story about a cop with a soft heart and a woman whose strength of character has him falling helplessly in love with her. Cole is every bit the cop in the sense that he is hard-edged, cynical, and somewhat taciturn. But Debbie brings out a side in him he usually reserves only for family. Her vivacity and warmth irrevocably invade his soul. Debbie has a way of opening up his family and giving her heart to him that has him rethinking his standpoint on marriage. Though Debbie does have hesitations about his job and the danger he constantly puts himself in, she also understands his need to serve the public. She doesn't stand in his way when it comes to his job but refuses to let him throw up walls when he fears that the danger he faces might drive her away. The author illustrates the development of their relationship credibly by allowing her readers access to many of the characters' internal thoughts. If not for this, I would have found it a bit hard to sympathize with Cole. As it was, I enjoyed reading about these two characters, especially Debbie whose generosity of spirit and heart really lent a great deal to this story.